Stockport's Tramways

rogerfarnworth · 1 Apr 2025

Stockport Corporation Tramways – Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949 – Part 1

P.W. Gentry wrote about Stockport’s trams in the July 1949 issue of Modern Tramway.

He says: “Besides possessing several interesting features of its own, the Stockport system today commands added attention as the last last surviving member of that once network of standard gauge undertakings encircling Manchester. It is an unusually pleasing system by virtue of its compact and simple arrangement, its focal point being Mersey Square.”

This article in Modern Tramway caught my attention because for about 9 years I worked in Stockport as a highway engineer.

We know that tramways arrived in Stockport in the 1880’s from the Manchester direction when “the Manchester Tramways and Carriage Co, Ltd., [opened] a horse-car service into Mersey Square via Levenshulme.”

In 1889, the Stockport and Hazel Grove Carriage and Tramway Co. Ltd. was formed and “instituted horse car services southwards to Hazel Grove and Edgeley at Easter 1890.”

Stockport Corporation Tramways – Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949 – Part 1

P.W. Gentry wrote about Stockport’s trams in the July 1949 issue of Modern Tramway. He says: “Besides possessing several interesting features of its own, the Stockport system today comm…

rogerfarnworth.com

This article in Modern Tramway caught my attention because for about 9 years I worked in Stockport as a highway engineer.

We know that tramways arrived in Stockport in the 1880’s from the Manchester direction when “the Manchester Tramways and Carriage Co, Ltd., [opened] a horse-car service into Mersey Square via Levenshulme.”

RailUK Forums

Efini92 · 2 Apr 2025

Every now and then when the A6 is dug up you can see the old tram lines.

rogerfarnworth · 2 Apr 2025

That used to be quite a regular occurrence around Greater Manchester. .... One tale I heard a few times (may be apocryphal) was of tram lined under tarmac holding the road in place after sewer failures.

Efini92 · 2 Apr 2025

It wouldn’t surprise me, I think they just paved over all the cobbles and left everything in situ.

furnessvale · 3 Apr 2025

Efini92 said:
It wouldn’t surprise me, I think they just paved over all the cobbles and left everything in situ.

Very common in the UK if not worldwide.

Setts make a very strong sub base. It would be madness to remove them. You normally find the only place such road surfaces have failed is where a utility company has dug up the road to attend to their stuff and not replaced the setts during reinstatement.

davyp · 3 Apr 2025

As a student I worked during the Summer (1968 to 1970) with County Borough of Stockport Highways Department, mainly with the sewer gang! Also worked cleaning and re-laying granite sets after roadworks. This was mainly on the A6 where the tram track was indeed just below the surface. We also cleaned - my job - and laid sets in the circular drive directly in front of Lyme Hall in the Summer of 1969, and they are still there to this day.
Lived within 10 metres (yards!) of the tram track from 1949 onwards, just as the trams finished.

Whisky Papa · 3 Apr 2025

Another interesting article, thank you @rogerfarnworth. I've spent odd chunks of my working life in Stockport from the 1980s to the 2010s in various transport roles so have something of a fondness for the town.

I wasn't aware of how large the Mersey Square depot was, as I'd for some reason assumed the Heaton Lane one was the larger of the two.

Interesting that although the through route from Manchester to Hazel Grove was established so early, there didn't seem to be the same emphasis on running trams through from Manchester via Reddish. There was the old 233/4 bus from Manchester to Greave / Romiley that ran via Reddish, and I think peak hour services from Manchester to Houldsworth Sqare as the 202, but the current Manchester - Reddish - Stockport 203 service really only dates back to the early 1980s.

I may be wrong, but something in the back of my mind has the Manchester - Reddish (Bulls Head) trams as running through from Weaste (or Eccles) and being a joint Manchester and Salford service?

Sir Felix Pole · 3 Apr 2025

Whisky Papa said:
Another interesting article, thank you @rogerfarnworth. I've spent odd chunks of my working life in Stockport from the 1980s to the 2010s in various transport roles so have something of a fondness for the town.

I wasn't aware of how large the Mersey Square depot was, as I'd for some reason assumed the Heaton Lane one was the larger of the two.

Interesting that although the through route from Manchester to Hazel Grove was established so early, there didn't seem to be the same emphasis on running trams through from Manchester via Reddish. There was the old 233/4 bus from Manchester to Greave / Romiley that ran via Reddish, and I think peak hour services from Manchester to Houldsworth Sqare as the 202, but the current Manchester - Reddish - Stockport 203 service really only dates back to the early 1980s.

I may be wrong, but something in the back of my mind has the Manchester - Reddish (Bulls Head) trams as running through from Weaste (or Eccles) and being a joint Manchester and Salford service?

Yes, Salford had running powers to Reddish (and Levenshulme), but used them only at peak periods. Stockport had running powers to Manchester via Reddish and Hyde Road / Gorton Lane, but used them only for workmens' services to the (long gone) heavy industries there. Manchester closed the Gorton Lane route, somehow failing to tell Stockport, and a workmens' tram duly arrived on the first morning to find the overhead had disappeared!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Apr 2025 ==

Manchester trams couldn't operate to Stockport via Reddish because of the steep Lancashire Hill and the need for slip / track brakes.

Whisky Papa · 4 Apr 2025

Sir Felix Pole said:
Yes, Salford had running powers to Reddish (and Levenshulme), but used them only at peak periods. Stockport had running powers to Manchester via Reddish and Hyde Road / Gorton Lane, but used them only for workmens' services to the (long gone) heavy industries there. Manchester closed the Gorton Lane route, somehow failing to tell Stockport, and a workmens' tram duly arrived on the first morning to find the overhead had disappeared!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Apr 2025 ==

Manchester trams couldn't operate to Stockport via Reddish because of the steep Lancashire Hill and the need for slip / track brakes.

Thanks for the explanation about Lancashire Hill - I guess it would be somewhat steeper than anything found on the Manchester network. My own experience of driving (mini)buses through Reddish actually avoided it, as the Bee Line Buzz routes running through Reddish departed Stockport via Wellington Road North and Belmont Way.

Mollington St · 4 Apr 2025

To add to the story - The Stockport Corporation Tramways -Soft backed book published in 1975 written by Maurice Marshall - 160 pages , over 200 photos and plans including a large fold out route map

I have just updated my Tram and Tramway Books section , so came across the copy - £5 plus post and its half price post if you mention in the notes this forum, ( postage discount given as refund via pay pal ) - Transport Past Times

rogerfarnworth · 21 Apr 2025

Stockport Corporation Tramways – Part 2 (Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949)

This is a second article looking at Stockport Corporations Tramways.

Mersey Square was the main hub of Stockport’s tramway network and appeared as a schematic plan in Gentry’s article in The Modern Tramway. …

Stockport Corporation Tramways – Part 2 (Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949)

P.W. Gentry wrote about Stockport’s trams in the July 1949 issue of Modern Tramway. He says: “Besides possessing several interesting features of its own, the Stockport system today comm…

rogerfarnworth.com

Whisky Papa · 25 Apr 2025

rogerfarnworth said:
Stockport Corporation Tramways – Part 2 (Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949)

This is a second article looking at Stockport Corporations Tramways.

Mersey Square was the main hub of Stockport’s tramway network and appeared as a schematic plan in Gentry’s article in The Modern Tramway. …

Stockport Corporation Tramways – Part 2 (Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949)

P.W. Gentry wrote about Stockport’s trams in the July 1949 issue of Modern Tramway. He says: “Besides possessing several interesting features of its own, the Stockport system today comm…

rogerfarnworth.com

Again, very interesting, thanks for your efforts. I'd not appreciated the line through Bredbury came under SHMD.

One very minor query with the caption reproduced below:

"Warren Street cut across a peninsula of land between the River Goyt and the River Mersey with the confluence between the River Goyt and the River Etherow to the North. [35]"

Should that not be the confluence of the River Goyt and the River Tame, rather than the River Etherow, which actually joins the Goyt in the Marple area?

rogerfarnworth · 25 Apr 2025

You are right. I will get this changed. Thank you.

Stockport's Tramways

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Stockport Corporation Tramways – Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949 – Part 1

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Efini92

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furnessvale

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Mollington St

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Stockport Corporation Tramways – Part 2 (Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949)

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Stockport Corporation Tramways – Part 2 (Modern Tramway Vol. 12 No. 138, June 1949)

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