Edinburgh Trams, 1948-56

A rare illustrated insight into the tram fleet of the Edinburgh Corporation in the mid-twentieth century.

During the 1950s the Edinburgh Corporation fleet consisted mainly of modern vehicles that had been constructed during the 1930s with nineteen of 1940s origin and six cars completed in 1950. Until 1920 the system had been cable hauled and one of the largest in the world but with the merging of the Burgh of Leith system in 1920 – Leith had operated its own electric tram system since 1905 – Edinburgh made the decision to abandon cable operation and to electrify the routes, which it completed in 1922. The system consisted of twenty-eight service routes stretching from Corstorphine in the west to Levenhall in the east and from Granton in the north to Fairmilehead, Liberton and Colinton in the south. Agreement to abandon the system was made during 1950 and the withdrawal of routes commenced in earnest during 1952 with three services being stopped, a further eight routes going in 1954 with the last ten services ceasing over a period of months in 1956. The last two services, No. 28, the Braids to Stanley Road, and No. 23, Morningside to Granton Road station, survived to the end, this being Friday 16 November 1956. Featuring a fascinating array of contemporary images, the photographs of the trams are laid out in the order of the car number.