Tag Archives: Tramway

The Tramways of Nice:- Les Lignes de l’Arriere-Pays (The Lines of the Hinterland) Part 1 – First Generation Electric Tramways to Contes, Bendejun and La Grave de Peille, and a planned line to l’Escarene – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 95)

This article looks at two tramway routes which were built. The first ran from Nice to Bendejun via Pont de Peille and Contes. The second branched of the first at Pont de Peille and ran to along the valley of the Paillon de Peille to La Grave de Peille. It also covers a proposed tramway to l’Escarene which was not constructed.

Nice to Contes and Bendejun

This line was approximately 18.6 km long. The first part of the route (from Nice Place Garibaldi as far as La Trinite Victor) ran along the same rails as the urban service – a length of around 6.5km.Just over 9 km of line (which was deemed to be part of the coastal (littoral) network) brought trams to Contes. The final length of the line was regarded as part of the TNLs ‘departemental’ network and took trams to the terminus at Bendejun.

Only approximately 0.5 km of the line and (as far as Contes) was on the level. The remainder of the line was set at varying gradients with the steepest being 55mm/m. The line rose from 12 metres above sea-level at Place Garibaldi to 189 metres above sea-level at Contes, and 260 metres above sea-level at Bendejun.

The following notes on the significant dates associated with the line are gleaned from Jose Banaudo’s book. [1: p70] …

The line from Garibaldi to Abbatoirs opened to the public on 21st February 1900. On 2nd June of the same year, the line opened from Abbatoirs to Contes. Goods were carried on this section of the line from 1st October 1900.

It was not until 1st February 1909 that passengers could travel between Contes and Bendejun and no goods were carried along that length of the line until 1st January 1911.

After just over a year, in February 1912, subsidence closed the length of the line between Contes and Bendejun. The line opened again in March. During the winter of 1916-1917, the line was closed by snow and landslides.

On 1st January 1923 tram services were given new numbers: Nice to La Trinite or Drap became No. 26; Nice to Contes or Bendejun, No. 27.

Sadly, after further problems with landslides, the line between Contes and Bendejun was permanently closed from 18th November 1926.

On 8th October 1934 renumbering led to the line to La Trinite being numbered 36 and the Nice to Contes service, 37.

A landslide affected the line between the cement works and Contes. It was closed from November 1934 to March 1935.

Late in 1935, the Nice terminus of these services was moved from Place Garibaldi to Rue Geoffredo.

After damage to the electricity substation adjacent to Pont-de-Peille on 12th February 1938, the passenger service from Drap to Contes was curtailed and the No. 37 service was replaced by buses.

There was opposition to the bus service being provided by a single company. This saw a reopening of the tram service on Ligne 37 on 15th March 1938. There followed a period between 3rd August 1938 and December 1944 when tramway services were interrupted relatively frequently for a variety of reasons which included damage during WW2.

On 23rd December 1944 the tram service resumed from Nice to Pont-de-Peille with a bus service covering the remainder of the route to the North.

On 17th January 1945, goods transport between Contes and Nice resumed and, on 20th January 1945, passenger trams returned to Contes.

In the winter of 1948-1949 bad weather saw the interruption of services North of La Pointe de Contes.

January 1950 saw the closure of the line to passenger services with buses used to replace that service on a permanent basis. In May 1950, the goods service was also closed permanently.

The line to Bendejun followed the left bank of the River Paillon between the centre of Nice and its terminus in Bendejun. Its terminus in Nice was at the Northwest corner of Place Garibaldi, where a wooden kiosk served as its station building. It used the same tracks as the urban services through Abattoirs to La Trinité-Victor.

L’Octroi de Turin at Contes was the terminus of Ligne 37 – Thomson-Houston tram No. 204 from l’Octroi sits at the tram stops at Pont Michel in 1949, © P. Laurent from the private collection of Jean-Paul Bascoul. This image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 10th December 2021. Jean Claude Lehoux commented as follows: This route together with the line to La Grave de Peille were the last TNL non-urban lines to be converted to bus operation. Apparently, before WW2 the line was already predominantly served by buses. During the War, the trams returned but ceased passenger operations in 1947 (La Grave de Peille) and 1949/50 (Contes). The line to Contes, despite still having significant freight traffic, seems to have been completely abandoned around 1951. A similar picture, featuring trams No. 104 and No. 212, taken at the present day Post Michel appears in José Banaudo’s book. In that image, No. 104, heading for La Trinité crosses paths with No. 212 coming from Contes à l’Ancien-Octroi-de-Turin. Banaudo says that at the boundary of Nice, close to the current “Michel Bridge”, this stop had three tracks to facilitate the crossing between urban services, those serving the Paillon valleys and goods convoys. [1: p67]

For a short distance trams ran on the verge of Route Nationale No. 204. Stops at Roma and Random (which had a passing loop) were followed by the stop in the village of Drap which was adjacent to the bridge to Cantaron.

The Route Nationale in Drap. Tram tracks can be seen in the centre of the road. This old postcard view was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 18th May 2022. [4]

Drap again, this image shows La Place des Ecoles and the Route Nationale. A tram can be seen on the road at the extreme right of the picture. This old postcard view was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 18th May 2022. [4]

La Place des Ecoles viewed from almost the same location as in the monochrome postcard image above. In the 21st century the Plane trees have gone and cars have taken over from the park that made up much of the square. [Google Streetview, November 2022]

Turning just a little to the right and wandering a little further along the Route Nationale, this image shows the passing loop at the tram stop in Drap. It was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Jean-Paul Bascoul on 22nd February 2019, and comes from his private collection. [5] The same photograph appears in José Banaudo’s book. [1: p68]

Approximately the same location as seen in the 21st century. The school on the left has seen its roof raised by the addition of another floor. [Google Streetview, November 2022]

It appears that as late as 1955, the tram track was visible in the road surface in the centre of Drap. The two parallel images from the IGN website show it present on Avenue de General de Gaulle when the map on the left was surveyed in 1955.

The Place des Ecoles in the centre of Drap. The ‘cross’ on the older map on the left is superimposed over the line of the tramway which was in the centre of the road. [11]

A little further North the tramway can be seen leaving the centre of the road in the 1955 map extract. Presumably it ran along the verge between the road and the River Paillon. It might already have been lifted by 1955. The map is of little help with establishing its presence immediately North of this location. [12]

Leaving the centre of Drap, trams then passed under the PLM line between Nice and Cuneo for the third time at Pont des Vernes which also spanned the River Paillon. Trams ran between the river and the road.

Pont des Vernes in the 21st century. What was the old Route Nationale still passes under the most Easterly span of the truss girder viaduct which also spans the River Paillon. [Google Streetview, 2011]

The confluence of two arms of the River Paillon lay shortly beyond the railway bridge (Paillon de Contes and Paillon de L’Escarène). The Paillon de L’Escarène flowed in from the Southeast from the heights of Peillon, L’Escarène and Lucéram. It was spanned by a five-arched viaduct, some 140 metres in length which carried both the Route Nationale and the tramway. The construction of the bridge was started in the last years of the 18th century. While the bridge may well have been completed within a few years, the construction of the road of which it was a part, between Turin and Nice, was interrupted by conflict and was not completed until 1838. [1: p67]

A postcard view from the Southwest looking towards Pont de Peillon. The old road bridge (and its five arches) sits at the centre of the view. [7]

A modern view looking Northeast along the D2204 where it crosses the Paillon de L’Escarene. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The same bridge, viewed from Chemin du Fontanil de Croves to the Southeast of the bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2019]

This next extract from the parallel imagery provided by the IGN shows the tramway returning to the centre of the Route National as it crossed the bridge in 1955. It might be inferred from this that from Drap to this point it was still present on the West side of the highway. Again, however, the map extracts cannot be seen as conclusive proof of this. At the centre-top of the 1955 map extract the tramway appears to leave the road carriageway for a short distance for a tram stop and passing loop, which is mentioned in the text below. However Jose Banaudo has a photograph of the location in his book which seems to show the tramway remaining in the carriageway with an electricity substation just beyond it. [1: p69] There is now a roundabout at the junction between the road to Contes/Bendejun and the road East to La-Grave-de-Peille. [13]

Trams faced gradients on either side of the central arch of the bridge – 41mm/m and 34mm/m. Very soon after crossing the bridge in a northbound direction, trams encountered the stop at Pont-de-Peille, “where an electrical substation was located and from which the La-Grave-de-Peille line branched off to the east.” [1: p67]

A 21st century view North from the bridge. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The hamlet of La Pointe-de-Contes was beyond the North end of the bridge over the Paillon de L’Escarene. [3]

Beyond the hamlet of La Pointe-de-Contes, the line crossed the Ruisseau de la Garde (a tributary to Le Paillon de Contes) on a single-span bridge.

This next extract from the parallel mapping of the IGN shows the highway bridge over the Ruisseau de la Garde. The bridge sits in the bottom half of the two map extracts. The 1955 mapping appears to show tram tracks over the bridge at the centre line of the road. To the South of the bridge, it seems that the tramway was on the West verge of the road. North of the bridge it appears to switch to the East side verge of the carriageway. Only a short distance further North the tramway appears to cross back to the West side of the road. Road realignments in this area have resulted in a roundabout at the location of the old bridge. [14]

The bridge over the Ruisseau de la Garde at La Pointe de Contes in 1953. The image was shared by Pierre Richert in the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 31st October 2017 [15]

A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023.

Banaudo says that the road junction adjacent to the bridge was the point at which the L’Escarene tram line would have branched off the line to Contes. Work on that line wasn’t completed. [1: p67]

From this bridge, the line to Contes and Bendejun followed RN15 (now D15) North past the Lafarge lime and cement factory. “This, which was the main reason for the line’s existence, was served by two branches allowing the reception of fuel and the shipment of its products to Nice and its port.” [1: p67]

The location of the Lafarge factory. The 1955 map seems to show the tramway on the West side of the road. There also appear to be at least two sidings on the East side of the road. [15]

An aerial image of the Lafarge Cement Works at Contes. The River Paillon de Contes is in the background. [10]

About a kilometre further North, the Contes station was located in the La Grave district adjacent to the footbridge leading to Châteauneuf.

Another extract from the parallel imagery provided by the IGN. The tramway can be seen, in the 1955 map extract on the left, following the verge of the road and immediately adjacent to the river channel. The bridge shown crossing The river at this point provided access to Chateauneuf which sat above the valley to the West. The tram stop was close to the bridge and a little to the Northwest of it. [17]

At Contes, the tramway had a small building and a siding by the river beneath the perched village.

Contes Gendarmerie and tram stop. This image was shared by Pierre Richert on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 30th October 2017 as part of an extensive album of postcard views of Contes. [3]

A view from a similar position in the 21st century. The construction site is on the land once occupied by the Gendarmerie. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

This image from the Jean-Henri Manara collection was colourised and shared by Demian West on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 13th December 2022. This original image was included in the comments attached to the colourised image on the Facebook group by Demian West. [16]

The tram terminus at Contes. This postcard view was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 21st January 2017. It comes from the private collection of Jean-Paul Bascoul. [9]

From there, the line continued up the left bank of the Paillon. Banaudo tells us that there was only one further passing-loop which was in the district of Roccaya, near the Rémaurian footbridge. “The Bendéjun terminus was in the Moulins district, in a steep site where the road crosses the Paillon and definitively leaves the bottom of the valley to rise in bends towards this village and that of Coaraze.” [1: p67]

The Bendejun terminus of the tramway was in the valley floor close to the mills and alongside the river. There was a bridge just beyond the tram terminus which took the road over the Paillon de Contes and a series of hairpin bends lifted the road quickly up the valley side. This is another extract from the IGN parallel mapping. The map on the left was published in 1955. [18]

The tram terminus at Bendejun, beyond this point the road turns sharply to the left to cross the river and then climbs through a series of hairpin bends to Bendejun and on to Coaraze. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Coccoli on 30th May 2023. [19]

A view from a little further South in the 21st century. The properties on either side of the road both remain. That on the East of the road now appears to be rendered. Of interest in this view are what appear to be tram rails in the right foreground. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

We have already noted that the tramway service North of Pont-de-Peille was frequently interrupted by landslides, subsidence and weather events. Banaudo also writes of significant problems with the trailers used for goods services which were often in poor condition or overloaded and as a result caused damage to the relatively light-weight rails of the tramway. [1: p71]

Pont de Peille to La Grave de Peille

Two branch-lines from the tramway to Contes were planned, the first was a line to La Grave de Peille. When built it had a total length of just short of 6.6 km. Its maximum gradient was 39 mm/m and only 360m of the route was on the level. The line ran from 112 m above sea-level to 195 m above sea-level at La Grave de Peille.

The concession for the operation of the line to La Grave de Peille was given to the TNL in June 1904. The line opened to passengers and freight on 12th June 1911. The route was numbered 28 on 1st January 1923 and saw construction traffic for the Nice-Cuneo Railway between 1923 and 1928. The cement works at La Grave was established in 1924.

At the end of 1926 the service was interrupted by a landslide. Work was undertaken between 1926 and 1927 to improve the electrical supply and September 1928 saw the official inauguration of the freight service associated with the cement works.

The Bridges and Roads Authority undertook paving work along the line in the winter of 1928-29. In August 1929, a landslide disrupted the service once again and a deviation was put in place.

On 8th October 1934, the line was renumbered, Ligne 38. The service was interrupted, once again, in November 1934. This time it was by a landslide at Châteauvieux.

The terminus in Nice was moved, along with that of the line to Contes and Bendejun, from Place Garibaldi to Rue Geoffredo in November 1935 and another landslide interrupted the service at Ste. Thecla between December 1935 and December 1936.

This tale of woe continued throughout the next decade with closures due to landslides, floods, the failure of bridges, or deterioration of trackwork. Banaudo provides a full list of these events. [1: p75]Such an unreliable service maintained at significant cost was of little use to users (passengers and goods). Closure became inevitable and it occurred on 1st April 1947.

The route started immediately to the North of the Pont de Peille stop on the line to Contes. Banaudo describes this connection as “une aiguille en rebroussement” (literally, ‘a turning needle’). [1: p72] In context, this appears to be a point which allowed access to the branch-line from the North. Trams from Nice would stop at Pont de Peille and then execute a reversal just to the North of the stop to gain access to the branch. This presumably involved a powered car running round its trailer at the tram stop and then reversing towards Contes. Banaudo provides one photograph of the manoeuvre taking place. [1: p72]

Such an unreliable service maintained at significant cost was of little use to users (passengers and goods). Closure became inevitable and it occurred on 1st April 1947.

The route between Pont de Peille and La Grave de Peille started immediately to the North of the Pont de Peille stop on the line to Contes. Banaudo describes this connection as “une aiguille en rebroussement” (literally, ‘a turning needle’). [1: p72] In context, this appears to be a point which allowed access to the branch-line from the North. Trams from Nice would stop at Pont de Peille and then execute a reversal just to the North of the stop to gain access to the branch. This presumably involved a powered car running round its trailer at the tram stop and then reversing towards Contes. Banaudo provides one photograph of the manoeuvre taking place. [1: p72]

The junction of the D21 and the D15 is shown on the right of these two parallel IGN images. The reverse curve, mentioned in the text about the tramway above, appears to be shown on the image on the left. The cross marks its location. The tramway appears to have run on the South side of the road.[20]

The road to La-Grave-de-Peille and L’Escarene. Tge tramway ran along the verge of the old road or within the width of the carriageway over much of the journey to La-Grave-de-Peille. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The branch-line followed the valley of the River Paillon de L’Escarène valley, a route also used by the PLM Nice-Cuneo line. Banaudo tells us that “the tram first took the right bank, sometimes on the shoulder and sometimes on the roadway of Route Nationale No. 21 (now departemental road No. 21). It passed through the hamlet of Borghéas, then entered the Châteauvieux gorge where a three-arch bridge brought the road and the track over to the left bank. After passing the pumping station of a spring which supplied part of the city of Nice with drinking water, trams reached the hamlet of Ste. Thecla.” [1: p72]

The location of the three-arched bridge which is mentioned by Banaudo in the quoted text above. [21]

The same location as seen on Google Earth in 21st century. [Google Earth, 18th October 2022]

A 21st century view, looking Northeast across the bridge carrying the D21 over the Paillon de L’Escarene. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The village of Ste. Thecle sits in the valley floor adjacent to the Paillon de l’Escarene. It hosts a railway station which is named Peillon-Ste. Thecle which serves the two villages. Paillon is high above, and to the East of the village of Thecle. [22]

A view of Sainte Thecle, the mills and Peillon which shows the tramway alongside the road. The view looks Eastnortheast towards Paeillon. Note the kerb marking the limits of the highway. Peillon can be seen high above Ste. Thecle in this photograph. The River Paillon de l’Escarene is below the road and tramway to the left. This old postcard image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 5th October 2023 and comes from the private collection of Jean-Paul Bascoul. The location of this photograph is difficult to confirm in 21st century. The relative positions of Peillon and the rock outcrops behind make it clear that the location is in Ste. Thecle but changes in the buildings in Ste.Thecle make ascertaining the location difficult. No doubt someone with local knowledge might be able to firm up the position of the camera! [6]

The tram stop at Les Moulins de Peillon seems to be marked on the 1955 map extract on the left. However, it is worth noting Banaudo’s comments below which seem to suggest that the tramway was on the East side of the road. The tramway is perhaps marked by the single line on the East side of the road. The location is named on the modern map extract to the right. The valley has, by this time, turned to the North. Access to the village of Peillon is via the steep road with hairpin bends in the top right of each map extract. [23]

The village of Peillon sits high above the valley floor. It is a car free mediaeval perched village. [24]

The next stop was in the valley closer to Peillon and set among the mills. This stop provided a passing loop, the only one on the line. Banaudo continues: “On the right, the picturesque village of Peillon stands at 376 m at the top of a rocky spur in a site worthy of a postcard. Immediately afterwards, the valley narrows once again and forms the narrow Bausset gorge where the tramway line was established over 567 m on its own site overlooking the road, finding it again to cross the Paillon on a single-arch bridge.” [1: p72]

These comments from Banaudo suggest that the line was on the East side of the road, perhaps indicated by the single black line on the 1955 map extract above which crosses the side road to Peillon only a few meters to the East of the main road. It seems that North of this point the tramway was very close to the road but held above it by a retaining wall. Road and tramway came together again at the next bridge over the Paillon de l’Escarene. That bridge is marked on both of the map extracts (1955 and 2023) above. The bridge used by the old road and tramway is marked in grey on the modern map.

Looking East off the modern road bridge, the single masonry arch of the old bridge can be seen in a collapsed state. A modern road realignment at this location removed some dangerous bends and improved traffic flow. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Beyond this point, with the tramway and the D21 now on the West bank of the river, the valley opens out and the route of the old tramway passes through Novaines before reaching the location of its terminus at La Grave-de-Peille.

The tramway ran along the old Route Nationale No. 21 to La Grave de Peille. As the road turned to re-cross the River Paillon de L’Escarene, the tramway continued for only a short distance to serve a cement works on the West bank of the river. [25]

The terminus of the passenger service at La Grave de Peille. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Coccoli on 2nd December 2018. [8]

The terminus of the route was sited at the meeting point of the boundaries of three communes, Peillon, Peille and Blausasc, adjacent to a cement works which was operating from the mid-1920s and had its own branch-line from the tramway. The cement works became particularly significant in the life of the branch-line once the PLM opened its line between Nice and Cuneo in the late-1920s. Passengers deserted the trams as a much quicker journey to and from Nice was offered by the PLM from its two stations, Peillon-Ste. Thecle and Peille.

The railway station at Peille with the cement works visible in the distance on the right side of the image. This colourised monochrome postcard image was taken with the camera facing towards the Southwest. Trams ran along the valley from/to the lefthand edge of this image as far as the cement works. [26]

Banaudo highlights a particular problem with the line to La Grave de Peille. [1: p74] The tramway was built with minimal investment – just enough to reach its terminus. Rails were the lightest possible; the TNL used existing bridges not designed for the loads imposed by trams and trailers; road carriageway widths were decreased to provide space for the trams, (ather than setting the rails in the roads).

Local protests began as early as 1908, but issues becameore acute after the Great War because of the increased traffic on both the road and the tramway resulting from the construction of the Nice-Cuneo railway and the opening of the cement plant at La Grave. “Neither the road nor the railway were able to withstand this additional load. On 21st November 1928, the municipal council of Peillon reported that the Bausset bridge was in a lamentable state and, for lack of urgent measures, serious misfortunes occurred during the winter of 1928-29. Despite the protests of the TNL company which rightly feared for the sustainability of its rails, the Bridges and Roads Authority covered the rails with macadam to widen the roadway accessible to cars. What was predictable happened: insufficiently drained under this coating and tired by high tonnages, the rails were too weak and the already tired sleepers soon began to disintegrate.” [1: p74]

In 1937 proper maintenance was undertaken between Borghéas and Châteauvieux, “but the alarming state of the track, the insufficient electricity supply and the shortage of wagons led the TNL to provide its passenger service by bus” [1: p74] The cement factory also began to use road vehicles.

WW2 resulted in traffic (both goods and passengers) returning to the rails in the summer of 1940, but by the beginning of 1941 the track had deteriorated to such an extent that all tramway traffic had to be suspended.

Sufficient maintenance was undertaken to allow goods services to resume within a few weeks but the condition of the bridge at Bausset meant that the line North of the bridge could not be used by trams. Lime and cement, “went down by truck to the Peillon stop (Les Moulins), where it was transhipped on a train of two wagons limited to 6 km/h to Pont-de-Peille… The end-to-end service resumed on 7th July 1941, but it was again interrupted in September 1943 by the destruction of the Pont de Peille then at the end of August 1944 by that of the Pont de Bausset bridge.” [1: p74]

A temporary structure of steel beams and a wooden deck was quickly provided but “the track formed such tight curves on either side of the structure that derailments were not rare.” [1: p74]

Early 1945 saw the reintroduction of passenger and freight services but the following winter saw heavy flooding which destabilised the temporary bridge at Bausset and the line was again closed, this time for two and a half months. Ultimately the increasingly erratic service on the line resulted in its final closure in the spring of 1947.

La Pointe de Contes to l’Escarene

Sadly, this line was never used in earnest. Much was done to create the line but circumstances combined to mean the work done did not come to fruition. Initially, l’Escarene was chosen as the final destination for the tramway from Pont de Peille via La Grave de Peille in 1904. The concession for the line between La Grave and L’Escarene was awarded on 26th June 1904, but it was rescinded early in 1906.

Banaudo tells us that, “after several decades of procrastination, the construction of a Nice-Cuneo railway line had been approved by an international convention, granted to the PLM and made public. As the route of this line was established by the Paillon de L’Escarène valley which the tramway should have taken.” [1: p76]

The result of that decision was the truncation of the route from Pont de Peille to La Grave de Peille and L’Escarène at La Grave.

Banaudo goes on to explain that “the idea of connecting L’Escarène to the tram network was not abandoned, especially since some were still considering extending a line as far as Luceram and even Peirs Cava, at an altitude of 1400 m.” [1: p76]

In 1910 the Bridges and Roads Authority commenced discussions with the TNL. The steep Gradients likely to be required saw the TNL propose an option of a rack system.

It was not until 1913 that the route from La Pointe de Contes was confirmed. Work began in January 1914. The Great War saw work come to a standstill.

It was 1919, before rearranged contracts saw work recommence on the line. Ok about was in short supply and priority was given to the construction of the PLM line between Nice and Cuneo. In the end, the Departement suspended work on the line in 1926 because costs of materials had risen dramatically.

In 1928, Banaudo tells us, “at the request of the municipality of Blausan, the general council took the decision to develop the length of the tramway formation which was remote from the existing road, from Fuont-de-Jarrier to the Col de Nice which became the departmental road 321.” [1: p76] The planned tramway to L’Escarène was finally abandoned/decommissioned on 29th June 1933.

Had it been built, the total length of the tramway would have been just under 7.6 km with a maximum gradient of 55mm/m. It would have risen from a height of 131m above sea-level at La Pointe de Contes to around 410 m above sea-level at the Col de Nice.

The route was to have been served entirely by a single-track tramway leaving the line to Contes at La Pointe de Contes.

The red line shown on these map extracts provided by the IGN shows the route of the planned tramway as it left the route to Contes and Bendejun. A road now follows that line and appears on the modern mapping on the right. The road is named ‘Chemin du Tram’. The main road towards L’ Escarène leaves both extracts at the top right. [27]

Looking North along the main road towards Contes. Behind the camera the road to L’Escarène heads away to the East. The tram stop for La Pointe de Contes was along this length of road. Just to the North of the tram stop was the point where the tramway to L’Escarène would have set off to the East. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The tramway to Contes and Bendejun ran ahead along what is now the D15. The route to L’Escarène would have run off to the right at what is now a road junction. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The route of the planned tramway followed what is now called ‘Chemin du Tram’ which runs directly ahead of the camera. It is the road to the left of the trees at the centre of this image. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

A little further East along what would have been the route of the tramway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The planned route ran to the right of the retaining wall before joining the D2204. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Looking back towards the D15 from the D2204. The tram route followed the retaining wall running away from the camera on the right side of the photograph, and then curved round between the two buildings seen beyond the parked vehicles. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Initially, it would have followed the Route Nationale No. 204 (now the D2204) up the valley of the Ruisseau de la Garde.

Parallel map extracts, once again, provided by the IGN. The main features, which can be seen on both the 1955 extract and the 21st century extract, are the bridges which carried the road over the Ruisseau de la Garde. [28]

The location of the first of the two bridges. There is little at road level to indicate that it is crossing the stream which passes some metres below the road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The location of the second bridge is easier to make out. The modern road has been straightened and a new bridge constructed. The old road which would have been followed by the tramway bears away to the left with the new bridge directly ahead. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The view from the new bridge across the Ruisseau de la Garde of the old road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The view Southwest along the D2204 in the 21st century. The old road can be seen on the right of the picture. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Further Northeast on the D2204 the verge of which would have carried the proposed tramway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Again, further Northeast on the D2204 the verge of which would have carried the proposed tramway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

At the hamlet of La Fuont-de-Jarrier, the tramway left the road and the valley to embark on a dedicated length of almost 4 km. Banaudo tells us that the route ran through “a landscape of arid hills where only pines managed to grow on ridges of gray marl. The only locality encountered was the village of Blausasc, below which a stopping point was to be established. The line continued northwards, passing through a small tunnel at a place called La Blancarde, to join the road approaching the Col de Nice.” [1: p76]

La Fuont-de-Jarrier was the point at which the proposed tramway diverted from the highway. The formation intended for the tramway became the base for the new CD 321. The new road is that shown leaving the established road to the right on the 1955 IGN map extract. [29]

The junction between the D2204 and the CD321 in the 21st century. The CD321 follows the formation of the intended tramway to L’Escarène. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Over the first few kilometres, the carriageway was wide enough for two full lanes of traffic. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

A further length of the CD321 with Blausasc above the road to the East. [31]

The CD321 continues to follow the planned route of the tramway. This rock cutting was cut for the tramway. The location is at the bottom of the twin maps above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The tramway route (CD321) runs ahead and bears to the right. The road which crosses the route at this location is the D221. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The red line marks the route of the CD321 which is built on the formation of the proposed tramway. The road crossing it at the staggered junction seen here is the D221 which linked Blausasc to the Route de la Col de Nice. [Google Earth, December 2023]

Looking North-northwest along the CD321 towards the top of the twin map extracts above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

This next set of two parallel map extracts from the IGN show the Route de la Col de Nice marked by two heavy bold lines and the CD321 above it to the East. [32]

This next sequence of photographs show the road (CD321) running from the bottom of the twin extracts above towards the tunnel which can just about be picked out on the modern map extract above.

This sequence of four images shows the CD321 in the 21st century. Over this length, no attempt to widen the formation built for the intended tramway has been made. Retaining walls, where they exist, will most probably be those constructed by the contractors developing the tramway route. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

An enlarged dual map extract of the area at the top-left of the last twin map extracts from the IGN. Both this, and the last pair of extracts show, on the right-hand, modern extract, the tunnel bored for, but never used by, the planned tramway which is, however, now used by the CD 321 in the 21st century. [34]

This next sequence of three photographs show the CD321 in the vicinity of the tunnel built for the planned tramway.

These three photographs show the Route de Blausasc (the CD321) passing through the old tramway tunnel. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Another set of twin map extracts from 1955 and the 21st century provided by the IGN. This pair of images provides the reason for the separation of the planned tramway route from the older Route de la Col de Nice. The hairpin-bends shown centre left on each of the images meant that the road would have been completely unsuitable for use by trams. Track curvature and gradient would have been insurmountable obstacles. To the North of the hairpin-bends, both routes converge. [33]

The Col de Nice was the high point in the proposed tramway. The Route de la Col de Nice and the planned tramway met just to the South of the Col de Nice. [35]

North of the tramway tunnel, the last kilometre or so of the CD321 and hence the last length of the independent tramway formation required the construction of a series of retaining walls. These next few photographs illustrate the size of the task undertaken by the contractors in the early 20th century. The four photos follow the Route de Blausasc North towards its junction with the Route de la Col de Nice.

These four photos follow the CD321 North, each shows the size of the retaining structures built for the tramway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

A few hundred metres before its junction with the D2204, the CD321 runs parallel to it with the two roads gradually reaching the same height above sea level.

The D2204 and the CD321 run parallel with no more than a few metres height difference. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The planned tramway, now the Route de Blausasc (CD321) meets the D2204 just short of the Col de Nice. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The Col de Nice in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Banaudo talks of the tramway running in a cutting below and to the right of the road and then reaching L’Escarène at the end of a steep descent. [1: p76]

This final example of the parallel imagery provided by the IGN shows the D2204 (Rue de Chateau) running down into L’Escarène.

In the first instance, the tramway would have been within the width of the modern highway, but as shown below it did run below and to the right of the road on its way down into L’Escarène.

The view along Rue du Chateau, L’Escarène from the Col de Nice. The tramway formation ran on the right side of the road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Heading down into L’Escarène evidence can be seen of the prepared tramway route to the right of, and just below, the highway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The separated tramway route, metalled, runs to the right of, and below, the Rue du Chateau much of the way down into the centre of L’Escarène. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Closing in on the centre of L’Escarène, the proper tramway would have been within the width of the modern highway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

I have not been able to establish the location in L’Escarène planned for the terminus of the tramway.

This article completes a series of articles about the early 20th century metre-gauge tramways and railways of Nice and its hinterland. Perhaps the next series of articles centred on Nice will look at the standard-gauge line between Nice and Cuneo? ……

References

Jose Banaudo; Nice au fil du Tram: Volume 2: Les Hommes et Les Techniques; Les Editions du Cabri, 2005.
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The Tramways of Nice:- Les Lignes de l’Arriere-Pays (The Lines of the Hinterland) Part 1 – First Generation Electric Tramways to Levens and Sospel – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 94)

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The TNL (Tramways de Nice et du Littoral) had four lines which ran some distance inland from the coast. Three ran out from Nice, serving: Levens, Bendejun, and La-Grave-de-Peille. All followed valleys of the Paillon and its tributaries. As well as the line to La-Grave-de-Peille, the line to Contes and Bendejun was to have had another Branch to l’Escarene. Major work was undertaken on that line but it was never brought into use.

The fourth significant line operated by the TNL ran from Menton to Sospel. This line required some significant feats of engineering. The featured image above (public domain) shows one of the structures on this line.

You will find earlier articles about two of these lines on this website. They can be found by following these links:

Levens

Two earlier articles, the second of which involves some flights of fancy on my part – looking at a possible alternative routes for the tramway. As we will see below, those thoughts are not without merit given the discussions which took place around the best way for the tram network to serve Levens village.

The Nice to Levens Tramway – Part 1 (Chemins de Fer de Provence 55)

The Nice to Levens Tramway – Part 2 (Chemins de Fer de Provence 56)

Menton to Sospel

Three articles written at different times. In chronological order, these are:

Sospel to Menton Tramway

The Sospel to Menton Tramway Revisited (Chemins de Fer de Provence 51)

The Menton to Sospel Tramway Revisited Again! (Chemins de Fer de Provence 61)

Bendejun, and La-Grave-de-Peille

Bendejun and La-Grave-de-Peille will be covered in a future article. This article focusses on updating earlier articles about the tramways between Nice and Levens, and between Menton and Sospel. ……

Further notes on the Nice to Levens Tramway

The full length of the line from Place Masséna to Levens was just over 23 km of which a little less than 6km were part of Nice’s urban network (between Place Masséna and St. André).

Apart from the articles mentioned above, the first 6 km are covered in another, recent article (which also covers a number of lines which were part of Nice’s urban network), and can be read by following this link:

The First Generation Electric Tramways of Nice again. Five more lines. (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 89) …

These new notes are based around a section of José Banaudo’s French text: ‘Nice au fils de Tram, Volume 2: Les Hommes, Les Techniques‘ [1] Direct quotes are referenced.

In the main, the length of the line covered here is that from St. André to Levens (as built), and a section just over 1km in length which would have served the centre of Levens, Levens-Village but which was not completed because of the advent of WW1.

There was, however, a short length of tramway used by the Levens trams which did not follow the route of the urban trams to St. André. This detour followed the left bank of the River Paillon through Place Garibaldi, Rue de la République then Rue Barla and the Barla bridge, before rejoining the urban line of St. André on the right bank.

In addition, we need to note the significant impact of bad weather in the construction of the line in the area now known as ‘Pasteur’. Banaudo speaks of very significant storms during the winter 1907-1908. In particular, storms occurred on: 29th September; 3rd, 15th and 30th October; 3rd November; 10th and 27th December. Eventually work could recommence on 20th January and was finished on 27th March. Banaudo comments that “The additional work and necessary consolidations of the Paillon embankment ultimately increased the cost of the first construction contract for the Nice – Levens line by a third, compared to initial forecasts.” [1: p66]

Banaudo tells us that the maximum gradient on the whole line was 63mm/m and that less than 2 km of the line were level, having no gradient. At Place Masséna the line was only 9 metres above sea level, at Levens it reached 538 metres above sea level. [1: p62]

The St. André tram stop was the terminus of urban services. Banaudo tells us that “Beyond St. André, the tramway went up the valley of the Banquière or Gahre, right bank tributary of Paillon. It passed several caves and two mills nestled at the bottom of deep gorges between the heights of Falicon and L’Ahadie. Upstream of the Tinon bridge, the pass became so narrow that the tramway, hitherto on the shoulder, had to be embedded in the roadway with which it crossed the valley on several occasions. After the place called Les Clues, the valley widened a little and a tram stop served the hamlet of Moulin-de-Tourrette.” [1: p62]

Les Gorges de St. André de la Roche looking South towards Nice. The tramway can be seen on the right of the road. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Coccoli on 26th September 2023. [6]

The tight Gorges de St. André looking towards Tourrette-Levens. The tramway is on the left of the road. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 3rd October 2022. [7]

From this point trams followed their own route a little removed from the main road for about 3 km, “punctuated by the curved Rio-Sec Viaduct and a short tunnel. The route overlooked the road, moved away from it, then finally rejoined it at the foot of the old village of Tourrette-Levens, renowned for its ancient castle. This locality, the most important encountered on the route. was served by a station established in the Quartier du Plan,” [1: p62] at the foot of the road serving the old village.

As noted above, a sequence of photographs of this separated tram route can be found here. [5]

Beyond Tourrette Levens, trams continued to climb through the Western slopes of the Mont Ferion range, “the line encountered two other passing places: at a place called Lava where a siding allowed wood to be loaded, and at the hamlet of Ste. Claire. The highest point of the line was reached on the plateau which forms the Grands Prés de Levens where festivals, sporting events and horse races are organized. The Levens terminus was located at a place called Les Traverses, where a wooden building housed a buffet enjoyed by travellers before the final climb on foot” [1: p62] to the village of Levens which is perched on a hillock at an altitude of 570 m above sea-level. “A superb site with both a Mediterranean and alpine appearance with the high peaks of the Vésubie valley in the background. In order to get closer to the center, a steep ramp extension including a curved line on its own site was undertaken to reach the current Lov Roux esplanade at the entrance to the village. Unfortunately, the war interrupted the work and this extension was never put into service.” [1: p62] Some further notes about the planned extension can be found after the review of key structures on the route.

Structures on the route included:

A. the Garibaldi and Barla bridges over the River Paillon (each made up of three cast iron arches);

This anonymous photograph (perhaps by Jean Walburg de Bray, 1839-1901), shows the Garibaldi Bridge and the right bank of the River Paillon. The view looks from southeast to northwest and is dated 1877. [2]

Three views of Pont Barla over the River Paillon in Nice, one even has a tram travelling over it! [3]

15th April 1912 – the line from Villa Caserta to Sospel was opened to passengers and the short branch to the PLM Station in Menton was closed.

B. the Tinon, Falicon and Clues bridges over the River Banquière (each a single masonry arch);

This extract from Google Maps shows the length of the M19 (Route de Levens) as it appears in November 2023. This area has experienced what might be termed some ‘remodeling’ as the quarrying works have expanded. The numbers superimposed on the satellite image are: 1: the location of an old road bridge across the River Banquière which also carried the tramway, referred to by José Banaudo as the bridge at **Falicon**; 2: the location of another old bridge spanning the river which, I believe, is that referred to by Banaudo as the bridge at **Les Cles**; 3: the present route of the M19 which appears to have once been the line of the old tramway; the line of the M19 before quarrying work expanded. The locations ‘1’ and ‘2’ are down in more detail below. The routes of the M19 denoted ‘3’ and ‘4’ are further illustrated by the map immediately below. [Google Maps, November 2023]

An extract from the mapping of http://www.mapsof.net. Location ‘1’ on the satellite image is bottom-right in this image. A narrow older road is shown and the bridge over the Banquière is hidden by the symbol for the Grottoes de Saint Andre de la Roche. The old tram route then followed the north bank of the river along the route indicated by grey/white dashes. It appears that the M19 ran to the North of this as shown and rejoined the valley of the river via two hairpin bends. The second bridge is at the top-left under the ‘M19’ indicator. [4]

A closer view on Google Maps of the location of the **Falicon Bridge** Location ‘1’ above. The new road bridge can easily be made out. The older bridge sits to the right of the Route de Levens close to the word ‘Services’. [Google Maps, November 2023]

Looking Southeast from the abutment of the new bridge at the location of the old structure. [Google Streetview, November 2022]

This is location ‘2’ above. One of the hairpin bends on the older M19 stands guard over the arch bridge which carried the older road over the River Banquière. The modern bridge is to its left. I think this is the bridge referred to by Banaudo as the bridge at Les Cles. [Google Maps, November 2023]

Looking from the hairpin bend in the image above across the old arch bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The next section of the M19 heading North. It crosses the River Banquière close to ‘A’ at the bottom of this extract from Google Maps, and again at D’. At location ‘A’ there is an older bridge across the Banquière which is probably the bridge referred to by Banaudo as the **Tinon** Bridge. This location is shown below.

Banaudo tells us that the tramway was remote from the main road on its own formation over this length for around 3 km “punctuated by the curved Rio-Sec Viaduct and a short tunnel.” [1: p62] That length of tramway commences at ‘C’ and continues through ‘E’ and onwards to Tourette-Levens. Some details of that length appear below but a fuller series of photographs can be found at https://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/20/the-nice-to-levens-tramway-part-1-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-54.

Location ‘A’ showing the modern M19 and the older road bridge over the Banquière. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

At location ‘C’ the tramway separated from the road and followed its own route to ‘E’. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Looking South at ‘E’ the old tramway rejoined the M19 but only for a very short distance. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

C. the Rio-Sec Viaduct (a single curved masonry arch) and the Moulins tunnel (40 m) which were on an independent formation a short distance to the East of the M19;

The Rio-Sec Viaduct curves round the East side of the area marked ‘P’ for Parking. The Tunnel des Moulins is the shaded length of road to the North of the parking area. [Google Maps, 2018]

Almost as soon as trams began running alongside the road again, they separated onto their own route once more. This dedicated formation took trams over the Viaduc de Rio-Sec and through the Moulins tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The Rio-Sec Viaduct, seen from the East. [Google Streetview, 2018

The Tramway formation over the Rio-Sec Viaduct. [Google Streetview]

The approach to the Moulins tunnel over the Rio-Sec Viaduct. [Google Streetview, 2018]

The Moulins Tunnel South portal. [Google Streetview, 2018]

D. the Levens tunnel (95 m, on the section built but not opened and now in use as a vehicular route into the centre of the village).

Some further observations ……..

Banaudo tells us that the process of agreeing the TNL tramway route serving Levens was different than for other routes (which were primarily dictated by the terrain and the orientation of the valleys). Early studies led to some elected officials recommending “linking Nice to St. Martin-Vésubie via the traditional stagecoach route via Tourrette, Levens, Duranus and St. Jean-la-Rivière.” [1: p66]
When the project took shape in 1904, three routes were considered:

One extended the Cimiez line in the direction of Rimiez, L’Aire St. Michel, and Gairaut, from where it skirted the Mont Chauve massif to the west to serve the hilltop villages of Aspremont, Castagniers and St. Blaise, before arriving at Levens. This extremely picturesque cornice route would have served a well-populated area, but the travel time to Levens would have been prohibitive.
Another left the Paillon valley in St. André and climbed in switchbacks to the village of Falicon, then it joined the previous route in Gairaut. This route would have been even longer and more tortuous!
The last also left from St. André, but it went up the Gorges de la Banquière towards Tourrette, Ste. Claire and Levens. It served a smaller population than the previous ones, but had the advantage of being more direct route.

The third option was chosen and built between 1907 and 1909!

Banaudo continues to explain that the Compagnie du Sud [which ran the TAM tram network] applied for the concession of the Nice – Levens line, in the hope that, should an extension from Levens to St. Jean-la-Rivière be built it would connect with its own line in the Vésubie valley. But the chief engineer of bridges and roads decided to allocate the route to the TNL. His decision meant that the usage figures for the TNL network were reduced by this lightly populated route and as a result greater the line attracted greater subsidies from the State. [1: p66]

After the completion of construction in 1909, the commune of Levens lobbied for an extension into the village. Banaudo tells us that a route had already been considered by the Bridges and Roads Department which took the form of a long loop to keep gradients as low as possible. Initially a sizeable cutting was proposed which ultimately was superseded by a tunnel. [1: p66]

A contract was awarded and work started early in 1914. Work continued through to 1916-1917 slowed by the shortage of labour during the War. After the war, work restarted but disagreements over the financing of station facilities held up the works. Finally, the general council decided in 1926 to postpone the completion of the line and then, in 1929, proposed converting the route into a motorable road. It is in use as a road under traffic-light control in the 21st century. [1: p66]

Further notes on the Menton to Sospel line

Banaudo tells us that the total length of this line was close to 17.4 km of which the TNL saw the length from Place St. Roch along Rue Partouneaux to Villa-Caserta (2.4 km) and the short stub to Menton Railway Station (0.15 km) as part of its coastal network. The remaining length from Villa Caserta to Sospel (14.9 km) was deemed part of their departmental network. [1: p77]

This Baedeker map of Menton in the early 20th century (1902) has been annotated to show tram routes in red. The line from Monaco to Menton ran along Avenue Carno and Avenue Felix Faure. At Place St. Roch the line to Sospel left the coastal route and ran along Rue Partouneaux as far as Avenue de la Gare and then Northwest alongside the River Carei. A short branch left the line to serve the Railway Station, but was only in use for a few years. [21]

The line originated in Place Saint Roch and ran first along Rue Partouneaux.

Avenue Felix-Faure/Place St. Roch, Menton, looking Northeast. On the left we can see the waiting kiosk of the TNL tram urban lines. There is a tram waiting at the stop which will leave along Rue Partouneaux to the Careï valley which exits the photograph to the left. It will possibly stop at the Villa Caserta terminus, or it will continue towards Monti, Castllon, the valley of Bévéra and the Sospel terminus. This image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascul on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 28th September 2023 (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [15]

Looking into Rur Partouneaux from Place St. Roch. The Hotel des Postes is visible at the first junction down Rue Partouneaux. Note that it has an extra storey in the modern image. [Google Streetview, April 2023] This view is surprisingly similar to an early 20th century view which can be found on the Maonaco4Ever Facebook page on this link: https://www.facebook.com/MentonDuPasseAuPresent/photos/a.635924896587645/904791879700944/?__cft__[0]=AZX5F8XW__jQPAyygfwvR03xmeAlwW_69beRs7RwlwE6xsjQfZ63F76O9fVpVPdM1BJs7Sko4cCH399fbkWwRbZM3L9NxeGF889CfcQ1_7n1krmUaygG3KAdo2h7ZHbuHUUryowX6X5bDwpFxz0OAGE5IBIgQ4UTuX_U-hOLi7R9JLmGRwSgl8bz-28sshkfnjk&__tn__=EH-R . [20]

The view from close to Place St. Roch along Rue Partouneaux. The Hotel des Postes et Telegraphes is seen on the corner of the next junction. A tram travelling towards Les Jardins Biovès is seen immediately outside the building. [17]

A similar view in April 2023. The building has the additional storey noted above. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Further Northwest along Rue Partouneaux. This old postcard view shows the road as it runs toward Les Jardins Biovès. The trees on the right of the road were Orange Trees. [18]

This is the same location in the 21st century. Rue Partouneaux runs towards what were Les Jardins Biovès. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

A tram leaving Rue Partnouneaux and about to turn North alongside Les Jardins Biovès. [19: p5]

The same location in the 21st century. Rue Partouneaux is directly ahead of the camera. The old tramway curved round to the North. Its route approximated to the curved line of bollards. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The maximum gradient on the line was 68mm/m, only 0.144 km of the line was on a level formation. The line started in Place St. Roch at 3 metres above sea level and reached a maximum altitude of 572 metres above sea level at the Castillon tunnel. In all, trams had to negotiate 482 curves as they travelled the line of which 143 had a radius less than 40m. [1: p77]

Over 75% of the route was independent of the road between Menton and Sospel, now the D2566/D2566A. With its tight curves, “its imposing structures and its stations with spacious buildings, the Menton – Sospel line appeared much like a real mountain railway. In this way, it was more similar to the daring branches of the TAM network than to the other TNL lines in the Nice hinterland which retained the appearance of urban tramways.” [1: p77]

Banaudo tells us that “the line was entirely single track. It met the coastal artery at a triangular connection on Place St. Roch, at the entrance to the old town of Menton. The tram left from the western branch of the triangle, along which a wooden kiosk housed travelers and company agents. Via Rue Partouneaux, trams accessed the Biovès public garden which occupies an esplanade created by covering the River Careï. At the top of Avenue de la Gare (today Verdun) there was a short branch of 147 m on a ramp of 40 mm/m which ended in a dead end at the entrance to the courtyard of Menton PLM station. [That branch] served as a terminus for urban shuttles from Place St. Roch.” [1: p77] The branch lineline was brief both in length and life since, “after only operating from 1903 to 1912, it was abandoned during the First World War.” [1: p77]

Immediately beyond the station branch, the tramway passed under the bridge of the PLM Nice – Ventimiglia line then continued up the right bank of the River Careï where there was a goods station. Banaudo says that, “the line passed at the foot of the L’Annonciade Hill, where a funicular served a hotel and a monastery.” [1: p77]

The Funiculaire de L’Annonciate served a hotel and Monetary at the summit of L’Annonciade Hill in 1919. The funicular railway opened in 1914 and closed circa. 1939. [8]

Continuing North, three passing-loops were provided at “Villa-Beau-Séjour, at the Gioan-Bosio property Ans at l’Octroi-due Careï. Soon after, “the Villa-Caserta tram stop marked the terminus of urban services. Upstream and downstream of this point, two dedicated branch lines allowed the Mercier and Gianotti companies to load materials to be sent to Sospel for the construction of the PLM Nice – Cuneo line.” [1: p77]

The route continued North along what is now the D2566 avoiding one tight bend by following its own course for approximately 450 metres. The hamlet of Monti had its own tram stop and was the location of a reinforced concrete viaduct which spanned both a ravine and the road. Pictures of this structure can be seen further down this article.

The tramstop and passing loop at Monti. [16]

A similar location in 2023. Both views look South from a point just to the South of Viaduc de Monti. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Now running on its own formation, the tramway climbed above the road for 2.3 km. Banaudo explains that the road climbed to meet the tramway “at the Ubac-Foran forest house. Arriving at a point where the valley narrows sharply and where the gradient becomes steeper, the track ran again on its own formation to span the road and the River Careï on the curved Careï viaduct, with five masonry arches.” [1:p77]

Over the River Careï the tramway continued climbing steeply in a Southeasterly direction to the location of the Caramel viaduct, “whose bold silhouette had already been visible for several minutes standing out against the mountainside. This major [structure] on the line had thirteen arches with a total length of 120 m, which were part of an omega-shaped loop below the road.” [1: p77] To the Northwest of the Viaduct, two dead-end tracks were provided, one to serve a quarry, the other to stop trams whose brakes had failed before they ran out onto the viaduct.

Continuing its ascent, the tramway again left the road and approached the bottom of the valley where the Castillon tram stop was located. “It was in a damp and isolated site below the village and the pass of the same name. A substation incorporated into the station building provided the line’s electrical supply. This was also the location of the southern portal of the 763 m tunnel under the Col de Castillon, the longest structure of this type drilled for a tramway in the Alpes-Maritimes.” [1: p77]

At its Northern portal, the tunnel opened into the green valley of Merlanson at an altitude of 572 m, the highest point on the TNL network. “From there, the line descended on its own formation for 4900 m on the right bank of the river. To the west stands Mount Barbonnet crowned with a fort while in the background, at the foot of the amphitheater formed by the mountains of the Authion massif, the Bévéra valley widens to form the basin where the town of Sospel is located.” [1: p77]

Approaching Sospel, the tramway ran under the embankment of the PLM Nice – Cuneo line then ended its journey at the entrance to the town where a station was built with a passenger and goods facilities and a motor shed. Banaudo tells us that during the years of construction of the PLM railway, “the track extended to the platform of the future PLM station, where the materials could be supplied by the Mercier and Gianotti companies.” [1:p77]

Sospel showing the tram stop/station centre-left and the PLM station top-right. This is an enlarged part of a photograph taken after the completion of the construction of the PLM railway line. It was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 15th March 2017 by Pierre Richert. [12]

Sospel tram station. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Ciccoli on 11th September 2017. [13]

TNL Tram No. 13 is heavily laden with bags of cement and in charge of a long load affixed to two short, flat wagons. The photograph is taken close to Sospel with the works underway on the PLM Nice to Cuneo line. [19: p6]

Key Dates

Banaudo provides details of dates relating to the life of the whole line. [1: p78] The more significant of these are: 1903 (the line between Place St. Roch and the PLM Railway Station was opened to traffic); 1911 (the route between Avenue de la Gare, Menton and Villa Caserta was opened); 1912 (a courier service between Menton and Sospel was opened); 1913 (the goods service between Menton and Sospel was inaugurated); 1923 (the new numbering system was put in place: No. 45 was given to the urban service between Menton and Villa Caserta; No. 46 TP the interurban service Menton to Sospel); 1927 (the urban service (No. 45) was extended to Route-de-Monti); 1931 (trams on Ligne No. 46 were replaced by buses and the tram service (Ligne No. 45) between Villa Caserta and Route de Monti ceased); January 1932 (trams on Ligne No 45 between Avenue de la Gare and Villa Caserta were replaced by a bus service); March 1932 (the remaining length of the line between Place St. Roch and Avenue de la Gare was closed). In the summer of 1933 the full length of the line was decommissioned.

The full service between Menton and Sospel was active for less than 20 years!

The Main Structures on the Line

These were: the Peïrola Ravine Bridge; the Monti Viaduct (1 concrete arch of 36 m, total length 79 m); the Ture Ravine bridge; the Pian Ravine Bridge; the Careï Viaduct (5 arches of 8 m); the Caramel viaduct (13 arches of 8 m, length 120 m); and the Castillon Tunnel (763 m).

Structurae.net provides a number of photographs of the Viaduc de Monti which remains standing in the 21st century. These images can be found here. [9]

Viaduc de Monti in the early 20th century, probably 1910. [10] Banaudo tells us that this was chosen from five design submissions. The structure was designed by François Hennebique was selected in 1907 by the deputy chief engineer Amaud who judged it to be the most economical (38,000 francs), the most advantageous and the most satisfactory in appearance. [1: p81]

The Viaduc du Monti again. One of the very few times that steam was seen on TNL lines. We see the same consist at Viaduc du Caramel a little further down this article. [19: p7]

A tram crosses Viaduc de Careï having run down the gradient from the Viaduct du Caramel which can be seen in the distance. The tramway can be seen running below the road on the left of this image.

Viaduc de Careï seen from the hillside to the South. In the 21st century the viaduct looks very different as the D2566 has been widened and realigned. [11]

A photograph from a similar location showing the way in which the valley has been remodelled, realigning and lifting the road, so that the piers of the viaduct seem much shorter. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

This is an evocative photograph which pictures a small steam engine travelling up the Menton to Sospel tramway. The location is the Viaduc du Caramel and the photo is taken from the carriageway of what will become the D2566. The 0-6-0T locomotive is in-steam but the tram (TNL No. 13, which we have seen in an image earlier in this article) also has it supply pole raised and in contact with the overhead lines. It is positioned behind the locomotive presumably to give some tractive effort and perhaps also as a fail-safe needed because of the gradient of the line. The locomotive is being moved to work on the PLM railway line between Nice and Cuneo (Nice – Sospel – Breil-sur-Roya – Cuneo). [19: p4]

A view of the Viaduc du Caramel in March 2023, taken from a similar position as the monochrome image above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The approach to the Castillon Tunnel from the South in around 1920 with a tram heading for Menton. The hamlet of Castillon sits more than 130 metres above the tram stop. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 6th August 2021 by Alain Nissim. [14]

A modern view of the old tramway tunnel. The original bore is on the right. The new bore is on the left. The modern road is the D2566A which follows the line of the old tramway. The works underway in March 2023 were still being undertaken in November 2023 when we followed the route by car on the way from Sospel to Nice. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The southern portal of Tunnel de Castillon (public domain). [22]

A closer view of the southern portal of the old tunnel in 2023. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The northern portals of the two tunnels in 2023. [Google Streetview, March 2023.

The Tunnel de Castillon was an essential element of the scheme, the additional climb to the village would have required a significant series of loops either side of the pass and severe gradients. Structurae.net provides a number of photographs of the Tunnel which remains standing in the 21st century and is in use as a road tunnel. These images can be found here. [24]

Steep Gradients on the Menton to Sospel Tramway and the wider tram network

Banaudo’s book has a short feature relating to the exceptional gradients on the Menton to Sospel line and throughout the TNL and TAM networks. [1: p81]

99% of the Monton to Sospel tramway was on a gradient. The average gradient between Menton and the summit of the line at the North end of the Tunnel de Castillon was 46mm/m over almost 12.4 km. This was unique in the Alpes-Maritimes and “assez exceptionelles (quite exceptional) en France.” [1: p81]

Over 7.7 km was graded between 46mm/m and 60 mm/m. 60 mm/m was specified as the steepest grade permitted, but during construction it became obvious that complying with the specification would unduly lengthen the line. Ultimately, the Department of Bridges and Roads permitted over 4.1 km to be built with steeper grades (between 61 and 68 mm/m), mainly in the Careï valley.

Banaudo points out that at “the same time, in Switzerland, Italy and Austria, such lines were put into service with vehicles equipped with specifically adapted traction and braking mechanisms, the Departement des Alpes-Maritimes and concessionaires (the TNL on Menton-Sospel and the Sud-France on the entire TAM network) did not seem to appreciate the level of risk involved in such operations.” [1: p81]

The TNL had been successfully running 168 hp bogie trams equipped with compressed air brakes on the Contes and Levens lines. However, trials on the Menton-Sospel line demonstrated that their electrical equipment could not sustain the stresses imposed by such long and steep gradients. “As soon as sustained effort was required, the entire circuit was at best overheated, the circuit breaker tripped and the fuses blew, the wheels of the trolleys could melt, the controller would start to smoke, and soldered connections could melt and cables ignite. It was therefore decided to modify these trams and equip them with more powerful motors. But pressure from the Departement to put the Sospel line into service, meant that the service was opened in the spring of 1912 with two standard type T2 passenger trams and one self-propelled goods van. These two-axle vehicles only had a power limit of 70 and 84 hp which did not even allow for the lightest of wagons to be towed. The handbrake was supplemented by (un freinage rheostatique) rheostaic braking. No air-brake was provided!” [1: p81]

Banaudo goes on to explain that, “The inadequacy of this equipment was tragically brought to light on 11th September 1912, when a train carrying gravel for finishing work on the line ran down the steepest slope: The handbrake was unable to hold it and the power pole separated from the overhead supply, rendering rheostatic braking inoperative. The convoy ended up derailing and crashing at the foot of the Monti viaduct, killing the driver and the conductor.” [1: p81]

Sadly, just two weeks later the first of the modified bogie power cars Nos. 214 to 216 entered service (on 23rd September 1912). These were equipped with “hand, air and rheostatic brakes, developing a power of 240 hp, these tramcars proved to be better adapted and could tow two passenger trailers or three goods wagons on the steepest slopes. In June 1913, two self-propelled goods vehicles were modified in the same way and moved to the Sospel line, which ensured regular freight traffic from summer onwards. A third ‘tracteur’ of a similar design was put into service the following year.” [1: p81]

In the meantime a derailment of a train on the TAM line between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Grasse occurred on 17th September 1913 at the Viaduc de Cloteirol near Villeneuve-Loubet. “This disaster caused many deaths and the commission formed following this accident to improve the safety of the departmental network covered all the lines, including that of Sospel on 29th January 1914. Following its conclusions, the Department of Bridges & Roads limited tram speeds to 16 km/h uphill and 12 km/h downhill as well as when crossing viaducts. Four safety stops were established for descending convoys at points located at the top of steep slopes: above the Viaduc du Caramel viaduct, at l’Ubac-Foran, above the Pont de Monti and at km 3,350 between this hamlet and the stop at Villa Caserta. The first two stops, where the tramway could leave and pick up passengers, were equipped with a point directing an out-of-control convoy into a dead-end siding with a strong contrary slope. … In Villa-Caserta, a similar device was provided to stop any runaway of vehicles parked at the terminus of the urban service.” [1:p81]

References

José Banaudo; Nice au fil de Tram, Volume 2: Les Hommes, Les Techniques; Les Editions de Cabri, Breil-sur-Roya, France, 2005.
https://artplastoc.blogspot.com/2023/02/1292-nice-la-passerelle-et-le-pont.html?m=1, accessed on 21st November 2023.
https://twitter.com/actualites_nrv/status/990903681389400064?t=rpQXwAb7jIlpMfdfM8RoIg&s=19, accessed on 21st November 2023.
https://www.mapsof.net/saint-andre-de-la-roche-fr, accessed on 22nd November 2023.
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/20/the-nice-to-levens-tramway-part-1-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-54.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3231219313790582, accessed on 23rd November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3504633499782494, accessed on 23rd November 2023.
https://cronobook.com/pic/1e977519-3f4c-427f-9bdb-ba67e3c07054, accessed on 27th November 2023.
https://structurae.net/en/structures/monti-viaduct, accessed on 27th November 2023.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viaduc_de_Monti_(1910).jpg, accessed on 27th November 2023.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Viaduc_du_Carr%C3%A9i_%281910%29_Ouest.jpg, accessed on 27th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210534413814255&set=a.10210534255570299, accessed on 28th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=472351886472746&set=pcb.2011981832381009, accessed on 28th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3158590614386786, accessed on 28th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/9979281115478505/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v, accessed on 14th March 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/franckasfaux06/photos/a.1412935558990256/1412939378989874/?type=3 accessed on 30th November 2023.
http://dofusleguide.com/2019/12/photos-et-cartes-postales-anciennes-de-menton-06500.html, accessed on 30th November 2023.
https://cartorum.fr/carte-postale/204383/menton-menton-la-rue-partourneaux-et-lallee-des-orangers, accessed on 5th December 2023.
https://excerpts.numilog.com/books/9782903310608.pdf, accessed on 30th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/MentonDuPasseAuPresent/photos/a.635924896587645/904791879700944/?__cft__[0]=AZX5F8XW__jQPAyygfwvR03xmeAlwW_69beRs7RwlwE6xsjQfZ63F76O9fVpVPdM1BJs7Sko4cCH399fbkWwRbZM3L9NxeGF889CfcQ1_7n1krmUaygG3KAdo2h7ZHbuHUUryowX6X5bDwpFxz0OAGE5IBIgQ4UTuX_U-hOLi7R9JLmGRwSgl8bz-28sshkfnjk&__tn__=EH-R, accessed on 20th November 2023.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203526019792, accessed on 5th December 2023.
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https://structurae.net/en/structures/castillon-tunnel, accessed on 7th December 2023.

Monte-Carlo to Menton – La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 93).

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This post covers the line from the Port of Monaco and Monte-Carlo to its terminus in Menton. A short article about this length of tramway was included in the French-language ‘Tram Magazine‘ of 1980 [7], and it is covered by José Banaudo in his book ‘Nice au fil du Tram, Volume 2‘ [1]

Earlier articles in this series can be found by following these links:

Nice to Antibes:

La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – Nice-Cap d’Antibes (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 90) …

Nice to Monaco:

La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – Nice-Monte Carlo (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 91) …

Branch-lines between Nice and Monaco:

Nice to Monte-Carlo Branch Lines – La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 92) …

Other articles about railways and tramways in and around Nice can be found here:

https://rogerfarnworth.com/category/railways-and-tramways-blog/french-railways-and-tramways/railways-and-tramways-around-nice/

A project for a steam tramway linking the principality of Monaco to Menton via the Basse Corniche dates back to 1892 but seems that it may have encountered opposition from the various communes along the route. It is possible that this opposition centred on the use of steam as the power-source chosen. [7]

However, the Monaco Tribune suggests that it was clear that the capacity of steam engines to pull adequate loads on the gradients needed to serve the principality was always in doubt. The Triune comments: “At the start of the 1890s, there was a project for a Nice-Menton tramway line which would run through Monte Carlo. Following the example of French towns that were opening up tramway networks, horse-drawn at first, then with mechanical traction and finally electric-powered, the Principality eventually accepted the necessity of a line crossing Monaco, from Le Rocher to Saint-Roman, passing through Monte-Carlo and serving the Casino. The Principality’s topography was an issue: horse-drawn and steam trams were not an option. Electric trams had to be developed.” [6]

The Monaco tramways had three lines:

Place d’Armes – Saint Roman, opened on 14 May 1898.
Gare de Monaco – Place du Gouvernement, opened on 11 March 1899.
Casino – Gare de Monte-Carlo, opened on 3 May 1900. [8]

In 1897, the TNL (Tramways de Nice et du Littoral) obtained the concession for a metre-gauge coastal line between Cagnes, Nice, Monaco and Menton.

The main difficulty encountered in establishing this route was crossing the principality of Monaco, where in 1898 a local company opened an urban tramway powered by underground electric cables. [7]

While waiting for the establishment of an agreement to allow the passage of their trams through the principality, the TNL transported part of their fleet of by rail to Menton and opened a section of tramway from Garavan to Cap-Martin on 20th December 1902. One year later, this isolated section was linked to the rest of the network with the commissioning of the complete section from Monaco to Menton on 28th December 1903. [7]

In 1910, the TNL bought out the Monaco Tramways concession but continued to operate a split operation with connections in the principality between the Nice and Menton lines. During the Great War, the TNL’s tramway experienced heavy passenger and goods traffic, with the PLM line being reserved primarily for strategic transport. [7]

After the war, the Monaco to Menton line was designated Ligne No. 43 in the TNL’s new operating plan. But very quickly, road competition and the narrowness of the Basse Corniche roadway made sharing the road with lorries, vans and cars almost impossible. [7]

On 26th January 1931, the Nice to Monaco line was closed, followed a few months later by the departmental connection Menton (Villa Caserta) – Sospel. As during its first years of operation, the Menton tramway found itself isolated from the rest of the network and continued for a few months with reduced service to Monaco Garavan and Menton Villa Caserta, with the equipment based at the small Carnolès depot. This reprieve was only short-lived, because these lines were in turn closed in January 1932. [7]

This extract from the 1914 plan of Monaco shows the tramway running along the Condamine on the West side of the port before heading up the Avenue de Monte-Carlo. For a time there was a junction at the top of the gradient with trams for Menton turning North. [2]

Tram outside Monte Carlo International Sporting Club. The position of the pole shows that this tram is heading down hill to the Port. [9]

A similar view in 2011 looking down Avenue d’Ostende towards the Port. [Google Streetview, March 2011]

A later image showing a tram just a little further up l’Avenue de Monte-Carlo (now Avenue d’Ostende), but on the other tramline heading up hill towards the Casino. [11]

Tram outside Le Restaurant de Paris, Monte-Carlo. [10]

The tram tracks outside Restaurant/Cafe de Paris. Apparently these tracks were only in use for a very short time around 1902/1903. This picture was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 19th July 2023. (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [12]

Trams heading for Menton turned Northwest on Rue des Lilas (now Avenue Princesse Alice). For a short while in the very early 20th century a short branch continued up towards the Casino. Trams for Menton turned right at the top of Rue des Lilas onto Avenue de la Costa. [2]

This extract from Google Maps shows the route of the tramway as the primrose yellow line snaking from the bottom to the top of the image. A little confusing because the North point of the 1914 map extract above is not the same as Google Maps. The tram route enters at the bottom of this extract along Avenue d’Ostende. It then turns through more than 90° to run along Avenue Princesse Alice, executing a reverse curve along the way and then turning onto Avenue de la Costa. [Google Maps, November 2023]

These trams sit at the junction of the line to Menton (turning away to the left) and that to the Casino. They sit directly in front of the old Office de Poste et Telegraph. This image was shared on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group by Jean-Paul Bascoul on 7th July 2017. (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [21]

The same location as appears in the colourised postcard view immediately above. This is the point at which the tramway turned Northwards from Avenue de Monte-Carlo onto what was Rue des Lilas (now Avenue Princesse Alice). Access to the Casino is along the road to the right which for a time carried a branch tramway serving Monte-Carlo Casino. [Google Streetview March 2011]

The trams for Menton followed Rue des Lilas (now Avenue Princesse Alice). This image looks Northwest from the Southern end of the Avenue in 2021, [Google Streetview, July 2021]

At the North end of Rue des Lilas (now Avenue Princesse Alice), trams turned right onto Avenue de la Costa. [Google Streetview, July 2021]

Looking Northeast along Avenue de la Costa in 2021, towards Boulevard des Moulins. [Google Streetview, July 2021]

Avenue de la Costa, after a short distance, led straight onto Boulevard des Moulins. It was only a short walk from this point to access the funicular railway to La Turbie. The terminus can be seen at the top of this map extract. [2]

The primrose yellow line again indicates the line of the old tramway heading Northeast along Avenue de la Costa and then Boulvard des Moulins. [Google Maps, November 2023]

Looking Northeast from the bottom of Boulevard des Moulins in 2021. The Office de Tourism can be seen on the right of this image. [Google Streetview, July 2021]

Boulevard des Moulins continued in northeasterly direction towards Menton. Again, please don’t be fooled by the orientation of the North point on this 1914 map. [2]

A tram on Boulevard des Moulins heading Northeast. This image was included in a Monaco Tribune article about Monaco’s trams (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). It also appears in José Banaudo’s book where he notes the change to a single track line from a double-track length which ran from Avenue des Beaux-Arts to the edge of the St. Roman dustrict of the principality. He describes the dual length of track elsewhere as running from Credit Lyonnaise to Hotel du Littoral. Banaudo tells us that the tram in this image is TNL No. 27, a Thompson-built tram providing a Monte-Carlo to Menton service. [6][1: p57]

This postcard view of a tram on Boulevard des Moulins also appears in José Banaudo’s book. He notes that this tram is providing an urban service in Monaco and travelling Northeast on Boulevard des Moulins. [1:p57]

So much has changed. Much of Boulevard des Moulins would be unrecognisable to those who knew it in the early 20th century. This is a similar view looking Northeast along Boulevard des Moulins. It is possible that the tree, visible in each of the monochrome images above, is that which appears in this image. The building immediately beyond the tree, where the street curves away to the left seems to be common to all three images. [Google Streetview, July 2021]

Boulevard des Moulins led directly onto Boulevard d’Italie. Banaudo tells us that “the line became single track in the Boulevard d’Italie, where two sidings allowed the cars of the coastal line to pass those providing the urban service. The latter’s terminus was established in the St. Roman district where the three-track TM depot-workshop was also located, just before the border between the principality of Monaco and the French commune of Roquebrune.” [1: p56]

This extract from a map shared in an earlier article shows the tramway heading on from Avenue des Moulins along Boulevard d’Italie into St. Roman. The article from which this image was taken was shared on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group by Jean-Paul Bascoul on 17th May 2015. [24]

A tram on Avenue d’Italie in St. Roman. [27]

After leaving the principality, Banaudo tells us that the road and the tramway ran through picturesque even grandiose scenery as they run through “Cabbé cove, bounded to the east by the tip of Cape Martin. Since leaving the principality, five passing loops and sections of double track of varying lengths followed one another on this route where the Basse, Moyenne and Grande Corniche come together below the picturesque medieval village of Roquebrune.” [1: p56]

Boulevard des Moulins finishes just at the bottom-left of this Google Maps satellite image. Avenue d’Italie runs diagonally from the bottom-left of the image to the top-right. The road is marked by the primrose yellow line. This was the route of the TNL tramway.close to the top right of the image the Avenue d’Italie gives way to the Avenue de France at the gyratory. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The primrose yellow line closest to the sea in this satellite image marks the route of the old tramway (now the D6098). Avenue de France gives way to Avenue Jean-Jaures towards the top right of the image. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The route of the old tramway continues along the present D6098 (Avenue Jean-Jaures) until it joins the D6007 (Avenue de la Cote d’Azur) and then curves around the valley at Cabbe. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The route of the old tramway continues along the Avenue Cote d’Azur (A6007). [Google Maps, November 2023]

Shortly after the location where the Basse, Moyenne and Grand Corniches meet, the “national road 7 describes a series of tight turns on a steep slope to cut across the base of Cap-Martin. In order to follow a more favorable route, the tramway penetrated quite far into the pine forest of the cape for approximately 1600 m on an independent platform. Here it served housing estates, vast properties and villas, some of which were not yet connected to motorable roads.” [1: p57]

A tram runs along the highway, some distance above sea-level, having passed through the district of St. Roman. [23]

The tramway through Roquebrune and Cap-Martin was remote from the highway for about 1.6km. On careful inspection its route can be seen on this map. The pictures below show the length of tramway described by José Banaudo, which ran on its own formation for some distance. [17]

A Thomson TNL tram passes in front of the Roquebrune post office, in the Cabbé district. The tram is heading for Monaco. I have struggled to locate this image in relation to modern maps of the area. [7]

Banaudo continues to describe the route followed by the tramway. He says that the old tramway ran out onto the Cap-Martin peninsula where it “described a long hairpin loop at the bottom of which was a 108 m tunnel, in a curve with a radius of 35 m and a slope of 70 mm/m. From the Cap-Martin stop, located at the exit of the tunnel, the single track was subsequently doubled to facilitate crossings in this hilly sector. The descent on the eastern slope of the cape then offered a vast panorama of the town of Menton and the Ligurian Riviera. Since entering [Cap-Martin], the line had lost around sixty metres in altitude when it reached the seashore at the Victoria Hotel, not far from which the Cap-Martin depot was located.” [1: p57]

Close to Roquebrune, trams left the main road to follow a dedicated formation. The highway had a series of tight curves and significant gradients which were not suitable for trams. From this point, the trams travelled out onto Cap-Martin while gradually descending almost to sea-level. [16]

Approximately the same location as that shown in the photograph above, as it appears in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

Looking Southeast, the old mainroad followed the route on the left trams ran on a separate route which has been transformed to Avenue Paul Doumer, which appears on the right side of this photograph. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

Today, Avenue Paul Doumer (D52) follows the route of the old tramway fairly faithfully as it heads out onto Cap-Martin. Avenue Paul Doumer gives way to Avenue Sylvio de Monleon which follows the old tramway to and through the location of the tramway tunnel which has been supplanted by a road tunnel on the same alignment.

Avenue Paul.Doumer (D52) shown in grey follows the route of the old tramway. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The tram in this photograph is heading towards Roquebrune and then Menton. The single-track line is on its own formation, separated from the road both horizontally and vertically. [15]

Looking Southeast on Avenue Paul Doumer. The main road is marked by the green railings at a higher level. This is approximately the same location as that shown in the postcard view immediately above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The D52 continues to follow the old tramway route, although it takes the new name of Avenue Sylvio de Monleon on the right third of this extract from Google Maps. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The old tramway turned through a tight hairpin bend , the first part of which was in tunnel. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The road tunnel that replaced the narrower tramway tunnel. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

A tram leaves the tunnel on Cap-Martin and approaches the tram stop. The pedestrian access to the tram stop appears to the left of the tram in this image. [14]

From a slightly different angle, the modern tunnel portal close to the old tram stop is visible in this image. The image shows that the steps which provided access to the tram stop are mirrored by similar steps in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The tram stop on Cap-Martin. The tram is heading for Monaco. [16]

This image shows the same location today. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

A tram running downhill towards the Plage de Carnoles. [26]

A similar location in the 21st century, looking down Avenue Sylvio de Monleon towards the Plage de Carnoles. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Banaudo mentioned Hotel Victoria in his description of the tram route. In the 21st century it remains at the same location as in the early 20th century. It features at the bottom of this extract from Google Maps. South of the Hotel Victoria a block of flats can be seen adjacent to the tight curve on the D52. Those flats sit on the site of an old chapel – Chapelle du Cap-Martin. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The ruins of the Chapelle du Cap-Martin with dual tram tracks running close to its doors. [22]

A early postcard view showing a TNL tram running past the Chapel towards Menton. [34]

The same location in 2023. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

This extract from the map seen earlier in this article shows the tram route entering bottom-centre, close to what would have been the Chapelle du Cap-Martin, and running for just a short distance along Promenade du Midi before turning inland to pass under the PLM mainline. [17]

An early postcard view of La Plage de Carnoles, looking East from Cap-Martin. Tram tracks are clearly visible on the beach and a tram appears to be heading for Menton. [45]

Looking Southwest in 1910 towards Cap-Martin from La Plage de Carnoles. Banaudo notes that at the time it was built, the tramway sat on the beach. [25]

This image shows a tram running along the edge of the beach in Carnoles. Just to the right of this image trams turned away from the beach. [7]

After running past the Chapelle du Cap-Martin trams ran alongside the beach for a short distance. The route they took has since become the Promenade du Midi. They turned inland at what is now Avenue Francois de Monleon and ran under the PLM mainline before turning to the right along Avenue Julia, a road which appears to no longer exist, and following the curve of that road as far as its junction with what is now the D6007. The length before that junction was along what is now Avenue du Marechal Foch.

This old post card image shows a tram on Avenue François de Monleon. It was shared on the Menton du Passé au Present Facebook Page on 3rd December 2017. [35]

Avenue François de Monleon in the 21st century at a similar location to the monochrome image above. [Google Streetview, November 2023]

Trams ran Northwest along Avenue François de Monleon passing under the PLM mainline through the bridge shown here. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Running Northeast the tramway met the N7 (now the D6007) and then turned right along it towards the PLM mainline and the beach along what is now Avenue Aristide Briand. [17]

The primrose yellow D6007 shows the route of the old tramway. [Google Maps, November 2023]

This monochrome image shows a tram on Avenue Julia (now Avenue du Marechal Foch) adjacent to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Carnoles. The road on the right of the image is Route National 7 (RN7). [19]

This modern image shows approximately the same location in the 21st century. Google Streetview, October 2022]

Turning through about 120°, this view looks down Avenue Aristide Briand towards the railway bridge which is shown below. The tram tracks are clearly visible in the road surface. This old postcard image was shared on the Menton du Passé au Present Facebook Page on 9th August 2017. [18]

Trams once ran along what is now Avenue Aristide Briand (D6007) and passed through this railway bridge before running Northeast closer to the sea. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

Pont de l’Union sat at the boundary between Carnoles and Menton. This image is an early 20th century postcard view of Pont de l’Union. It looks East. The overbridge carrying the PLM line is directly ahead at the extreme left of this image. It is not possible to show a modern version of this image as the photograph is taken from a point inside one of the more modern buildings on Avenue Aristide Briand. [7]

The view East-northeast east along Avenue Aristide Briand which is the route being travelled by the tram in the monochrome image above. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The TNL had a depot at Carnolès-plage from 1902 to 1932. [20] Banaudo notes that the tramway passed twice under the PLM Nice to Ventimiglia line. After “the second underbridge, the Union bridge over the Gorbio valley demarcated the territories of the communes of Roquebrune and Menton.” [1: p57]

Banaudo keeps his comments on the remainder of the old tramway route succinct. On entering the commune if Menton, he says, “the tram followed the Avenue de la Madone (today Général De Gaulle), the Borrigo Bridge, the Avenue Carnot, the Biovès garden which covers the Careï torrent then the Avenue Felix Faure. Place St. Roch, where the Sospel line branched off, marked the entry into the old town of Menton. Here, the single track made its way through the very narrow Rue St. Michel then entered the port where it followed the Quai Bonaparte. The tramway entered Garavan beach then ended its course near the Hanbury fountain, a few hundred metres from the Italian border at that time.” [1: p57]

We will try to unpack Banaudo’s description with images that show the route through Menton. Trams entered Menton on the RN7 (now D6007). Until the mid-20th century people were expected to leave the tram at the boundary between Roquebrune Cap-Martin and Menton to declare the goods they were carrying. The Octroi, shown below, was the ‘custom point’.

Everyone crossing into Menton was expected to declare taxable goods at the ‘border’ of the commune. [7]

The location of le Pont de Borrigo at the point where Avenue Cernuschi met the RN7 (D6007). [Google Maps, November 2023]

Le Pont de Burrigo close to the beach on the road into Menton. The road over the bridge carried the tramway. [49]

A view West back across the location of Pont de Burrigo. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The tram has stopped on Avenue Carnot next to Le Kiosque de Musique (Bandstand) in the gardens alongside the Promenade de Midi. [7]

Looking East along Avenue de Carnot, approaching the centre of Menton. This was the route taken by the tram. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Trams continued along Avenue Carnot past l’Eglise Anglais and onto Avenue Felix Faure.

Avenue Carnot runs past St. John’s Church in Menton (the Anglican Church). Tram tracks can be seen on the road surface in this image which was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Pierre Richert on 8th January 2018. [37]

L’Avenue Carnot and St. John’s Anglican Church in 2023. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

St. John’s Church is shown on this extract from Google Maps with Avenue de Carnot on its South side. The D6007 turns right and then left to run along the Promenade. The old tramway ran straight ahead onto Avenue Felix Faure. [Google Maps, November 2013]

St. John’s Church can be seen in the bottom-left of this image. Avenue Felix Faure runs Northeast from St. John’s Church. It is the grey line, one block back from the Promenade. [Google Maps, November 2023]

Avenue Felix Faure, Menton, in the early 20th century, looking towards the old town. Tram tracks are visible in the road surface. [38]

Avenue Felix Faure in the early 20th century. This is a view from a very similar location as the image above, this time a tram can be seen heading out of the old town towards Monaco. [40]

The same location that appears in the two monochrome images above, as it appears in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

One street corner along Avenue Felix Faure, looking Northeast. The only thing in common with the present is the Hotel des Colonies building, which you can see on the left of image. [51]

Approximately the same view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview March 2023]

Avenue Felix Faure, looking Southwest from a point close to Place St. Roch. [50]

A similar view in the 21st century, looking Southwest. [Google Streetview April 2023]

This old postcard image shows Avenue Felix Faure entering Place St. Roch. It looks Southwest from Place St. Roch. Overhead tramway cables can be seen running in two directions, ahead into Avenue Felix Faure and right into Rue Partouneaux. The tram tracks leading into Avenue Felix Faure can be seen to the left of the photograph. Note the publisher shelter close to the centre of the image. [53]

A similar view to the one immediately above. A statue now sits in front of the building. [52]

A similar modern view looking across Place St. Roch towards the Southwest and Avenue Felix Faure. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Rue Partouneaux on the North side of Place St. Roch was followed by trams for Sospel which set off from or terminated at the mouth of Rue St. Michel at Place St. Roch. This route is covered elsewhere in this series about trams in and around Nice:

Three articles written at different times, in chronological order are as below:

Sospel to Menton Tramway

The Sospel to Menton Tramway Revisited (Chemins de Fer de Provence 51)

The Menton to Sospel Tramway Revisited Again! (Chemins de Fer de Provence 61)

Avenue Felix-Faure in Menton, seen from Place St. Roch, looking Northeast. On the left we can see the waiting kiosk of the TNL tram urban lines. There is a tram waiting at the stop but rather than following the main route between Monaco and Menton it will leave along Rue Partouneaux to the Careï valley. It will possibly stop at the Villa Caserta terminus, or it will continue towards Monti, Castllon, the valley of Bévéra and the Sospel terminus. This image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascul on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 28th September 2023 (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [5]

A similar view, looking Northeast in the 21st century from Place St. Roch. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Looking East from Place St. Roch along the most easterly length of Avenue Felix Faure, we see a tram heading West, although it is not clear whether it will head for Monaco or bear round in front of the camera onto Rue Partouneaux to the Carei Valley. [7]

An early 20th century postcard image of Rue St. Michel/Avenue Felix Faure, looking East, Tram tracks are visible in the road surface. [29]

The same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2008]

An early postcard view of Rue St. Michel, looking West. [39]

Rue St. Michel in 2008 looking West at approximately the same location as in the postcard image above. [Google Streetview, December 2008]

Rue St. Michel in 2008 looking East. [Google Streetview, December 2008]

A powered car and trailer stopped at Place aux Herbes in the 1920s. This image was shared on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 23rd March 2022 by Jean-Paul Bascoul. (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [3]

The same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, 2021]

Rue St. Michel looking West in the early 20th century. The tramway track is easily seen in the cobbled road surface, the overhead cables in the sky! [46]

The same location, close to the eastern end of Rue St. Michel in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, 2008]

A further extract from Google Maps. The tramway ran along Rue St. Michel which enters this image just beneath the Carrefour City blue flag to the bottom-left of the image and runs in an approximately straight line East-northeast to meet the present D6007 (Quai Bonaparte). Here trams turned North along the D6007 before heading East towards Garavan. [Google Maps, November 2023]

Trams left the East end of Rue St. Michel and crossed Place du Cap before running out onto Quai Bonaparte.

An early 20th century postcard image of Place du Cap, Menton. Overhead wires for the trams cross the image and, to the right side of the image a tram can be seen turning into Place du Cap from Quai Bonaparte. [32]

This image was shared by Jean Claude Volpi on the Entraide Menton Monaco Roquebrune Cap Martin et sa région Facebook Group on 17th September 2021. It shows the tramway leaving Place du Cap. It refers to the Quai as ‘Quai de Monleon’. [48]

The old postcard image refers to the Quai as ‘Quai Boneparte. The camera is situated a little further to the North than the camera in the image above. [31]

A short distance to the North again, this old postcard image is annotated ‘Le Boulevard de Garavan’. Literally only a couple of hundred metres along the shore from the last postcard image. This colourised image comes from the early 20th century. [30]

The modern D6007 now follows the Quai Bonaparte/Quai de Monleon. A constant feature is the large building at the centre of this image which seems to have a central gable. In the 21st century this is the Menton campus of Sciences Po Paris. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

This last extract from Google Maps shows the remaining length of the old tramway. The line followed the Promenade de Garavan and is shown in primrose yellow. It was on the seaward side of the RN7 (D6007). The terminus was close to the grey flag at the right side of this image. It was adjacent to La Fontaine de la Frontiere. [Google Maps November 2020]

A tram heads towards Menton old town along Boulevard de Garavan. [7]

The view from a very similar location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

A tram stopped on La Promenade de Garavan. Menton’s old town can be seen in the distance. [26]

A similar view from Porte de France in 2023. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The terminus of the line is some distance ahead in this view. The tram is heading towards the terminus of the line. [26]

This image was shared on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 23rd March 2022 by Jean-Paul Bascoul. Looking East, it shows a tram at the extreme Eastern end of the TNL network, about to set off for Nice. [4]

As can be seen close to the centre of this view looking East, the Fontaine de la Frontiere still stands in its historical location, although the Italian border has moved further East! [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The terminus of the TNL network was on La Promenade de Garavan, immediately West of the Fontaine de la Frontiere which itself was very close to the then Italian border.

The tram terminus was just to the West of the Fontaine de la Frontiere in almost exactly the same location as the earlier horse-drawn tram in this old postcard image. [47]

The Fontaine de la Frontiere in 2023. At one time the border with Italy was a little to the East of the fountain. [Google Streeview, November 2022]

Images in this article credited to Jean-Paul Bascoul can be found on his blog: Monaco 4Ever.blogspot.com.

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https://www.delcampe.net/en_US/collectibles/postcards/france/menton/menton-promenade-de-garavan-et-fontaine-de-la-frontiere-tram-a-chevaux-1911374856.html, accessed on 4th December 2023.
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134689074112?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=_o2CiTs1S5m&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=afQhrar7TGK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY, accessed on 2nd December 2023.
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https://collection-jfm.fr/p/cpa-france-06-menton-la-place-saint-roch-102274, accessed on 3rd December 2023.

Nice to Monte-Carlo Branch Lines – La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 92) …

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There were two branch lines worth noting between Nice and Monte Carlo: one from Pont-St. Jean to St. Jean-Cap Ferrat; one from Monaco-Gare to Monaco-Ville.

The tram route from Nice to Monte-Carlo is covered in an article which can be found by following this link:

La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – Nice-Monte Carlo (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 91) …

Pont-St. Jean – St. Jean-Cap Ferrat

This branch line was just under 2 km in length and ran between Pont-St. Jean at 27 m above sea-level to a terminus in St. Jean-Cap Ferrat at 3 m above sea-level.

Construction of the line started in June 1906 and it was open to traffic by 7th December 1907.

Along with the rest of the network it received a line number on 1st January 1923 – No. 22. It remained in service as a tramway until 9th March 1931, when it was replaced by a bus service. Rails were lifted by 20th June 1933.

A postcard photograph of Pont St. Jean with a tram approaching from the terminus on St. Jean Cap Ferrat, the photograph was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Laurent Mannu on 20th April 2022. Travelling the opposite direction a tram would almost immediately stop at l’Octroi. [6]

A very similar view in 2023. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The line was single-track throughout with two intermediate passing places. It left the mainline between Nice and Monte-Carlo at Pont-St. Jean which sat at the point where the communes of Villefranche and Beaulieu shared a common border and at the point where the PLM line between Nice and Ventimille was bridged to provide access to the coastline. This was also close to the Octroi de St. Jean which, as we have noted elsewhere, was a building which housed municipal tax collectors and allowed them to control and tax goods transported by travellers.

After crossing the railway line trams headed down Avenue Denis Semaria (M25) out onto the peninsula. The ‘new’ road, M125, can be seen heading West alongside the railway line. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The peninsula was an attractive area to build a home and the Tramway found its way through villas and gardens set among pine trees.

St. Jean Cap Ferrat – a beautiful place! [2]

St. Jean Cap Ferrat, the primrose yellow road out onto the peninsula is route M25. The loop of road to the South is the M125, © OpenStreetMap made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license (CC BY-SA 2.0). [3]

The tramway ran along Avenue Denis Semeria, curving round Villa La Ligne Droit. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The route of the old tramway, approaching Villa La Ligne Droit. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild sat to the East of the tramroad and Villa Andreae Nice to the West. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The M25 had to be rebuilt in to the West of and in parallel to its original route which was too narrow to accommodate both trams and other traffic.

The Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild sat above the tramroad to the East and Villa Andreae Nice to the West was to the right. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

After a passing-loop close to the chapel of St. François in the middle of the peninsula, the line descended eastwards to reach its terminus located at the port of St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

The tram route, as shown on a map of the area around Nice in 1914. [10]

The tramway continued along Avenue Denis Semaria close to Jardinerie du Cap-Ferrat Marcarelli. [Google Maps, November 2023]

The route continued to follow Avenue Denis Semaria and began to head down towards [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The tramway turned away from one arm of Avenue Denis Semaria to head down to the Port along another arm of the same named road and following the route number M25. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The tramway continued round the curve on Avenue Denis Semaria. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Avenue Denis Semaria runs first due East and then turns round to the South as it approaches the Port and the location of the tramway terminus. [Google Maps, November 2023]

Now heading due East on Avenue Denis Semaria (M25) and approaching the East coast of the peninsula. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

A tram en-route from Pont-St. Jean down to the Port curving down along Avenue Denis Semaria not far from the Port. This image was shared on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 1st September 2014 by Jean-Paul Bascoul. (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [11]

A very similar view in 2023. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Turning through 180°, this is the view along Avenue Denis Semaria towards the Port. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The bus terminus at Port-St. Jean. The tram terminus was a few hundred metres South , behind the camera. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The tram terminus was established at the port of St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Place du Centenaire, near the statue of the Fisherman, the work of Claude Vignon-Rouvier, wife of the politician Maurice Rouvier. Around 1910. The tram in the picture is made up of a powered car and a trailer. [4]

A later view without a tram present. The buildings on the left have seen some significant work undertaken. The first is now a three-storey building and both that and the adjacent property have been extended towards the street. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 28th February 2022 by Alain Nissim. [5]

A similar view in 2023 looking through the location of the tramway terminus to the North. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The cafe at the terminus of the tramway. The image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 18th February 2022. [9]

A postcard view of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat – Place du Centenaire – Tram Stop – Publisher: Giletta N°830. The photograph was taken sometime around 1920 and shows a powered car running round its trailer ready for the journey back to Pont-St. Jean. [4]

A similar view in 2023 looking through the location of the tramway terminus to the South. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The Namuoma Restaurant at St. Jean-Cap Ferrat, with the tramway tracks visible to the bottom right of the photograph. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 16th August 2023. [7]

Another view of the terminus. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 5th July 2021. [8]

Monaco-Gare – Monaco-Ville

This line was marginally over 1 km in length. It low point was at Place d’Armes, just 19 metres above sea-level, its high point was at 59metres above sea-level at Place de la Visitation. It was single track over its entire length with no passing places . It also did not have passing loops at its two termini as it only used powered cars with no trailers.

Banaudo tells us that, “Starting from the PLM station square, it went down Avenue de la Gare for 101 m to Place d’Armes. This node in the Monegasque network formed a connection point with the TNL line towards Nice and the TM line towards Monte Carlo and St. Roman. Crossing this, the single track climbed by a long ramp of 77 mm/m the Avenue de la Porte-Neuve to the end of the Rocher dominating Fort Antoine, then a sharp bend brought the line back into the Avenue des Pins. The terminus sat at the entrance to the old town of Monaco, on the Place de la Visitation where the government palace stands.” [1: p54]

A plan of the different tram and train lines in Monaco and Monte-Carlo in the early 20th century. The article from which this image was taken was shared on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group by Jean-Paul Bascoul on 17th May 2015. The line between the station and the Place de la Visitation runs left to right at the bottom of the map. [15]

This map shows This branch line tramway ran from Monaco-Gare at the Northwest corner of this map extract through Place d’Armes and then along Avenue de la Porte Neuve before swinging sharply round to the West along Avenue des Pins, to terminate in Place de la Visitation. [16]

Monaco Railway Station in the early 20th century. [19]

Looking Northwest along Avenue Prince Pierre towards the location of Monaco Railway Station. [Google Streetview, July 2021]

Looking along Avenue Prince Pierre into Place d’Armes. [Google Streetview, July 2022]

The junction of Avenue de la Gare with Place d’Armes looking towards the railway station. This image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 23rd June 2017. (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [13]

A tram on Place d’Armes in the 1920s. This image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Monaco4Ever Facebook Group on 20th June 2020. (Collection privée J-Paul Bascoul). [14]

La Place d’Armes looking towards Monaco Railway Station which sits at the far end of Avenue de la Gare (now Avenue Prince Pierre). [12]

A colourised postcard view of the junction between Avenue de la Gare (now Avenue Prince Pierre) and Place d’Armes. [17]

Place d’Armes sat below the Palace of Monaco. It was the point at which trams from the railway station crossed the Nice to Monte-Carlo line and then headed up onto the rock. [16]

The tramway up onto the Rock followed Avenue de la Porte Neuve. The tramway to the casino (and on to Menton) followed the parallel Avenue du Port. [Google Streetview, 2011]

The tramway to the Casino and then on to Menton ran up the West side of the port. The tramway up onto the Rock via the Avenue de la Porte Neuve. [16]

The tramway turned from the Avenue de la Porte Neuve into the Avenue des Pins and heads to its terminus at Place de la Visitation. [16]

The tight curve of Avenue Saint-Martin leads round towards Avenue des Pins. [Google Streetview, 2011]

The tramway followed Avenue des Pins heading off to the right leading towards Place de la Visitation. [Google Streetview, 2011]

Place de la Visitation at the top of Avenue des Pins was the terminus of the tramway. [Google Streetview, 2011]

Images in this article accredited to Jean-Paul Bascoul come from his blog – Monaco4ever.blogspot.com.

References

José Banaudo; Nice au fil du Tram, Volume 2: Les Hommes, Les Techniques; Les Editions de Cabri, Breil-sur-Roya, France, 2005.
https://www.explorenicecotedazur.com/en/info/saint-jean-cap-ferrat-en, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=14/43.6881/7.3294, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://www.cparama.com/forum/saint-jean-cap-ferrat-t9821.html, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3325276507718195, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3372278223018023, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3745256885720153, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3132401830338998, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ciccoli/permalink/3325276507718195, accessed on 11th November 2023.
https://theoldmapshop.com/products/1914-nice-south-of-france-town-plan-antique-baedeker-map-print-st-jean-cap-ferrat-villefranche-sur-mer, accessed on 12th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/9801785099894775, accessed on 13th November 2023.
https://www.akpool.fr/cartes-postales/24373465-carte-postale-monaco-la-cote-dazur-la-place-darmes-et-avenue-de-la-gare-strassenbahn, accessed on 13th November 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/9397633530309936, accessed on 13th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/5583715751701752/?app=fbl, accessed on 13thbNovember 2023
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/9166981643375127/?app=fbl, accessed on 13th November 2023.
http://www.vidiani.com/maps/maps_of_europe/maps_of_monaco/large_detailed_old_map_of_Monaco_Monte_Carlo_1921.jpg, accessed on 13th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/8938416852898275/?app=fbl, accessed on 13th November 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389253567814679/permalink/8938416852898275/?app=fbl, accessed on 13th November 2023.
https://www.monaco-tribune.com/2023/02/un-decor-de-carte-postale-la-gare-de-monaco-monte-carlo, accessed on 13th November 2023.

Early Railways in Plymouth

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The first railways in the area were of wooden rails used during the construction of docks facilities. Some were in use in the Naval Dockyard in 1724, [2] and in 1756 John Smeaton laid some more to help move materials in his workyard on the mainland which was preparing stonework for the Eddystone Lighthouse. [4: p5-8] [1]

Smeaton’s Workyard near the location of Millbay Docks was used for a fastidious trial construction of the lighthouse to ensure that the massive stone blocks used in its construction would fit with each other before undertaking the work on site, 14 miles out to sea. To move these blocks around the Workyard, Smeaton made use of a ‘Rail Road’ which comprised of a four-wheel carriage running on a timber road. In Smeaton’s own words, stones were “delivered upon the four-wheel carriage that runs along the timber road, commonly called at the Collieries, where they are used, a Rail Road: and being landed upon the carriage, any stone can be delivered upon any of the Bankers in the line of the work-sheds on either side: or the carriage being turned a quarter round upon the Turnpike, or Turnrail, it can be carried along the road that goes up the middle of the yard, and be delivered upon any part of its area destined for their deposition; all the stones marked for the same course being deposited together; from which place they can be again taken up upon the carriage, run along the road, and be delivered upon any Banker in the line of sheds, or upon the Platform, and afterwards returned back to the same place of deposition, ready to be carried to sea in their proper order … A Banker in a mason’s yard is a square stone of a suitable size, made use of as a work-bench.” [4: p6-7]

In 1812, John Rennie laid a 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) gauge metal tramway to help with the construction of the Plymouth Breakwater; rails were laid in the quarry at Oreston and on the breakwater, and loaded wagons were conveyed between the two on ships. [5][1]

Rennie’s use of a ‘Rail Road’ is recorded in three different contemporary accounts: “The first of these is ‘Two Excursions to the Ports of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1816, 1817 and 1818, with a description of the Breakwater at Plymouth and the Caledonian Canal‘ translated from the (French) original of Charles Dupin. The second book … [was] published by J. Johns of “Dock” (soon to become “Devonport”) in a booklet dated November 1820 entitled ‘Interesting Particulars Relative to the Great National Undertaking, the Breakwater now Constructing in Plymouth Sound.’ From these two books, a good picture of Rennie’s little railway can be formed, whilst the third book, Rennie’s own mammoth publication provides yet another set of carefully-scaled drawings, similar to Smeaton’s previous records.” [4: p9-10]

An engraving in Rennie’s book which shows the wagons used on his ‘railway’ [4: illustration between p8 & p9]

Rennie’s 3ft 6in gauge railway allowed horses to bring large stone blocks on flatbed wagons (or smaller stones in wagons fitted with sides), from his quarry at Oreston to a quay where the wagons were turned on a turntable and loaded onto vessels with iron rails in their holds and taken to the sites of the breakwater. On arrival a form of tippler appears to have been used to discharge the wagonloads onto the sides of the breakwater. [4: p10-11]

A second engraving from Rennie’s book which shows the wagons in place in the hold and on the deck of one of the wessels which transported stone from the quarry to the site of the breakwater [4: illustration between p8 & p9]

“The building of the breakwater extended over some thirty years, and in its final stages a railway was actually constructed on the surface of the “wall” enabling the ships to be unloaded in the reverse manner to that of the loading at Oreston, even down to the provision of turn-tables. … This … has given rise to the claim that this was the first rudimentary ‘train ferry’.” [4: p12]

A further engraving from Rennie’s book which shows the breakwater with the railway on its surface. [4: illustration between p8 & p9]

Kendall noted in 1968, that the quarry at Oreston still continued to supply stone for the maintenance of the breakwater. [4: p12]

On their journey around England in 1826 and 1827, Von Oeynhausen and Von Dechen visited the Plymouth Breakwater and the later Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway referred to below. [7: p51-55] Of the Breakwater Railway, they commented: “For the transport of the larger masses of stone, 10 ships of 80 tons burden have been built in the Royal Dockyard. These ships can carry 16 blocks, each of 5 tons weight, in two rows, each block resting on a wagon which runs on a railway. The two railways on the ships are extended to the breakwater by drawbridges; and then the wagons are drawn out of the ships by cranes and unloaded. In this manner, a ship of 80 tons can be unloaded in 40 or 50 minutes. The ships are brought to the place where the stones are required to be laid by the help of buoys.” [7: p55]

A more conventional tramway was opened on 26th September 1823. The 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway ran from Princetown to Sutton Harbour and the Cattewater. Branches were opened to Cann Quarry in 1829 and to Plympton in 1834, followed by the Lee Moor Tramway in 1854. Haulage on these lines in Plymouth was always by horses (although the Lee Moor Tramway did have two 0-4-0ST locomotives which spent most of their life at the Lee Moor end of the tramway). The Lee Moor line remained in use until 1960. [1][3][6: p9]

The Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway is covered in much greater detail in the article accessed via this link:

……………. (Currently being written) ……………………..

References

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railways_in_Plymouth#:~:text=A%20more%20conventional%20tramway%20was,Lee%20Moor%20Tramway%20in%201854, accessed on 20th September 2023.
Paul Burkhalter; Devonport Dockyard Railway; Twelveheads Press, Truro, 1996.
Eric R. Shepherd; The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway and the Lee Moor Tramway; ARK Publications (Railways), Newton Abbot, Devon, 1997.
H.G. Kendall; The Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway; The Oakwood Press, Lingfield, Surrey, 1968.
David St John Thomas; West Country Railway History; David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1973.
Russell Leitch; Plymouth’s Railways in the 1930s including “The Gear’s Poor Relation”; Railway Correspondence & Travel Society, Peterborough, 2002.
C. Von Oeynhausen and H. Von Dechen; Railways in England 1826 and 1827; translated from the German by E.A. Forward and edited by Charles E. Lee and K.R. Gilbert; Newcomen Society, Cambridge, 1971.

Derry History – The Harbour Tramways/Railways

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The ‘Modern Tramway’ Journal of September 1963 had a short article about the Harbour Tramways in Derry, written by J.H. Price. …

The 3-rail mixed gauge track of the dockside tramways in Derry. These were closed from 1st September 1962, © J.H. Price. [1: p315]

Friday 31st August, 1962, saw the closing of the dockside tramways of the Port and Harbour Commissioners in Derry. This was probably “a delayed outcome of the closing in 1957 of much of the hinterland railway system, which … diverted much traffic to Dublin, and since 1950 the rail traffic over the Commissioners lines has fallen from 200,000 tons to just over 10.000 tons per year. Now road transport is used for all traffic.” [1: p314]

The city of Derry was unusual in having four separate railway termini, two on each side of the River Foyle. On the western side was the Foyle Road, terminus of the Great Northern Railway’s 5ft 3jn gauge line to Omagh and Portadown, separated by nearly two miles of quays from the L&LSR’s 3 ft. gauge terminus at the Graving Dock. Across the river on the eastern shore was the Waterside terminus of the Ulster Transport Authority (ex-NCC) main line to Coleraine and Belfast, and further south on the same side was Victoria Road station, the terminus of the 3ft gauge line to Strabane owned by the Ulster Transport Authority and worked for them by the County Donegal Railway.

The narrow gauge lines were closed in 1953 and 1954 respectively, but the broad gauge lines were still in use in 1963.

“To allow railway wagons to reach the town quays and the quayside warehouses, the … Port and Harbour Commissioners built from 1867 onwards a system of dock tramways worked initially by horses. Most of the lines were of three-rail mixed gauge. … In 1872 steam traction was introduced, with broad-gauge tank locomotives fitted with dual couplings so as to haul broad or narrow-gauge wagons; mixed gauge trains were not unusual.” [1: p314]

From about 1950 the Commissioners two latter-day locomotives (both 0-6-0 saddle tanks) were displaced by road tractors, but remained in their shed for another three years. Photographs of these two locomotives can be seen towards the end of this article.

“For a short time in the 1880 the Lough Swilly passenger trains ran over the dock tramways as far as the Middle Quay, but this ceased in 1888, and a link for passenger traffle was provided instead from 1897 onwards by the 4ft 8in gauge horse tramway of the City of Derry Tramway Company, replaced by motor buses in 1920.” [1: p314-315]

“Since part of the original scheme was to allow the railways of the eastern shore an access to the quays and warehouses on the western, or town, side, the layout included a railway across the lower deck of the Carlisle Bridge, and this was continued when the bridge was reconstructed as the Craigavon Bridge in 1933. The upper deck of the bridge carrie[d] a roadway and footpaths. Locomotives were not allowed on the bridge, and for many years the wagons were moved across by rope and capstan.” [1: p315]

The lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge in Derry showing one of the mixed gauge turntables, © J.H. Price. [1: p315]

The lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge in 2023. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

This installation included two of Ireland’s few mixed-gauge turntables (the others were at Strabane, Larne Harbour and Carnlough), and to ensure that the narrow-gauge wagons were balanced correctly on the turntables, the 3 ft. gauge track was brought to the centre of the broad gauge instead of remaining at one side.

Price commented that the whole layout was distinctly unusual. He considered it likely (in 1963) that some portions of the trackwork would remain in place for years to come.

Craigavon Bridge was designed by the City Architect, Matthew A Robinson. Construction began in the late 1920s and was finished in 1933. As we have noted, the lower deck of the bridge originally carried a railway line for freight wagons, but that was replaced by a road in 1968. At each end, a silhouetted mural of a railway station stands to mark the former railway. [2]

The Port and Harbour Commissioners Tramways have been carefully mapped by Chris Amundson after study of all available sources. His work covers track layouts throughout the life of railways and tramways in Derry. This is not the place to share large electronic files but his mapping can be found on the Irish Railway Modeller forum. His CAD map from the late 1940s can be found here. [3] Just a few extracts from that drawing. …….

This first extract shows the track layout close to Craigavon Bridge. The grey/black lines are those of the Port and Harbour Commissioners Tramways, the red lines are those of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee. The turquoise blue lines are those of the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). It is worth noting the two wagon turntables, each of which sits at one end of the bridge, © Chris Amundson. [3]

Craigavon Bridge in 1949, as seen in a Britain from Above Aerial Image (XAW027082) © Historic England. [13]

A general aerial view of the quays at Derry with the centre of the city close alongside. The light roofed building adjacent to the ship at Prince’s Quay. Further to the North are the transshipment sheds opposite the Guildhall sitting between Prince’s Quay and Queen’s Quay. [11]

Abercorn Quay and the GNR(I) Foyle Road station with covered wagons sitting on the Port and Harbour Commissioners’ rails, on an extract from photograph XAW027081, © Historic England. [12]

This extract from photograph XAW027081 overlaps with the one above and also shows Abercorn Quay, © Historic England. [12]

Open wagons sit on the Port and Harbour Commissioners’ rails at the South end of Prince’s Quay on an extract from photograph XAW027081, © Historic England. [12]

The transshipment shed on the quayside between Prince’s and Queen’s Quays. The Guildhall is just off the extract on the left. This extract is also taken from photograph XAW027081, © Historic England. [12]

The Port and Harbour Commissioners Tramways ran along the City side (West side) of the River Foyle. This extract shows Abercorn Quay and Prince’s Quay, © Chris Amundson. [3]

This extract shows Queen’s Quay and includes the location of the Port and Harbour Commissioners Tramways Loco. Shed, © Chris Amundson. [3]

This photograph looks North from Prince’s Quay. The 2 cranes are unloading coal at Berths 12 and 13. Astern of the ship (Kelly’s ‘Ballyedward’) in the foreground are the Liverpool and Heysham berths and their transshipment sheds. The Guildhall is hidden by the buildings on the left. The large building to the left of the tip of the righthand crane is McCorkells grain store. The new City Hotel and Quayside are now on that site. The boat behind the ‘Ballyedward’ on the right is the Belfast SSCo’s ‘Ulster Drover’ which carried cattle to Glasgow until about 1958. Scrapped in 1959. This photograph was shared on the Derry of the Past Facebook Page on 22nd January 2017. [14]

The quay, before the 1890s as the Guildhall has yet to be built. You can see Harbour House and Custom House in the image (the Guildhall would have been just behind the Harbour House). The platform in the foreground is the Lough Swilly Railway’s original Middle Quay Station. This image was shared to the Derry of the Past Facebook Page by Michael Burns & J Knox on 9th August 2016. [5]

A similar view in 2020. Harbour House and Custom House are visible in this photograph which was taken when the leaves were not on the trees. The Customs House is closest to the right side of the image. The Guildhall beyond Harbour House. [Google Streetview, December 2020.

This view looks South from alongside the Transit Shed. The balconied building on the right is the Guildhall. The dual-gauge track enabled wagons of both gauges to access the various warehouses and quays along the River Foyle. This image was shared on the Irish Railways Past and Present Facebook Group by John McKegney on 9th December 2020. [5]

The best that we can do using Google Streetview to replicate the older image above. The Guildhall is on the right of this view camouflaged by the bare trees of winter. The Christmas tree is probably siting over the place that the old tracks in the image above would have run. [Google Streetview, December 2020]

Looking South towards the Guildhall (the clock tower is clearly visible) from Queen’s Quay, probably sometime in the first decade of 20th century. The smaller vessel, nearest the photographer, is the Screw Steamer ‘Harrier’. Built in 1892, she was torpedoed in 1943 (by U-boat U181). The larger steamer, just beyond, is the Packet Steamer ‘Duke of York’. Built in 1894, she was renamed the ‘Peel Castle’ in 1911/1912, and pressed-into service as an Armoured Boarding Vessel during WWI, © Robert French, held in the Lawrence Photograph Collection of the National Library of Ireland. [15]

North of the Guildhall and the large transit shed but South of the Loco Shed there is a second transit shed shown on the mapping . This photograph was taken in the 1980s looking South from alongside that transit shed towards the crane tracks. The crane is sitting at the North end of the tracks. The image was shared on the Derry of the Past Facebook Page by Joseph Keys on 7th July 2020. [6]

A similar view in September 2009. [Google Streetview, September 2009]

This final extract shows the northern extent of the Port and Harbour Commissioners Tramways. The Loco. Shed can be seen bottom-left. McFarland Quay and the Graving Dock appear to the South of the L&LSR Graving Dock station. The L&LSR’s tracks are shown by the green lines, © Chris Amundson. [3]

To the North of the Goods Shed and just off the North edge of the extract above the L&LSR crossed the Strand Road at level on a shallow angle.

This photograph is taken looking North through the level-crossing on Strand Road. It shows the final train on the L&LSR, entering Graving Dock Station from the North, crossing Strand Road. The Crossing Gates emphasise the width of the road and the shallow angle of the crossing. [16]

This extract from the Ordnance Survey at the turn of the 20th century shows the Graving Dock, the L&LSR Station and the Strand Road crossing. The Port and Harbour Commission’s dual-gauge tramroad enters the extract from the South and terminates alongside Graving Dock Railway Station where a connection is made with the L&LSR sidings. Ownership of the tracks switched from the Commission to the L&LSR at the Southwest end of the Graving Dock.

The view North from the mouth of Duncreggan Road in 2022. The western kerb of Strand Road was under the location of the car parked on the grass verge close to the centre of the picture, perhaps under the location of the offside rear wheel. The level crossing gates were perhaps a short distance to the North of the same car. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The next two images show the Port and Harbour Commission’s Locomotive 0-6-0ST No. 1 at work on the West side of the River Foyle. Both are embedded Getty Images.

Londonderry Port & Harbour 0-6-0ST No.1. Locomotive & General Railway Photographs. Ireland, 1933. — Locomotive 0-6-0ST No. 1 in 1933, (Photo by Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images). [7]

Londonderry Port & Harbour 0-6-0ST No. 1 — Locomotive 0-6-0ST No. 1 again, (Photo by Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images). [8]

Locomotive No. 1 again, this locomotive was built by Robert Stephenson & Co. (Works No 2738). It is on display in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra near Belfast. [9]

The Port and Harbour Commission’s Locomotive No. 3, ‘R.H. Smyth’. This locomotive is an Avonside Engineering Company locomotive, built in 1928, (Works No. 2021). Described as “generally similar to the B6 class 0-6-0 saddle tanks, but with a wheelbase of 9 feet and a gauge of 5 feet 3 inches”. The engine was designed to work on dual gauge track with both 5’3″ and 3′ gauge wagons, and had a pair of offset narrow gauge buffers. It was stood down from operational duties in 1959. By 1968 the engine had been out of use for several years and the Reverend L.H. Campbell decided to buy her to save her from the scrapyard. By February 1968 the engine was his, remaining for the time being in the Harbour Commissioners’ sheds. In 1972, the Reverend decided to pass the engine on to the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland so that it could be restored to working order. The handover officially took place on 1st May that year. It has an interesting history in preservation. [10]

No. 3’s story is taken up by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland: “The little engine lay outside for many years until it became practical to overhaul her. She first steamed in preservation in summer 1977. For many years she served as yard shunting engine at Whitehead, and was a guinea pig for the inner firebox repair on No.85. Her public duties included train rides up and down the site at Whitehead, hauling early Easter Bunny and Santa trains before they became mainline trains. … In the summer of 2000 the loco was hired to contractors Henry Boot who were relaying the Bleach Green – Antrim line for NIR. A locomotive was needed to pull ballast hoppers, and as IÉ and NIR were not in a position to loan a locomotive, the RPSI was approached. The locomotive pulled over fifty thousand tons of stone from 18th June until 25th November 2000. On the latter date she returned to Whitehead and resumed her shunting duties. … By 2004 “R.H. Smyth” was in need of an overhaul, but didn’t seem likely to return to steam until the Guinness engine came out of traffic as steam shunting engine. Then the contractors relaying the Bleach Green – Whitehead line stepped in. They required an engine to haul ballast trains, just as Henry Boot had. The locomotive was given a thorough overhaul in double quick time, and was moved to Greenisland in early August 2005. After a busy five months ballasting, the engine returned home to Whitehead in December 2005. … From 2006 until 25th November 2012, when it returned to Whitehead, the engine was on loan to the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, although for the last couple of years of that stay, the locomotive was out of service awaiting a decision on boiler repairs. … In late 2019 the locomotive received a cosmetic overhaul and went on display in the Museum at the head of a mini goods train. The narrow gauge coupler has been reinstated.” [10]

References

J.H. Price; The Londonderry Harbour Tramways; in Modern Tramway and Light Railway Review, Volume 26, No. 309; Light Railway Transport League and Ian Allan Hampton Court, Surrey; September 1963, p314-315.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigavon_Bridge, accessed on 23rd August 2023.
https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/uploads/monthly_2023_08/_com.apple.Pasteboard.nBUrho.png.5793b7e2d13018c0cf5dab48c9af4431.png, accessed on 24th August 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/Derryofthepast/photos/a.1007190669332324/1210256352359087, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157961821301219&set=gm.1848708821949134, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/Derryofthepast/photos/a.1007190669332324/3528479063870126, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/londonderry-port-harbour-0-6-0st-no-1-locomotive-general-news-photo/102725492?adppopup=true, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/londonderry-port-harbour-0-6-0st-no-1-news-photo/102725493?adppopup=true, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/1-londonderry-port-and-harbour-commissioners-0-6-0st-robert-stephenson-co-works-no-2738, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/rpsi-collection/12/no3-rh-smyth, accessed on 31st August 2023.
https://www.foyleport.com/history, accessed on 2nd September 2023.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/XAW027081, accessed on 2nd September 2023.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/XAW027082, accessed on 2nd September 2023.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1FLJqvbOkkkChRaiNFNgSY3FWAMKYYHSyWg&usqp=CAU, accessed on 3rd September 2023.
https://flic.kr/p/267Co9D, accessed on 3rd September 2023.
https://www.derryjournal.com/lifestyle/travel/remembering-the-swilly-train-3330773, accessed on 10th September 2023.

Glasgow Tramcar No. 1005

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In the 1950s, a tram Glasgow purchased some years before, a ‘one-off’, unidirectional double decker car which it numbered 1005 and which was sometimes known as the ‘Blue Devil’ for its unconventional three tone blue colour scheme, was put forward by the LIght Railway Transport League as an option for trails that the League hoped might happen in London. The tramcar sat on PCC type trucks [1] and was sleek and streamlined. It can be seen in its later standard colour scheme in the bottom-right of the featured image above (Public Domain). [6]

The link to Flickr below takes us directly to Frederick McLean’s page on Flickr which focusses on this tram. Frederick McLean’s notes say that the reverse of the photograph was stamped with the photographer and/or negative owner name C. W. Routh and with the date 25 May 1955. He notes too that, in the photograph, the tram was heading South-east at St. George’s Cross.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fred_bear/51714105647

The next link to Frederick McLean’s Flickr feed shows Tram No. 1005 on, probably, a tram enthusiast tour, so showing a ‘Reserved’ destination blind.

https://flic.kr/p/2jCYDsr

In Washington DC a conduit system was in use, like that in London, and PCC cars were in use. The Light Railway Transport League (LRTL) proposed a trial on London’s streets of a modern PCC tram. They were even prepared to pay for the exercise.

Glasgow’s No 1005 was one of two cars considered a suitable vehicle for the trial by the LRTL. It was “equipped with up-to-date VAMBAC [3] electronic control, which promised smoother starting and braking, thus allowing higher schedule speeds with safety and comfort for passengers. In addition the trucks were fitted with improved motors, and more importantly, resilient wheels which gave a much quieter ride.” [2: p45]

Sadly the obstacles to the trial in London were too great. Harley lists these: [2: p46]

Single-ended cars needed turning loops. There was only one route (between Beresford Square and Well Hall Roundabout on Route No. 44) which might accommodate the trial.
Glasgow trams used bow collectors rather than trolley poles and we’re not fitted out for conduit working.
The Glasgow network was in fact a narrow-gauge network, three quarters of an inch (19mm) narrower than the standard-gauge in use in London. [5]

With a will to do so, these obstacles might have been overcome at LRTL expense, but ultimately there was no desire among the authorities in London to countenance the trial. Harley quotes the letter sent by the Operating Manager (Trams and Trolleybuses), dated 23rd March 1950: “Work on the replacement of the remaining trams is proceeding rapidly, and it is expected that the first stage of the conversion scheme will be completed before the end of the year, and that the scheme as a whole will be finished within a period of three years. You will see, therefore, that the Executive are committed to a policy of substituting oil-engined buses for the tramway system, a policy which they consider to be right and proper. In these circumstances the Executive regret that they cannot avail themselves of the offer you have made.” [2: p46]

The parallel offer of a similar trial using a, then, modern single deck Blackpool tram was also rejected by the authorities in London. Their minds were fully made up.

In Glasgow, Car No. 1005, foundered in use. Trams Today tells us that “when initially built in 1947 it featured Vambac controllers, a unique livery of three tone blue and was single ended but progressively both the livery and the control equipment had been standardised with the rest of the fleet. This still left the unusual loading arrangements which made 1005 unpopular with the general public amongst a fleet of more than a thousand more orthodox trams. Consequently it had for several years been restricted operation to use only at peak times whilst much older trams bore the brunt of all day service.” [4]

“In an attempt to rectify this situation and make better use of 1005 it entered the workshops during 1955 for rebuild that dispensed with the single ended arrangement. A drivers cab and full controls were provided in the rear. …. The work was carried out on a strict budget and, although successful in making 1005 more standardised, it still saw only infrequent use when it tram, generally appearing only during rush hour period until 1962 when it was finally withdrawn and disposed of for scrap.” [4]

References

PCC type bogies were first used on PCC cars in New York. The PCC car was “a revolutionary vehicle – a streamlined, single deck Tramcar which ride on superbly engineered trucks, giving a quiet and comfortable ride. When, on 1st October 1936, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia of New York, inaugurated service of Brooklyn and Queens Transit Car 1009, a new era in rail transportation opened. Orders followed from American and Canadian cities and eventually almost 5,000 cars rolled off the production line. This figure was augmented by the 15,000 PCC cars or vehicles built under PCC patents which appeared in Europe and Asia. The concession for England was snapped up by Crompton-Parkinson. They produced an advanced VAMBAC system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control), compatible with PCC technology, and 42 sets of equipment were used by London Under- ground in the late 1930s. In 1937, W Vane Morland, the Leeds manager, visited Boston to see the new design. He then returned home with the blueprints of the PCC, but the outbreak of war put paid to any more progress.” [2: p45]
Robert J. Harley; London Tramway Twilight: 1949-1952; Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald, Middlesex, 2000.
VAMBAC was the acronym used to refer to Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control. It was in use in the UK as early as the late 1930s on London Underground. [2: p45]
Trams Today Facebook Page on 9th January 2016: https://m.facebook.com/144002195699684/photos/a.733720253394539/736060386493859/?type=3, accessed on 8th July 2023.
Glasgow Corporation Tramways; Wikipedia; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Corporation_Tramways: “Glasgow’s tramlines had a highly unusual track gauge of 4 ft 7+3⁄4 in (1,416 mm). This was to permit 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railway wagons to be operated over parts of the tram system (particularly in the Govan area) using their wheel flanges running in the slots of the tram tracks. This allowed the railway wagons to be drawn along tramway streets to access some shipyards. The shipyards provided their own small electric locomotives, running on the tramway power, to pull these wagons, principally loaded with steel for shipbuilding, from local railway freight yards.”
http://parkheadhistory.com/heritage-transport/images-transport-3, accessed on 8th July 2023.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fred_bear/51714105647, accessed on 8th July 2023.
https://flic.kr/p/2jCYDsr, accessed on 9th July 2023.

‘The Modern Tramway’ – a quick look back at 1949 in London. ….

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The featured image at the head of this article shows trams which served Route 34 in Clapham in 1949, the photographer is not recorded. [2] Route No. 34 ran from Chelsea (Kings Road) via Clapham and Camberwell Green to Blackfriars. [1: p122]

Robert Harley, in his book ‘London Tramway Twilight: 1949-1952 has chapters focussing, among other subjects on the years 1949, 1950 & 1951. [1]

In the chapter which considers 1949, [1: p32-41] Harley tells us that in May 1949, forty members of the Light Railway Transport League (LRTL) undertook a tour in Feltham car No. 2094. “It was noted that this particular car was resplendent in fresh paint and in excellent mechanical condition, having recently passed through Charlton Works. Chief Inspector Perry was ‘on the handles’, and he drove Car 2094 from Victoria to Southcroft Road. Tour participants were then transported to Purley, before returning to Victoria. The journey from Purley to Victoria was timed at 55 minutes.” [1: p36]

Harley goes on to say: “Perhaps many of the 40 members realised that an era of stability was about to end, for on 8th June space was made free in Wandsworth and Clapham depots to allow construction of garage facilities for diesel buses. This work would include filling tramway inspection pits, providing new bus docking pits, sinking fuel oil storage tanks in the ground and installing fuelling points. The old tramway traversers which were used to shift trams sideways, would also go. It was indeed the beginning of the end, and a tangible sign that progress towards the inevitable extinction of electric traction was now unstoppable.” [1: p36-37]

Harley also notes that, ‘The Modern Tramway’ for July 1949 “contained a number of details under the headline ‘London Depot Changes’. According to the correspondent, Wandsworth Depot had been converted to overhead wire and a change pit constructed at the entrance. Removal of the conduit equipment within the depot made for an easier and safer conversion. Fleet changes included seventeen cars of the 1700 series E/1 which were shifted to Clapham Depot to work route 26. Fifty-one other E/1s were transferred from Clapham to Camber- well and New Cross. The 1500 series E/1 cars were now mostly stabled at New Cross. Six E/3 cars were moved from Thornton Heath to Norwood, which also received some rehabs from New Cross. Route 34 was now worked by Camberwell Depot and was operated mainly by E/3 cars, with the odd HR/2 and E/1 taking a turn. New Cross took over route 66 from Camberwell; Norwood worked most of route 10, although Telford Avenue still supplied one Feltham for this route. Telford Avenue took over Clapham’s share of route 10 and part of the allocation of cars on routes 22 and 24.” [1: p37]

The reality was that, from its formation in 1937 by J.W. Fowler to seek the modernisation and retention of electric tramways [1: p42], the LRTL was fighting against entrenched views in London Transport (LT). “Lord Ashfield, Frank Pick, Sir Henry Maybury and the other board members were firmly convinced that the sooner they got rid of the trams there better.” [1: p42]

“Although there was a genuine affection for tramways amongst many LT employees, it is safe to say that the attitude of LT, the Labour Government and the TGWU was fairly consistent. New and better road vehicles, in the form of the RT bus, would provide a flexible, more integrated service thus in this sense, the post-war abandon- ment programme was never a party political issue. It was the consensus of transport experts that trams had had their day. Arguments such as the danger of relying on imported oil and rubber found little support in the corridors of power. As for the growth of motor vehicles, it was confidently predicted that the average speed of London’s traffic would increase after the removal of the trams. Parking was not foreseen as a problem, and the use of American style parking meters was discounted as unBritish! Concerns about pollution mainly centred on burning smokeless fuels, which would ease the fog situation. The possible harmful effects of exhaust fumes from the thousand or so new buses were given the same short shrift as American parking meters.” [1: p43]

References

Robert. J Harley; London Tramway Twilight: 1949-1952; Capital Transport, Harrow Weald, Middlesex, 2000.
https://www.ebid.net/ca/for-sale/london-clapham-photo-of-trams-1949-photographer-issued-card-1959-182740294.htm, accessed on 7th July 2023.

‘The Modern Tramway’ – April 1957 – “Down the ‘Goldmine'”

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The Modern Tramway Journal of April 1957 included a nostalgic look at one of the Glasgow tram network’s successes. [1] An ‘out-boundary’ route, No. 28, which at one time was part of the longest tram route in the UK, almost 23 miles in length. End to end it was a 2 hour tram journey. At that time, the early 1930s, the route from Renfrew Ferry to Milngavie was numbered 14. “In 1943 it was cut at Spiersbridge and renumbered 28, and on 3rd April 1949, the Glenfield – Cross Stobs section was closed.” [1: p61] The truncated line (No. 28) ran from Renfrew Ferry to Glenfield – a distance of 5.24 miles.

For some general information about Glasgow’s trams, please look towards the end of this article. First, we focus on Line No. 14 which was renumbered 28. …

The route of Line No.14 passed through the following ‘stations’/stops:

Renfrew (Ferry Road, High Street, Paisley Road); Paisley (Renfrew Road, Gilmour Street Station, Causeyside Street, Neilston Road); Barrhead (Cross Arthurlie Street, Main Street, Darnley Road); Nitshill Road; Jenny Lind; Thornliebank Main Street; Mansewood; Pollokshaws Road; Shawlands Cross; Strathbungo; St Andrew’s Cross; Laurieston; Glasgow Bridge; Union Street; Renfield Street; Sauchiehall Street; Cambridge Street; Gartnethill; St George’s Cross; Queen’s Cross; Wyndford; Maryhill (Maryhill Road); Bearsden (Milngavie Road); Milngavie (Main Street). [4]

Line 28 was much reduced in length, as we have noted, it still ran from and to Renfrew Ferry but the locations mentioned by Coonie in his article do not appear in the list above.

Glenfield Road and Caplethill Road met close to the Glenfield Terminus of the No. 28 route. The image below shows the terminus in use.

The Glenfield tram route terminus. This photograph was shared on the Paisley Oor Wee Toon & Environs Facebook Group on 27th May 2016, © Frank Ross. [10]

The Glenfield Terminus was on Caplethill Road between Glenfield Road (on the left) and the entrance to Thorscrag House (on the right). [Google Earth, June 2023]

The old No. 14 continued beyond this terminus following Caplethill Road to Barrhead and then left Barrhead along Athurlie Street continuing on through the centre of Glasgow. As you will see below Coonie talks of the Glenfield Terminus being ‘out in the wilds’. [1: p63] Even in 2023 this appears to be the case!

The Elderslie Depot mentioned by Coonie below is, of course, long-gone. Elderslie itself remains, South of the A737 to the West of Paisley and also immediately to the South of the railway line from Paisley to Johnstone. The tram depot was on Main Road, Enderslie. It was opened in 1904 by Paisley District Tramways, it was acquired by Glasgow City Transport in 1923. It was also used as as bus garage between 1932 and 1955 and eventually closed in 1957. The entrance was just before the railway bridge.

Elderslie Tram Depot. This image was shared on the Paisley Heritage Facebook Page on 1st March 2020. [11]

The nickname for the No. 28 route was ‘The Goldmine’ as the pence-per-mile average was well above the city average!

In his article, Coonie talks first of the old line (No. 14):

“It is a rare “double-ended” service, taking the crowds both ways at once, shipyard workers to the Clyde, engineering workers to Porterfield Road, shop and office workers into Paisley, factory workers to the south side, workmen’s business and shopping traffic all up and down the same five- mile stretch, with busy two-way peaks but without the awkward tidal traffic flow so common in city transport and yet so uneconomic. Of all the out- boundary routes, the 28 is probably the only one they are sorry to lose; the others lost £80,000 a year, but not the “Goldmine.” It has a history too. In the days of Paisley District Tramways it ran from the Ferry through Renfrew and Paisley burghs to Barrhead and beyond, and after the 1923 take-over Glasgow made it part of Britain’s longest tram route-22.9 miles and two hours, the No. 14 from Renfrew Ferry to Milngavie. … The weekday service is every six minutes (73 before mid-day), with two and three-minute intervals at rush hours and extra cars on Saturdays, so that you get 48 cars in the two-hour morning rush, including ten coming round from Elderslie. There are buses too, for Glasgow Corporation have no monopoly in Paisley or Renfrew and four bus companies are on the same road, red, green and blue- and-white buses racing green-and-orange trams, and most of the buses bought second-hand at that. Patons, Western S.M.T. and Cunninghams run from the Ferry to Paisley, McGills and Western from Paisley to Barrhead, all competing with the trams, … but this is the one place where the trams fought back and held their ground.”
[1: p61-62]

Coonie tells the story of the ‘battle’:

“Up to 1949, Elderslie had only six modern cars (Nos. 1266-1271) and since one of the loops on the Glenfield- Barrhead section was a bit short, only 4-wheel cars were used there. But with that obstacle removed, things be- gan to warm up; the road-widening scheme north of Paisley gave the trams a real speed-track, a new lye at Porter- field Road kept rush-hour cars clear of the main line, a new crossover at Lochfield Road allowed economical short-workings, and then they brought over twelve more Coronations and five modern 4-wheelers from the city to work the base service, kept the old cars on the 21 or in the depot (except at rush hours) and sat back to watch the fun. It was worth watching; the comfort, the headway and the rapid acceleration soon brought passengers back to the trams and kept them, the average speed including stops was 2 m.p.h. above the city’s average, and although the 28 modernisation was expensive, it paid off. The “Goldmine” was a fine example of what you can do with modern trams if you try – even in 1950 – and although the boundary agreement means that its days are numbered now, that’s politics and no fault of the trams.

Most trips are busy and uneventful, with the accent on good timekeeping and good service, but (keep it dark) the “Goldmine Handicap” is still run two or three times a month, depending on the rosters, the weather, and whether anyone is around. My last race was on [Car No.] 1272 just before Christmas, with Dennis up front … We left the Ferry dead on time, but were held at Renfrew Cross, and the pride and joy of Cunningham’s Bus Service (second-hand ex-London R.T. 1481) got away in front, driven by tram-hater Duncan who once called Coronations a “pile of junk.” Dennis decided to show ’em; he opened her up, but passengers were already leaving the tram stop at Robertson Park to get on the bus, which always gets his goat, and with strange oaths, half-Irish, half-Glasgow, he went on gaining ground to Renfrew South. The road widened out; the Coronation was put on the last notch, traction motors whining, lamp-shades swinging, Rosie the clippie squealing ‘Whit ur you playin’ et?’ as we tore up Moorpark, over the hill, down past the boundary sign and round the curve till at Sandyford Fire Station the R.T. gasped and called it a day. Dennis whined past, picked up six passengers, and kept right on at full power to Paisley North, the 17-year-old tram beating London’s wonderful post-war bus as usual. Officially these things don’t happen, and the names in this story are fictitious, but that’s how the insulator suffered at Moorpark.”
[1: p62-63]

Trams at Elderslie Depot. This photograph was shared on the Paisley Heritage Facebook Page on 1st March 2020. [11]

Apparently, it was important, if one wanted to make a claim to have done the ‘Goldmine’ properly, to start at Enderslie Depot. Coonie describes the route in detail:

“The cars for [Route No.] 28 are all shedded at Elderslie; Coronations 1266 to 1283, older hex- dash and round-dash cars, and the five single-truck experimentals 1001-4 and No. 6, dating from 1939-41. No. 6 is “The Coffin”; once a standard car, it was destroyed in the Clydeside blitz of March, 1941, rebuilt as a modern car, burnt out at Newlands Depot in 1948, rebuilt, sandwiched between 1280 and 1282 in 1951 and rebuilt again. But ours is flagship 1279, a Phoenix with a 1954 Coronation body, running number eight due out 6.20 am. On the dark winter’s morning, the wind blows across the railway and the jungle that was once a garden, tended by the staff of Paisley District Tramways; we enter the main road, reverse, cross over, and roar down through Paisley and the darkened High Street, picking up the “regulars” for the south side starch and textile-finishing works. At the Cross, the driver changes the points (no points- man till 7 a.m.), then we take the curve into Gilmour Street, and the passengers rise and swing the seats unasked as we reverse in County Square for the ten-minute run south through the waking town to Glenfield.

Glenfield terminus is almost out in the wilds. A few derelict standards remind you that eight years ago you I could travel by a “Saxby” down the narrow country road to Barrhead, with sharp turns into the loops and the power a bit on the weak side, though that didn’t prevent No. 1005 taking a League party down there in 1947. But we turn the seats, wait for a minute and then head north again; down the grade, past the road from Glenburn housing estate whose people are forever complaining at their bus service, up again through Potterhill where the “nobbery” live and, over the goods line at the old Potterhill station. If you look back now, you see the majestic skyline of the Gleniffer Braes, made famous by the Paisley poet Robert Tannahill.

Things begin to warm up now, with customers at every stop. Over Lochfield Road crossover and Neilston Road, we pass Brown and Polson’s cornflower works and the line becomes a real town tramway with tenements, 3-story buildings and the Royal Alexandra Infirmary. The final descent, Causeyside Street, is rather wider, and then we pass a crossover round a curve, and ride up the 1 in 12 St. Mirren Street Brae to stop more often than not at the Paisley Cross traffic lights. Despite the grade there is no record of any tram accident here, though a bus ran away in a heavy frost some years back. Later in the day, at 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3, 6 or 9 p.m. you can hear the carillon of Paisley Town Hall across the garden in Dunn Square, old Scottish tunes with hymn-tunes on Sundays. At Christmas, the square is a fairyland of coloured lights.

The lights change, we rattle over the points and crossings of the 21 route (Paisley’s best-known sound), and pull up in narrow Gilmour Street, the main loading point for the “Goldmine” to Renfrew. On Saturday, the scene in Gilmour Street has to be seen to be believed, with long queues at both north and southbound stops and never a wasted journey. Then we pass Paisley Municipal Buildings and the old jail, all turreted and crenellated like a medieval fortress, facing on County Square and harmonising with the G.P.O. and the railway station built to the same style. There is a crossover, and a small loop, once connected at both ends to the northbound line but now a fossilised remnant; it was once the terminus of the Abbotsinch service worked latterly by oneman single-deck car No. 92 from Finnieston until it closed on 26th March 1933. The loop was still used for short-working 28s until about five years ago.

Under Gilmour Street bridge we turn into Old Sneddon Street, cross the River Cart by Abercorn Bridge and see on our left the red-brick Abercorn Street sub-station of G.C.T., its siding connected to our northbound track by a trailing point. Excluded from the frequency-change scheme, Abercorn Street is the last sub-station working at 25 cycles, and since its closure will complete the change to industrial frequency at Pinkston this explains why the Department are pre- pared to give up serving Paisley. Just past here, a tenement block juts out and causes the track to become single for twenty feet in Weir Street, the only single track on the Glasgow system, and then we turn left into Renfrew Road, pass some engineering works and Paisley (Abercorn) station, and gain the open road again. There are several schools here, and until 1953 a special school car was run from Elderslie.

Next come Sandyford Road crossover (“Paisley North”), the terminus of the long No. 4 from Springburn. At the fringe of the New Gallowhill housing scheme is a small cairn, marking the spot where Marjorie Bruce, mother of Robert the Bruce, was thrown from her horse and fatally injured. In contrast, there is nothing at all to mark the site of Renfrew tram depot at Newmains Road, which was swallowed up completely by a housing scheme in 1949 after being used for 13 years as a store. We are now on a stretch of road which until 1949 was just a dusty cobbled lane with no pavement and the “Saxby” cars brushing the hedges; to-day it is a fine broad tarmac road, on which the Elderslie Coronations and Govan Cunarders can really show their paces. When the road was widened, the track was completely realigned. Beyond, on the right, we can see the runways of Renfrew Airport, and on the skyline the shipyard cranes of the Clyde and the tower of Glasgow University.

From here, we climb over the hill and down to Porterfield Road (“Renfrew South” on the screens). One of the sights of the “Goldmine” is the 5.30 p.m. scene on the Porterfield Road lye, a new track (with a double-track triangle junction) put in in 1950 to cater for the Babcock and Wilcox engineering works traffic. As the hour approaches, specials arrive from both north and south, from Elderslie and from Govan, to line up on the works track; then at 5.28 the whistle blows, the crowds stream out to the waiting cars, and from 5.31 to 5.38 a queue of packed special cars moves off nose- to-tail, some for Paisley (Causeyside Street), some to Lochfield Road, and some to take the curve at the Cross for Elderslie. The sight is warmly recommended to all tram-lovers.

Passing the Robertson Park (second finest in Scotland) we reach Renfrew Cross and the turreted Town Hall, six times the height of a tram. Away to the right swing the tracks of the 4 and 27, linking Renfrew with Glasgow via Shieldhall and Govan, and we are on our own again, round a slight curve, under the goods railway and past some shipyards on our right, perhaps with a dredger fitting out. Ahead lies the end of the line, the slipway of Renfrew Ferry, and the towering mass of the Clyde Valley Power Station across the water. Originally the terminus was nearer the ferry gates and consisted of a trailing crossover, but this was cut back to ease congestion in 1954 and replaced by a single line in the middle of the road. The slack wire used to facilitate the bow reversal here is one of the longest on the system.

The car comes to a stand; the crew turn the seats, and the passengers walk down to the diesel-electric chain ferry and float slowly across to where other trams – standards, Coronations, Kilmarnock bogies, and strange beasties like 1809 and 1100 – run up and down between cranes and shipyard walls to Whiteinch, Clydebank and Dalmuir. And as we pay the penny toll to enter Dunbartonshire, we can look back at the grid pylon reflected in the water, to the chain of the ferry vanishing into the depths, and to the Coronation standing in Ferry Road beyond, almost out of sight, waiting for another good payload and another run “Down the Goldmine,” the route where the tram hit back – and won.”
[1: p63-65]

A “Coronation” tram in Trongate, in June 1962, three months before the final closure of the system, © Chris Coleman and licenced for use under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0) [4]

Glasgow Corporation Tramways were formerly one of the largest urban tramway systems in Europe. [2] Over 1000 municipally-owned trams served the city of Glasgow, Scotland, with over 100 route miles (160 route kilometres) by 1922. [3] The system finally closed in 1962 and was the last city tramway in Great Britain (prior to the construction of new systems in the 1990s). [4]

“From a maximum of more than 1,200 trams in 1947, the system was gradually wound down from about 1953 in what proved to be a lingering death.” [8]

Wikipedia tells us that the Glasgow system’s initial network of a few lines expanded greatly in the early years of the 20th century, [5] extending to burghs and rural areas outside the city boundaries which were soon incorporated into it as well as outlying neighbouring towns [6]

The image above is embedded directly from Flickr. Clicking on this low grade image will take you directly to the image on Flickr. It shows a schematic diagram of the Tramway Network in Glasgow in 1938, © The Magnificent Octopus. [7]

The time of the 1938 Empire Exhibition held in the city’s Bellahouston Park is viewed by some as the apex of the system’s timeline, [6][7] with new cars recently put into service [8] and special routes added for the exhibition, while the city was as yet undisturbed by World War II and subsequent redevelopments, with the trams winding through the dense network of tenements and factories which characterised industrial Glasgow in the first part of the 1900s, [9] but also into some new ‘garden suburb’ developments with widened streets to accommodate the tracks. After the war the trams began to be phased out, although periodic reviews of routes were still conducted. Tellingly, the routes were not extended to any of the large 1950s peripheral housing schemes nor to the new towns being developed outside the city. [4]

References

Ian M. Coonie; Down the ‘Goldmine’; in The Modern Tramway, The Light Railway Transport League, April 1957, p61-65.
https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/scottish-flashback-glasgow-corporation-tramways-1519953, accessed on 29th June 2023.
https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/family-history/stories-and-blogs-from-the-mitchell/times-past-blogs/glasgow-tramways-golden-jubilee-1922-times-past, accessed on 29th June 2023.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Corporation_Tramways, accessed on 28th June 2023.
The Glasgow Municipal Tramways System (extracts from The Tramway and Railway World, 7 September 1911) C Glasgow Transport 1871-1973 (archived version, March 2019); https://web.archive.org/web/20190323045631/http://www.semple.biz/glasgow/gcthistory1911.shtml, accessed on 29th June 2023.
Tram routes, 1938 (Museum of Transport), The Glasgow Story; https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00122&t=2, accessed on 28th June 2023.
This stunning map shows just how big Glasgow’s tram network used to be . It was sourced from Glasgow Live, 21 May 2019.
Ian Stewart; Glasgow ‘a city that loved trams’; BBC News, 4th September 2012; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19474957, accessed on 29th June 2023.
No Mean City: 1914 to 1950s – Everyday Life, The Glasgow Story; https://www.theglasgowstory.com/story/?id=TGSEA, accessed on 29th June 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/paisleyoorweetoon/photos/a.300846973361677/947838858662482/?type=3, accessed on 29th June 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/190989774408411/posts/elderslie-tram-depot-the-location-of-the-tram-depot-in-main-road-elderslie-opene/1483987731775269/#, accessed on 29th June 2023.

The Modern Tramway – Part 9 – More About Accidents (in London)

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‘The Modern Tramway’ in March 1957 (Volume 20, No. 231) carried a follow-up article [1] to that carried by the Journal in April 1954. The original article is covered here:

The Modern Tramway – Part 5 – Trams and Road Accidents

The follow-up article in the March 1957 Journal focussed on a new Road Research Laboratory Report about London road accidents. The Modern Tramway claimed in the article that the Report went almost unnoted in the national press, unlike the Laboratory’s earlier report.

Two images of London trams, possibly both Felthams. The first on Route 48, the second on Route 54. Route 48 ran between West Norwood, Elephant & Castle and City (Southwark). Route 54, between Grove Park Station and Victoria Station. [2][3: p122]

The featured image at the top of this article is part of the Lambeth Landmark Collection (Ref: 04823, Identifier: SP160, 1951). It shows, possibly, another Feltham tram on Route 38 crossing Westminster Bridge going towards Parliament Square. The London County Hall building can be seen on the right. The Skylon of the Festival of Britain is just visible (no more than a ghostly shadow) on the left side of the tram. Route 38 ran between Abbey Wood and Victoria Embankment (via Westminster Bridge). [4][3: p122]

The new report studied the effect on accidents of resurfacing former tramway roads in the boroughs of Camberwell and Wandsworth, and the report’s conclusions were that the improvement in road surfaces reduced skidding accidents but increased some other types of accident presumably by encouraging higher speeds. The final result was a marked transfer of accident-proneness from pedal cyclists to pedestrians and motor vehicles, a 10% decrease in total accidents and a ‘non-significant increase’ in fatal and serious accidents. The Journal commented that the phrase ‘non-significant increase’ was “not intended to reduce the seriousness of the case; since fatal and serious accidents are fewer than slight accidents a far more dramatic change in the trend would be necessary to reach the point of statistical signifi- cance.” [1: p43]

Of particular significance was the additional evidence which this latest report provided that “London tramway accident figures were not typical of those for the country as a whole. The comparison is made between the period when the tracks were intact but disused (and in many cases patched, leaving only the conduit slot exposed) and the first equivalent period after complete resurfacing; it confirms that the conduit slot was probably as important a factor as the running rails in pedal cycle accidents, and since this outdated feature of the former L.C.C. system was entirely confined to London (at least in the motor age) it clearly invalidates any comparison of accident figures between London and other towns.” [1: p43] Other similar points, such as the absence of loading islands in London, were brought out in the previous article in April 1954.

The Light Railway Transport League secured an interview with the Road Research Laboratory in which evidence relating to Dundee’s experience of a conversion from trams to buses was discussed as well as the then recent report about London. The tram and bus accident figures for Dundee showed that Dundee trams ran about three times as far per fatality as Dundee buses. “The Laboratory … considered that the Dundee figures were too small for any definite conclusion to be drawn from them, and maintain their previous view that since London results in almost all other matters have been found similar to those elsewhere the same must be true of trams.” [1: p43]

Sadly, the League came to the conclusion that the Laboratory’s conclusions would only be challenged if it’s own members were able to provide statistically significant and conclusive figures relating to some of the larger city networks which allow comparisons to be made. The League suggested that two forms of comparison were possible: “one in a city such as Sheffield where modern practices (and modern surfaces) apply on a street tramway system, the other in a city such as Liverpool where a high proportion of the tramways were on reserved track.” [1: p43] The League was convinced that the many untypical features of the London tramways rendered invalid any extrapolation of London results to other towns, and that a similar study in (say) Sheffield would provide ample proof of this. Their view was tramway modernisation would have brought about a greater reduction in accidents than the replacement of trams with buses. The League asserted that figures received from Hamburg seemed to confirm this. The Deputy Director of the Laboratory agreed that such practices as coupling trams together and providing loading islands could reasonably be expected to reduce the accident rate, but the Laboratory had no figures to support this. It seems, however, that there was shared agreement on the safety value of reserved tramway tracks as a study undertaken by the City Engineer in Glasgow after the war showed accidents to be negligible. [1: p44]

References

More About Accidents; in The Modern Tramway, The Light Railway Transport League, Volume 20, No. 231, p43-44.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254670164078, accessed on 24th June 2023.
Robert J. Harley; London Tramway Twilight: 1949-1952; Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald, Middlesex, 2000.
https://boroughphotos.org/lambeth/tram-westminster-bridge-lambeth, accessed on 24th June 2023.

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The Tramways of Nice:- Les Lignes de l’Arriere-Pays (The Lines of the Hinterland) Part 1 – First Generation Electric Tramways to Contes, Bendejun and La Grave de Peille, and a planned line to l’Escarene – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 95)

Nice to Contes and Bendejun

Pont de Peille to La Grave de Peille

La Pointe de Contes to l’Escarene

References

The Tramways of Nice:- Les Lignes de l’Arriere-Pays (The Lines of the Hinterland) Part 1 – First Generation Electric Tramways to Levens and Sospel – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 94)

Levens

Menton to Sospel

Bendejun, and La-Grave-de-Peille

Further notes on the Nice to Levens Tramway

Further notes on the Menton to Sospel line

References

Monte-Carlo to Menton – La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 93).

References

Nice to Monte-Carlo Branch Lines – La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 92) …

Pont-St. Jean – St. Jean-Cap Ferrat

Monaco-Gare – Monaco-Ville

References

Early Railways in Plymouth

Derry History – The Harbour Tramways/Railways

Glasgow Tramcar No. 1005

‘The Modern Tramway’ – a quick look back at 1949 in London. ….

‘The Modern Tramway’ – April 1957 – “Down the ‘Goldmine'”

The Modern Tramway – Part 9 – More About Accidents (in London)