Northampton Corporation Tramways
| Company type | Municipal tramway operator |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Defunct | 15 December 1934 |
| Headquarters | Northampton , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | Northampton, Northamptonshire, England |
| Products | Tram services |
Northampton Corporation Tramways managed the tram services in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, from 1901 until 1934.
History
On 21 October 1901, the company purchased the operation from the Northampton Street Tramways Company for £38,700. Initially, horse-drawn trams continued to run while plans for electrification were underway. After electric trams were introduced, the horse-drawn vehicles and horses were swiftly sold at auction by W. J. Pierce in Northampton. On 29 July 1904, seventy horses and six tramcars were auctioned; the remaining fifteen horses and eight tramcars serving the Kingsthorpe route were sold in August 1904. The Duke of Buccleuch acquired a bay gelding for 38 guineas, while other horses fetched prices ranging from 14 to 30 guineas. Tramcars, which originally cost between £150 and £170 each, were sold for merely £4 to £7 apiece.
A newly constructed depot located in St James’ End was designed to house 24 tramcars within a structure measuring 120 feet in length and 70 feet in width, featuring six rail tracks and provisions for future growth. The power station was established at the refuse destructor site on Castle Street, outfitted with two 200 kW generators alongside a 120 kW unit to handle lighter loads. Construction commenced in October 1903.
The transition to an electric tram system began on 20 January 1904 with track installation on Wellingborough Road. The inaugural electric service took place on 21 July 1904 during an official opening event; by the end of that day, all twenty tramcars were operational across a route spanning 5.5 miles.
In 1913, the council sanctioned a budget of £10,850 for procuring new equipment and additional tramcars: four new vehicles (£2,600), an extension to the tram shed (£2,400), a new engine and generator (£2,300), and a battery system (£2,100). Passenger numbers had surged to 7.5 million annually, up from five million in 1906.
The Far Cotton extension, costing £20,352 and constructed by Messrs Stark and Co., involved ordering three new tramcars from Brush Electrical Engineering Company at £460 each; electrical components were provided by Dick Kerr and Company at £289 per car. This expansion necessitated widening Northampton's South Bridge from 30 feet to 50 feet at an expense of £6,000–£7,000. The Far Cotton line became operational on 23 October 1914, increasing the network length to 6.41 miles.
During the First World War, service adjustments included eliminating the halfpenny fare while allowing free rides for wounded soldiers. With many male employees enlisted, female conductors began working from December 1915 under contracts of 54 hours weekly with pay equal to their male counterparts (£1 0s. 3d.). Due to staffing shortages, some women worked up to 70 hours per week.
Sunday services were reinstated in 1919.
Following the war, financial difficulties arose: losses of £2,447 on expenditures totaling £50,058 in 1919 escalated to £8,900 by 1921. Nevertheless, by 1924 the operation returned to profitability with a reported surplus of £9,000.
Fleet
The Northampton tram fleet consisted of thirty-seven cars:
- Numbers 1–20 built in 1904 by Electric Railway & Tramway Carriage Works
- Numbers 21–22 produced in 1905 by the same manufacturer
- Numbers 23–24 manufactured in 1910 by United Electric Car Company
- Numbers 25–26 built in 1911 also by United Electric Car Company
- Numbers 27–33 constructed in 1914 by Brush Electrical Machines
- Numbers 34–37 delivered in 1921 by English Electric
The trams bore a vermilion and white color scheme.
Closure
Operations of the tram network were discontinued on 15 December 1934.
Two remnants of former tram stops still exist in Northampton: one located close to the Racecourse and another situated on Kingsthorpe Grove.