WHENEVER I mention trams in this column there is a lot of interest.

It is one of those subjects which bring back the feeling of the 'good old days' to many people, even though they went out of existence in Bolton during the 1940s (the trams, that is, not necessarily the 'good old days'!)

Trams have obviously kept their fascination for Ron Horsley, the son of a Bolton tram driver, who now lives in Warrington. He has just published a soft-back book History of the Bolton Tramways, in which he tells the fascinating story of trams, from the Council giving the go-ahead for the tramway construction in 1877 until the last tram ran in 1947.

The author says in his foreword: "The people not only took to the trams readily - they fell in love with them. The romance blossomed, surviving the horrors and hardships of two world wars, and long resisting the challenge of other forms of transport."

The trams that people remember, of course, were electric, but when they started on September 1, 1880, they were horse-drawn, although on the first journey to Astley Bridge and Dunscar "there was one hitch to the otherwise smooth journey when the driver, perhaps carried away with the excitement, and forgetting for a moment that he had to steer his horses along a predetermined track and could not cut corners, ran the car's wheels off the track for a yard or two. The error was quickly remedied, the passengers having to dismount whilst the car was drawn back onto the rails."

Horse trams became familiar sights on the streets of Bolton and district, but progress took over, and in December, 1899, the first electric tram to run in Bolton left the Breightmet Street sheds bound for Tonge Moor, with Board of Trade inspectors and councillors on board. From then on, the whole system expanded. Bolton's early cars had their destinations painted in white on black boards hung at each end of the top deck, and sometimes on the vehicles' sides, but it wasn't long before letters were used to indicate the routes (for example, G for Great Lever, N for Horwich, H for Halliwell).

Drivers, though, were poorly paid; in 1900 they received 5d an hour, a total of £1 7s 6d for a 60-hour week.

The author tells of many of the landmarks, such as in 1902 all the main roads into the town centre being widened to at least 60 feet, making them particularly suitable for electric tramcars; in 1910 free travel being introduced for the blind - the same year that trams started carrying bundles of newspapers to the newsagents.

But over the years, as the amount of traffic increased, hold-ups and delays became more frequent. In 1932, the local press carried many letters from readers expressing their fears of the dangers they faced when dismounting from trams in the middle of busy roads into the paths of motor vehicles passing close to the pavements.

Buses, which had started to operate in 1923, were taking over, and by the end of the second world war there were only four tram routes still being operated regularly on Bolton's electric tramways - to Halliwell, Horwich, Westhoughton, Tonge Moor, and occasional 'specials' to Moses Gate.

It was perhaps fitting that in 1947 the last route offering a tramcar service to the public should be the same - to Tonge Moor - that had first provided an electric tram service. But on March 29, 1947, that went as well. The last tramcar was crewed by a special team. It was driven by Insp. H. Whittle, and the role of conductor ('clippie') was played by the Mayoress, who collected a total of £11 in 'fares', which was presented to the Mayor's Flood Relief Fund.

A crowd five deep stood in places on the pavement, drowning the nose of the tram wheels with their cheers. Scores of motor cars joined the 'funeral procession', following the tramcar to the Royal Oak terminus where about 500 people gathered to say farewell to a system of transport which had been part of their lives.

The age of the tramcar had passed. Bolton's beloved trams were gone . . . but not forgotten (and, of course, the sole survivor, Car No. 66, was later restored and can be seen as a popular attraction on the promenade at Blackpool).

If I have one small reservation about the book, it is that no actual photographs are used. Instead, however, are illustrations by Wendy Roberts and the author, as you can see on this page.

The book, though, is packed with in formation and detail which will interest not only the tram enthusiast, but also students, and those with an interest in the history of Bolton.

It is available only at the Artifacts Shop at the Central Library, price £5 50p.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.