Birkenhead Street Railway Co. Ltd
George Francis Train was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1829. He started working for a cousin of his father, who ran a shipping business. When he was 21 years old, George was sent to Liverpool to run the company's second shipping office and became a partner there. He returned to the USA in 1851 and then to Australia. There he worked as a merchant and obtained funds to build a railway and warehouse to supply Melbourne. He left Australia in 1855, eventually returning to the USA.
By 1858 George Train was back in the UK trying to promote street railways (trams). In early 1860, when the Busby brothers and other operators of the Liverpool dock line were in dispute with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, George Train offered to run omnibuses on the line. However the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board settled with the original operators. Also in early 1860, like the Busby borthers, he offered to build a tram system in Liverpool[1]. Not having much success in Liverpool, George Train turned his attention to Birkenhead.
On 9 March 1860 George Train wrote to the Birkenhead Commissioners reqesting to operate a street railway service with sole use of the rails. The Commissioners replied that he could not have exclusive use and he agreed to this condition as long as only his vehicles could have flanged wheels. He offered to lift the if they line was not a success and a security of £3000. In May the Commissioners agreed to proceed with an initial double line from Woodside Ferry to the park. Work commenced on the 10th July with the track completed by the 29th August with two single and two double trams built (possibly assembled) by Robert Main who had built omnibues for the Liverpool Dock rail trials. The rail heads were above th street level and were 5' 4" wide instead of the standard narrow guage width of 4" 8". It has been proposed that this wdith difference was due to a misunderstanding of instructions, with American guage measured to the outside of the rail and UK guage to the groove the width of the groove the flange runs on.
A grand banquet and opening ceremony were held on the 30th. People who attended the banquet at Robert Main's works included John Greenwood, Thomas Evans and the the Busby brothers. The picture opposite shows guests on a tram during the grand opening from the book of the ceremony - First Street Railway Banquet in the Old World, published in October 1860. George Train is standing upstairs at the front of the tram pointing forwards.
From the beginning the service was a success with the passengers and some Comissioners pushed for an extension early on, but it was decided to allow for the six montsh trial to lapse. However there were also complaints about problems with driving over the rails. However the extension was sanctioned and in November the company had a special meeting to raise capital for the extension. Two London engineers and one American engineer were present - they favoured raised rails, stating that grooved rails had been tried in the USA and found unacceptable. Despite the success of trams on the Liverpool Dock Railway, which did not have raised rails, the company decided to proceed with raised rails for the extension. the company's call for tenders was published on the 26th November. The plan agreed with the Commissioners was to lift one of the double lines in Conway Street and extend the line from the park to Claughton.
On 11th December it was reported that one of the company shareholders had run an empty vehicle on to the track to obstruct the tramway. This was reported as being due to a squabble over supply of horses for the tramway. It is possible that this was the first action by Thomas Evans against the company. On 12th December a cab driver drove his cab on the rails, slowing down the tram. This resulted in the cab driver facing a charge of obstruction and assault on 27th December at Birkenhead Police Court. The charge of obstruction was dismissed and the charge of assault withdrawn [2]. This resulted in three cab drivers repeatedly obstructing the trams with the Commissioners finally taking action in early February 1861, ordering their companies to dismiss them.
With the extension to Claughton Park completed, in April 1861 the Commissioners were considering an extension to Palmgrove and reduction of the height of the rails above the road. Concern was expressed at the trams travelling at 16mph. They also requested a plan from the company. The extension was approved in May. On the 1st of "May Queen" started operating on the line. This was a single horse tram capable of carrying 25 people at about 8mph without excessive strain on the horse. Unlike the cramped omnibuses, the trams were described as very spacious with upholstery and pictures on the walls [3]. In July 1861 the Commisioners reviewed a request by the company to delay the tramline to Claughton village but to proceed with the extension to Palmgrove. This was approved with Thomas Evans objecting that the road width did not meet the original requirement of 50 feet.
On the 6th September Harold Powell, the seven year old son of a cotton broker, was killed outside his house in Claughton when he jumped from the front door of a tram, fell and his head was ran over by the tram[4]. Although it was reported that this was the second such fatal accident and that the conductor had not signalled to stop the tram as requested, the inquist returned a verdict of accidental death. The jury noted that the company should take measures to stop people riding on the front platform of the trams.
The company approached Wallasey Local Board in late Septeember asking for permission to lay down a tramline between Seacombe, Egremont and New Brighton. The board was of the opinion that a tramline like the Birkenhead tramline, with raised rails, was too inconvenient for carts and carriages, so would affect the ferry traffic. Permission was refused in early November. Just before this William Jackson MP had filed a bill in Chancery to prevent the Birkenhead Street Railway Co. from running trams on it's new extension from Claughton Park to Palmgrove because it was a public nuisance[5]. It was considered that if the tramline was proved a public nuisance that all of the track would have to be lifted.
In January 1862 Ralph Musgrove's case was decided[6]. He had been a ship's purser and was sent to New York by George Train to learn about tram operation. On his return to the UK in November 1860 he was appointed general superintendent of the line with his salary being 5% of the gross earnings. He was summarily dismissed in October 1861. Ralph Musgrove was awarded £480 subject to arbitration. At the end of this month Thomas Evans began operating two of his omnibuses on the tramline. Cases were heard at court in early February that tended to favour Thomas Evans' drivers. The Commissioners also agreed that Thomas Evan could operate on the line. The company reported that it had recieved a letter from Thomas Evans offering to lease the line but denied that it had done so[7]. However at this time or shortly afterwards Thomas Evans did obtain a lease to operate the line. The company share capital was reported as £13620 in March.
At the beginning of April 1862 it was reported that William Jackson had won his case, the grand jury deciding that the company had created a public nuisance by extending the tramline [8]. At this time the company obtained a valuation for transfer and disposal of their stock. The case was appealed to the Queen's Bench without success. As a consequence of this legal action, on the 2nd August the company was prevented from running trams.[9]. Thomas Evans issued a poster stating that his contract with the company was terminated and that he would run omnibuses on the tramline from Monday. It was reported that the company had to pay £200 or remove the tramlines. An arrangement was made and the trams were running again on the 18th August. Sevices were recommenced by Charles Castle, an omnibus operator from Garston, who had a 2 year lease to operate the trams. In Decemeber of that year the Commission was considering joint funding of further extensions to the tramlines. It was also stating that if the company did not repair the track then they would repair it and charge the company.
The Birkenhead Improvement Commissioners Act was passed on 29th June 1863. As well as road improvements, sewerage and other improvement matters, the Commissioners intended to have the tramlines already laid legalised and to have the power to organise extensions. Witnesses at the enquiry included Thomas Evans. He with others declared the tramlines a nuisance. Clause 15 of the resulting act considered tramlines. It gave the Commission the right to lay tramlines or authorize the laying of tramlines on street widths with a minimum width of 60 feet including the footpaths. The act specifically excluded existing tramlines, so did not legalise them. This was followed in July by the Commissioners demanding that the company repair the tramlines or they would be uplifted.
The threat of uplifting the tramlines may be the catalyst that got the company to engage James McHenry. James McHenry was born in Larne, Ireland and grew up in Philidephia. In 1838 he went to Liverpool and a year later was the junior partner on A R & J McHenry of Philidelphia and Liverpool, an import/export company. When this company collapsed, he started on his own account, first as an importer, then a shipping agent and by 1856 his was engaged in finance, his company being entrusted with selling bonds for the Great Western and Atlantic Railroad Company of the USA, in which he heavily invested. In September 1863 James McHenry wrote to the Commissioners on behalf of the company. He offered to widen Palmgrove and to maintain the tramlines at his expense with the Commissioners providing a 21 year lease for the company to operate the tramlines. Following negotiations it was agreed that James McHenry would replace all of the tramline with 4'8" guage that was flush with the road and had square stones. The consideration of a 21 year lease had not been mentioned. The Birkenhead Street Railway Co. called an extraordinary meeting in December to discuss approval of the agreement and the issue of preferential shares to finance the work required.
The photograph opposite shows the Woodside Ferry station before 1900 with a tram, omnibuses and taxis waiting for the arrival of the ferry. The ferry is seen arriving on the top left of the photograph.
| Birkenhead Street Railway Co. Ltd | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:BSR.001.jpg | ||
| Source | (Smith-75/PA) | |
| Filename | BSR.001 | |
| Value | ||
| Add Desc. | Train's Patent (horse car at Marble Arch) | |
| Size (mm) | 24x19 | |
| Manufacture | Brass | |
| Notes | Oval | |
- ↑ Northern Daily Times, Feb 4 1860, page 5
- ↑ Liverpool Daily Post, 28 Dec 1860, page 3
- ↑ Liverpool Daily Post, 07 May 1861, page 4
- ↑ Liverpool Daily Post, 11 Sep 1861, page 7
- ↑ Liverpool Albion, 04 Nov 1861, Page 4
- ↑ Liverpool Albion, 06 Jan 1862, Page 10
- ↑ Liverpool Mercury, 15 Feb 1862, page 6
- ↑ Liverpool Mercury, 02 Apr 1862, Page 5
- ↑ Liverpool Mercury, 04 Aug 1862, Page 3