Nottingham Corporation Tramways - 1908

1908

Agreement was reached with the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company for the construction of a line within the city from Cinderhill to connect with the existing Corporation lines at Basford, and in return the Company were to transfer powers for their lines within the city to the Corporation. In April a Bill was passed through Parliament authorising the Corporation to take over the powers for three of the Company’s routes, namely, to Beeston, Arnold (a continuation of the Sherwood route) and Carlton.

The Carlton route, as sanctioned to the Company, was for single line with passing loops, a type of construction not favoured by the Corporation, and during the construction of the various routes within the city, endeavours had always been made to have property demolished in order to widen the roadways, making them suitable for double track. A new Bill was therefore introduced by the Corporation to authorise a double line to Carlton, but owing to the dissolution of Parliament it was not passed until 1910.

Only a few days after their introduction in March 1906, the motorbuses had started to give considerable mechanical trouble; split pins dropped out of the steering gear and out of the wheels, while blocked petrol supply pipes were a continual source of delay. Some repairs were carried out by the drivers, but usually the fitter employed on this work would bring out the third bus as a replacement. As time went by the vehicles became more troublesome and often the service had to be maintained by one bus because mechanical work was being carried out on the other two. It was not unusual for one bus to go out two or three hours late to enter service, and on one occasion the crew of one vehicle waited five hours after a breakdown for the second bus in service to work its last journey and tow them in.

In April, the Committee were informed that considerable expenditure was needed to keep these vehicles in service and that it was not possible to maintain them satisfactorily, whereupon it was decided to ask Seldon Brothers, Wentworth’s, and W. Bamford if any of them would be willing to provide horsebuses for the service, pending construction of the tramway. Bamford agreed to the proposal that he should operate between the top of King Street and the Crown Inn on Carlton Road, via Coalpit Lane (later Cranbrook Street), on a 20-minute frequency at a fixed charge of 9d. per mile; receipts were collected by a Corporation conductor, but the driver was provided by Bamford’s. The last day of motorbus operation was 15 June. After withdrawal, two of the vehicles were converted into tower waggons.

A further ten cars, numbered 116 to 125, were obtained during the year and during their life proved popular with the crews. They were top-covered, with normal stairs, and bodies built by the United Electric Car Company of Preston. They were fitted to Brill 21 E trucks and had two 40 h.p. Dick, Kerr motors with Dick, Kerr controllers and equipment, and B.T.H. magnetic slipper brakes. In May, one of these, no. 121, was demonstrated to the Committee, showing the action of the “run back” preventer and of the combined magnetic and mechanical track brake. At a later date this car was involved in an incident. It was foggy at the time, and both driver and conductor alighted near the top of Derby Road to find their whereabouts. On returning to their car they found that it had run away backwards down the hill to Gregory Street, where it collided with another car, knocking the latter into some gardens.

In August the removal of the centre poles along Alfreton Road was agreed to and, on account of heavy losses, the Carlton Road horsebus service was reduced to a half-hourly frequency.