TRAVELLING IN STYLE
Page 26
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As the time draws near to the opening of the Croydon Tramlink, the Hawk can hardly contain his excitement. Luckily the old bird won't burst with anticipation because this week he has been indulging in his own tram-fest with the publication of four new titles from transport publisher Adam Gordon.
The Douglas Horse Tramway, by Keith Pearson, maps the journey of the horsedrawn tram from Victorian times to the present day. In 1870 "retired civil engineer Thomas Lightfoot moved to Douglas on the Isle of Man with his family. Not content to spend his autumn years strolling the promenade, on 7 August 1876 Lightfoot opened the Douglas Bay Tramway. The horse trams grew in popularity and soon proved a major tourist
attraction for the island. In 1882 Lightfoot sold out to the Isle of Man Tramways, which in 1894 was bought out by the Douglas and Laxey Coast Electric Tramway Company to become the Isle of Man Tramways and Electric Power Company.
A change of fortunes saw the liquidators brought in, and in 1902 the Douglas Corporation paid £50,000 for the fleet of 36 horse-cars and 12 cable cars. Over the years, proposals to convert the tramways to electricity were rejected and the horses remain to this day.
Keith Pearson first encountered the Douglas horse tram in 1945 and this book is a testament to his enthusiasm and knowledge. It is illustrated throughout with archive monochrome photographs and costs £16.50 including P&P.
The Twilight Years of the Glasgow Tram, by Alasdair Turnbull, is the product of a love affair spanning decades. In 1960 the young Turnbull
joined the Scottish Tramway Museum Society.
While his father supported this passion, he drew the line when his son suggested a tram body for the greenhouse. it was through the society that Turnbull met Douglas McMillan and was enraptured by his colourful recollections.
McMillan died in 1994 and it was in 1997, when Adam Gordon acquired McMillan's slide collection, that Turnbull offered to identify all 1,563 slides. This book contains 260 colour photographs of McMillan's trams, providing an evocative and unique portrait of Glasgow in the fifties and early sixties.
Turnbull presents the views in an imaginative roundthe-clock tour of the city. The pictures are Interspersed ,vith the author's affectionate captions.
It's priced at £28 inc P&P.
Other titles available are: The Millennium Guide to Trams in the British isles by David Voice (£11 inc P&P); and Edinburgh's Transport, The Corporation Years by DLG Hunter (£22.00 inc P&P).
All titles are available from Adam Gordon, Priory Cottage, Chetwode, Nr Buckingham. Bucks MK18 4L8.