Steam tram (rear view), Telford Steam Railway

Image: © P L Chadwick Taken: 5 Sep 2010

The engines for steam trams are always self-contained vehicles, which pull a carriage in which the passengers sit. This was the practice when they were used on town and city streets a hundred years or more ago, and this fairly modern narrow gauge version is the same. The legislation governing the use of steam trams on public roads was always very restrictive, although this tram is not, of course, running on a roadway. The carriage has bench seating running down the two sides, and a half-door opening onto a balcony at each end. The windows are open to the elements, but the vehicle does not normally operate outside of the April to September period. In this view, the tram was about to start its short journey to the loco shed, from where it returns in reverse. The line has no turning facilities. The letters TTT stand for Telford Town Tramway, as for its first few years it ran in Telford Town Park. Image

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