Hardback | 64 pages | 150 x 200mm
Publication 24 October 2022 | 

At the peak of Britain’s first-generation tramways, it was possible to travel by tram all the way from Pier Head at Liverpool to the Pennines in Rochdale by tram. Amongst the chain of tramways that formed these links were the services that operated in Bolton, St Helens, Wigan and the company lines controlled by South Lancashire Tramways. Each of these systems had a fascinating history but all were to suffer greatly as a result of lack of maintenance during and after World War I and from bus competition, with the result that only one – Bolton – survived into the post-World War II era.

Locations featured include: Farnworth, Dunscar, Tonge, Horwich, Halliwell, Montserrat, Bury, Huyton, Prescot, Worsley and Leigh.

The Lost Tramways series documents the tram networks which were at the heart of many of Britain’s growing towns and cities from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. An informative, accessible and portable resource for the tram enthusiast as well as the general reader, and a superb souvenir or gift for visitors past and present.

Hardback | 64 pages | 150 x 200mm
Publication 30 March 2023 | 

Manchester was at the centre of a network of tramway systems that served the city and the neighbouring towns. This is one of two volumes in the series to cover the tramways of Manchester and focuses on the routes to the south of the city centre and the history of the Manchester system in the build-up to World War II. The tramways underwent considerable investment in the 1920s but a change of manager led to the start of the conversion to bus and trolleybus operation as war approached.

Hardback | 64 pages | 150 x 200mm
Publication 30 March 2023 | 

One of two volumes in the ‘Lost Tramways’ series featuring the tramways of Manchester and its environs, this volume explores in detail the routes to the north of the city centre. Also covered are the history of the city’s tramways in the post-World War II era and those of neighbouring Salford Corporation. Separated by the River Irwell, relations between the two operators was not always harmonious but both were to survive into the late 1940s.

Stephen Lockwood. Laminated hardback. 160pp

By David Voice.  165 pages containing a review of the system with colour and black and white images throughout.

On Tuesday 4th September1962 an estimated quarter of a million people turned out on the streets of Glasgow, in pouring rain, to bid a fond farewell to a form of transport that had been seen in the city since 1872 when horse trams started to ply their trade. On 13th October 1898 the first electric routes operated, with some of these trams remaining in service for over sixty years.

All of the photographs in this book were taken by Londoner Peter Mitchell who visited Glasgow on ten occasions between 1951 and 1962 during which time he took more than a thousand images of the city’s trams. The authors have used a new approach when compiling this book, as it details routes by groups rather than singly. All the images are either to half or full page configuration which allows readers to study the trams and the background in which they worked in great detail.

The book portrays the city streets of Glasgow, its suburbs and the routes beyond its boundary. Standards, Coronations and Cunarders trams are shown to good effect with each picture having the date and time it was taken. Many believe that Glasgow was the greatest tramway city in the United Kingdom; this book illustrates why they think that. The procession of twenty cars from Dalmarnock depot to Coplawhill Works is shown and, despite the inclement weather, the views benefit from someone with a good knowledge of camera settings. An animated dialogue of a tramway enthusiast driving tram 488 many miles around the city on 3rd June 1961 is compelling reading. The opportunity has been taken to include what is a unique photographic record of tram 1282 taking part on a special run from Dalmarnock to Clydebank and back on Thursday 6th September 1962. A loose-leaf map drawn by master cartographer John Gillham is included; this allows the reader to follow each service and complements the way in which the authors describe them in each chapter. This 228-page book, comprising of 406 monochrome images.

Michael Russel 2022

Tells the story of a truly remarkable network in a region of Poland rich in mineral resources, which was at serious risk of closure in the post-industrial era but has survived and regenerated itself to become an important player in the regional transport infrastructure. Local political support and a determined and committed management who, even in the darkest days, never lost faith in the tramway’s future potential, have resulted in the transformation of infrastructure and introduction of modern, low-floor rolling stock to cater for the needs of present-day passengers. The way in which advantage has been taken of well-maintained second-hand articulated cars from cities such as Frankfurt and Vienna, and the very professional manner in which these have been modernised within the tramway company’s workshops, is testament to a vibrant and forward-looking undertaking. The people of Upper Silesia are lucky to be served by one of the greatest tramway networks the world has ever known. The book also acts as a comprehensive guide to the system that operates today.

This book will be available free of charge to LRTA members booking accommodation for the AGM Weekend in Katowice – see website for details.

Published by the LRTA – A4 softback, 240 pages, 300+ black & white and colour pictures plus large-scale folding track plan.

To mark the milestone issue of T&UT and its predecessor The Modern Tramway, published continuously since 1937, the magazine’s production team has put together this interesting collection of tramway topics for readers to enjoy and share in our celebration.

Covering the history of the Association and its involvement in determined advocacy of the benefits of modern tram systems, various authors explain the demise of the first-generation tramways throughout the British Isles (with the honourable exceptions of Blackpool and the Isle of Man) and the ultimate successful return of the mode to Manchester, followed by Sheffield, the West Midlands, Croydon, Nottingham, Dublin and Edinburgh – in addition to the Tyne & Wear Metro and London’s Docklands Light Railway.


Published by the LRTA 2021 – A4 softback; 224 pages, 260 colour and 33 black & white pictures plus 5 maps.

Geoffrey Skelsey and Yves Laurent Hansart 2011
Published by the LRTA – A4 softback; 84 pages, over 140 photos – monochrome and colour

In a follow up to their previous work for the LRTA on the Brussels and Belgian Coastal tramways, the authors vividly describe the development of the PCC car in post-war Western Europe right through to the demise in recent years.

The main subject of this book is the famous Belgian PCCs which were used extensively in Belgium itself, in Den Haag and on a few other European systems. Also described are the few PCCs manufactured by other builders, such as those in Rome, and a handful of 'PCC-like' cars, such as the Blackpool VAMBACS. The systems where the cars ran are described and the whole work is extensively illustrated. The two authors are well known and they do not disappoint here.

British Trolleybus Systems - London and South-East England

By Peter Waller
Imprint: Pen & Sword Transport
Pages: 136
Illustrations: 250 colour & black and white illustrations & system maps

Although there had been experiments with the use of a new form of transport - the ‘trackless tram’ (better known as the trolleybus) - during the first decade of the 20th century, it was in June 1911 that Bradford and Leeds became the country’s pioneering operators of trolleybuses. There had been earlier experimental users – in places like Hove and London – and as the tide turned against the tram in many towns and cities, the trolleybus became a popular alternative with London becoming, for a period, the world’s largest operator of trolleybuses. This volume – one of four that examines the history of all trolleybus operators in the British Isles focuses on London and the other systems of south-east England.