1913
The 1913 Nottingham Corporation Bill proposed tramway extensions along Derby Road, via Hucknall Road to Bagthorpe Hospital, along Sneinton Road to Sneinton Dale, and from Bulwell Market to Bulwell Hall Park, together with various motorbus and trolley vehicle routes. The principal motorbus routes were in West Bridgford, i.e., via Trent Boulevard to Adbolton Grove, and a circular route via Musters Road, Chaworth Road and Loughborough Road. Others were between the tramcar terminus at Sherwood, continuing via Daybrook Square to Arnold, and along Carlton Road o Newgate Street, both of these being routes for which tramway powers had been taken over from the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company. Suggestions were made that powers would probably also be required for other feeder services to tramways, such as from Mansfield Road, via Gregory Boulevard and Alfreton Road to Bentinck Road, along Forest Road, along Hucknall Road to the Bagthorpe Workhouse, via Sneinton Road to Sneinton Dale, between Bulwell Market Place and Bulwell Hall Park, and from the Mapperley tramway terminus to Spout Lane (now Coppice Road).
The subsequent Act gave general powers for motorbus operation within the city boundary.
Trolleybus powers were sought for a route from the Market Place, via Arkwright Street to Trent Bridge, and thence along the two routes proposed for motorbus operation in West Bridgford. Owing to opposition from the West Bridgford Urban District Council, the latter clause was deleted, but powers for trolleybuses were granted, including the section of route between the Market Place and Trent Bridge. The vehicles were restricted to a maximum laden weight of five tons, powers being given to enable provisional orders to be applied for on any route required.
West Bridgford Urban District Council then promoted their own Bill to operate motorbuses, but endeavoured to make a satisfactory agreement with the Corporation to operate the services; eventually, after lengthy negotiations, West Bridgford commenced operation on their own account in January the following year.
The construction of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company's Ripley route began in May 1913, and it was opened in several sections, all outside the city. The section between Church Street Basford, and Cinderhill was constructed by the Corporation and, after inspection by Major Pringle on 1 January 1914, through services to Ripley started. This section of the line included the only reserved track in Nottingham, ballasted sleeper track about ¼ mile long cutting off the corner between Nuthall Road and Stockhill Lane. The only Corporation cars to run over this track, so far as can be ascertained, were two test cars and the inspection car and, later, about 1919, one of the Westinghouse bogie cars borrowed by the Tramway Company in order to try out a car of this type on their line. It is thought that this car was no. 77: the car ran all the way to Ripley, probably the only Nottingham car to do so.
Corporation tickets were issued on the Company’s trams between the Nottingham terminus on Parliament Street and Cinderhill, rebooking being necessary at the latter point on journeys either way. The Company issued a special colliers' ld. ticket, available to colliers going to and from work in their "pit clothes", irrespective of distance. One passenger answering to this description boarded a Company car on Alpine Street and asked for his ld. ticket, wanting to go to Nuthall. This placed the conductor in a quandary as he had no corresponding ticket for the Corporation, but being an obliging person, he issued a ld. joint ticket which was marked "Parcel or Perambulator"! The said passenger was most insulted by this and informed the conductor so in language not too polite. When the conductor said that he could not do anything about it, the passenger's ire was so roused that he punched the conductor on the nose. Litigation ensued.
The experiment with the Birmingham type screen proved so successful that in October it was agreed to fit a further 40 suitable cars with this type, the remaining 25 to be fitted with the best kind obtainable.
An extension of the Carlton Road route from the old terminus at Thorneywood Lane to Standhill Road was commenced in the September.
Read more about this topic: Nottingham Corporation Tramways