Mansfield and District Light Railway Company Limited / Mansfield and District Tramways Limited
The Mansfield and District Light Railway Company Limited was formed in 1901. The standard gauge tramway consisted of 5 routes covering just over 12¼ miles. Having Mansfield as its centre, lines radiated out from the Market Place westward towards Sutton-in-Ashfield and Huthwaite (called Hucknall-under-Huthwaite in those days), northwards to Pleasley, in a north-easterly direction to serve the urban district of Mansfield Woodhouse, east to Crown Farm (for Mansfield Colliery) and south along Nottingham Road to the Mansfield Urban District boundary at Berry Hill Lane.
The tramway commenced its first full day's operation on Wednesday 12th July 1905 and ran an initial fleet of 12 open top tramcars. These first twelve open top tramcars (Nos. 1 to 12) were built by Hurst Nelson and Co. Ltd of Motherwell. In 1906, these were followed by six covered top tramcars (Nos. 13 to 18), built by Brush Electrical Engineering Co. of Loughborough. The initial livery of the Mansfield tramcars was red and cream.
In 1908, two nearly new Brush tramcars (Nos. 19 and 20), built in 1905-6, were purchased from the Cavehill and Whitewell Tramway which operated on the outskirts of Belfast; these arrived in Mansfield still in their light green and cream livery. The green and cream livery became the standard for all the Balfour Beatty & Co. Ltd. group of companies and, eventually, all the Mansfield tramcars were repainted into those colours.
Two new tramcars (Nos. 21 and 22), built by United Electric Car Co. of Preston (UEC), were delivered in 1911 and a further two completely different style open top tramcars (Nos. 23 and 24) - believed to have been built by UEC but it is not certain - were delivered in 1912.
The tramway commenced its first full day's operation on Wednesday 12th July 1905 and ran an initial fleet of 12 open top tramcars. These first twelve open top tramcars (Nos. 1 to 12) were built by Hurst Nelson and Co. Ltd of Motherwell. In 1906, these were followed by six covered top tramcars (Nos. 13 to 18), built by Brush Electrical Engineering Co. of Loughborough. The initial livery of the Mansfield tramcars was red and cream.
In 1908, two nearly new Brush tramcars (Nos. 19 and 20), built in 1905-6, were purchased from the Cavehill and Whitewell Tramway which operated on the outskirts of Belfast; these arrived in Mansfield still in their light green and cream livery. The green and cream livery became the standard for all the Balfour Beatty & Co. Ltd. group of companies and, eventually, all the Mansfield tramcars were repainted into those colours.
Two new tramcars (Nos. 21 and 22), built by United Electric Car Co. of Preston (UEC), were delivered in 1911 and a further two completely different style open top tramcars (Nos. 23 and 24) - believed to have been built by UEC but it is not certain - were delivered in 1912.
In 1916, permission from the Ministry of Munitions was obtained for four covered top open-balcony tramcars. So, by the end of WWI Mansfield possessed 28 tramcars but Nos. 23 and 24 were soon disposed of - sold to Llanelly and District Electric Lighting and Traction Co., circa June 1918 - and the four 'wartime tramcars' became Nos. 23 to 26.
In 1922, the rebuilding of the 1905 Hurst Nelson open top tramcars commenced; Nos. 1, 4, 9 and 11 had top covers added. The rebuilds continued about one every six months but not all were completed by the time the system closed; tramcar No. 10 being a case in point. The 1906 Brush tramcar No. 17 was rebuilt with a full length roof and most tramcars had replacement Pelham P22 trucks fitted and improved controllers. A further two tramcars with fully enclosed upper decks (Nos. 27 and 28) were ordered from the English Electric Co. of Preston (formerly UEC) in 1925. The company were obviously so pleased with the new tramcars that they rebuilt their Hurst Nelson tramcar No.5 to a similar specification. Also, in 1925, arrangements were made with the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Tramways Company for the loan of three tramcars. Three open top tramcars were delivered by road by a local fairground proprietor; these took Nos. 29 to 31 in the Mansfield fleet. But, a few months later Notts & Derby urgently requested the return of one of the cars and No. 29 had to go back. In 1928, the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Tramways Company loaned two more of their open top tramcars (fleet numbers 5 and 6) to their Mansfield 'Balfour Beatty company cousins' and, in 1929, a covered top balcony tramcar was dispatched by road from the Notts & Derby Langley Mill Depot to replace damaged Mansfield tramcar No. 26 which had been 'written-off' in a road accident; the Notts & Derby tramcar became No. 29 in the Mansfield fleet. The last cars made their final journeys on Sunday 9th October 1932. These were replaced by 34 AEC Regent buses. |
Ex-Notts & Derby tramcar, now Car No. 30 in the Mansfield fleet,
stands in Stockwell Gate, adjacent to the market, in 1932. |
Sutton Road Depot, Mansfield
Mansfield & District Light Railways open top Cars No. 7 and No. 3, built by Hurst Nelson and Co. Ltd of Motherwell. An early view at Sutton Road Depot, Mansfield,
circa 1910.
circa 1910.
Mansfield
Mansfield & District Light Railways open top Car No. 5, built by Hurst Nelson and Co. Ltd of Motherwell, pictured in 1913 at Westgate, Mansfield.
A hand-coloured postcard of Leeming Street, Mansfield in 1911. An unidentified Mansfield & District Light Railways open top tramcar (possibly Car No. 7) climbs towards the Maket Place whilst being closely 'slip-streamed' by a cyclist.
Mansfield & District Light Railways rebuilt top-covered Car No. 1 at Mansfield.
Originally built with an open top, this tramcar was rebuilt and converted to a top-covered tramcar sometime from Easter 1922 onwards.
Originally built with an open top, this tramcar was rebuilt and converted to a top-covered tramcar sometime from Easter 1922 onwards.
4 views of Tramcars at Mansfield Market Place, circa 1930
Mansfield to Pleasley service
Mansfield & District Light Railways open top Car No. 10 pictured travelling along Chesterfield Road, Mansfield on the Mansfield to Pleasley service.
Sutton-in-Ashfield
Mansfield & District Light Railways top-covered Car No. 15 pictured, in 1909, travelling along Outram Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield towards Mansfield
on the Hucknall-under-Huthwaite to Mansfield service. Destination displayed on the rear of the tramcar: Hucknall Huthwaite.
on the Hucknall-under-Huthwaite to Mansfield service. Destination displayed on the rear of the tramcar: Hucknall Huthwaite.
Another picture of Outram Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield; Mansfield & District Light Railways top-covered Car No. 16 travelling towards Mansfield on the
Hucknall-under-Huthwaite to Mansfield service. Destination displayed on the rear of the tramcar: Hucknall Huthwaite.
Hucknall-under-Huthwaite to Mansfield service. Destination displayed on the rear of the tramcar: Hucknall Huthwaite.
Hucknall-under-Huthwaite
Mansfield & District Light Railways Car No. 14 at the Huthwaite Terminus. Destination displayed: Hucknall Huthwaite.
Another photograph of the Huthwaite Terminus showing Mansfield & District Light Railways open top Car No. 1. Destination displayed is Mansfield Market.
Mansfield Woodhouse
Mansfield & District Light Railways open top Car No. 10 pictured circa 1907 at the Mansfield Woodhouse Terminus. Destination displayed is Mansfield Woodhouse.
Mansfield & District Light Railways top-covered Car No. 13, built by Brush Electrical Engineering Co. of Loughborough, pictured in 1907 at the Mansfield Woodhouse Terminus. Destination displayed is Mansfield Woodhouse.
Another photograph of Mansfield & District Light Railways top-covered Car No. 13, this time pictured circa 1916, at the Mansfield Woodhouse Terminus.
Destination displayed is Mansfield Woodhouse.
Destination displayed is Mansfield Woodhouse.
Crown Farm - Mansfield Colliery
The Bolsover Colliery Company began sinking its pit at Mansfield in February 1904; coal was reached in May 1905.
This colliery was officially named Mansfield Colliery but because of its close proximity to a local farm called Crown Farm, it soon became known as Crown Farm Colliery or Crownie. To accommodate the initial workforce the new village of Forest Town was built, this provided housing, shops, a school, religious establishments, and social facilities etc.
This colliery was officially named Mansfield Colliery but because of its close proximity to a local farm called Crown Farm, it soon became known as Crown Farm Colliery or Crownie. To accommodate the initial workforce the new village of Forest Town was built, this provided housing, shops, a school, religious establishments, and social facilities etc.
Miners crowd on to an unidentified open top tramcar at the recently opened Crown Farm terminus in 1911. There are about 60 passengers on board and loads of a hundred people were not uncommon when the miners were changing shifts at the nearby Mansfield Colliery.
Mansfield Colliery - no trams in this atmospheric photograph, but worthy of inclusion, showing the fully-laden private owner coal wagons of the period.
Berry Hill Lane, Nottingham Road
An 'orthochrome' postcard of Mansfield & District Light Railways open top Car No. 1 pictured circa 1915 at the Berry Hill Lane Terminus facing up Nottingham Road for the return trip to Mansfield. Destination displayed on the rear blind is Berry Hill Lane.