Sheffield Trams

Sir: Like the writer of the Sheffield Trams article (Winter 2017), I was born in Crookes, on Coombe Road to be precise, less than 200 yards from Pickmere Road Tram sheds. Taking my association with Sheffield Transport further, I worked for them during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. I was a bus fitter, based at Queens Road works; complete trams had even been built there including many war-ravaged trams, which had been damaged during the Blitz in December 1940. The Roberts tram your writer refers to as 510 was repainted in its final livery at Queens Road.

My claim to fame was that I drove it on its last night, albeit only down to the main doors! As I didn’t have a tram licence I could go no further, but it’s still an achievement and a fond memory.

Behind the works, building was in progress for the new bus depot at East Bank Road, and I was to be transferred to it on its completion in 1961 until I left in 1968. — KEN MOREWOOD,

ROMILEY, STOCKPORT, CHESHIRE.

Sir: I was very interested in the article “Trams into Town”. I remember as a young lad in the early 1950s when the last trams stopped running in Brixton, South London. When they ripped up the tracks, all around them were wooden blocks covered in tar. I recall my father saying some of those would go well on the fire, I don’t think he ever managed to get any.

I also remember the trolleybuses, they were so quiet. I have thoroughly enjoyed This England and the 2018 This England Annual. Both are excellent works.— ERNEST

PADDON, CORONET BAY, VICTORIA,

AUSTRALIA. *Thank you for those kind comments, sir. An article about trolleybuses appeared in the winter 2017 issue of our sister magazine Evergreen. — Ed.