Great stuff Len, very interesting. A pity more people obviously don't appreciate our transport heritage! Some rails survived until quite recently in the Penhall Road area but I think the ones in Beresford Square finally disappeard a while ago. Perhaps we could organise a CL walk to see if any rails/street furniture can still be seen as some of the chaps sound quite excited about this sort of thing. Not a lot of people know that the Charlton 'Tramatorium' was the last resting place for the hundreds of obsolete London trams in '51 and '52, and yes I do remember it! Pity I can't remember what I did last week, though. Thanks again.
Couple of snaps: one from the L.T museum's preserved car which used to run from Abbey Wood depot, the other of the Penhall Road 'Tramatorium' with cars awaiting their fate. After being stipped of all fittings they were tipped over and burnt. The fumes given off by the burning paint etc. were said to be a contributory factor to the 'smog' that descended on London around that time and killed a number of people who suffered bronchial problems.
Hold on, hold on! isnt there a danger of confusion here, were supposed to be a bunch of train spotters if we show interest in trams as well it could all kick off.
The train spotting clique certainly has more members than the tram spotters. This is because we have to either live on our memories or go to Blackpool (or Croydon which doesn't count) to spot a tram, which is a little inconvenient. If it helps to calm things down, on the continent where trams are still a popular and important form of transport, the systems are known a 'Light Railways', so hopefully the uneasy truce we have will not erupt should our paths cross on a spotter's outing.
I'll try to find a couple more for you tomorrow Rob.
A couple more for you Rob. When I first saw the 'crowd' picture I thought it must be knocking off time at the Royal Arsenal but they're Erith Council trams and they didn't go further than Abbey Wood so the location is somewhere in the Erith area. The other photo is of trams being directed into the Penhall Road scapping yard from the Woolwich Road on the last day of operation.
Nice snaps @March51 will ask me dad to dig out the pictures he's got. Not sure there are many of trams etc, but they are olduns of SE7 and surrounding area.
This is one me brother had, not sure where he got them from though. You can see The Anti in the background and the shops on the left that have now been knocked down. (My favourite chinese went with them!)
This is another one from me brother and it looks like it was taken further along Woolwich Road towards The Rose of Denmark, opposite where Wickes now stands, just past the BP station. <img
That's from the Yellins.co.uk website BIG_ROB. It's full of great old pics of Trams, Trolley Buses and LT Buses.
Here's a sample. Check out the Tram passing the Harrow Inn in wartime. Ironic that the Harrow Inn was recently demolished after standing for over 100 years
That's from the Yellins.co.uk website BIG_ROB. It's full of great old pics of Trams, Trolley Buses and LT Buses.
Here's a sample. Check out the Tram passing the Harrow Inn in wartime. Ironic that the Harrow Inn was recently demolished after standing for over 100 years
Good to see this site again Sixa, I didn't make a note of it before and then couldn't find the thread you posted it on, so thanks for the reminder. The barrage balloon is a bit of a giveaway as to wartime isn't it. My dad used to nip into the Harrow every evening for a swift half after he got off the train at Abbey Wood station which I remember as being under water in the floods of '53. Also remember Grooms the Bakers (pic.1) having horse drawn 'vans' and if he was in a good mood the bloke would let you ride with him down the road (had to walk back though). Milk wagon (Express Dairy) was also horse drawn and people would nip out with a shovel to get manure for their roses.
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It's full of great old pics of Trams, Trolley Buses and LT Buses.
Here's a sample.
Check out the Tram passing the Harrow Inn in wartime.
Ironic that the Harrow Inn was recently demolished after standing for over 100 years
http://www.yellins.com/transporthistory/bus2/abbey2.html
Sometimes used to drink in the Vic pre-game in the 70's.
Did it have an uneven floor? (or maybe that was just me!!)
It was on a bit of a slope lol, I think it may be subsiding, but I'm no surveyer...
I helped drink it dry before it closed.