CLASSIC TRAMS (DVD)

"Electric trams first appeared in Great Britain at the end of the 19th century. Horse-drawn tramcars had been around since the late 1870s, but it was the development of electric traction that tramcars really came into their own. Single-deck trams, then double-deck open trams and later open-balcony trams became a familiar sight around the British Isles. Towns and Cities such as Glasgow, Sheffield, Blackpool, Southampton, Leicester, Leeds, Cardiff and London had extensive tramway systems. But many systems were damaged in the Second World War, just as the trolleybus was gaining popularity, and the tram systems were gradually scrapped.

Fortunately, many examples of tramcars are persevered today, either in museums or in active service and this programme travels back in time to the height of tramcars popularity. We visit various locations to find some of the best examples of restored trams from Sheffield, to Blackpool and from Glasgow to Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire.