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Post by londontravel on Sept 11, 2021 16:28:41 GMT
Does anyone at all know if any of the tram tracks in South London were tarred over after the trams were withdrawn in the 50s, or were they all ripped up?
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Post by snowman on Sept 11, 2021 18:47:19 GMT
Does anyone at all know if any of the tram tracks in South London were tarred over after the trams were withdrawn in the 50s, or were they all ripped up? Most of the metal rails were taken up for scrap recovery, except where they had been concreted in. Many of the lines had a road surface around the rails of hardwood blocks and these were also recovered, or ended up in local households as a cheap alternative to coal in domestic fireplaces. |
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Post by vjaska on Sept 11, 2021 20:43:11 GMT
Does anyone at all know if any of the tram tracks in South London were tarred over after the trams were withdrawn in the 50s, or were they all ripped up? The ones in the tram shed on Brixton Hill are still there - the ones outside the garage were removed in the 2000's or 2010's |
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Post by Catford94 on Sept 12, 2021 14:51:53 GMT
Apart from the fairly obvious north end of the Kingsway subway... Beresford Square, Woolwich, had tram tracks visible in to the mid / late 1980s - more here - apparently part of the square belonged to a market traders' association or similar rather than being local authority highway (although it was used as a road by traffic including buses) so the local council did not remove them.
A length of track was, until fairly recently, visible at one end of the former Metropolitan Electric Tramways offices at Manor House, as there was a siding there (photo - not mine - here)
Track including the change pit remained visible at Poplar Iron Bridge in to the 1980s - the road was re-aligned in the mid 1930s after the bridge was replaced, and the old road alignment became part of a private site (think it was a timber yard or similar) - photo - also not mine - here.
I think there was track visible in the yard of the Central Repair Depot at Charlton in the 80s - unfortunately I didn't take photos at the time (in those days, taking photos came at a cost, and there was no immediate threat to the building - I was away from London when it was facing demolition) but can't find a photo elsewhere to confirm this.
Somewhere (but not yet scanned or put online) I have a photo taken in the mid 1980s showing a short bit of track visible through worn tarmac at what was the entrance to the depot off Oak Grove Road in Anerley / Penge (the depot closed in about 1935, the depot building was still there at the time, but the site has since been redeveloped for housing as Tramway Close.)
I also understand that some tram track from the horse era was visible in to the 70s or 80s at former horse tram depots under rail arches at Peckham, and the yard behind the 'Old Queens Head' on Stockwell Road.
I have seen bits of tram rail surface at a few points in S London, and a few short sections have found their way in to my collection, so it was not all removed...
I also remember press reports about construction work on the second generation tramways causing first generation tram track to be uncovered - aware this happened in Nottingham and Sheffield, can't remember if it did in Croydon as well. |
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