Edinburgh Trams

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Leith Tramways ii

Part 2 - Leith Corporation Electric Tramways

The Leith Corporation Tramways Confirmation Act was passed on July 22nd 1904, and gave the corporation powers to buy up the whole of the Edinburgh Street Tramways Company's lines within their area (about five route miles) and to reconstruct them for mechanical power, subject to the approval of the Board of Trade. Extensions totalling about 1½ miles were authorised, and five years were allowed for the completion of the work.

Leith Corporation Tramways

Twenty-one separate "tramways" were named in the Act, most of which were portions of the existing horse tramway system on which it was proposed to lay a double instead of a single line. Four concerned the connections to be put in at the Foot of Leith Walk, and the others provided for three new sections of line, each of which deserves a paragraph in explanation.

Tramways 5 and 6 authorised a new double-track route from Pilrig along Pilrig Street and Newhaven Road to a junction with Ferry Road. The boundary between Edinburgh and Leith ran down the centre of Pilrig Street and Newhaven Road; with the result that one track would be in the city and one in the burgh. Edinburgh’s consent was required (and obtained), but both tracks were owned by Leith. Boundary markers were in use at that time, cast iron plates 8 inches square with the letters E/L or L/E in white on a light blue background, separated by a vertical line; they were affixed to walls or buildings along the line of the Edinburgh-Leith boundary and a few are still in existence.

Tramways 7 and 8, which were never constructed, were to commence at Pilrig, run eastwards along Iona Street and then north along Easter Road to join the Seafield route at the corner of Duke Street and Hermitage Place. The plan was revived in 1911, again without result.

Tramway 12 was for a double line in a proposed new street in Newhaven, from St. Andrew Square to Annfield. The intention was to build this by-pass road for the tramways so that the narrow eastern part of Main Street could be avoided, and a certain amount of infilling of the beach area had been carried out and left to consolidate. The road was not built during the existence of the Leith Corporation Tramways, and after the amalgamation of 1920 local councillors urged Edinburgh to proceed with the work, but with out result. The road (now named Lindsay Road) was eventually built in 1972-73, nearly 70 years after it was authorised.

A sub committee was formed early in August by the Town Council to consider the type of power to be used. This involved committee members making visits to other local authorities to see various tramways in operation and the, overhead electric system was decided upon. Power would be supplied from the burgh’s electricity station at Junction Place, the new boilers engines and switchgear together with the overhead being the responsibility of Mr. A Peden Rutherford, A.M.I.E.E., the Burgh Electrical Engineer. On February 1st, 1905 Mr. Relph was appointed construction superintendent for the overhead equipment.

Mr. James More, M.Inst.C.E., of Edinburgh was appointed Consulting Engineer for the tramway scheme, and no time was lost in getting it underway. Direct labour was to be used, the construction of the permanent way being supervised by the Burgh Surveyor, Mr. R Findlay. The tramway depot was to be at Morton Place as for the horse - trams, and its construction was the responsibility of the Burgh Architect, Mr. George Simpson. The burgh's officials and the tramways committee were soon dealing with estimates and tenders for the necessary equipment and rolling stock, and a timetable for the trams were drawn up. It was decided to order 36 trams.

Track laying started on February 6th, 1905, in Pilrig Street (which did not have a horse tramway) and proceeded towards Bonnington Toll. Another squad of workmen started at Stanley Road relaying the line via Newhaven Road towards Ferry Road.

At Bonnington Toll work was held up for some time while the roadway under the Caledonian Railway's girder bridge (dismantled and removed in 1967) was lowered to give the necessary headroom. Discussion arose concerning the quality of the labour which had been engaged for the work, some members of the Council contending that many of the men had never handled a pick and shovel before, but nevertheless rail laying proceeded steadily.

The Council had arranged that where and when necessary, the home car services would be withdrawn to allow work to proceed rather than laying down temporary lines for the horse trams. Temporary ramped crossovers were used to maintain services on the double track sections. Between Ferry Road and Stanley Road the horse cars were withdrawn for about five weeks, the road being widened concurrently with track laying. By the end of May the line between Pilrig and Stanley Road had been completed. It was double line ,except at the junction across Ferry Road and the turn from Newhaven Road into Stanley Road, at which point the track was single. The overhead wiring had not yet been completed, but arrangements were made with the Board of Trade to inspect the line.

Their inspector, Colonel Von Donop, arrived on June 7th and agreed that it could be used by horse trams pending completion of the overhead work, when a further inspection would be required.

The track of standard 4 feet 8½ inches gauge was laid with 45 feet rails supplied by the North Eastern Steel Company of Middlesbrough and weighing 106.7 lb./yard, with flat tie-bars at 6 feet intervals. It was laid on a 6 inch concrete base, and paved with granite or whinstone setts grouted with pitch. Points and crossings were by Hadfield’s of Sheffield, and included the large junction at the Foot of Leith Walk, with twelve sets of points branching out to the three main thoroughfares, Great Junction, Street, Constitution Street and Duke Street. It took twelve days to install, but fitted perfectly to within one inch. On this job Sunday working had been necessary, and had been specially approved by the Town Council. It was completed by July 7th.

It had been the Town Council's intention to have the electric tramways in operation by mid-July, but due to delays in delivery (mainly of equipment for the overhead system) more time was required.

The junction at Junction Bridge was completed by June 30th, all traffic having been diverted for a few days to allow its completion. The work of setting up the poles and overhead equipment had been done at the same time, together with the insertion of the centre poles in the roadway in Great Junction Street.

Track laying and rail bonding in Leith Walk was complete by June 27th, and the triangle junction at the depot entrance was being laid down, but only 15 of the centre poles in Leith Walk had been inserted.

Mannesmann steel poles were used, supplied by M. P. Galloway Ltd. of Leith. The poles were of the seamless stepped type 31 feet in length, with a height when placed of 25 feet from ground level. Three different sizes were used, with lower step diameters of 7½ inches, 8½ inches and 9½ inches respectively; in each size the diameter was reduced by one inch 11 feet from ground level and a further inch at 18 feet. Flexible bowstring suspension was used throughout, with mechanical ears and grooved were newly introduced by British Insulated and Helsby Cables Ltd. Wrought iron scrollwork was fitted, and the pole bases bore the burgh coat of arms.

Centre poles were used in Leith Walk, Commercial Street, Bernard Street, Great Junction Street and Craighall Road, with span wires or side bracket arms elsewhere.

Delivery of the first tramcars could have been made in June, but the Council asked the manufacturers to defer delivery for a few weeks to avoid any damage , to the new cars from the building operations which were still going on at the depot. About twelve cars had arrived towards the end of July, and Mr. Rutherford, the electrical engineer, was anxious to verify that all was well with the overhead equipment on the Pilrig Street to Stanley Road route, so an unofficial trial run was arranged for Friday, July 28th.

A small group assembled at the depot in Leith Walk at 2.30a.m. to see the start. Shortly before 3 a.m., tram No. 3 was drawn by five horses up Leith Walk to Pilrig, as the overhead wires were not yet ready in Leith Walk. On arrival at Pilrig Street the trolley was placed on the wire and the car suddenly blazed into light, to gasps of approval from the trace boys in charge of the horses.

Mr. Sullivan, the BTH representative, drove the tram without a hitch to Stanley Road terminus, and a two-way trip was then made with Baillie McCreadie driving. Councillor Lindsay next drove it to Pilrig, where the wheel bearings were tested and found to be cool. Mr. Rutherford then took the tram to Stanley Road and Mr. Wilson, the manager, drove it back to Pilrig, each single journey taking six minutes. Mr. James More pronounced everything satisfactory and the tram was then hauled back to the depot.

A single-deck Instruction Car for the training of drivers had arrived from British Thomson Houston on June 19th, and was already in use within the depot.

A day or so after the July 28th trial run the instruction car was out on the Pilrig to Stanley Road section, followed by some of the new passenger trams including No. 3 and No. 21, to give the men practice in driving them on the streets. A great effort was being made to complete the work in Leith Walk, and public interest was considerable, with groups of sightseers watching what was going on.

The depot was still not completed, and it was not possible to accommodate all the new trams, so a few had to stand out on the street overnight, and some of the assembly work was completed on the street. The north bound line from the depot to the railway over bridge was used for this, as this did not interfere with the movement of those cars going up to Pilrig on instruction runs. It was also necessary to maintain access to the depot for the horse trams.

On August 12th 1905, the Board of Trade inspector, Col.Von Donop, carried out a trial run over the completed route from the depot via Leith Walk, Pilrig Street, and Newhaven Road to Stanley Road and back. Everything was found satisfactory, and the line was passed for use by electric trams. The service could start as soon as the Permit had been received; it arrived on Thursday, August 17th and arrangements were made to start running the trams on the following day. The 22nd Annual Leith Flower Show was to be held on August 18th and 19th in the Victoria Park, Newhaven Road, and the coincidence of both events was likely to ensure the success of both, as indeed it did.

Eight cars, Nos. 1-4, 16, 17, 20 and 21 were in use on the first day, Friday, August 18th, 1905. The first car left the depot at 7.20 a.m. and run to Pilrig then back to the Foot of Leith Walk to form the first departure for Stanley Road at 7.35. Seven other cars followed at four minute intervals, and this service was maintained throughout the day, with a single journey time of 15 minutes. There was no official ceremony on this occasion, but the tramways were well patronised by the public, and were an instant success.

Fares from the Foot of Leith Walk were ½d. to Pilrig, l d. to Bonnington Terrace and I½d. to Stanley Road. Sunday service was provided from the start, having been approved by a two-to-one majority at a ratepayers meeting in April.

By mid September work was complete in Great Junction Street, Ferry Road, Craighall Road, Pier Place Newhaven, Annfield, Lindsay Road and North Junction Street. These lines were inspected on behalf of the Board of Trade on September 14th and found satisfactory.

Service started on. Saturday, September 16th, ten additional cars being sent out, making a total of 18 cars in operation. A six-minute circular service was operated from Pilrig via Stanley Road, Newhaven, Lindsay Road, North Junction Street and Leith Walk with additional cars every six minutes from Pilrig to Stanley Road via Leith Walk, Great Junction Street, Ferry Road and Newhaven Road. This gave a three-minute service in Leith Walk and Great Junction Street. The 18 cars on the Saturday earned on average £6 each, and the 15 cars out on Sunday earned much the same; Monday brought the Review of the Scottish Volunteers in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, and 20 trams were in service, earning about £9 each and bringing the takings to £375 for the three days.

The overhead squads next turned their attention to Commercial Street and Bernard Street, with centre poles, and to the Seafield line, where the poles were placed at the pavement edge with span wires or long bracket arms; the longest being 18 feet. Commercial Street and Bernard Street were ready by mid-October, but the overhead on the Swing Bridge over the Water of Leith was not yet finished. This work was carried out by S. Dixon and Son Ltd of Leeds. Three arched lattice spans of triangular section were mounted on the footpaths on either side of the bridge, and to these wires were suitably attached above the double tramway track. On the roadway at either end of the bridge tramway poles were placed closely adjacent to the end lattice spans; a tubular beam formed a solid span between the two poles and carried connectors which could make or break electrical contact with the overhead line when the bridge had to be swung clear for the passage of ships.

The swing bridge, whose construction in 1897-8 was mentioned in our part i section on the horse tramways, swung round 90 degrees in a clockwise direction to open. The short length of overhead wires thus moved round with the bridge the current being automatically cut off in the operation. In operation the bridge was tilted some nine to twelve inches by means of a hydraulic ram near the Bernard Street end, the nearer end being moved slightly upward and the opposite end downward to disengage the locking device before being swung. Timber decking was fitted to the footpaths and roadway, with raised wood slats between the tram rails for the benefit of horses to avoid slipping. The track beyond each end of the bridge had catch points, which operated when the bridge opened; a semaphore signal on a pole at each approach warned tram drivers when the bridge was open. Had any incident occurred in fog or emergency, which fortunately it never did, the catch point ensured that the tram would have careered into the approach parapet on the Commercial Street side or into a building on the Bernard Street side rather than falling into the murky waters below.

On October 19th the Board of Trade inspector passed the sections on either side of the bridge, and trams operated a service from the following day, turning back on the crossovers at Custom House and at Bernard Street as the bridge was still not ready. It was inspected and brought into use on November 21st.

An Official Opening of Leith Corporation Tramways was held on Friday, November 3rd 1905, the last horse car having probably run on the Seafield route on the previous day, The ceremony was attended by Provost Mackie, Baillie’s and Councillors of Leith and Edinburgh, together with representatives of various public bodies and the firms supplying the tramway equipment. The party assembled at the depot at 4.15 p.m., and photographs were taken with open-top tram No. 6 which had been gaily decorated with chrysanthemums, palms and evergreens. Painted shields on each end read ‘‘Success To The Tramways".

The Council members boarded the decorated car, and the remainder of the 150 strong party boarded three covered-top cars. On leaving the depot they were loudly cheered by a large crowd, and proceeded via Leith Walk to Pilrig, then to Stanley Road, returning through Newhaven and along North Junction Street to the Foot of Leith Walk, turning down Constitution Street to Bernard Street and from there to the Foot of Leith Walk; where Provost Mackie addressed the crowd from the upper deck of the decorated tram, declaring the tramway system open.

Leith Corporation Tramways

In his open air speech, the Provost said that the Corporation had done their best to make the tramway system a good one, and if everyone gave it all the encouragement they could, it was bound to be a success. The six miles of the system had taken nine months to construct and the amount paid in wages amounted to £22,000; the largest number of men employed at any one time had been 600. Halfpenny stages would be introduced from Monday. The council had hoped to continue the Newhaven line to Granton and from, Granton to Goldenacre and thence to Bonnington Terrace, but as these streets were partly in Leith and partly in Edinburgh this could not be done without the consent of the Edinburgh Corporation. He hoped that the day was not far distant when they would meet to discuss this.

The party then alighted from the tram and walked along Duke Street to Smith's Rooms, where a celebration dinner had been arranged. The employees finished work early that day, at 10.30 p.m., and were entertained to supper in Smith's Rooms. The new halfpenny stages were introduced throughout the system on November 6th, the distance allowed varying from 572 to 908 yards.

It had been hoped to open the Seafield line by the end of October, but when a trial run was carried out it was discovered that there was insufficient headroom for covered-top trams under the railway bridge at Seafield Place terminus. Work had to be started immediately to lower the roadway and track, but since arrangements had already been made to sell off the horse trams on November 3rd, there was now no service at all from the Foot of Leith Walk to Seafield. Residents in the Lochend Road and Restlarig Road areas were furious, but had to wait until November 21st, when the Board of Trade inspector visited the Seafield line and Bernard Street bridge and passed these lines. Tram services were started immediately.

With the completion of the Seafield line, the Leith Corporation Tramways were in full operation, using 26 trams to cover the services on all routes. The outer circle was altered to run via Bernard Street instead of North Junction Street, and three other services were operated from Pilrig to the Caledonian Station via North Junction Street, from Seafield to Stanley Road via Leith Walk and Pilrig Street, from Pilrig to Bonnington Terrace via Ferry Road, and extra cars from Pilrig to Bernard Street. The 21 compulsory stops and 21 request stops were marked with white plates bearing the words " All Cars Stop" (in red) or "Cars Stop by Request" (in blue).

With the sale of the horse trams and the transfer of the remaining horses, the stables could now be cleared away and work on the new depot completed. The main depot shed consisted of eight lines and was designed to hold fifty trams. Two further tracks to the right of the main building led into the workshops.

On all ten tracks pits were provided for ease of working and rails were laid in the bottom of these pits on which small bogies could be run to move heavy equipment. At the rear end of the depot was a traverser by means of which tramcar trucks could be moved directly to the workshop. The rear part of the workshop was sectioned off as a paint shop, the engineering department used the remainder, and at the front part of the building were the offices.

In May, 1906 the engineer Mr. Relph resigned and was succeeded by Mr. F. A. Fitzpayne, previously engineer to Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways. Mr. Fitzpayne's new title was Engineering Superintendent.

The tramway system was now operating very satisfactorily. A slight change was made in the services during 1906; the regular services were unaltered, but the extra cars ran part-day from Pilrig to Newhaven (Pier Place) via Bernard Street, diverted via North Junction Street on Saturday afternoons. Penny transfer fares and halfpenny workmen's fares were introduced, but the normal halfpenny fares were withdrawn, except Foot of Leith Walk to Pilrig or Junction Bridge. In compensation most 1½d. fares were reduced to one penny and the 2d. Seafield-Stanley Road fare reduced to l½d. Parcels service was introduced in June, 1907, and the last halfpenny ordinary fares were withdrawn in August.
On Saturday, October 12th 1907, the tramway system was brought to a temporary halt when a crowd of 20,000 assembled at the Foot of Leith Walk for the unveiling of the statue of Queen Victoria by Lord Roseberry. Temporary stands had been erected in the roadway at either side of the statue.

Early in 1909 a new crossover was laid in Commercial Street near the North British Railway's North Leith Citadel station, terminus, of the line from Waverley Station via Abbeyhill, Easter Road, Powderhall and Bonnington which was much used by dockers and shipyard workers. A second crossover was put in at the Custom House. In later years cars turning at the Citadel showed the destination "Dock Gates" whereas special cars for the Docks had previously been run to the loop track at Bernard Street.

In 1908 application was made to Parliament for powers to extend the tramways from Newhaven to Granton and from Bonnington Terrace to Goldenacre and Granton, these being granted in the Leith Burgh Act of July 1908. As in the original case, some parts would be just within the Edinburgh boundary, which ran along the centre of the roadway in Ferry Road from Bonnington Terrace (Newhaven Road) to a point beyond the junction with Granton Road. From this point the line would be in Leith to a point 244 feet west of Boswell Road where it crossed into Edinburgh to reach Granton Square, as did the Lower Granton Road near Wardie Square. Because of the boundary, the two tracks in Ferry Road were numbered separately in the Act although forming a double line. The line returned along Lower Granton Road, Trinity Crescent and Starbank Road to meet the existing system at Pier Place, Newhaven, where a curve southwards into Craighall Road forming a triangular junction was authorised but not constructed.

Construction work started at Pier Place in mid-December 1908, and proceeded westward along Starbank Road. Early in February 1909, the corporation horse bus which ran from Pier Place to Granton was re-routed via East Trinity Road in order that track work could proceed at the narrow section from Starbank Park to York Road. Some widening of the roadway was necessary at Chain Pier Road and Trinity Road to allow a suitable curve to be laid under Trinity Bridge, and by early April one track to Granton Square had been completed.

A trial run was made with the committee aboard on the evening on April 12th, and on Tuesday, May 11th, Colonel Von Donop inspected the line for the Board of Trade and declared it satisfactory. Service commenced on the same day, with cars from Pilrig to Granton via Bernard Street (via North Junction Street evenings and Saturday afternoons) at a through fare of 2½d. Extra cars ran to Granton from Bernard Street or Pier Place.

The track construction squads were now engaged on the 1 mile 172 yards section from Granton Square to Goldenacre and the 1,405 yards section from Bonnington Terrace to Goldenacre via Ferry Road. By the end of June the first mentioned line had been completed and on Friday July 2nd, Colonel Von Donop was met at the North British Hotel in Edinburgh by Provost Smith and Baillie Hall and preceded to Goldenacre where the other tramway officials were waiting. All boarded the special tram which proceeded along the new line and back via Newhaven. Col. Von Donop gave approval for the line to be used and the Granton cars were extended to Goldenacre on the same day.

At Goldenacre the electric cars met the cable cars from Hanover Street, though as at Pilrig the tracks were not connected. The new extension proved exceedingly popular, since Edinburgh folk could come to Goldenacre by cable tram, then board an electric tram proceeding by Granton Road with a fine panoramic view over the Firth of Forth to the coast of Fife and beyond before reaching Granton Square. After passing under the Trinity Bridge, with views over the Forth to the north and east, they reached Newhaven with its harbour, fishing boats and fishermen's houses with quaint outside stairs. Annfield and Anchorfield gave a view towards Leith Pier and the shipbuilding yards, and they returned through Leith to Pilrig where they changed back to a cable car for Edinburgh.

Leith Town Council had hoped to open the rest of the Granton Circle on July 22nd, but the line was barely ready and the Board of Trade could not arrange an inspection on that day. On Tuesday, August 3rd 1909, Col. Von Donop returned and was conveyed by special tram from Bonnington Terrace via Goldenacre, Granton, Newhaven and Commercial Street to Charlotte Street, where the party proceeded to the Leith Council Chambers.

Col. Von Donop passed the new route as satisfactory, and the event was then celebrated by toasts and speeches. Parts of the Granton Circle were approved for 15 miles per hour running, 1½ times the speed of the cable trams. Motor buses and heavy motor lorries were at that time limited to 12 miles per hour, and the speed of the horse cars had been from 5 to 6 miles per hour. The Granton Circle had cost £50,390.

Tram service round the Granton Circle was started on the same day, August 3rd, with cars from Pilrig via Bernard Street and via Pilrig Street, and the Seafield - Stanley Road ,service was extended down Craighall Road to Newhaven, continuing to Pilrig via Bernard Street and Leith Walk. Cars were also run for a few weeks from Pilrig to Goldenacre via Junction Street, but were withdrawn from September 2nd, transfer tickets being introduced changing at Bonnington Terrace. The Pilrig North Junction Street Caledonian Station service was withdrawn from the same date, and the Granton services were operated without any additions to the rolling stock. The fare right round the six mile Granton Circle was four pence, certain semi-circular journeys were charged at three pence, and Pilrig to Granton by either route cost 2½d., with 2d., l½d. and ld. stages intermediately.

The Leith tramways were early users of automatic points and signals. Eight sets of Turner's patent point controllers were installed on the original lines, six at junctions and two at the swing bridge catch points and signals supplied by S. Dixon and Son Ltd. were installed at the Bonnington Terrace single-line junctions and at each end of Stanley Road. Similar signals were installed in 1909 at Trinity Bridge. The other single line section, in Duke Street on the Seafield route, required no signals as both ends were in line of sight.

Mr. John Wilson, the manager died on April 6th 1909, and Mr. F. A. Fitzpayne took charge; he was confirmed as manager on July 27th. Halfpenny fares were re-introduced in August 1910. During the last half year of horse tram operations the cost had been 8.32d. per car mile, whilst operating expenses for the electric trams in 1911 were down to 4.5d. per car mile, the lowest figure achieved by any tramway undertaking in the United Kingdom.

In the summer of 1911 proposals were again made for extending the Seafield line to at least the Burgh boundary and possibly to Kings Road, where at Easter 1910 a group of businessmen had opened the Marine Gardens with an exhibition hall, concert hall, circus and menagerie, and some exhibits from the 1908 Scottish National Exhibition held at Saughton Park, Edinburgh. The extension via Iona Street and Easter Road was also discussed but both were turned down. Some changes had been made in the tram services for the winter of 1910, but the previous pattern was restored in April, 1911, and remained in force for six years. Most of the system was covered by the two long through services, the six mile Granton Circle and the 5.3 mile "figure eight” service Seafield – Pilrig - Stanley Road - Bernard Street - Pilrig, the other two services being Pilrig - Stanley Road via Ferry Road; and Pilrig - Bernard Street. North Junction Street was left unserved.

Until 1914 the tramways still used a horse-drawn tower wagon supplied by Rawlinson and Son of Blackburn in 1905. In 1910 Leith fire brigade took delivery of two Halley motor fire engines, WS113 and WS114, and in March 1914, the tramways followed suit with a Halley motor tower wagon, WS194. The registration letters “WS” were allotted to the Burgh ofLeith and used until 1920, by which time they had reached WS500. Fire engine WS113 still exists today at the fire brigade museum collection. At the end of 1914 an experimental island for tram passengers was made at the Foot of Leith Walk; it became a permanent fixture two months later. By now the war had started and those men on the tramways who had been in the Scottish Volunteers were among the first to go. Others had to be taken on and trained. More men were required for the services and in July 1915, one tram was decorated with a red, white and blue poster with the famous picture of Kitchener and the words "Your Country Needs You". This recruiting car ran for two weeks.

On May 22nd 1915, a great tragedy occurred with the railway disaster at Gretna in which 214 officers and men were killed. Nearly all came from Leith, and many families were left penniless. Later that year Leith began to recruit women tram conductors. By 1915 one sixth of the adult male population of Leith were in the Services and women tram drivers were engaged; by 1918 there were also women inspectors. From 1914, members of H. M. Forces in uniform travelled free of charge, but from May 1915, they were charged workmen's fares. Through tickets to Edinburgh were withdrawn in December 1915, at the request of the Edinburgh and District Tramways.

On December 19th 1915, trams were unable to use Commercial Street owing to a serious fire at Bond No. 48, near the Citadel station. The building contained whisky and other goods, and twelve hours later was still blazing furiously, with butter and melting cheese running down the front of the building from the barred windows. Motor, steam and horse drawn equipment was used by the fire brigade, and work at the fire lasted until January 6th.

Nearby was the only tramway with railway level crossing on the system, with a dock railway, the scene of a serious collision on December 30th 1927, when a goods train struck the rear part of an east bound tram.

Early in 1916 the manager submitted a table of revenue, expenditure and passengers carried since the start of the system, which showed how revenue had declined with the reintroduction of halfpenny fares in 1910. Since costs were rising much faster than revenue, the halfpenny fares were abolished from March 15th 1916.

Early in 1917 the Bernard Street Pilrig route was extended at each end to Portland Place (Caledonian Railway Station) and via Pilrig Street to Bonnington Terrace. Winter storms had damaged the sea wall in Starbank Road and Trinity Crescent, and single line operation was necessary from Pier Place to Trinity Bridge during repairs. An arrangement was made with the postal authorities for the conveyance of mails from Granton to the Foot of Leith Walk at 3d. per bag. A postman from the sorting office in Kirk Street collected the mail from the tram on arrival.

From March 15th, 1917, part of the "figure nine" service was discontinued (from Stanley Road via Bernard Street to Pilrig) and from that date onwards there was no service down Craighall Road. This situation lasted for thirty two years, until October 17th 1949, when after agitation from the travelling public Edinburgh Corporation extended the tram service from Stanley Road terminus down to the foot of Craighall Road. Extra cars were introduced from March, 1917, from Pilrig to Granton via Bernard Street. In April 1918, a number of tram stopping places were eliminated.

There was great rejoicing on November 11th 1918, when the war ended but difficult conditions still remained, and the proposals now being discussed for amalgamation with Edinburgh did nothing to raise the spirits of Leith folk, as many were against it. Tram fares were increased on May l6th 1919. The public were demanding the restoration of the former stopping places, and early in 1919 most were restored.

In November, 1920, Leith was merged into Edinburgh, and Mr F. A. Fitzpayne was appointed Deputy Manager of Edinburgh Corporation Tramways. The administration of both systems was merged but the cable and electric services continued to run separately. Mr. G. T. Goalen, convener of Leith Corporation Tramways, later became convener of Edinburgh Transport Committee and lost no opportunity of reminding the transport press that by contrast with Edinburgh’s difficulties the Leith Corporation Tramways had been a huge success in every way. He could have reminded the editors that in January, 1899, The Railway World had said that Leith could not hope to work its tramways by electricity more cheaply than it could by cable cars as part of a large system based on Edinburgh.

In 1922 Edinburgh Corporation decided to convert the entire system to electric traction. This took around three years to implement. The last cable tram operated in June 1923.

Leith Corporation Tramways