British Electricity History
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SW Electric Tramway Systems

Electric Tramway Systems in South West Region[1]

  Years Operating Route Miles Max no. of Cars
Bath Co. 1904-1939 14.8 40
Bristol Co. 1895-1941 31.1 238
Camborne & Redruth Co. 1902-1927 3.4 8
Devonport & District Co. 1901-1915[2] 9.2 33
Exeter Corporation 1904-1931 5.0 37
Plymouth, Stonehouse & Devonport Co. 1901-1922[3] 2.9 15
Plymouth Corporation 1899-1945 17.6 171
Taunton Co. 1901-1921 1.7 12
Torquay Co. 1907-1934 9.2 42
Weston-Super-Mare Co. 1902-1937 2.9 18

Ten electric tramway systems were opened between 1895 and 1917. Only the Exeter and Plymouth systems were owned and operated by local authorities. Two companies—Camborne & Redruth and Weston-super-Mare combined public electricity with the tramway operation.

The Bristol and Bath companies built generating stations, a loss of potential load for the municipal electricity systems. Bristol Tramways’ power station at Counterslip was substantial and even as late as 1927/28 was generating more power (15.9 m kWh) than the public supply system of Torquay (14.6 m kWh).[4] The new Princes Rock power station of Plymouth Corporation, opened in 1899, was one of the earliest to combine generating for lighting and traction.[5] The Exeter tramway system accounted for 42 percent of the electricity sales in 1908-9. Tramway supply in 1925-26 as a proportion of total electricity sales varied from 42 percent in Plymouth to 21.5 percent in Exeter, 16.4 percent in Torquay and 10.2 percent in Weston-super-Mare.

 


[1] Compiled from Keith Turner, Directory of British Tramways, Vol 1 (Stroud: Tempus Publishing, 2007).
[2] Acquired by the Plymouth Corporation following the amalgamation of local authorities In the Plymouth area 1914.
[3] As in note 2 above.
[4] Electricity Commissioners, Generation of Electricity in Great Britain. Year ending 31st March 1928. (London: HMSO, 1928)
[5] Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Proceedings, 1899, p.449.

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