Sunderland Corporation Tramways



Owner Sunderland Corporation
Opened June 1880 to January 1881 (horse)
Operator (lessee) Sunderland Tramways Company
Took over (tracks) 26th March 1900 (Sunderland Tramways Company) - lines not already owned by the corporation
Took over (operation) 30th March 1900
First electric route 15th August 1900
Last horse service 19th February 1901
Name changed 1937 - to Sunderland Corporation Transport
Closed 1st October 1954
Length 13.73 miles
Gauge 4ft 8½ins

Button description (Pattern 1) Title (‘SUNDERLAND CORPORATION TRAMWAYS’) within a raised rim, surrounding the municipal device (a sextant within a stylised ovoid shield) heavily adorned with mantling
Materials known Brass; nickel; black-coated nickel
Button Line reference [114/65]

Button description (Pattern 2) Title (‘SUNDERLAND CORPORATION TRANSPORT’) within a raised rim, surrounding the municipal device (a sextant within a stylised ovoid shield) heavily adorned with mantling
Materials known Chrome
Button Line reference [None]

Button description (Pattern 3) Title (‘SUNDERLAND CORPORATION TRANSPORT’) within a raised rim, surrounding the municipal device (a simplified sextant within a stylised ovoid shield) heavily adorned with mantling
Materials known Chrome
Button Line reference [None]

Button description (Pattern 4) Title (‘SUNDERLAND TRANSPORT’) surrounding the municipal device (a shield bearing a sextant) with a globe crest
Materials known Chrome
Button Line reference [None]

Button description (Pattern 5) The municipal device (a shield bearing a sextant) with a globe crest
Materials known Chrome
Button Line reference [None]

Comments
Sunderland was not officially granted arms until 1947, therefore arms which pre-date this are regarded as 'assumed'.

Staff would eventually have been issued with 'Transport' uniforms following the change of name to 'Sunderland Corporation Transport'; these would have initially borne Pattern 2 buttons, which at some point were changed to a design with a simplified sextant (Pattern 3), possibly when the official arms were granted. It is possible that the Pattern 4 and 5 buttons were introduced before the demise of the tramway, though this is by no means certain.