The last tram to _______

[blackprince]

There is a great collection of photos in the latest additions to Leodis.
Anyone who likes trams (and a few buses) is in for a treat. Quite a lot of the photos are of the "last tram to xxxxx" where xxxx could be Hunslet or other Leeds destinations. I particularly like the one where the steam loco looks like it is about to collide with the tram. I think I know which one would come off best.

[Leodian]

There is a great collection of photos in the latest additions to Leodis.
Anyone who likes trams (and a few buses) is in for a treat. Quite a lot of the photos are of the "last tram to xxxxx" where xxxx could be Hunslet or other Leeds destinations. I particularly like the one where the steam loco looks like it is about to collide with the tram. I think I know which one would come off best.

Thanks blackprince for providing the information about the collection. All very nostalgic and amazing that it's 65 years since the last tram ran in Leeds, which if I recall right was on the York Road route that I used to use though sadly I did not see the last tram run. The photo with the tram and the loco is particularly good!

[blackprince]

Hi Leo, I am old enough to remember riding on the Leeds Tram system. I mainly used the City Centre to Compton Rd route. Also used the York Rd to Crossgates and/or Templenewsam , and the Roundhay Park route. We thought the trams were going to be upgraded when the "modern" single-decker purple coronation trams were introduced. Turned out to be a false dawn as only 4 were in service for a few years.
One is preserved at Crich tram museum.

[blackprince]

Hi Leo, I am old enough to remember riding on the Leeds Tram system. I mainly used the City Centre to Compton Rd route. Also used the York Rd to Crossgates and/or Templenewsam , and the Roundhay Park route. We thought the trams were going to be upgraded when the "modern" single-decker purple coronation trams were introduced. Turned out to be a false dawn as only 4 were in service for a few years.
One is preserved at Crich tram museum.

[Leodian]

Hi blackprince. I also used the York Road to Crossgates and the cut off route by Selby Road to Templenewsam a lot (mostly both from/to town to/from the Shaftesbury). I particularly recall a sharp bend on a slope up when getting close to Templenewsam that always felt like the tram was about to topple over! A thick concrete shelter at the Crossgates terminus is also recalled.

[blackprince]

As you say Leo, coming downhill from Templenewsam and into the curve could be a bit of a white-knuckle ride, especially on the top deck front seats. who needed Alton Towers.
We kids used to call the purple single-decker the "racing tram" because it had better acceleration. I remember catching it once at the Shaftsbury for Templnewsam. It was a more modern design ( 1950s) compared with the old ex-london trams which must have been pre-war. Some of the oldest trams might even have been pre-WW1

This video shows the one in Crich.
https://tinyurl.com/jfy8p8hj

[jma]

It does seem ironic that Leeds - Leeds City Tramways - was one of the few places which persevered with trams including using trams scrapped elsewhere but is now said to be the largest place anywhere without a tram system and not much prospect of getting one anytime soon

[blackprince]

Couldn't agree more jma.
It was brought home to me on a visit to Croatia a few years ago. We visited a small city where the population of the city and the surrounding state was only 100,000 inhabitants and a modern tramline was being built, funded by the EU of course. At the time UK was still the 3rd largest net contributor to the EU. I believe that when we left in 2019 we agreed to continue funding EU "grands projects" which were approved before we left.
This has been a bit of a hobby horse of mine for some time now as you can see from an earlier post- viewtopic.php?t=5424

[Brunel]

LRTA CAMPAIGNING MPs REGARDING TRAMS IN WEST YORKSHIRE
A small committee has been formed to pressurise candidates in the forthcoming General Election who will be representing constituencies in the West Yorkshire region to find out if they will support the building of a mass transit system (trams) that’s been promised by the current government.

The committee has met twice by Zoom and has looked at proposed WY Mass Transit plans Phase 1.
Phase 1 routes:
Leeds City Centre to Seacroft/Whinmoor via St James’s Hospital, Harehills & Easterly Road terminating at a park and ride (P&R) at Whinmoor.
Leeds City Centre through Bramley, Stanningley, Thornbury, Bradford City Centre, Low Moor on to the former Spen Valley line through Cleckheaton,
Heckmondwike, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley, Tingley P&R, White Rose Centre, Elland Road (football ground) and back to Leeds City Centre.
Leeds City Centre to Tingley P&R passing through Hunslet, Belle Isle, Middleton to Tingley P&R.
Other future planned routes (these routes are linked) Leeds City Centre, Headingley, Horsforth, Leeds/ Bradford Airport (LBA), Yeadon, Bradford City Centre.
Leeds City Centre as above then from LBA via Guiseley and Menston to Otley.
Bradford City Centre, Shipley, Baildon, Guiseley and LBA.
Leeds City Centre to Alwoodley, via Scott Hall Road to a P&R opposite the Grammar School at Alwoodley Gates.
Leeds City Centre to Roundhay, as Phase 1 to Harehills (Easterly Road) then using the former tram reservations to Roundhay Park.
Leeds City Centre to Wakefield and its five towns of Castleford, Knottingley, Pontefract, Featherstone and Normanton.
However since that meeting the West Yorkshire Mayor has announced that spades could be in the ground by 2028. The proposed routes to start on Phase 1 are:
a) St James’s Hospital to White Rose Centre via Leeds Arena, City Centre, Elland Road Football Ground and White Rose (then possibly to Dewsbury?)
b) St James’s Hospital to Bradford City Centre: as above to Leeds City Centre then via Bramley, Pudsey, Laisterdyke and Bradford Forster Square.
It was also stated once Phase 1 is completed the other phases on the Mass Transit plans for West Yorkshire could be implemented.
The committee will now be finding out from the Electorate list when it comes out the parliamentary candidates for the forthcoming General Election and then speaking to relevant candidates who will be standing in the areas and talking to them the benefits of a transit system for their constituents.
If you live in any of constituencies that the Phase 1 system will pass through please speak to the relevant parties who will come knocking at your door canvassing for your vote and ask them their views on the proposed transit system.

[Brunel]

https://www.lrta.org/