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Stony in History: The Tram

The following quotes are from Stony Stratford resident Cecil Palmer interviewed by Living Archive in the early 1990's recalling his memories of the tram.

The tram depot was in the road where we're living, (St Marys Avenue). The tram was drawn by steam engines. The LMS took over the tram company when it was going bust after the First World War and the employees became LMS men and went on strike in May 1926. The tram stopped and never ran again.

The tram ran from the top of Stony Stratford outside the "Foresters", to the railway station at Wolverton, that's all, where it turned round and came back again. They ran two, one at twenty past and the other at half past five in the morning and they'd bring the men home from the Works in the evening. In the day time they'd work the timetable so that they were at the station to meet the trains.

At night time, at half past five, when we got home, the engine turned round - they got the double lines here so they could do it, and would go straight back to pick up the Print Workers because they worked till 6 o'clock. There wouldn't be another one till after seven from Stony, and I had to be in Wolverton at the Science & Arts by seven so I walked!

There used to be a stop at King Street, then it didn't stop again until it got to the Print Works (McCorquodales) only when it couldn't get up the hill, when we had to get out and push: Snow or anything on the line would stop it. Where the road turns to Old Wolverton there was a sharp hill and when they did the road they levelled it off. But in those days when the tram was running it was quite a sharp incline.

If the tram hadn't got enough steam he'd go bop, bop, bop and it would run back. We'd have to get out and then push it back over the top of the hill, then get back in and away we'd go again. If it was a wet morning the driver would run it back nearly to the Mill Drive, get up steam and then go again, hoping he'd get over. Sometimes it would come off the rails and they'd just back it on till it dropped on the metals and away it goes again.

This information has been provided by Living Archive. For more information, visit their website at www.livingarchive.org.uk.

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