Collections close up: West Ham Corporation electric tram, 1910

The West Ham Corporation electric tram in our collection, dating from 1910, is a typical Edwardian tram with an open balcony and staircase. It has a steering position at both ends so it can travel in either direction. 

Electric trams operated in London from the early 1900s to the 1950s. They were cheaper to operate and could carry more passengers than buses. 

This tram served routes in east London from 1910 to 1938, after which it was stored for preservation.
 

Electric tramways were opened all over London in the early 1900s. The largest system was run by the London County Council (LCC), but several local councils also ran their own networks. West Ham Corporation, which later became part of the London Borough of Newham, began operating tramways in the Stratford area in 1904. Services were heavily used and soon extended into neighbouring boroughs.

West Ham Corporation trams were powered by overhead lines, which were cheaper than the conduit system built into the road and favoured by LCC. When the tram networks expanded and allowed through services, West Ham trams were fitted with a ‘plough’, a device to draw current from the conduit when running on LCC lines. Where the two systems met, the plough was fed into the conduit slot with a long fork and the trolley pole was removed from the overhead wire.

Electric trams gave all Londoners the chance to ride. Fares were cheap and services were frequent. Each tram could carry a large number of passengers in relative comfort. This medium-sized West Ham tram has 54 seats, so it could carry 20 more passengers than its contemporary, the B type motorbus.

West Ham Tramways ran in the heart of east London’s industrial and dockside areas. The services were popular, soon extending to run beyond the borough.

Until 1924 more people travelled by tram than by any other form of transport. However, after the First World War, trams faced increasing competition from motorbuses that offered a more flexible service. London County Council began to refurbish its E/1 class trams to offer a more comfortable ride to attract passengers. But in the 1930s trolleybuses began to replace tram services.

Tramcar number 102 was built in 1910 by the United Electric Car Company of Preston, Lancashire. It was one of six ordered by the West Ham Corporation Tramways. The design is not unique to London. It is typical of the electric trams ordered by local authorities all over the UK as new council tramways opened in the 1900s.

Originally equipped only for overhead current collection, the tram was modified for conduit operation over the London County Council lines between Stratford and Aldgate. It was rebuilt in 1922 with larger windows but retained the open balconies and platforms.

In 1933 West Ham Tramways were taken over by the newly unified London Passenger Transport Board. Number 102 was renumbered 290 and repainted in red livery. It was withdrawn in 1938 and stored for preservation. London Transport Museum returned the tram to its West Ham Corporation colours in 1993.

This vehicle, and a larger selection of this content, is on display at the Museum.

Look at the Museum Guide, plan a visit, book a ticket.