Edinburgh and District Tramways

Edinburgh and District Tramways

Operation
Locale	Edinburgh
Open	9 December 1893
Close	1 July 1919
Status	Closed
Infrastructure
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Propulsion system(s)	Horse, Steam and Cable
Statistics
Route length	18.65 miles (30.01 km)

Edinburgh and District Tramways operated a tramway service in Edinburgh between 1893 and 1919, and Leith between 1871 and 1904.

History

The company was formed as a subsidiary of Dick, Kerr & Co.. On 9 December 1893 it took over the Edinburgh Street Tramways services within the Edinburgh city boundary. On 31 January 1896 it took over the line to Meadowbank operated by the same company, and in 1898 the line to Portobello.

On 1 January 1897 it took over the Edinburgh Northern Tramways cable operated lines.

The company also undertook a conversion programme replacing many horse drawn services with cable operated lines. The choice of cable traction was driven by the gradients on many streets in Edinburgh.

The cable lines included:

• Princes St and Leith Walk to Pilrig
• Princes St and St Andrews St, York Place, Leith Walk, London Road to Abbeyhill Opened on 1 June 1899.
• Salisbury Place, Clerk St, Grange Road, Beaufort Road, Strathearn Road, Strathearn Place, Greenhill Gardens, Church Hill to Morningside Road
• Waterloo Place, Leith Walk, Regent Road, London Road, Parsons Green Terrace, Piersfield Terrace, Hoira Terrace, Inchview Terrace, High Street, Abercorn Terrace to Joppa
• Gilmore Place via Granville Terrace, Polwarth Terrace, Colinton Road to Craiglockhart. Opened 1908.
• Leith Walk, Broughton Street to Canon Mills. Opened 1908.

In 1902, one of its tramcars was sold to the Stirling and Bridge of Allan Tramways and in 1913 this vehicle was converted with a petrol engine.

Closure

The company was taken over on 1 July 1919 by Edinburgh Corporation Tramways.