Bath Electric Tramways Co. Ltd. 1904-1939

Constructed under the Bath & District Light Railways Order of 1901, this BET-owned system opened on 2nd January 1904 and closed on 6th May 1939.

The system operated on tracks of 4ft 8½in gauge and covered 14.78 miles in length. The company livery was bright blue and primrose.

Work had begun on constructing Bath’s new tramway system in 1902, but it was not until 2nd January 1904 that the system commenced operations.

Lines from the city centre to Bathford, Combe Down, Oldfield Park (worked by the single-deck trams), Twerton, Newton St. Loe and Weston being opened between then and August of the same year.

No further lines were constructed, the Bath Electric Tramways Company being taken over in December 1936 by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company and a link between Bath and Bristol established.

Both companies were already operating motorbuses and, as a result, the Bath lines were gradually closed. The Newton St. Loe route closed on 3rd November 1938, with the Twerton section closing on 22nd April 1939.

The rest of the system was closed by 6th May 1939, with all the rolling stock being scrapped.

FLEET SUMMARY

Fleet No.TypeTrucksBuilderSeating

1903

1-26Double-deck
open-top		W.C.F. BuschMilnes33/22
50-53Single-deck
combination		W.C.F. BuschMilnes30

1904

27-34Double-deck
open-top		W.C.F. BuschMilnes33/22
54-55Single-deck
combination		W.C.F. BuschMilnes30

All withdrawn in 1939, broken up and burnt.

In producing this history reference has been made to the following sources;
The Directory of British Tramways (Keith Turner, PSL 1996); PSV Circle Fleet History PH6.