A Brief History of Lowestoft Trams

Early in 1903 construction started of the Tramway from Florence Road in Pakefield to Yarmouth Road in north Lowestoft. A spur was built along Denmark Road to the tramshed (still there)in Rotterdam Road. It was 3 ft 6 ins gauge, with the rails imported from Germany. 

• The swing bridge required special engineering. Cut-offs and catch points ensured no tram could inadvertently trundle into the water if the bridge was open. 
• 22nd July 1903 Grand opening of the Tramway. Once the system was up and running, there was a seven minute service in operation. 165,900 passengers were carried in the first two weeks. 
• 1914-18 The appalling carnage of the First World War eventually meant that Lowestoft Corporation Transport now employed women drivers, inspectors and conductors. 
• 1920 - The Corporation installed poles and span wires were erected for trolleybuses. But the overhead wires were never installed, and trolley buses never graced our streets. 
• 1927 The first Corporation bus service was introduced, along the seafront. The trolleybus poles were used for street lighting. 
• 1928 The bus service was extended to other areas, and in 1927 it was introduced along the route of the tramway. 
• 1930 The Corporation saw the spark was failing, and decided to abandon the tram system 
• 1931 8th May saw the last ever Lowestoft tram service, driven by the oldest driver who had been with the service since 1903.. In almost 28 years the trams had carried around 80 million passengers, and driven about 8 million miles. zz Information taken from: 

Lost Tramways of East Anglia by Leslie Oppitz (Countryside Books 2004) zz For a full account, with many photos, read Lowestoft Tramways by David Mackley (Middleton Press 210)