Derby Corporation Tramways

The Derby Corporation Tramway was opened in 1904, create an electric tramway in the town. The assets of the Derby Tramways Company which had operated horse-drawn trams since 1880 were taken over by the Corporation. The horse tram was built to 1219mm gauge and the electric tramway built to replace it by the new company kept to that gauge [1]. Twenty two and a half kilometres of electrified tramway were built which was a few kilometres less than authorised by the Derby Corporation Act 1901.

Information for initial batch of tramcar
Number built:	25
Built:	1903-04
Builder:	Brush
Motor:	2 British Thomson-Houston GE52 electric motors (DC OHLE)
Power:	54 hp (40 kW)

The network grew gradually with the final extension opening in 1923 however as with most tramways after the First World War the condition of the vehicles and track was deteriorating fast and there was a lack of funds for renewal. From 1930 the tramway began to be converted to trolleybus operation with the final trams running until 1934 [2].

Only one Derby Corporation tram car (No. 1) survives today though this was the first one built, one of the initial batch of tramcars built by Brush. It and No. 2 were delivered in December 1903 and used for crew training before the opening of the tramway to passengers in July 1904 [5]. It continued in service until 1933 before being sold as a Summer house. It was preserved in 1962.

Preserved Tramcar No. 1 at Crich

Derby Corporation tram car [3]

Building of the tramway [4]

[1] Colin Baker, Derby Tramways (Middleton Press, 2003) p. 4
[2] Baker p. 5
[3] "Recent electric road in Derby, England", Street Railway Journal Vol. XXIV No. 19 (Nov 1904) p. 834
[4] Street Railway Journal p. 835
[5] Baker Fig. 108