{"product_id":"tramway-memories-london-9780711030374","title":"Tramway Memories - London","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 unified the London tramway network of the time into the single largest system in the British Isles. The network that the LPTB inherited, however, was the result of piecemeal development by individual councils and companies, resulting in a complex system on which ran a great variety of tramcars. The bulk of the central area was provided with power from a conduit to avoid overhead wires in sensitive areas and this resulted in the need for change-pits on those routes where trams switched from overhead power to the conduit en route. Another unique feature was the Kingsway Subway, which allowed access from the Embankment to Kingsway via Holborn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Tramway Memories: London author Paul Collins recalls the history and operation of London's first-generation tramway network, which survived almost 100 years from the earliest experiments in the early 1860s through to the Last Tram week in July 1952. In those years the trains achieved popularity second to none and there was genuine sadness when the last tram was withdrawn. The book concentrates particularly on the last years of the network when the system was battling to overcome the depredations of World War 2, leading to the final period of abandonment, and in doing so highlights the important role of the tramway in providing public transport in a period of austerity. The text draws on the oral history of enthusiasts and those who worked on the trams, giving an invaluable record of both a vanishing mode of public transport and a way of life. This is supplemented by over 150 evocative colour and black and white photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book will appeal to all those who fondly remember or are fascinated by the original London trains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoftback, 80 pages, black \u0026amp; white photographs\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: Very Good\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ian Allan","offers":[{"title":"Secondhand (246)","offer_id":39357938729069,"sku":"9780711030374","price":6.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1910\/7111\/products\/9780711030374.jpg?v=1620819577","url":"https:\/\/rail-books.co.uk\/products\/tramway-memories-london-9780711030374","provider":"Rail Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}