Tale of an old tramcar: Part 2
Continued from previous posting:
In the late 1980s, Mr Seckerson who was then in his 90s, sadly passed away. His daughter inherited his property and decided to clear the land to build a new house on the site. Realising the significance of the old tram body, she made arrangements for the tramcar to be donated to the Black Country Museum at Dudley in the West Midlands.
The tramcar was duly inspected by museum staff, and in 1989, a team arrived on site to extract the tram and to remove it by low-loader to the Black Country Museum. I’d learnt of this, so on the 18th October 1989 I again visited the site to see the progress. On my arrival, the tram body had been removed from its resting place, and had been lifted onto tram-jacks in readiness for its removal to the Museum.
By now, more was known about the old tram body. It had long been thought that the tram had originated with the Dudley & Stourbridge Electric Tramway Company, and it would appear that this was indeed the case.
In previous years the late J. Stanley Webb, had researched and written extensively about the Black Country’s tramways, and it was largely through Mr Webb’s findings that it is thought the tram body started life in 1901 as tramcar No36 with the Dudley & Stourbridge Electric Tramway Company.
No36 was one of sixteen identical open top, double deck cars built by the Electric Railway & Tramway Carriage Works (ER&TCW) in Preston, for the Dudley & Stourbridge Electric Tramway Co. Few records exist, but it’s known that during the early part of their lives, some of these cars received ‘Bellamy’ top-covers, a crude looking over-canopy to enclose the open upper decks, which certainly didn’t enhance their appearance.
Between 1919-1920 and after fairly long-lived lives, these cars were replaced by new single-deck ‘Tividale’ tramcars. The original tramcars dating from 1901 were withdrawn and eventually broken up. However, tram No36 seems to have survived the scrapping program, and was instead acquired by the Wolverhampton & District Tramways Company, who numbered it 19, and converted into an engineering car.
Just a few short years later, the W&DT tram system was closed and the trams and infrastructure dismantled. As was often the case, several of the old tram bodies were sold off as summer houses, and were often transported many miles by their new owners to picturesque locations in rural areas, where some survived for decades after.
As for No19, that had its Brill-21E tram-truck removed and along with others the tram body was put up for sale. Seeing as it had been used as a mobile workshop by the W&DT, Mr Seckerson must have viewed it as the ideal candidate for his bicycle repair business, and so he purchased it. It was hauled out to Seisdon on a trailer pulled by a steam driven lorry, the hire of which cost him £5.
Today, the tram still exists, but is stored in acquired condition at the Black Country Museum, awaiting its turn when time and money allow for its restoration and possibly, its return to working condition.
Photo: 18th October 1989.
More about the Dudley, Stourbridge & District Electric Traction Co. Ltd.
www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/t...
More about the Wolverhampton & District Tramways Comapny:
www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/t...
Now completely redeveloped, this was the site from where the tramcar was located and recovered.
Tale of an old tramcar: Part 2
Continued from previous posting:
In the late 1980s, Mr Seckerson who was then in his 90s, sadly passed away. His daughter inherited his property and decided to clear the land to build a new house on the site. Realising the significance of the old tram body, she made arrangements for the tramcar to be donated to the Black Country Museum at Dudley in the West Midlands.
The tramcar was duly inspected by museum staff, and in 1989, a team arrived on site to extract the tram and to remove it by low-loader to the Black Country Museum. I’d learnt of this, so on the 18th October 1989 I again visited the site to see the progress. On my arrival, the tram body had been removed from its resting place, and had been lifted onto tram-jacks in readiness for its removal to the Museum.
By now, more was known about the old tram body. It had long been thought that the tram had originated with the Dudley & Stourbridge Electric Tramway Company, and it would appear that this was indeed the case.
In previous years the late J. Stanley Webb, had researched and written extensively about the Black Country’s tramways, and it was largely through Mr Webb’s findings that it is thought the tram body started life in 1901 as tramcar No36 with the Dudley & Stourbridge Electric Tramway Company.
No36 was one of sixteen identical open top, double deck cars built by the Electric Railway & Tramway Carriage Works (ER&TCW) in Preston, for the Dudley & Stourbridge Electric Tramway Co. Few records exist, but it’s known that during the early part of their lives, some of these cars received ‘Bellamy’ top-covers, a crude looking over-canopy to enclose the open upper decks, which certainly didn’t enhance their appearance.
Between 1919-1920 and after fairly long-lived lives, these cars were replaced by new single-deck ‘Tividale’ tramcars. The original tramcars dating from 1901 were withdrawn and eventually broken up. However, tram No36 seems to have survived the scrapping program, and was instead acquired by the Wolverhampton & District Tramways Company, who numbered it 19, and converted into an engineering car.
Just a few short years later, the W&DT tram system was closed and the trams and infrastructure dismantled. As was often the case, several of the old tram bodies were sold off as summer houses, and were often transported many miles by their new owners to picturesque locations in rural areas, where some survived for decades after.
As for No19, that had its Brill-21E tram-truck removed and along with others the tram body was put up for sale. Seeing as it had been used as a mobile workshop by the W&DT, Mr Seckerson must have viewed it as the ideal candidate for his bicycle repair business, and so he purchased it. It was hauled out to Seisdon on a trailer pulled by a steam driven lorry, the hire of which cost him £5.
Today, the tram still exists, but is stored in acquired condition at the Black Country Museum, awaiting its turn when time and money allow for its restoration and possibly, its return to working condition.
Photo: 18th October 1989.
More about the Dudley, Stourbridge & District Electric Traction Co. Ltd.
www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/t...
More about the Wolverhampton & District Tramways Comapny:
www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/t...
Now completely redeveloped, this was the site from where the tramcar was located and recovered.