The London Feltham Tram

The London Feltham Tram (Hardback)

The Evolution of a Classic Tramcar Design

By Peter Waller
Imprint: Pen & Sword Transport
Pages: 152
Illustrations: 200
Published: 28th February 2020

By the late 1920s the existing trams operated by both the Metropolitan Electric Tramways and the London United Tramways were increasingly aged. Although the long-term future of the tramways was open to doubt, the two operators co-operated in the development of one of the most important types of tram ever built in Britain – the ‘Feltham’. Conceived following detailed research and the construction of a number of prototype cars – facets covered in the book – the production ‘Felthams’ all entered service by the early 1930s. However, the LPTB’s plans for converting tram routes to trolleybus operation soon saw these modern cars transferred from north of the River Thames to south of the river. Here the production cars mostly survived until the final conversion programme; this was not the end of the story, however, as the majority were sold for further service to Leeds, where the last survivors were to see the final closure of the West Riding system in November 1959. The book explores the story of the ‘Felthams’ in London, Leeds and Sunderland where the unique centre-entrance car – MET No 331 – was to operate following withdrawal in the metropolis.