In Might Have Been Trams and Tramways the author, Tony Young, looks at many of the electric tramway/light rail schemes which have been planned for the British Isles, but for one reason or another never happened.
The author looks at both the “first generation” electric tramways, which came into being in the 1880s and existed through to the 1960s, and the “second generation” light rail schemes which have been favoured by planners in more recent years. Whilst it is not a comprehensive record, in that it does not cover planned extensions to tramways unless they would have connected with another system to produce or expand a tramway network, it does summarise the variety of schemes which were missed out on and gives an insight into the many systems which were devised.
Chapters covered:
- Introduction
- Tramways that might have happened
- First generation tramway ‘might have beens’
- Missing links
- Tram Tunnels – only one made it
- Blackpool – the first and the last
- Gone but not forgotten, light rail plans not dead yet
- Potential Light Rail Networks
- Rolling Stock
- Second generation tramways
- Tyne & Wear Metro
- Docklands Light Railway
- Greater Manchester Metrolink
- South Yorkshire Supertram
- West Midlands Metro (formerly Midland Metro)
- London Tramlink (formerly Croydon Tramlink)
- Nottingham
- Edinburgh
- London
- Should have made it tramways
- Not yet made it tramways
- Historic Cities
- False starts and wasted plans
- Never to make it tramways?
- Epilogue
Over 235 colour and black & white pictures. 117 maps. 192 pages.