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Steam tram

Museum of Transport

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Steam tram

Men and vehicles at the Fairfield depot of the Vale of Clyde Tramway Co in Govan. The VCTC operated tram services in Govan from 1873 until 1893, and in 1877 introduced the first urban steam powered trams in the United Kingdom. The steam engines were used to pull carriages such as those pictured here. Steam trams were quicker and cheaper to run than their horse-drawn equivalents, although smoke and sparks from the engines often made it an uncomfortable experience to ride on the open upper decks of the tram cars. In 1891, with the expiry of the VCTC’s lease with the Burgh of Govan, the Govan tram services were taken over by the Glasgow Tramway & Omnibus Co and then by the Glasgow Corporation Tramways Department.

Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums

Keywords:
engineering works, Fairfield Depot, Glasgow Corporation Tramways, Glasgow Tramway & Omnibus Co, steam engines, steam trams, tram cars, trams, tramways, Vale of Clyde Tramway Co



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