Old Leeds Tram

[Hats Off]

Interesting piece and some nice old photos :http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... tmlRegards.

[liits]

Showing the tram standing outside the original Queens Arms Hotel on Harrogate Road. The building still survives.Carley’s was the business of John William Carley, Wholesale Boot & Shoe Manufacturer. The 1908 Trade Directory shows that the manufacturing premises were at Cookridge Street with shops at Woodhouse Lane, Beeston Road and Great George Street. John William himself lived at “Springhill” The Drive, Roundhay.By 1914 the factory and the Great George Street shop still the same but the other shops are listed at Victoria Arcade and Roundhay Road.     

[stutterdog]

liits wrote: Showing the tram standing outside the original Queens Arms Hotel on Harrogate Road. The building still survives.Carley’s was the business of John William Carley, Wholesale Boot & Shoe Manufacturer. The 1908 Trade Directory shows that the manufacturing premises were at Cookridge Street with shops at Woodhouse Lane, Beeston Road and Great George Street. John William himself lived at “Springhill” The Drive, Roundhay.By 1914 the factory and the Great George Street shop still the same but the other shops are listed at Victoria Arcade and Roundhay Road.      Having read about this in the YEP online,they were saying that the car 107 is to run on the train track at Middleton. Was the tram track gauge the same as the BR railway gauge or is the Middleton gauge different to both?

[jim]

Middleton Railway track is to the same gauge as the rest of Britain's railways - 4' 8 1/2". Leeds' tram tracks were to the same nominal gauge, but like all trams, the flange profile and therefore clearances at turnouts (points) were much smaller. This means that railway vehicles will not normally run safely on tram tracks, but trams will run on railway tracks until they reach turnouts at which point they become likely to derail without special adaptations at common crossings and at check rails.    

[liits]

Leeds tramway gauge was 4’ 8’’ ½ [while Bradford’s was 4’]. The Middleton Railway is also 4’ 8’’ ½ - standard gauge.An interesting article about the through trams from Leeds to Bradford is here....http://www.mylearning.org/inventions-in ... -2113/Edit - Jim beat me to it with a much, much better answer while I was trying to remember how to type “½”.    

[stutterdog]

liits wrote: Leeds tramway gauge was 4’ 8’’ ½ [while Bradford’s was 4’]. The Middleton Railway is also 4’ 8’’ ½ - standard gauge.An interesting article about the through trams from Leeds to Bradford is here....http://www.mylearning.org/inventions-in ... -2113/Edit - Jim beat me to it with a much, much better answer while I was trying to remember how to type “½”.     Thanks Jim and liits for your very knowledgeable answers, It's something I've always had in my head to ask and never have! Having also read the link about Bradford trams I can remember when I was a kid going to Bradford with my Aunt on 2 or 3 occasions and riding on the trams there and being really thrilled that some of them were open at each end of the upper deck! I don't think that Leeds had any similar trams and I certainly never rode on one in Leeds.

[jim]

Tramways that wanted the facility to haul 4" 8 1/2" railway wagons over their systems had to be built to 4' 7 3/4" gauge, which allowed the heavy railway flanges to run in the bottom of the tram rail grooves. Glasgows trams were built to this gauge, and I believe there were other similar systems.To use the horse tram Middleton will have to either:-1) Fit a special wheelset to railway standards to the vehicle.2) Fit some kind of filler blocks to the common crossing vees and/or fit spacers to the check rails to be passed over.3) Go VERY slowly and carefully!4) Find an otherwise unused section of track with no turnouts and trundle back and forth away from any other moving vehicle.How do you do those elegant fractions on here liits?        

[Brunel]

Middleton Railway Festival of Transporthttp://tinyurl.com/k7v5zvo

[Tyke]

I live within walking distance of Middleton Railway so I asked my eldest lad if he fancied a walk down on Sunday to get a few picture, “dad even I'm not that nerdy” ..........SIGH.    

[BIG N]

Unfortunatly its first outing didn't get off to a good starthttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-23846756