Colne and Trawden Light Railway Company

The Colne and Trawden Light Railway Company operated a tramway service in Colne and Trawden between 1903 and 1934.

Colne and Trawden Light Railway Company
Remains of the terminus at Trawden
Operation
Locale	Colne, Trawden
Open	20 November 1903
Close	6 January 1934
Status	Closed
Infrastructure
Track gauge	4 ft (1,219 mm)
Propulsion system(s)	Electric
Depot(s)	Heifer Lane
Statistics
Route length	7 miles (11 km)

History

Map of the Tramways of Burnley, Nelson and Colne

Heifer Lane Tram Depot, Colne. When buses replaced the trams in 1926-28, the buses used the same depot. By the time of this photograph (23 April 1983), it was no longer needed for bus operation, and was leased for other uses, but has now been demolished.

The tramway was authorised by the Colne and Trawden Light Railway Order of 1901. It was built and operated by Greenwood & Batley of Leeds. Nuttal and Co were contractors for the permanent way, and R.W. Blackwell for the overhead wiring.

Construction started on 19 May 1903 when the Mayor of Colne, Alderman Varley, cut the first sod. Services started on the first section on 28 November 1903, and other sections opened in stages until the line reached Zion Chapel on Lane House Lane, Trawden by December 1905. A branch to Laneshawbridge opened by the end of December 1904. The system connected with Nelson Corporation Tramways.

Colne Corporation purchased the entire system on 24 March 1914 and the name was changed to Colne Corporation Light Railways.

Fleet

The company purchased vehicles as follows:

• 1-6 G.F. Milnes & Co. 1903
• 7-9 Brush Electrical Machines, Loughborough 1903
• 10-12 Milnes Voss, 1906
• 13 United Electric Car Company 1914
• 14-16 Brush Electrical Machines, Loughborough 1926

Closure

Route of the track on the private right of way in Trawden

The system closed on 6 January 1934. It was estimated that the tramcars had travelled over 4,582,000 miles and carried 57.5 million passengers during the years of operation.