The earliest trams were horse drawn, operated by the Sunderland Tramways Company since 1879. This company was bought by the Sunderland Corporation in 1900 and converted to electric. The Sunderland District Electric Tramways Company was formed in 1902 and from 1905 operated an electric tramway service from Grangetown to Easington Lane. The tram network was closed in 1925 and the routes converted to bus operation.
 |
| Sunderland District tram [1] |
| Information for Brush cars |
| Number built: |
15 |
| Built: |
1905 |
| Builder: |
Brush |
| Motor: |
2 Peebles Type S electric motors (500v DC OHLE) |
| Power: |
70 hp (52 kW) |
The initial batch of trams were built by Brush with electric equipment by the Bruce Peebles company (who were the main electrical contractor for the tram network). The company also bought fifteen trams built by the French Arbel company to form it's initial fleet of thirty trams. Eight more Brush built trams were added to the fleet in the early 1920s. When the tram network was shut down some of the trams were sold to the Bolton, Grimsby and Manchester Corporations.
 |
| Car shed [1] |
 |
| Tram entrance and controller [1] |
[1] "The Sunderland District Tramways", Street Railway Journal Vol. XXVI No. 3 (July 15 1905) p. 96
