Bury Corporation Tramways



Owner Bury Corporation
Opened 3rd June 1903 (electric)
Operator Bury Corporation
Took over 24th February 1904 (tracks of the Bury, Rochdale and Oldham Steam Tramways Company Ltd within the municipal boundary, including those of Tottington and Unsworth Urban District Councils)
Operator (steam services) BR&OSTCo (pending conversion to electric traction)
Last steam service 10th July 1904
Purchased 13th October 1904 (assets of the BR&OSTCo, allocated to Bury Corporation, Tottington Urban District Council and Unsworth)
Took over (operation) 4th January 1905 - Radcliffe Urban District Council-owned line along Radcliffe New Rd (first line of the UDC's system)
Took over (operation) 17th November 1905 - Heywood Corporation-owned line from Heap Bridge to Heywood Market Place
Took over (operation) 1st March 1906 - Heywood Corporation-owned line from Heywood Market Place to Hopwood
Took over (operation) 19th May 1928 (services from Heywood to High St in Manchester, along Manchester Corporation's newly built line from Hopwood to Middleton - worked jointly with Manchester Corporation Tramways)
Name changed 1932 - to Bury Corporation Transport
Withdrawn 19th February 1933 - last Bury-operated service on the Heywood Corporation-owned system
Taken over (operation) 20th February 1933 (Manchester Corporation Tramways - Heywood to High St, Manchester services)
Withdrawn 8th October 1938 - last service on the Radcliffe UDC-owned system
Closed 13th February 1949
Length 23.76 miles (14.34 miles owned by Bury, 6.12 miles by Radcliffe UDC, 0.32 miles by Whitefield UDC and 2.98 miles owned by Heywood Corporation)
Gauge 4ft 8½ins

Button description Title (‘CORPORATION OF BURY’) within a garter, surrounding the municipal arms (a quartered shield bearing an anvil, fleece, papyrus plant and crossed shuttles) with a crest comprising a bee between two cotton flowers
Materials known Brass; nickel, chrome
Button Line reference [None]

Comment Bury Corporation used a general titled coat of arms pattern button for all its transport services - including the tramways - from its inception in 1903 up until their demise in 1969. This pattern of button is included in the National Tramways Museum (Crich) button collection as a 'Bury Corporation Tramways' issue, and is clearly present on surviving studio portraits (see link). The brass issues have smaller lettering, whereas the chrome examples - which date from the 1930s at the very earliest, and possibly much later - have larger lettering, giving them a 'busier' feel.

Link Visit Peter Gould's site for more information on Bury Corporation Transport.