Southend-on-Sea's first tramway was a horse drawn tram that ran along the pier (this was later replaced by a dedicated railway which has used a variety of rolling stock over the years). An electric tram for the town itself began operation in 1901 which used 1, 067mm gauge like the pier railway did at the time. The initial trams for the corporation were built by Brush Traction in a variety of types, some double decker and other single decker and four or eight wheels.
 |
| English Electric tram [1] |
| Information for original Brush cars | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 14 |
| Built: | 1901 |
| Builder: | Brush Traction |
More trams were built by G.F. Milnes, Brush and the United Electric Car Company in subsequent years. The network continued to expand in the 1910s and at it's greatest extent was nearly fifteen kilometres long. The final trams built for the corporation were by English Electric in 1923. Earlier trams with open top decks were refurbished to add top covers.
By the mid-1920s the corporation was already looking at replacing the tram with electric trolleybuses. Replacement began as lines required track renewal. The final trams ran in 1942.
[1] English Electric Journal Vol 3 Issue 6 (1926) p. 248