Lancaster Corporation Tramways
History
During 1899, Lancaster Corporation was twice approached by promoters wishing to build light railways (i.e., tramways), in the hope that the council could be persuaded to support their respective schemes. They were, however, to be disappointed, the council refusing to entertain the first scheme on the 18th May 1899, and the second on the 16th June 1899. The council was, however, certainly spurred into action by the threat of private tramway schemes in the town, as on the same day it rejected the second scheme, it instructed the borough surveyor to prepare plans for a municipal electric tramway.
The council already had a corporation improvement bill undergoing parliamentary scrutiny, so was able, relatively quickly, to add the tramway into the existing bill. At the same time, the council approached Morecambe Council, the two quickly agreeing to make an offer to the Lancaster and District Tramways Company for its 4.3-mile horse tramway, which plied between the two towns. The company, however, was unreceptive, so the clause allowing the council to take over the tramway ended up being omitted from the bill.
Powers to build the municipal electric tramway were obtained on the 6th August 1900 under the Lancaster Corporation Act 1900.
Construction probably started in early 1902, but only of the lines from the town centre (Dalton Square) to Scotforth in the south and Bowerham in the southeast; these being opened to the public on the 14th January 1903. Some doubling of the single-line sections was effected later in the year, but no start was made on any of the other authorised lines.
By this time, the shareholders of the L&DTCo had forced the company back to the negotiating table, which involved the corporation in lengthy and acrimonious discussions, but all to no avail. The failure to take-over the horse tramway was to have fairly serious long-term consequences, both for corporation and the L&DTCo. The corporation system therefore completely failed to serve the town's northern suburbs.
The tramway system was only extended once, on the 5th January 1905, to the London North Western Railway Company's Castle Station. This brought the corporation's standard gauge, overhead electric tramway to its final size of a mere 2.99 miles. From Dalton Square, the tramway ran southwards along Thurnham Street, over the Lancaster Canal and along South Road to its junction with Bowerham Road where the lines diverged, one continuing southwards along Greaves Road and Scotforth Road to a terminus outside the Boot and Shoe Inn in Scotforth, the other heading southeastwards along Bowerham Road to Bowerham, where it headed northeastwards along Coulston Road and Golcotha Road to a terminus outside Golgotha Lodge at Williamson Park Gates. The short branch to Castle Station ran westwards from Dalton Square along Brock Street and Common Garden Street, before turning northwestwards along King Street to Market Street, continuing westwards along Meeting House Lane, before finally turning into Station Road where the terminus was located at the latter's junction with County Street.
The system was extremely small by municipal standards, and it is highly doubtful that it could ever have been made to pay.
Services were initially delivered with 10 double-deck, open-topped tramcars, these being joined by two more in 1905. Eight of the vehicles were top-covered between 1911 and 1913, and in desperation, eight vehicles were cut down to a single-deck — between 1917 and 1923 — to enable one-man operation.
The financial travails of the tramway became apparent very quickly, a large loss during the first year, transitioning to small but continual losses throughout the Edwardian era, a period during which all bar a handful of tramways in the entire country were making money. The fact that the LCT could not make a profit during the heyday of the electric tramway did not bode well for the less congenial times that were just around the corner. The financial situation also put paid to any thoughts of extensions, which left large swathes of potential passengers unserved by the system. In fact, the need to service new munitions works during the Great War led to the LCT introducing battery-electric buses (in 1916) rather than extending the tramway, a technology hardly suited to the hilly terrain of Lancaster, though they did somehow manage to struggle on into the early 1920s. Authorisation to operate omnibuses (including electrically propelled vehicles) within the borough was granted via the Lancaster Order 1916, which was passed into law on the 19th July 1916 under the Local Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation (No.6) Act 1916.
Like most tramway systems, Lancaster's emerged from the rigours of the Great War — lack of maintenance and investment, and higher loadings — into a post-war world of greatly increased costs and inflationary pressures. The tramway continued to run at a loss, a situation which led to increasingly desperate cost saving measures, including one-man operation, all of which failed to remedy the financial situation.
The spectre of expensive track renewal on the Castle Station line led to a decision to close it, which took place on the 10th July 1920. The following year, the L&DTCo was back offering to sell its decrepit horse tramway to the corporation, too late and too expensive (still), such that agreement could not be reached, which inevitably led to its closure on the 31st December 1921.
The corporation was now looking to the future, branching out into bus operation, the first vehicle being put into service towards the end of 1924. A handful of others soon followed, and these no doubt abstracted yet more passengers from the increasingly dilapidated trams.
By 1928, the writing was clearly on the wall, and in September of that year, the Tramways Sub-Committee decided to abandon the remaining lines and replace them by motorbuses. The trams struggled on for another 20 months, the Bowerham line closing on the 18th January 1930, followed by the Scotforth line on the 4th April 1930.
Uniforms
Early photographs suggest that motormen and conductors were issued with double-breasted, lancer-style tunics with five pairs of buttons (narrowing from top to bottom, and bearing the full system title and municipal device — see link) and stand-up collars; the latter carried an employee number — in individual metal numerals — on the bearer's left-hand side, and the system initials — 'L C T' — on the right-hand side (in individual metal letters). Later photographs frequently show conductors, as well as the odd motorman, wearing single-breasted jackets with five buttons and stand-up collars, suggesting that these became the standard issue, though it appears to have been far from rigorously applied.
Caps were initially of the drooping-peak type, carrying a small, shield-shaped municipal-device badge, which was worn above a script-lettering grade badge, either 'Conductor' or 'Motorman'; these were probably brass to match the buttons (see link). At some point, probably within the first five years of operation, the drooping-peak caps were superseded by tensioned-crown peaked caps; the insignia, however, remained unchanged.
Tramcar crews were also issued with long, double-breasted greatcoats with five pairs of buttons and high, fold-over collars. The latter appear to have carried the same insignia as the tunics/jackets worn underneath, though in later years, these were frequently left plain (i.e., without badges of any kind). Conductors and motormen also wore a round municipal licence badge — possibly brass, bearing a large number in the middle — which was hung by a leather strap from a tunic button on the bearer's left breast. In later years, it is possible that this was replaced by an alloy pattern (see below), though evidence to support this is currently lacking.
Inspectors wore typical tramway inspector garb, namely, a single-breasted jacket with hidden buttons (or an hook and eye affair), with two breast pockets and stand-up collars, the latter bearing 'LCT' on the bearer's left-hand side, and 'Inspector' on the right-hand side, both in embroidered script lettering. The pockets and edges of the jackets were finished in a finer material than the main body, the same material being used to embellish the sleeves with chevrons. Caps were probably in a drooping-peak style initially, but were certainly changed to a tensioned-crown type, probably at the same time as the tramcar crews; they bore the grade — 'Inspector' — in embroidered script-lettering on a hat band, above which, the standard municipal-device badge was worn.
Many tramway systems employed women during the Great War to replace male staff lost to the armed services, however, it is currently unclear whether Lancaster Corporation Tramways did likewise.
Further reading
For a history of Lancaster's tramways, see: 'The Lancaster and Morecambe Tramways' by S Shuttleworth; Oakwood Press (1976).
Images
Motormen and conductors
An early photograph of three Lancaster tramcar staff with Tramcar No 9 — photo undated, but probably taken shortly after opening in 1903 or 1904. Photo courtesy of the National Tramway Museum. 
An enlargement of the above photograph showing the three tramcar staff; all are wearing drooping-peak caps bearing script-lettering grade badges and a small municipal-device badge. Each of the men also has a round licence badge suspended on a leather strap.
A staff photograph, taken outside the tram shed in Thurnham Street; although undated, it looks to be late Edwardian, and a surviving postcard is date stamped 1st October 1912, so it was certainly taken no later than this. The motorman on the extreme left is probably Bill Gates (see later photo). By this time, the earlier drooping-peak caps had clearly been superseded by tensioned-crown peaked caps. Several of those present are wearing military medals, suggestive of Boer War service. Author's Collection.
An enlargement of the above photograph showing Employee No 2, a motorman, in double-breasted, lancer-style tunic. The collar insignia, script-lettering grade badge (on the cap) and municipal-device badge are easily made out. Although the individual depicted is not wearing a municipal licence badge, one of the men behind him is, and the photograph is clear enough to discern a large numeral in the centre of the badge.
Lancaster Corporation Tramways municipal-device cap badge — nickel. It is unclear what material was actually used, though it was in all probability brass given that surviving buttons are of this material. This particular example would have been used by another municipal department, for example Lancaster Borough Police. Author's Collection.
General pattern script-lettering cap badges — 'Motorman' and 'Conductor' — of the type used by Lancaster Corporation Tramways.
Another enlargement of the staff photograph above, this time showing a conductor (Employee No 1), one of three individuals in single-breasted jackets rather than the usual lancer-style tunics.
A one-man operated tramcar — photo undated, but probably taken in the early 1920s. Photo courtesy of Duncan Holden.
An enlargement of the above photograph showing the motorman, in single-breasted jacket. 
Motorman William Gates at the controls of an unidentified tram, probably taken at the Scotforth Terminus in 1927. With thanks to Lancashire Libraries.
Another shot which was probably taken in 1927 at the Scotforth terminus, again of Motorman William Gates, this time at the controls of Tram No 3. Photo courtesy of the National Tramway Museum. 
An enlargement of the above photograph showing Motorman Gates.
Lancaster Corporation driver's licence badge No 57 — alloy. Whilst this licence badge is definitely not the pattern used during the early years of the tramway (see staff photograph above) there is a slight possibility that it was worn during the last few years of the tramway's existence. Author's Collection.
Senior staff
An enlargement of the staff photograph above showing the inspector. The embroidered collar and cap badges are clearly seen, as are the jacket embellishments, including the sleeve chevrons.