Glasgow Trams through the Years

Horse-Drawn Omnibuses

In the period before the advent of trams in Glasgow, the most popular form of public transport was the horse-drawn omnibus, but the ride over the cobblestones was bumpy.  The idea of running the carriage wheels in rails to achieve greater comfort was therefore very appealing.   For trams to operate in Glasgow, the Town Council had to obtain permission from the Westminster Parliament and this was granted in August 1870 with the passage of the Glasgow Street Tramways Act.  Within two years, the Town Council had the first tram lines laid along a 2¹⁄₂-mile stretch from St. George’s Cross to Eglinton Toll (via New City Road, Cambridge Street, Sauchiehall Street, Renfield Street, Union Street, Jamaica Street, Glasgow Bridge, Bridge Street, and Eglinton Street).

This view of Renfield Street was probably taken in the early 1890’s by an associate of the renowned photographer George Washington Wilson. The tram lines in Renfield Street had been laid by 19 August, 1872 as part of Glasgow’s first horse-drawn tram route between St. George’s Cross and Eglinton Toll that passed through Renfield Street. The public transport vehicle in the foreground is a horse-drawn omnibus and is probably “three-in-hand”, hauled by three horses in line abreast. In spite of having suspension, the ride in these carriages over the cobblestones would not have been as comfortable as that experienced in trams running on track, and the latter would eventually completely displace the horse-drawn buses. The upper deck on these omnibuses was not enclosed so the passengers were fully exposed to the elements and this level of exposure would continue through the horse-drawn trams and into the first generation of electric trams. ( Original albumen photograph )

It should be noticed that although the tram lines are already in place, there are no trams in view.  On the left is the building where R. W. Forsyth started in business as a hosier, glover and shirt maker in 1872. He would open a second branch on the corner of Jamaica Street and Howard Street around 1891 and move to newly-built premises on the corner of Renfield Street and Gordon Street in 1898. Stuart Cranston would open a tearoom in R. W. Forsyth’s vacated Renfield Street premises in September of that year. This view shows the two distinct types of gas lamp present on Glasgow’s principal streets at that time; tall slender lamp-posts well-spaced apart and fitted with hexagonal lanterns, and shorter lamps, more frequently sited and with four-sided lanterns.

In this Jamaica Street scene, there are two omnibuses in the foreground, both three-in-hand, and they appear to be well-maintained. There is a branch of R. W. Forsyth in the photograph, just visible above the omnibuses, on the corner of Jamaica Street and Howard Street.  The first reference to Forsyth’s at this location is in the 1892 – 1893 Post Office Annual Glasgow Directory, so the Company trams would still have been running at that time and there appears to be a Company tram in this scene, further up Jamaica Street. This would therefore date the photograph to 1892-1894, assuming that there was no delay entering Forsyth’s Jamaica Street address into the Post Office Directory.

Horse-Drawn Company Trams

The Act prohibited the Council from directly operating the tram service for the first 21 years and instead stipulated that a private company be engaged. Andrew Menzies, a Glasgow omnibus pioneer, and his company, the Glasgow Tram and Omnibus Company (hereafter referred to as “the Company”), were hired and the service between St. George’s Cross and Eglinton Toll came into operation on 19 August, 1872.  As expected, the change from horse-drawn omnibuses to horse-drawn trams resulted in a significant improvement in passenger comfort, and it was also easier for the horses to pull a carriage on rails than over cobblestones.  The popularity of the new tram service led to a rapid expansion of the system and new routes were established between Whiteinch and Bridgeton Cross, Bridgeton Cross and Candleriggs, St. Vincent Street and Dennistoun, Bridge Street and Paisley Road Toll, and Eglinton Toll and Crosshill.

Horse-drawn trams of the Glasgow Tramway & Omnibus Company were heading northbound when George Washington Wilson took this photo overlooking Jamaica Street. The Company cars, as they were called, first entered service on August 19, 1872 on track owned by Glasgow Corporation. In 1875, route colour coding was introduced and this is present on the trams seen here. They are both Type 1B cars, numbered 243 and 255, with eight windows each side, and were modified versions of the original batch of heavy trams ordered by the Glasgow Tramway & Omnibus Company from the Tramway Car & Works Co. Ltd. of Greenwich, London.  Each of these cars weighed two tons empty and once all 40 seats were occupied and standing passengers were also present, the total weight could be as much as 5 tons, a considerable load for a pair of horses to pull.  ( Original albumen photograph )

Company trams at the intersection of Argyle Street with Union Street and Jamaica Street are seen here in the late 1870’s.      Car 302 en route from Parkhead Cross to Paisley Road is turning left into Jamaica Street and it is followed by Car 211, both of which have been modified from the early batch of Type 1 heavy Greenwich-built cars.  Car 211 still retains the iron rung stairs fitted outside the dash, classifying it as a Type 1D tram while Car 302 with rebuilt stairs may be Type  1E or 1F.  The vehicle on the left of the picture is a horse-drawn omnibus.  All of the vehicles shown have knife board ( back-to-back ) seating on their upper deck.  (Scanned from a George Washington Wilson lantern slide in the archive.)

Company cars are seen here on Glasgow Bridge, also known as the Broomielaw Bridge, most probably in the late 1870’s/early 1880’s.  The structure of St. Enoch Station and Hotel can be seen in the margin to the right of St. Enoch Church spire, the station having been opened in 1876 and the hotel in 1879.  The tram in the foreground, en route from Paisley Road to Rockvilla, has 7 rectangular windows visible, so is a John Stephenson New York design vehicle and this, together with the knife board seating on the upper deck, would classify it as a Type IIA car.  The fresh paint suggests that it recently entered service.  The car approaching, heading for Paisley Road, is of a similar type, only more weathered. (Scanned from a George Washington Wilson lantern slide in the archive.)

Seen here in the Trongate is a Type IIB Company horse tram with 7 windows on each side and garden-type seating upstairs instead of knife board.  This vehicle was based upon a design by John Stephenson of New York and was much lighter than the Type I cars and therefore much easier for the horses to haul.  This tram is on the eastbound track and working the short route between Queen Street and London Road.  In the foreground, a horse and cart is seen passing behind the tram. ( Original photograph )

Depots and Stables for the Company Trams

The principal depots and stables for the Company trams and horses were located in Cambridge Street near Sauchiehall Street, David Street near Crownpoint Street in Calton, Tobago Street near its junction with Great Hamilton Street ( later renamed London Road ), and Nelson Street near Centre Street in the Gorbals.  Crownpoint Street, which runs through the area south of the Gallowgate, was also the location for the Company’s main Crownpoint Works which opened in 1877 and where the tramcars would ultimately be manufactured and repaired.  

Horse-Drawn Glasgow Corporation Trams

The Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Company operated the tram service and subsequent extensions to the system until 30 June 1894.  Glasgow Town Council, which had now become Glasgow Corporation, had opted not to renew the Company’s operating lease and instead commenced their own municipal tram service, Glasgow Corporation Tramways, on 1 July 1894.  They inherited a system that was carrying 54 million passengers a year.

Glasgow thus became the first city in Great Britain to own and operate its public transport system.  Upset at not having their lease renewed,  Andrew Menzies’ Company refused to sell its assets to Glasgow Corporation and so the Tramways Department had to start fresh with new staff, horses, and their own trams while the Company set up in competition.  The Glasgow public preferred the Corporation’s new trams to the old used Company ones and the Corporation also had stronger finances. It was able to reduce fares by up to 50% and so the competing Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Company bowed out.  In its first full year of operation, Glasgow Corporation Tramways carried over 57 million passengers collectively more than 5 million miles.  And nothing succeeds like success.  Profits increased and further investments were made in improving efficiency and expanding the network. By the turn of the century, Glasgow Corporation Tramways was carrying one-fifth of the total number of passengers conveyed by all the tramways of England and Wales.

A brand new Glasgow Corporation horse-drawn tram is about to enter service on the Dalmarnock and Finnieston route.  The driver and the conductor are both in their new uniforms and the man in the suit is probably the depot manager.  This East – West route would be predominantly flat so that would be good news for the horses. One of the streets along the route is listed as London St. and this would subsequently be renamed London Road. (Photograph by Glasgow Corporation Tramways.) 

Here, Glasgow Corporation horse car number 324 is seen together with its driver, conductor, and a fine pair of black horses at the Kelvinside terminus of the service to Dennistoun. It appears that most of the passengers have moved upstairs so they can be included in this official photograph by Glasgow Corporation Tramways.

A Corporation horse-drawn tram is seen here on Albert Drive in the late 1890’s with Pollokshields Parish Church in the background.  The tram is almost at its southern terminus and the horses will be glad of a rest.  They have come a long way from Garscube Cross, known locally as the Round Toll.  On the return journey, the horses will encounter a steep incline on Renfield Street as they head up to Cowcaddens, and then there is a further incline on Garscube Road on the approach to the Round Toll.  Trace horses would have been used to reinforce the regular horses on steep inclines.  The tram carriage itself has six windows each side and 160 of these carriages were subsequently converted into electric trams.  I am grateful to Hugh McAulay of the Scottish Tramway and Transport Society for supplying some of this information. ( Photograph by Glasgow Corporation Tramways.)

Electrification of the Tramway System

The Victorian era saw huge improvements in technology including the harnessing of steam and electric power for mechanization and propulsion.  In the United States, an increasing number of tramway systems were powered by electricity supplied by overhead wires, so Glasgow decided to do the same and on 13 October, 1898 began with a test route from Mitchell Street to Springburn, including the steep incline of West Nile Street which was certainly a challenge for horse – drawn trams but proved no problem for the electric trolleys.  Glasgow’s first 20 electric tramcars were of an American-inspired design, single-deck and with a central entrance.  They would become known as “room and kitchen” cars, one of which has been restored and is now on display at the Riverside Museum.  It was the success of this test route that led to a rapid electrification of the system, with an eye to having as much work completed in time for Glasgow’s planned International Exhibition in 1901.

The rush was on to order new tramcars and the bulk of the  manufacture was done by Glasgow’s own Coplawhill Works on Albert Drive in Pollokshields.  In addition to building new cars, 160 of the best horse-tram car bodies were converted to electric cars at the works.  However, there was more to electrification of the tramway than ordering new trams.  The existing tracks had to be replaced with stronger rails, capable of handling heavier loads, and large numbers of ornate metal standards were ordered and erected to provide support for the overhead wiring.  This entire process would take four years, although a substantial amount of work was completed in time for the 1901 Exhibition, when the new system would be showcased.

Glasgow’s New Electric Trams

Car number 667 is one of 21 single-deck tramcars that were purpose-built at Coplawhill Works to launch Glasgow Corporation’s electric tram service between Michell Street and Springburn, a route previously considered too steep for horse-drawn operation.  The design of these trams was based upon American street cars that had a central entrance and exit.  In Glasgow’s case, one compartment of the tram was glazed and the other half had no windows at all, but instead roller blinds were installed to protect the passengers from Glasgow’s famously inclement weather.  

Nicknamed “Room and Kitchen” after the tenement dwellings, the cars entered service in 1898 but they were not a success.  They had a habit of derailing on curves, so much so that a re-railing squad was on hand to intervene at known trouble spots.  Eventually, the operation of these trams was restricted to the straightest route on the network, running between Clydebank and London Road.  They were progressively withdrawn from service from 1905 and all were in storage by 1911, with one exception.  

Car number 672 was fitted with four motors instead of two so that it could be used to carry heavy electrical equipment for testing purposes.  This added weight solved the derailing problem and the car survived long enough to be restored back to its original appearance and is now preserved at the Riverside Museum. Many thanks to Hugh MacAulay of the Scottish Tramway and Transport Society for providing some of this information. (Photograph by Glasgow Corporation Tramways, dated 1898.)

One of Glasgow Corporation’s new purpose-built electric trams with five arched windows on each side is seen outside Keppochhill Road Depot in Springburn, about to set off for Pollokshaws West. Red route ‘R’ was the original electric tram route which reached Pollokshaws West by 14th June 1902 and was extended to Rouken Glen on 30th April 1909.  The tenements in the background had been recently built and the original power station for the electric trams was located alongside the depot. This source would close down once the new Corporation – owned Pinkston Power Station was fully operational in 1902.  Again, many thanks to Hugh MacAulay of the Scottish Tramway and Transport Society for providing some of this information. (Photograph by Glasgow Corporation Tramways.)

This design of electric tramcar was to provide the foundation for the greatest number of Glasgow’s trams which would become known as the Standards.  There would be several modifications along the way and this first stage would later be described as Phase I.  The next stage in the evolution of the Standard Tram would be the addition of a roof over the upper deck, resulting in Phase II.  Phase III was achieved by the addition of vestibules, windows protecting the driver ( motorman/woman ) from the elements.  And finally, the enclosure of the open balconies on the upper deck would result in Phase IV of the design.  Representatives of each Phase of the Standard Tramcar will be illustrated.

A tramcar heading for the International Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park is just turning into Sauchiehall Street from Renfield Street in this Summer 1901 scene. The city where the Industrial Revolution is in full sway is now hosting its second great International Exhibition and the recent electrification of the tramway system serves to further showcase Glasgow’s achievements. Both of the trams in this picture are purpose-built Phase I electric cars, resplendent in their colourful livery of cadmium orange side panels, ivory trim, and plum/brown for the dashes. Each route is colour-coded and car 664 in the foreground would have chrome yellow panels above the windows, bearing route information, probably similar to that of the car in the background.  Note that the conductor on the top deck has a cap similar to that of a gendarme and the driver’s ( motorman’s ) cap would have been the same. ( Original photograph )

Two purpose-built Phase I electric trams, newly in service, are passing each other heading in opposite directions at the foot of Jamaica Street in this very early 20th Century view.   This particular location was part of the first tramway to be built in Glasgow, running between St. George’s Cross and Eglinton Toll.  To the left in this scene is the Broomielaw and to the right, Great Clyde Street.

A young girl is focussed on the photographer in this view, circa 1910, looking east along Sauchiehall Street towards Armstrong’s Hotel and Parliamentary Road in the distance. The Central Halls Building, housing the Royalty Theatre, is on the left of the picture and the magnificent tower of St. John’s Methodist Church can be seen further along the street. A crowded tramcar bound for the Botanic Gardens is coming round the corner from Renfield Street while a smartly dressed man waits beside the kerb. The tram has six rectangular windows on each side, indicating that it was a former horse-drawn tramcar that had been subsequently converted into an electric vehicle. These cars fulfilled a useful function in meeting the urgent demand for trams for the newly electrified tramway, and they would eventually be replaced by purpose-built electric cars in the years following the Great War.  The motorman here is wearing a new style of peaked cap, so the uniform had undergone a change sometime between 1901 and 1910.
The other tramcar in this scene, a purpose-build electric tram, identified by the five arched windows on the lower level, has had its top deck covered, making it now a Phase II tramcar. ( Original photograph )

Two Phase II trams are seen here in Clincart Road, the Mount Florida terminus, in 1907.  The tram on the right is just pulling in and looks like it may be subsequently bound for Langside Depot on nearby Battlefield Road.  The fine tenement building on Cathcart Road is still present today but with shorter chimneys and new windows.   On the far right, Stanmore Road leads up the hill. ( Original postcard published by J. Valentine & Co., Dundee. )

Car number 432, together with its crew and passengers, are seen here in Great Western Road on a sunny day in 1914.  The tram is in Phase II condition, a roof having been added, enclosing most of the upper deck except for the balconies.   The motorman’s compartment below is still open to the elements.  The tram is about to set off for Springfield Road via Cambridge Street and Duke Street, as indicated on the side panel.   Events in Europe would soon overshadow the tranquility of scenes like this and one can only wonder what happened to the crew in the Great War which ensued.  ( Original photograph )

A motorwoman is now in charge of Phase II Car 914 at the Botanic Gardens terminus. At the beginning of the Great War in August 1914, Glasgow Magistrates asked the Corporation employees to form two battalions to help in the war effort and many of those who volunteered were Tramway motormen and conductors. They became the 15th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, known as the Glasgow Tramways Battalion.  In order to keep the trams running in their absence, the Corporation encouraged women to train as drivers and conductresses, a practice that continued after the war and up until 1 September, 1962, the last day of tram operation for the public.

Like Car number 432, Car 506 was also photographed in 1914 but there are two notable differences, apart from the absence of passengers.  The driver’s compartment in 506 has been enclosed by a vestibule so that the motorman is no longer exposed to wind, dust and driving rain.  The addition of vestibules at both ends of the tram now elevated this car to Phase III status.  The second significant difference from the Car 432 photograph is the presence of a conductress.  ( Glasgow Corporation Tramways original photograph )

Three Phase III trams in immaculate condition are seen here in this classic photo of St. Vincent Place taken in 1924.  The leading car, No. 23, was relatively new, having been completed in May 1922 as a blue route car that would later be changed to red by May 1929.  The head codes at the top of the vestibules had been recently introduced and became immediately unpopular with the crews because they had to be changed at the end of every trip and it did not help that the handle to turn them was difficult to access and slow to operate.

The orthochromatic film that was used at this time distorted the various route colors.  For example, red and yellow came out looking black in the photos whereas the blue route colour appeared lighter.  White was probably the exception as it appeared white in the photographs also.  I am grateful to Hugh McAulay and Ian Stewart of the Scottish Tramway and Transport Society for providing information regarding this scene.  ( Postcard published by J. Valentine & Co., Dundee. )

There is plenty of action in this “Roaring Twenties” scene downtown at the intersection of Argyle Street with the junction of Jamaica Street and Union Street. Tramcars are clattering across the intersection in both directions and a woman is racing across the path of approaching car 571 bound for Renfrew. The passengers seated in the open balconies of these tramcars would have a grandstand view of the action.  All of the trams here are in Phase III condition with vestibules protecting the drivers while the balconies upstairs are not enclosed.  I have seen a used example of this postcard dated 10 June, 1925, so the photograph may have been taken in 1924 or early 1925. ( Anonymous publisher )

Here, the men of the Coplawhill Works Paint Shop are photographed with a pair of newly refurbished ex-Airdrie & Coatbridge Tramways Company trams in a scene dated 7th June, 1926. These trams would first have been through the main works for any repairs and alterations before coming into the Paint Shop to be repainted into the Glasgow Corporation Tramways livery.   The Airdrie & Coatbridge Tramways Company was acquired by Glasgow Corporation on January 1, 1922 and was connected to the Glasgow system by a lengthy section of roadside reserved track between Baillieston and Langloan in Coatbridge.

The trams shown here are now bearing destinations which apply to the Paisley area of operation.  Rouken Glen was a long route from Paisley, through Barrhead, and then to Spiersbridge, which was a short distance from Rouken Glen Park where Glasgow trams ran a circular route from the city. I would like to thank Hugh MacAulay of the Scottish Tramway and Transport Society for providing this information. ( Original photograph, Glasgow Corporation Tramways )

Phase I and Phase III Standard Cars side by side at Saracen Cross, the Possilpark terminus.

Three fully lined out Standard tramcars and a recently introduced Coronation car are seen here, probably sometime in the first half of 1938, at the Kelvinside terminus situated at the top of Hyndland Road.  This photograph was taken before the cross-over at this location was lifted and moved about 200 yards down the road to outside Hyndland Station.  The Standard cars seen here are now in Phase IV condition, their balconies having been completely enclosed.   As in previous photographs, the trams are in immaculate condition, reflecting the high standard of upkeep by Coplawhill Works and the various tram depots.  They would be looking their best in time for the Empire Exhibition which Glasgow was hosting and which would open on 3rd May, 1938 in Bellahouston Park. These tram liveries with route colors and full lining would be the finest that Glasgow’s Standard cars would carry and examples can be seen today on fully restored cars at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and at the National Tramway Museum at Crich in Derbyshire.  ( Original photograph )

Two white Standard trams in Phase IV condition with their balconies enclosed are seen here in Hawthorn Street, Springburn in 1938.  Both trams are now displaying route number 18 printed in black on a white card.  Route numbers were introduced on 3rd May 1938 at the opening of the Empire Exhibition and cards were used throughout the system until they were steadily replaced by screens in route number boxes.  This photograph is considered to be one of many taken by W.A. Camwell from Birmingham who was a prolific photographer of trams all around the U.K. in the 1930s.
( Information and photograph kindly provided by Hugh MacAulay of the Scottish Tramway and Transport Society. )

Now, you might think that these trams would head off down nearby Springburn Road at the beginning of their return journey to Rutherglen and Burnside but this was not the case. Instead, on route 18, they would travel the full length of Hawthorn Street in the opposite direction, through Possilpark, along Bilsland Drive into Maryhill, down Maryhill Road to St. George’s Road, thence to Charing Cross, Sauchiehall Street, Elmbank Street, then to Bothwell Street, Hope Street, Argyle Street, and east through the Trongate, London Road, Bridgeton Cross, to Main Street, before crossing the Clyde at Rutherglen Bridge and thence to Shawfield, Rutherglen and Burnside.   So initially they headed west and then south before turning back east and then south-east.

Here are two more white Standard tramcars in Phase IV condition, seen at the University Avenue terminus of Service 3 from Mosspark, most probably in mid-1938. The building across the road was the Men’s Union. At that time, there was only one university in Glasgow, and the male and female students had separate unions. ( Original photograph )

Standard tramcars and a single-deck, converted former Paisley car are seen here in Partick Depot in the 1930’s.  The Standard trams are in their lined route colours as this was before route numbers were introduced in 1938. Photograph by W. A. Camwell.

A standard tram operating on service 29 between Milngavie and Broomhouse ( Calderpark Zoo ) is seen heading east on Argyle Street, having just emerged from the Heilanman’s Umbrella on 9th August, 1953. ( Original photograph copyright R. Wiseman.)

A Standard tramcar on service 12 is coming up Shields Road on its way back to Mount Florida from Paisley Road Toll.  Standard cars were used exclusively on this service because their short wheelbase could handle the sharp turns in the track encountered near the Paisley Road Toll terminus. (Photograph reproduced by kind permission of Ian Todd and the Glasgow Chronicles.)

Coronation Mark I cars photographed in Partick Depot on 3rd September, 1961 during an enthusiasts tour.

Please note that all of the photographs here are ones that I have obtained or have permission to use. If any are under copyright, could the owner(s) please contact me and I will request permission to post, and acknowledge them.   The text is © Christopher J. Jones.

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