Changes

The '''Kidderminster and Stourport Electric Tramway ''' ran between the two named townsas an isolated subsidiary of the Birmingham and Midland Tramways, which was itself owned by the British Electric Traction Company Ltd. Operating between 1898 and 1929, it competed with the GWR for local passenger traffic. ==History==The Kidderminster and Stourport Electric Tramway Bill received Royal Assent on 5 August 1896, allowing the Kidderminster and Stourport Electric Tramway Company to be formed to build the tramway. Services The Bill authorised the construction of the tramway in three parts:*Tramway no. 1 (the main tramway) began at a terminus in Vicar Street opposite the Town Hall buildings, briefly passing along Oxford Street and Bridge Street to join New Road and thence south to Stourport.*Tramway no. 2 (a shorter tramway running to the east) left Tramway no 1 at the Bridge Street junction, continuing along Oxford Street past Worcester Cross, up Comberton Hill, crossing Chester Road North to a terminus at the Junction of Comberton Road and Somerleyton Road.*Tramway no. 3 connected New Road to the depot via a bridge over the [[River Stour]]. A power station next to the depot provided the power for the tramway. The parapet of the bridge and the chimney of the power station can be seen in the picture of the depot (top right). <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">OS_Kidderminster_1924_1.jpg|1924 OS Map showing the route of the tramway from the Kidderminster Terminus to Comberton Hill and New Road, including access to the Depot.OS_Kidderminster_1924_2.jpg|1924 OS Map showing the continuation of the tramway from Comberton Hill to the terminus on 23 May 1898 Comberton Road.Tramway plan.jpg |The route and continued until 2 April 1929elevation profile. </gallery> Construction work began in 1897 and was undertaken by the local company George Law of Comberton Hill,<refname=Voice9>[[Bibliography#BooksOther Publications |Marshall Voice (19892017)]] p.909.</ref> It who also built the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway and many years later would build [[The Engine House]] for the SVR. The tramway was built to a gauge of 3'6" and subject to a speed limit of 5mph in town and 12mph in open country.<ref>[https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWR7562&resourceID=1035 Kidderminster and Stourport Electric Tramway on the Heritage Gateway web site]</ref> Unusually for a tramway, the majority of the main line outside the urban areas was on sleeper track at the side of the road,<ref>Great British Tramway Networks, Wingate H. Bett & John C. Gillham, 1940</ref> running on its own right of way with a macadam surface. This rural part of the system was referred to as a "tramroad" as opposed to the "tramways" of the urban road sections.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 8.</ref> Services were advertised to begin on Monday 23 May 1898, although a last minute decision that more test running was required meant that passengers were not carried until Wednesday 25 May 1898.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 12.</ref> The fare from Comberton Hill, near Kidderminster Station the Stourport river bridge was 3d.<ref>[https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001005/18980528/095/0007 Dudley Herald - Saturday 28 May 1898 on the British Newspaper Archive]</ref> Services were initially provided by six single-deck power cars, with a carrying capacity of 24 passengers, and three trailer cars with a capacity of 40 passengers.<ref> The Engineer, June 24 1898</ref> The first six power cars were Brush-built and were an unusual design, being fully enclosed and the first tramcars with windscreens to operate in Britain. The open-sided trailer cars proved unsuitable and were converted to independent power cars around September 1899. Later various other new and second-hand rolling stock was used, with several of the power cars being converted to double-deck.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] Appendix 1 – ''The Tramway Fleet''</ref> <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">Tram drawings.jpg |Drawings of the trams and trailer carsBrush_Tram_Car_Advertisement.jpg|Brush Company advertisement featuring one of the first Kidderminster tram cars. </gallery> ==Intersections between the Tramway and the Severn Valley Branch==<gallery mode=packed heights=300px style="text-align:left">File:Kidderminster and Stourport Electric Tramway Company.jpg|Map of the route (Wikimedia Commons)</gallery>The tramway crossed the Severn Valley Branch at two locations; via the level crossing at [[Stourport]] and via the [[Stourport Road Bridge]] at [[Foley Park]]. The tramway also ran up Comberton Hill, passing the present day entrance to the SVR and crossing the GWR's Kidderminster to Stourbridge line via the road bridge next to the main line station. During the construction of the tramway, the GWR required a number of conditions to be met, in particular to ensure that stray currents from the tramway did not cause a safety hazard by interfering with the low-voltage signalling equipment used on the railway. The railway's rails at the entrance to Stourport station had to be cut to allow the tram rails to pass through them, and the GWR insisted that the Tramway Company install and pay for the level crossing.<ref name=Voice9/>

From its introductionopening in 1898, the tram service competed for the GWR's passenger traffic, especially as it provided a direct connection between Kidderminster and Stourport while the journey by rail required a change at [[Bewdley ]] or [[Hartlebury]]. This was one of By 1901 authorisation had been given to extend the tramway from Kidderminster to Bewdley (see below) which would have further increased this competition These were among the factors that led the GWR to introduce a [[GWR Steam Railmotor|steam railmotor service]] in January 1905 in a bid to improve local services. The GWR opened [[Foley Park Halt]], next to the [[Stourport Road Bridge]], at the same time the railmotor service began.<ref>Marshall p. 143.</ref> An advertising booklet published by the Tramway Company the following year proclaimed "''Easter, 1906. 20,000 passengers travelled by Tram to Stourport.''"<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 7.</ref> .

==Connections between the Tramway and the Severn Valley BranchProposed Bewdley extension==The In December 1899 proposals were first made for an extension of the tramway crossed from Kidderminster to Bewdley.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 24.</ref> On 26 May 1900 the Severn Valley Branch at two locations; via Tramway Company made an application under the level crossing at Light Railways Act to bring this about.<ref>[[StourportBibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 28.</ref> On 8 October 1901 the Board of Trade authorised its construction under the '''Kidderminster and via Bewdley Light Railways Order 1901''', although a section of track through the Bull Ring at Kidderminster was only to be used for empty tramcar movements in the early morning and late evening and prohibited to trams at other times.<ref>[[Stourport Road BridgeBibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] at p. 32.</ref> Having received authorisation, the Company then made no attempt to begin the work despite pressure from the Town Councils, and the proposal was eventually abandoned in March 1905,<ref>[[Foley ParkBibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]]p. 46.</ref> just 2 months after the GWR introduced the rail motor service.  <gallery mode=packed heights=250px style="text-align:left">Bewdley_Tramway_Extension. jpg|The GWR opened route of the proposed extension in blue, with the existing system in red (see also map above) </gallery> ==Decline and closure==Traffic levels peaked in 1908,<ref>[[Foley Park HaltBibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]]p. 57.</ref> after which a slow decline took place up the the First World War. The decline continued after the War, and the last tram ran on the short Comberton Hill route on 31 December 1923, after which time they were replaced by buses. Services to Stourport continued, next but by 1928 the tramway Company was seeking permission from the Ministry of Transport to close the Stourport Road Bridgetramway altogether, at as competition from buses meant they could not raise the same time necessary capital to maintain and upgrade the Railmotor route. While MoT permission was still awaited, services ended unannounced on 2 April 1929 with a 'temporary' bus replacement service beganbeing instituted. The closure became official later that month<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 97.</ref>.

==Gallery==The tramway also ran up Comberton HillTramway appeared in a number of postcards, passing the present day entrance to the SVR and crossing the GWR's Kidderminster to Stourbridge line via the road bridge next to the main line stationtwo examples of which are shown below.

<gallery mode=packed heights=Proposed Bewdley extension=200px style="text-align:left">In December 1899 proposals were first made for an extension of the tramway from Kidderminster to BewdleyTramway_Postcard_01.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications jpg| Voice (2017)]] p. 24Tramcar No 8 approaching StourportTramway_Postcard_02.jpg|Tramcar No 9 in Oxford Street, Kidderminster</refgallery> On 26 May 1900  The first postcard shows Tramcar No 8 approaching Stourport. The houses on the left can still be seen opposite the Tramway Company made an application under present-day location of the Light Railways Act to bring this aboutWharf Care Home on the A451 Minster Road.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p The second postcard shows Tramcar No 9 in Oxford Street, Kidderminster. 28The Kidderminster terminus is a short distance behind the photographer, who was standing on the Bridge Street junction where the main route to Stourport branched to the right, while the tram is on the short branch leading to Worcester Cross, Comberton Hill and Somerleyton Road.</ref> However work never began  Both No 8 and No 9 were delivered as unpowered trailer cars for the proposal was eventually abandoned opening in March 19051898 but converted into powered tramcars the following year.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other Publications | Voice (2017)]] p. 46.</ref>

*[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2eAFhE-m0yhblMxekdSQnh6RmM/view Public Tramway Shelter, Oxford Street, Kidderminster on the Kidderminster & District Archaeological & Historical Society web site] [[Category:Featured articles]]