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Tram Story (from the 50's)


Guest Desy

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A tram incident my father was involved in whilst working as a tram driver.

It was early one thursday afternoon, as thursday was half closing there was not a great deal of traffic on the road. He had reached the terminus at Abbey Lane and was waiting for his point time to set back off to town. In the downstairs saloon was a woman and her son. As he looked up towards Meadowhead he saw a large lorry coming down the hill. as it got nearer he could see it was driver less and was a coal lorry. It was heading directly for the tram, he shouted a warning out to the passengers and got under the stairs.

The lorry hit the tram taking it up a slopping shop frontage and deposited it in the shop. As the dust settled he was concered over the Lady in the downstairs saloon as it had filled up inside to the window level. He asked how she was due to the fact she was pinned up to her upper body with coal. The lady replied that she was ok but she had concern for her son who had been flung across the tram. All you coud see of him was two legs waving im=n the air.

At the end of it all everyone was ok.

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A tram incident my father was involved in whilst working as a tram driver.

It was early one thursday afternoon, as thursday was half closing there was not a great deal of traffic on the road. He had reached the terminus at Abbey Lane and was waiting for his point time to set back off to town. In the downstairs saloon was a woman and her son. As he looked up towards Meadowhead he saw a large lorry coming down the hill. as it got nearer he could see it was driver less and was a coal lorry. It was heading directly for the tram, he shouted a warning out to the passengers and got under the stairs.

The lorry hit the tram taking it up a slopping shop frontage and deposited it in the shop. As the dust settled he was concered over the Lady in the downstairs saloon as it had filled up inside to the window level. He asked how she was due to the fact she was pinned up to her upper body with coal. The lady replied that she was ok but she had concern for her son who had been flung across the tram. All you coud see of him was two legs waving im=n the air.

At the end of it all everyone was ok.

I think the earliest tram incident on the Woodseats to City route was this one= and its courtesy of C C Hall. The extension from Woodbank Crescent to Chantry Road had its trial trip on April 2nd 1903 and was opened for service on the 6th, only five days later what could have been the worst Sheffield tramway accident happened on the bend at Smithy Wood. Tram No 63 travelling towards city ran through the loop at this point, collided with No 133, which was just coming up to the loop, [at that time the route from Woodbank Crescent to Chantry Road was single track with passing loops] left the track, ran across the road to finish up against a telegraph pole on the edge of the embankment which at this date was not built with the stone wall and high railings. Apart from the pole, only a quickset hedge was between the car and the fall into the valley below. As usual the route had been opened without a Board of Trade inspection, so that had the accident had fatal results the Corporation would not have been in an enviable position. The inspection of this extension took place on the 17th April and was passed off without any unfavourable comments, though from this day forward there was to be a Board of Trade compulsory stop on the bend at Smithy Wood, where, as even today and even though the trams have log since gone rarely would any passengers be waiting. W/E.

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