Hastings Tramways
Hastings
Tramways Company was founded in early 1904, and construction
of the Hastings tramways soon began, included the building
of the main Silverhill depot. The first tramcars arrived
in |
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July 1905 and initial public service began, running the
original circular route.
A
further line from Ore to the Market Ccross in the Old town
was opened in August of the same year. The extension from Silverhill to the Seafront via London Road
was opened in July 1906.
A
second tram depot was built at Bulverhythe and services
started between St Leonards and Bexhill in April 1906. This
line finally reached the isolated outpost of Cooden
(then called Kewhurst) in July 1906.
The Bexhill section included a length of private tramroad accross Pebsham Marsh from Egerton Park to Cooden Beach.
January
1907 saw the two systems joined, connecting along the seafront.
It was a double track opearated using the Dolter stud contact
system which was known to sometimes electrocute horses. |
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By
1913 the Dolter system was considered dangerous and all seafront-running
cars were fitted with a petrol engine attached to a dynamo
which fed the existing controllers with electric. The first
petrol car ran in 1914 but the petrol experiment didn't
last long and the council allowed over-head wires
along the seafront in 1921.
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The
total length of the Hastings Tramway system reached just short of 20 miles and by September 1926 service numbers were introduced for the following routes:
1. Silverhill - St Leonards - Ore
2. Ore - High Street (Market Cross)
3. Bexhill - Ore
4. Hollington - Bohemia Road - Memorial
5. Ore - Bexhill
6. Cooden - St Helens (Cemetery)
7. St Helens - Cooden
8. Circular via Bohemia Road
9.
Circular via St Helens
Services 3, 5, 6 and 7 were run in both directions.
Tramway
Power Station
Power for the Hastings trams was generated by six
engines totalling 3150hp. These were housed in the main
power station which was built on a dirt track in Ore Valley,
now named Parker Road. The power station had a distinctive 175ft steel plate chimney and was serviced by a railway siding from SECR. Substations were situated at both Bulverhythe
and Silverhill. |
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Trolleybuses
In
the mid-1920's the council began to think of other options
instead of the trams and finally the conversion from trams
to trolleybuses was completed in April 1928 with the last
tram running in March of that year.
The original trolleybuses were built by
Guy Motors with electrical
equipment supplied by the British Thomson-Houston Company.
Each bus had two 40hp self-ventilated interpole traction
motors, consuming 500 volts at 70 amps. Trolleybuses were
replaced in June 1959 by Leyland single and double decker
buses. |
