July–December 2002 • $10.00 / London's Croydon Tramlink

Home , Addington Park, Addiscombe tram stop, Beckenham Road tram stop, Birkbeck station, East Croydon station, London Trams

July–December 2002 • $10.00 / London’s Croydon Tramlink The Magazine of Electric Railways Published since 1939 by the Electric Railroaders’ Association, Inc. Volume 65, Number 7–12 July–December, 2002 JULY Staff editor and art director DECEMBER Sandy Campbell contributors COLUMNS Steve Siegerist, Raymond R. Berger, 2002 James N. J. Henwood and Stephen J. Parascandolo News Electric Railroaders’ Trolleyville forced to move, and Blue Line Extension opens in Dallas. 3 Association, Inc. Book Reviews E James N. J. Henwood reviews The Como-Harriet Streetcar Line: 6 Officers & Directors A Memory Trip Through the Twin Cities by Aaron Isaacs and Bill Graham. president Frank S. Miklos FEATURE first vice president Charles A. Akins second vice president; corresponding secretary Croydon Tramlink Raymond R. Berger Over the years, Stephen J. Parascandolo’s website has established itself 8 third vice president; recording secretary as the international journal of record for anything related to London’s William K. Guild Croydon Tramlink. Constantly updated, the volume of news and photos director on Croydon Tramlink: the Unofficial Site is vast. In a Headlights exclusive, Randy Litz Mr. Parascandolo’s online data has been compiled and edited to create treasurer a comprehensive overview of London’s newest tram for the first time in print. Michael Glikin librarian Richard C. Evans ON THE COVER trip & convention chairman Croydon Tramlink, London. Wimbledon tram 2550 approaches East Croydon Jack May station. New Addington tram 2548 (below) negotiates the Towne Centre loop. membership secretary sandy campbell photos Lewis Hitch

National Headquarters Grand Central Terminal, Room 4A, New York City Mailing Address P.O. Box 3323, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163-3323 Website & E-Mail www.electricrailroaders.org [email protected]

Subscriptions Headlights is sent free to members of the ERA. An application for ERA membership can be found on our website, or we will gladly mail one to you upon request. Back Issues Back issues of Headlights may be ordered from our website. Recent issues are also available for download in PDF format. Changes of Address Send address changes to ERA national headquarters along with an old address label from a recent issue. Correspondence All inquiries regarding the activities of the ERA should be directed to ERA national headquarters. Submissions Manuscripts for publication should be e-mailed as plain text to [email protected]; slides and scans should be shipped to the editor at the Post Ofﬁce Box listed above.

2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 DECEMBER2002 car barn by mike brookins, trolleyville usa CLEVELAND Trolleyville USA Forced to Move The Columbia Park mobile home community in Olmstead Brookins’ died in 1983, but Township, Ohio, which houses Trolleyville USA, was sold his facility evolved into on June 25, 2001. Trolleyville owns a collection of over 40 an operating museum vintage streetcars and interurbans, many of them fully- attracting over 15,000 vis- restored and operational, on a 2.5-mile line through the itors a year. Trolleyville is trailer park. The new owners have given Trolleyville, the staffed by about 50 vol- more familiar name of the Gerald E. Brookins Museum of unteers and two full- Electric Railways, ﬁve years to relocate its collection. In the time employees. Clifford meantime, operations will continue at the present loca- Part of the Trolleyville collection in Perry is general man- tion, where at least 12 cars operate four days-a-week. the Olmsted car barn, top, and an ager and Mark Brookins, artist’s conception of the West Side the director, is the grand- Trolleyville was originally developed by the late Gerald Market Trolley. son of Gerald Brookins. Brookins, a mobile home park developer. Upset about Both men are determined the closing of the Cleveland trolley system in January to relocate to a facility in downtown Cleveland. Several 1954, Brookins began saving cars from the scrap heap, sites are currently under consideration, such as the lower ﬁrst from Cleveland, and later from Chicago, Cincinnati, level of the Detroit-Superior Bridge between downtown Pittsburgh, Mexico, Toronto and England. He opened the Cleveland and the West Side . trolley line, originally known as the Columbia Park and Southwestern, in 1963. Brookins built the line with the trolleyville usa idea of providing an internal transportation system for p.o. box 38117, olmsted township, ohio 44138 the 100 units of the trailer park. www.trolleyvilleusa.org artist’s conception valentine, by ryan aetomic print + web

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 3 Dallas Doubles Size of DART, Just in Time for Christmas dallas area rapid transit

allas has completed one of the largest rail expan- Jupiter Road, has 561 parking Daybreak at Downtown sion projects in North America, nearly doubling spaces and serves a vigorous Garland Station, northern the size of the six-year-old DART light rail system. industrial district where once terminus of the Blue Line DFour new stations were added to the Blue Line, extending crops of onions and canta- (above and below). the line 10.5 miles northeast to Downtown Garland. The loupe thrived. Major nearby Red Line was extended three miles north to Parker Road, employers include Raytheon and Kraft Foods. adding three new stations. This is the ﬁrst expansion of DART since the debut of its 20-mile starter system in 1996. The Red Line extends three miles north from Galatyn The opening of the Red Line stations on Park, adding new stations at Bush Turnpike, Downtown December 9, 2002, six months ahead of Plano and Parker Road. Large tracts of land adjacent to schedule, brings the total system to 44 miles in length and 34 stations.

The ﬁrst extension of the Blue Line from Mockingbird Station opened on September 24, 2001. The 3.1-mile line was built at a cost of $56-million, adding one new station at White Rock. It is served by ﬁve bus routes and has parking for 490 cars. Trains achieve speeds of 65 mph on the non-stop run, with only two grade crossings.

A second $85.1 million extension of the Blue Line, adding dallas area rapid transit one new station at LBJ/Skillman, was opened on May 6, Bush Turnpike Station are earmarked for large mixed-use 2002. This 3.5-mile section includes an elevated structure developments. The station has 778 free parking spaces. nearly a mile in length through Rock Lake Park, offering Downtown Plano Station serves downtown Plano and vistas of trees, ﬂowers and wildlife to its passengers. has no parking. Parker Road Station has 1,385 free park- The ﬁnal leg of the Blue Line, adding two stations at ing spaces and will serve as a commuter center for sur- Forest/Jupiter and downtown Garland, opened on rounding communities. steve siegerist, with additional E November 18, 2002. Downtown Garland Station is located reporting by sandy campbell at Fifth and Walnut streets, next to the Garland Central dallas area rapid transit (dart) Transit Center. The station, which has 700 parking spaces, 1401 pacific ave., dallas, texas 75202 serves the adjacent Garland Center for the Performing www.dart.org Arts. Forest/Jupiter Station, located on Forest Lane near

4 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 raymond r. berger dallas area rapid transit dallas area rapid transit dallas area rapid transit

Above (clockwise from top right), Mockingbird Station Blue Line subway portal, ﬂoral splen- dor at White Rock Station, morning rush hour crowd at Parker Road Station, new terminus of the Red Line, and bus connection at LBJ/Skillman Station. Right, Downtown Garland Station. dallas area rapid transit photos raymond r. berger Car 118 at Downtown Plano Station (above, top) and aerial view of Bush Turnpike Station.

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 5 By Aaron Isaacs and Bill Graham Published by the Minnesota Transportation Museum, 2002 3816 Vincent Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55410 7"x10" soft cover, 64 pages, $12.75 (plus $2.00 postage)

he Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul once had an extensive streetcar network, served by a fleet of home-built wooden cars and later PCCs, and operated by the Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company, which fell into the hand of specula- tors who hastily abandoned all the rail lines by 1954. This Tsmall book, essentially a fund-raiser for the Minnesota Transportation Museum (which operates a small tourist line), attempts to capture the essence of one of these trolley lines, the Como-Harriet route. About equally divided between text and photographs, the book has ﬁve parts. They describe the route of this inter- city line, which had an extensive stretch of private right-of- way on its western end; a brief history of the line; and two accounts of childhood memories of riding the line in the The Como-Harriet postwar period, and a description of the Minnesota Trans- portation Museum operation. The route was an excellent Streetcar Line: (and cheap) way to tour the Twin Cities region and its var- ied neighborhoods. The 75 photographs, including nine in A Memory Trip color, are clearly reproduced, and show the cars at differ- ent points on their routes. The text is primarily descriptive, and there is little information about the company, the cars, Through the or other details. A map helps the reader to follow along, although it is somewhat cluttered. Twin Cities While most likely to be enjoyed by those who recall the line, or who know the Twin Cities, Memory Trip makes pleasant reading for those who enjoy the traditional car lines of a half century ago. E

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BY STEPHEN J. Over the years, Stephen J. Parascandolo’s website has established PARASCANDOLO itself as the international journal of record for anything related With additional photography by Sandy Campbell, Peter Farell to London’s Croydon Tramlink. Constantly updated, the vol- and David Cockle. ume of news and photos on Croydon Tramlink: the Unoﬃcial

(Left) Wimbledon tram Site is vast. In a Headlights exclusive, Mr. Parascandolo’s online leaving Reeves Corner. reports have been compiled and edited to create a compre- sandy campbell hensive overview of the line for the ﬁrst time in print.

roydon Tramlink is a 28km (8.5 mile) modern tramway system that opened in May 2000 in South London, UK. Its three lines are largely on an east-west axis through a central loop around Croydon and provide a very useful, envi- ronmentally friendly, modern public transport system. Tramlink has been a huge success in getting people out of their cars and has proved very popular and reliable. Indeed, it is the most reliable public transport service in the UK. CThe construction was complex and testing took a little longer than expected but the trams on all routes are now running and full of happy, fare paying passengers. The critics have fallen silent as the general population, rather than just dedicated enthusiasts, real- ized how good trams are for London. You can rarely travel far on the trams before you overhear more praise of them from ordinary passengers. They are fast, efficient and accessible, and the staff are superb. This is a new kind of public transport showing what can be done if a little money and effort is put into a forward thinking vision of public transport. Latest research shows that Tram- link has already achieved its objectives, carrying 20 million passengers per year. Nearly four million car journeys a year — double original estimates — have been removed from London’s congested roads. This makes Tramlink the UK’s most successful light rail system, even overtaking the widely praised Manchester Metrolink. The topic of extensions is now on the agenda and plans are being made to extend the benefits of Tramlink to other areas. Other systems are being developed for other parts of

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London and the UK. If you doubt the eﬀectiveness of light rail, Construction come to Croydon and see for yourselves what can be achieved. (Top) Track laying in Sandilands cutting looking EARLIER LONDON TRAMS to Addington, March 8, 1999.

Croydon Tramlink is not the first tram system in Croydon; (Above, left to right) old London trams used to run through the town along the Construction work at A23 which was London Road, North End and High Street. Wimbledon tram stop, April The threat from buses both electric and diesel came early. The 19, 1999. Track laying at Addiscombe route which branched off the mainline at the East Croydon looking West, Almshouses and up George Street, passing East Croydon sta- March 8, 1999. tion and into Cherry Orchard Road, closed in 927. Trams along North End ran until April 7, 95 and at that (Left) Track laying in time were trunk routes 6/8 (Purley-Embankment) and 42 George Street West by the (Croydon Grayhound-Thornton Heath). They were closed as Almhouses, January 30, part of Stage 3 of Operation Tramaway. By then, the trams 1999. Tram 2548 being deliv- and infrastructure were living on borrowed time. In the end ered on a transporter lorry at they met the same fate as streetcars in US cities like New York, M25 Clacketts Lane services Washington and Los Angeles, being torn up to make way for on April 12, 1999. buses and cars. (Right) Reeves Corner under construction looking South, ORIGINS OF TRAMLINK March 29, 1999. All those cars created huge traffic problems in the Croydon area. A study was carried out by London Transport (now called Transport for London, or TfL) and British Rail in 986 which covered all of London. From 990 Croydon Council and LT worked to promote Tramlink. Public consultations took place during 99 discussing routes and testing public feeling. Eighty percent of those asked felt Tramlink was a good idea. A bill was developed and in Novem-

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1 2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 Opening Day Ceremonies stephen j. parascandolo photos

Wednesday, May 10, 2000: The leader of Bromley ber 99 was put to Parliament. Some amendments were made New Addington Line Council cut the ribbon after and the Croydon Tramlink Act received Royal Assent on July (Route 3). Guests arrived at making a short speech in 2, 994 giving London Regional Transport (LRT) the legal New Addington aboard two power to build and run Tramlink. buses from Croydon. After While Parliament was considering the bill, Croydon Coun- speeches and a ribbon cut- cil, LT and three private companies worked together to start ting ceremony at around 11 the design process. This group was disbanded in 995 when am, above, trams 2543 and Tramlink went out to tender across Europe. As with many new 2550, both with wreaths on schemes, the contract available was a Design, Build, Finance the front, left for Croydon. and Operate (DBFO) concession. which he wished the line The winning consortium was Tramtrack Croydon Lim- success and also said that a ited (TCL) who now have a 99 year concession to run the sys- feasibility study was under- tem. TCL is made up of centerWest Buses Ltd., Bombardier way into extending to EuroRail (now known as Bombardier Transportation), Royal Crystal Palace. After the rib- Bank of Scotland & 3i, and Sir Robert McAlpine/Amey Con- bon was cut, above, tram struction Ltd. 2548 took invited guests to Part of the First Group, centerWest Buses Ltd., became Thursday, May 11: First Croydon and back. The same Tram Operations Ltd. (TOL) and later First Tram Operations. Fare-Paying Tram. The last tram then formed the first In addition to designing and building the trams themselves, free tram, above, left public service, the 12:02 from Bombardier won the contract to maintain and repair the fleet New Addington at 12:49 am. Beckenham Junction. in service. Royal Bank of Scotland & 3i financed the project Paid fare tram 2540 left West and Sir Robert McAlpine/Amey Construction Ltd. (Construc- May 30, 2000: Wimbledon Croydon at 4:29 am and tion Joint Venture) constructed it. Line (Route 1). Opened in arrived on time. There were Of the total estimated capital cost of 200 million, 25 mil- secret by a small group of as many revenue inspectors lion was provided by Central Government in recognition of the VIPs at Therapia Lane Staff as passengers eager to check benefit to other road users and the easing of congestion. the new tickets! Halt (far left). It is thought the opening was to have Tuesday, May 23: taken place at Merton Park CONSTRUCTION OF THE SYSTEM Beckenham Line (Route 2) but someone changed it. Work started in January 997. This began with the closure of Opened at 10:45 am with two National Rail lines. The construction process was sched- A ribbon was cut and the a short ceremony at uled to be complete for an opening in November 999. Unfor- VIPs travelled on tram 2548 Beckenham Junction. tunately, a variety of problems with the contractors and with to Wimbledon, stopping at the mass of legal contracts caused a slight delay. Phipps Bridge for photos. The first tram was delivered in October 998 to the After the VIPs had returned new Depot at Therapia Lane and testing on sections of the to Croydon, all trams on the Wimbledon line began shortly afterwards. The first tram to route started carrying pas- run under its own power on the streets of Croydon was 2535, sengers at noon. The first on June 6, 999. departure from Wimbledon, tram 2538, was packed with enthusiasts and passengers. OPENING DAY The official opening finally took place on May 0, 2000 at New Addington when Route 3 opened to the public. Route 2 to Beck- enham Junction opened on May 23, 2000 with Route  from Elmers End to Wimbledon opening a week later on May 29, 2000 (see sidebar at left). Tramlink proved an instant success. Ridership was predicted to be 20 million passengers a year after 8 months of

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 1 3 Croydon Tramlink

Wimbledon Wimbledon is the western- most terminus of Line 1 (yellow) to Elmers End. The station is located next to Wimbledon’s Centre Court Shopping Centre and is currently served by the London Underground’s sub- ted into the platform at Elmers End but the signaling has now surface District Line, South been altered and no longer allows it. Interestingly as a result West Trains, Thameslink, of Railtrack being awkward the Tramlink ticket machines are South Central Trains and located outside the station in the Car Park which is unhelpful Tramlink, all of which arrive to people making connections from trains. Also unhelpful are at surface-level platforms. the poor connections with local buses, the state of the station Tramlink arrives on Platform and the lack of a Park and Ride facility. All of these would be 10, which it shares with desirable and feasible at this location. Thameslink.

Returning to Arena Junction, the Beckenham Branch curves stephen j. parascandolo sharply to the left and climbs a steep slope on a new alignment (Left, from top) Cab view of around South Norwood Country Park. This is a surprisingly tram entering station. quiet and desolate place considering its location. The route towards Harrington Road Tramstop that is situated at the rear Thameslink 319 faces a tram entrance to Beckenham Crematorium is very rural in places at Platform 10. and features some sweeping sharp curves. Another view of Platform 10 This section is ideal for photography especially due to the showing both Thameslink totally unfenced route. Fences are not required because this is and Tramlink buffers. a tramway and not a railway. Climbing steeply through Har- stephen j. parascandolo rington Road tramstop, the route goes into single track and curves sharply to the right around the Love Lane curve to reach the Railtrack Crystal Palace- Beckenham Junction line a few hundred yards the London side of Birkbeck. This curve caused many problems during construction as tampers couldn’t get round it. It took several attempts to get the curve less like a 50 pence piece and to eliminate the kinks. Both routes are on a high embankment at this point. The tramway takes up the southern side of the railway formation. Orig- inally a double track railway, it was singled as part of the Vic- toria Area Resignaling in the mid 980s. As it was, the Railway used the northern (Down) line from Bromley Junction (for Norwood) to the Beckenham side of Birkbeck before switch- ing to the southern (Up) line for the remaining section to the Bay platform  at Beckenham Junction. Tramlink has forced the Railtrack line to use the northern side throughout. This change was made during the summer of 998. The tramway runs parallel into Birkbeck station which until recently was a very derelict and run-down station with burnt out buildings; it has now been refurbished into the bright blue and yellow colors of Connex. Birkbeck tram stop is opposite

but due to the electriﬁed third rail and the nature of heavy sandy campbell rail, fences are provided between the lines and the only inter- Nearly two feet of concrete change is at street level. ballast (right) were used to The route continues to Avenue Road where a footbridge raise Tramlink level with joins two residential roads either side of the line. The cutting Platform 10. Outbound tram has been widened to allow room for a loop on Tramlink and 2533 (Nescafé) awaits depar- two platforms on the tram tracks only. Access is via a ramp ture for Elmers End. from the South side. The tramway returns to single track under the footbridge and continues towards Beckenham with a Tramstop at Beck-

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1 6 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 Town Centre (Left) Passengers board 2548 at East Croydon station.

(Below, top to bottom) Reeves Corner complete with tram on test leaving Church Street. trailing crossover as it climbs back up to the original alignment. At Tevan Close a new housing estate had to be partially demolished as it was occupying the old route. The line passes under Blackhorse Lane and between here and the old Wood- side Junction is the new Blackhorse Lane Tramstop. To permit disabled access in the form of a ramp, large amounts of earth have been moved and this blocks the now-closed alignment to Addiscombe (Railtrack). Tramlink replaced this route with a through one to Croydon via Sandilands. Addiscombe (Railtrack) has been demolished for a housing development. It closed on May 3, 997 and, like the Wimbledon/West Croydon line, the last train was the Connex LILO Railtour. From Blackhorse Road tramstop, trams continue under Stroud Road footbridge to Woodside. The old platforms have been demolished, but the station building retained. The original steps to road level on the old up, or outbound, side have been refurbished, but the station building remains abandoned. stephen j. parascandolo

2548 approaching West Croydon with a New Addington service.

Inbound 2550 (First) on its approach to Reeves Corner passes outbound tram under Jubilee Bridge. sandy campbell Access to the inbound platform is via the a ramp beside the station next to the new substation. From Woodside to Arena the old track has been used, although new ballast has been added. Arena is at the edge of South Norwood Country Park and next to a local sports arena. A footbridge used to stand at this point but it has been removed and will be replaced by a foot crossing at the tramstop. A short distance after the tramstop is Arena Junction, a double lead-

sandy campbell facing junction. Taking the Straight route — that is, continuing on the old alignment towards Elmers End — the double track becomes single after a short distance. The single line continues to the Railtrack boundary fence where there is a hand operated facing point for the Cripple Siding. This is for use in case of a failure although it has only every been used during testing. The line then continues and rises up into the Bay platform on the up side of the Hayes-Lon- don Line. The connection onto the Hayes line was completely severed in 998 and replaced with plain track. In order to maintain a level connection at Elmers End, the track rises so that the existing Railtrack platform can be used. The same has been done at Wimbledon although at Elmers End, it has been achieved with ballast. Two trams can be ﬁt-

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 1 7 Croydon Tramlink stephen j. parascandolo operation, taking 2 million car journeys a year oﬀ the congested roads. In fact, passenger ﬁgures of 50,000 a day or 8 million a year were reached after only eight months. This rate of growth was about 50 percent faster than predicted.

TRAM STOPS There are 38 tram stops — most are 32.2m long and all are 350mm above rail level. They line up exactly and closely with the doors and are all wider than 2m. This allows for wheelchairs, prams, pushchairs and the elderly to board the tram easily with no steps. In street sections, the pavement is inte- grated with the tramstop. Tramlink uses some former Railtrack stations (Wimble- don-West Croydon and Elmers End-Addiscombe lines were taken over). The existing platforms have all been demolished and rebuilt to meet modern standards. The only exceptions are at Elmers End and Wimbledon where the track level is stephen j. parascandolo raised to meet the higher platforms — this is to enable cross- platform interchange. All stops have disabled access, raised paving, CCTV, a Passenger Help Point, a Passenger Information Display, litter bins, a ticket machine, a noticeboard, lampposts and most have seats and a shelter. Elmers End and Beckenham Junction THE ELMERS END AND BECKENHAM Ero del ulla commodiat. An JUNCTION BRANCHES et, commy num zzriustio eraessed te dolor augiam, stephen j. parascandolo Trams travel from Sandilands Junction along the abandoned sectem ea facin velit ullan BR Woodside/Selsdon line that closed in 983. The route passes henim vel il exer ip eugiation under the main A232 and heads behind houses towards Addis- vel ex eu feuissectem quisl combe. The old line used to be on embankment here, cross- elisim veros ad ercidunt ut ing Bingham Road and the main Addiscombe Road on low lore diat velit ipiscillaore bridges. On the Sandilands side of Bingham Road was the sta- facipis nos nim quismod tis- tion at Bingham Road. mod mod molore min erat, It was not called Addiscombe as this already existed as a ter- velit alisl ilit voloborpero minus further down the road towards Croydon. The bridges euguer atum volor ipsusci were removed soon after the closure of the line to allow high ncipit, sit ulla consequam ver busses and trucks to pass. Tramlink was unable to reinstate inim quatisi bla ad minia- them as it would restrict the road. Additionally, a raised plat- met, commod et eu feugait form would make access diﬃcult for the disabled, elderly and lore magnim duisl iusto etue riders in wheelchairs. Tramlink was forced to remove thou- conseni siscillaor iril sands of tons of earth and to bring it down to ground level for utpatuero dunt wismod grade crossings over both roads. Between Bingham Road and minisci liquamconse tet wisit Addiscombe Road is the new Addiscombe tram stop. The line obviously has to drop down to road height on each side. The result is one of Tramlink’s most convenient and spacious stops set between two level crossings. After crossing Addiscombe Road, the trams continue along the old alignment towards Woodside, passing the emergency

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2 0 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 enham Road where it crosses the main road from Beckenham to Penge. This is only a few minutes walk from Clock House on the Mid Kent Line to Hayes and Kent House on the South Eastern mainline from Bromley to Victoria. The embankment has been widened for the stop and the essential disabled access path. Beyond the stop is another loop. This is the only one on the system where the RTS request from the tram to the signaling system for the next single line section is done on the move and automatically. The South Eastern mainline from Herne Hill joins on the left and the tramline becomes the most southerly of four lines as they cross the Mid-Kent line and continues to Beckenham Junction. Currently the mainline is used by Eurostar services en route from London Waterloo International to the conti- nent. It is possible for trams to be overtaken by them. Trams pass Blakney Road Sub Station which caused diﬃculty during construction due to a legal argument and on towards Beck-

sandy campbell enham Junction. The retaining wall at the edge of Rectory Road has been New Addington moved back to allow room for the line to run along side the Ero del ulla commodiat. An bay platform  and the route squeezes past an old cottage. The et, commy num zzriustio owners refused to loose any land and as a result, clearances eraessed te dolor augiam, are very tight. The route then goes behind some buildings and sectem ea facin velit ullan rises into what used to be the bus stop at Road level. henim vel il exer ip eugiation The car park has been reconstructed to allow buses to stop vel ex eu feuissectem quisl close to the station entrance with Tramlink terminating in a elisim veros ad ercidunt ut two platform stop at one side of the car park. The platform has lore diat velit ipiscillaore been modified since it was first built as the first tram to arrive facipis nos nim quismod tis- on test struck the platform edge as it attempted to enter the mod mod molore min erat, northern platform. One day the line may be extended beyond velit alisl ilit voloborpero sandy campbell Beckenham to Shortlands and Bromley but this would be a euguer atum volor ipsusci very long term wish. ncipit, sit ulla consequam ver inim quatisi bla ad miniamet, commod et eu feugait THE NEW ADDINGTON BRANCH From Sandilands Junction, the route turns sharply to the right and joins the old cutting of the Woodside and South Croydon

stephen j. parascandolo Railway which closed in 983. The route enters the first of three tunnels. Woodside Tunnel which is 243m in length. There is a short (5 yard) gap before Park Hill Tunnel, which was built in the early part of the century as a cut-and-cover tunnel to cope with slipping problems with the old cutting. This is 2m long. The final tunnel, again after only a few yards, is Coombe Road Tunnel which is 44m in length. Emerging from this, the route continues along the old railway and crosses Fairfield Path on a new overbridge to reach the site of the old Coombe Road Station. In 986, the station site was turned into Larcombe Close, a housing estate. Much of this has now been demolished and Larcombe Close moved west of its previous position. The route crosses the access to

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 2 1 Croydon Tramlink

Lebanon Road peter farrell photos (Below, top to bottom) 2350 approaches Lebanon Road with a Beckenham Junction service; 2547 near Lebanon Road with New Addington service. some garages and descends to Road level before turning very sharply to the left by almost 20 degrees. The old route went straight crossing Combe Lane on a bridge and Continuing to Selsdon Jn and Sanderstead on the embankment that is still visible. A tramstop on this site was turned down after complaints from the Park Hill Residents association. After rounding the curve, the route crosses Lloyd Park Ave- nue before running alongside the Park to Lloyd Park Tramstop. This is the one on which one of the main artists impressions of the system is set. Immediately after the stop is a Level Cross- ing over the Car Park Access road. After crossing the Emer- gency Access to the park (gated and locked) there is a trailing crossover enabling trams to turn back. The route starts to climb into the woodland of the Adding- ton Hills and it crosses the concealed entrance to Geoffrey Har- ris House before reaching Oaks Road Level Crossing. This is protected by traffic lights and there is a Sub Station. The route continues to Climb, now on embankment and a foot crossing goes across. The parallel Coombe Road now curves away for a steep, sharply curved section whilst the tram has a gentler climb through the spectacular new cutting which is superb for photography. There is an emergency access crossing to the Res- ervoir near Royal Russell School. The route curves slightly left and reaches Coombe Lane Tramstop. This is one of the systems most remote and is in Woodland. After another foot crossing, the route curves right and climbs to Cross the main road at the summit of Gravel Hill. A cut and cover tunnel was planned here to ease the gradients and avoid congestion but this was dropped to lower the cost of the project to an acceptable level. The route turns left to follow parallel on the other side of the road and drops sharply. This is the second steepest section of the route only to Crown Hill in Central Croydon. It is the steepest uphill section in the Croydon direction at I believe 7 percent. The route continues to drop and is on the edge of Heathfield farm at this point. There is a road crossing for farm access before reaching Gravel Hill Tramstop which is opposite the entrance the Addington Pal- ace and a Pedestrian Bridge over the main road. After the stop the route swings back to the North side of the road with another Level Crossing — The swapping is due to (Right) 2534 leaving Lebanon both the positioning of houses and the gradient. Now running Road with a Wimbledon along the edge of Addington Park the route continues down to Service. the bottom before turning fairly sharply left and then across the access to Addington Park and the eastbound carriageway of Kent Gate Way. For a short section, it runs in the Central reservation before turning right and crossing the Westbound carriageway to cut of the corner of Lodge Lane and the roundabout. This is the site of Addington Village Tramstop which

2 2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 2 3 Croydon Tramlink

2 4 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 Snow Day! stephen j. parascandolo photos (Left) 2553 approaches Arena Junction in Snow with is poorly located for the village and primarily designed as an a West Croydon service. interchange with Bus services. LT has constructed a large new (Clockwise, from top right) Bus Interchange here. All passing buses serve it as well as ded- 2548 approaches Lebanon icated Tramlink Feeder Buses T3, T32 and T33. These connect Road in the snow with an with trams and run around the New Addington, Forrestdale Elmers End service. and Selsdon Areas. Many changes were made to local buses here to avoid duplicate routes. Some, like the scraping of the A New Addington service 30 route to Croydon, have proved very controversial with enters Gravel Hill stop in local residents. heavy snow. Passing the substation and crossing a farm access road, the route climbs again passing another trailing crossover and run- A New Addington service ning parallel with Lodge Lane, the main route into the estate. turns into George Street in It is right next to the road and “Safticurb” and anti-dazzle heavy snow. posts have been installed. There is a stop at Fieldway to serve the main road into the Fieldway Estate (not an area to be rec- A West Croydon service ommended!). The route continues up to cross through the cen- crosses a very snowy Gravel ter of King Henrys Drive Roundabout which is very large. The Hill in heavy snow. route then continues in grassland inside Parkway to King Hen- ry’s Drive Stop. After crossing some roads cutting off what is effectively a very long roundabout, the route narrows to single track to pass behind Parkway Health center before crossing the new Bus Stop and Bus Stand Crossing and splitting for the Island Platform. The route terminates and the end of the long “roundabout” with the road rounding the buffers. Across the Road is the Central Parade with shops and local ameni- ties. Plans to continue the route further and terminate at the

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 2 5 THE CR-4000 TRAM Croydon Tramlink 0 6 , 3

2,65 14,35 1,40 14,35

30,10

1,30 1,30 1,30 1,30 blueprints courtesy of bombardier transportation

Croydon’s trams are manufac- The choice to use proven tech- over 200 people with 70 seated. charged by the traction system tured by Bombardier nology appears to have paid off If you consider the road space or manually by the driver. Due Transportation at their Vienna with virtually no problems being needed for 200 people in pri- to the low-floor design, all the factory in Austria. Classified as CR- found with the trams them- vate cars and then think about traction equipment is on the 4000, they are based very closely selves. Several changes were the road space used by a single roof of the tram. on the proven K-4000 trams. made to enable the design to be tram, you’ll get some idea about Over 120 of these trams were approved for UK use and the the effectiveness of these trams Croydon has 24 trams of which already in use in Cologne, center articulated section to move people. 21 are needed for the peak ser- Germany (inset below). These are houses seats where as the K- vice between 7 am and 7 pm, 76 percent low-floor at 400 mm 4000s have ticket machines. Electrical and traction equip- Monday to Saturday. They are above rail height with entrances ment are supplied by Kiepe numbered 2530–2553. This fol- at 350 mm. Some elements of the K-4000 Electrik from Düsseldorf, lows on from the highest num- design remain, noticeably the Germany. Four 120kW three- bered tram in the original position of the driver’s door on phase asynchronous motors London Transport tram num- the right-hand side of the vehicle, are fitted to the two, two-axle bering system. 2529 was as well as the leading cab’s side power bogies at the outer ends. scrapped long before the destination blind. The center C-car rests on an demise of the last trams in 1952. unpowered four-axle bogie. It’s a nice touch that the num- Trams are powered electrically Each powered wheel is fitted bers follow on, or, as Scott akos varga at 750v dc by overhead wires with sanding equipment dis- McIntosh of TfL commented, and have a max speed of 80 kph “Not so ‘all new’ as a continua- (50 mph). Each tram can carry tion from where we left off.”

2 6 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 0 6 , 3

2,65 14,35 1,40 14,35

30,10

1,30 1,30 1,30 1,30

Track Gauge 1.435 m Length 30.100 m (Cars A&B 14.35m each, Car C 1.4m.) Width 2.650 m Height* 3.360 m o/a Body 3.600 m o/a Retracted Pantograph 6.235 m o/a Highest Operating Pantograph Position Seats 70 Standing Spaces Approx. 138 Total Capacity Approx. 208 Doors Per Side 4 Maximum Speed 50 mph (80 km/h) Max Acceleration 1.2 m/s/s Maximum Braking 2.75 m/s/s

Weight 36 tons transport for london *These heights are with new wheels @ 630 mm diameter; the minimum wheel size is 550 mm dia.

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 2 7 Croydon Tramlink

2 8 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 (yellow) are to the left of this. tem. Below the VECOM are Below the IBIS are illuminated Also in this position is a key buttons for internal PA, buttons for manual sanding, switch. Nothing works with- external PA, cab-cab inter- full beam headlights, hazard out a key inserted. com and passenger inter- lights, fog lights and, on the com, all of which are pressed far right, magnetic track Below the traction/brake when speaking. Below the brake. Below these are the controller is a mode switch speedometer are switches controls for the left and right with off, auxiliary (which for the headlights. Above indicators, the windshield powers up heating and light- the VECOM and speedome- wipers and screen wash. In ing but not traction power), ter are various indication fault is displayed with both a addition, the driver has three and normal. A reverse, lights including indicators, number and a description. foot pedals available for radio shunting option was dis- lights, door open/closed, Common ones are call, horn and bell. abled before opening. and stop request. “Passenger Communication Pressed” and “Minor Fault Should the driver have prob- Ahead of the driver is a In the center section at the Recorded, Trailing Bogie.” lems with his normal con- microphone for both the PA top there is the tram radio. Faults are categorised into trols, then the emergency and radio communications. Below the radio are the ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ faults. ‘A’ faults red button can be pressed to The tram’s main Vehicle door control buttons. Doors are serious and require bring on the track and disc Computer (VECOM) allows on each side (either all, or immediate attention. ‘B’ brakes along with the dis- the driver to enter route, just the front set) can be faults are usually dealt with pensing of sand. Should the driver and running number released or opened and quickly and controllers will driver see a problem with information as well as con- closed. Door control must decide with Bombardier the overhead lines, the yel- Driver’s Cab trolling data downloads of be a two hand operation, Engineers on what needs to low button can be pressed to sandy campbell photos lower the pantograph so it is The cab layout is centered to not damaged by an obstruc- give the best visibility with tion or fault, while also going the main traction/brake con- into hazard braking. troller on the driver’s left. If a driver takes his hand off The whole of the cab layout the traction/brake controller, has been moved to the right an alarm will immediately by around 80 mm, including sound. Should the driver not the seat, compared to the respond within three sec- K-4000 tram in Cologne, onds, the hazard brakes are to give the drivers better applied automatically. all-round visibility. In the event of any emer- On the driver’s far left are a gency situation such as a series of switches for things trafﬁc accident, there is a such as heating and lighting, ‘black box’ in cab ‘A’ which as well as fault override records the control data switches, pantograph up/ from the last hour of tram down, wash mode and oth- the timetable and route in requiring the central but- be done. ‘C’ faults are gener- operation. This is usually ers. Also on this panel are normal operation. The small ton and a release button on ally trivial and are logged for recovered by British cab heating controls and screen usually displays the the far left or far right of attention overnight. One Transport Police and can be electric control of the out- driver’s punctuality at each the desk to be pressed amusing fault is “Error, Too connected up back at the side mirrors. stop in 15-second increments. simultaneously. Many Faults!” depot to show exactly what speed the tram was going Ahead of this to the left of To the right is the IBIS fault Below this display is the and what actions the driver the driver is the main trac- display and associated fault IBIS, or BISS unit, which was taking in the hour lead- tion/brake controller. The acknowledge and cancel controls the on-board infor- ing up to the accident. controller shifts forward for buttons. In normal circum- mation. This includes the power and back for braking, stances, this displays “Tram next stop displays and with a hazard brake position A speedometer in km/h is is Ready for Service.” Any announcements as well as marked in red beyond the provided to the right of the the destination blinds all braking region. The emer- VECOM. Trams are limited by round the tram. gency stop (red) and emer- speed limiters to just over 80 gency pantograph down kph, which is the maximum speed on any part of the sys-

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 2 9 Croydon Tramlink

Parade were also dropped to save money, although 2534 did try the route out during driver training, causing extensive dam- age to the front end! New Addington is a large Council Estate and crime can be a problem. Enthusiasts are advised not to venture too far into the estate! It is, however, the main reason for constructing Tramlink as it was one of the largest estates in London not served by rail.

CENTRAL CROYDON Sandilands to Wellesley Road/George Street Junction: Trams from the east approach Sandilands Junction in two direc- tions along the alignment of the former Woodside and South Croydon Railway, which is in a deep cutting. Trams from New Addington approach from the south with trams from Beck- enham and Elmers End from the north. Tramlink has taken some land here to open out a new cutting at right angles to the existing one. Trams can now turn sharply from each direction and climb up the new cutting to Sandilands Junction before crossing Woodbury Close LC. This is the summit and trams then enter Sandilands tram stop which is at road level adjacent to the busy A232. Sandilands At this point, the tramway becomes a street tramway and sandy campbell photos block paving is used rather than ballast as it runs in front of Ero del ulla commodiat. An flats parallel to the road. This area has been landscaped well. et, commy num zzriustio There is an emergency crossover here which is often used in eraessed te dolor augiam, case of a problem on the street section ahead. sectem ea facin velit ullan Trams now reach Chepstow Road which is a five-way road henim vel il exer ip eugiation junction (one road with trams in) plus a segregated tramway! vel ex eu feuissectem quisl Getting traffic priority right here has always been a problem. elisim veros ad ercidunt ut It was formerly a roundabout, but is now a signaled junction lore diat velit ipiscillaore with the main routes being the A232 and the trams from their facipis nos nim quismod tis- segregated alignment into Addiscombe Road. mod mod molore min erat, Addiscombe Road is one of the most traditional sections of velit alisl ilit voloborpero modern tramway in the UK. It is also a model of public trans- euguer atum volor ipsusci port planning. All through traffic has been diverted to the main ncipit, sit ulla consequam ver A232, but full access is still allowed to the quiet residential area. inim quatisi bla ad minia- All public transport into Croydon from this direction now uses met, commod et eu feugait this road allowing a free flow of buses and trams. lore magnim duisl iusto etue Addiscombe road is much quieter than it was before Tram- conseni siscillaor iril link opened. The road has many locations for excellent pho- utpatuero dunt wismod tography, places for the Cricketers to sit and watch the trams, minisci liquamconse tet wisit a quiet pub and, half way along, staggered platforms for Leb- anon Road Stop. Bus stops have special bays to allow buses to pull in clear of the trams. After leaving Lebanon Road, trams descend slightly to the junction with Cherry Orchard Road. This used to be a

3 0 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 3 1 Croydon Tramlink

request push buttons are provided and signs located at each end of the ‘A’ and ‘B’ cars illuminate when the tram has been requested to stop. Tram doors can be released either of two ways. The driver can release the doors so that passengers can Passenger Cabin open them using by pushing tions and this can result in sandy campbell photos a button on the door, below. very hot trams in the sum- Each tram has 70 seats — Or, the driver can open all mer. Air conditioning in the 33 in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ cars, and the doors and they remain passenger cabin has been two on each side of the cen- open until they are closed ruled out due to the fre- ter ‘C’ Car. It is estimated again by the driver. In both quent opening of the doors, that the tram can hold 138 cases they have a warning but installation in the driv- standing passengers. Inside alarm when the doors are er’s cab is a possibility. the tram, there are plenty of about to close. Improvements to the forced- handrails and you can walk air ventilation system are the entire length of the tram. being considered. The outer ends, beyond the Above the windows are stan- outer doorways, are high- sandy campbell dard-sized advertisement ﬂoor; the remainder of the panels as used on buses and tram is 76 percent low-ﬂoor. trains. Ads are managed for Tramlink by TDI Media, for-

Most surfaces are white sandy campbell merly LT Advertising. with blue seat covers (with Large windows mean that yellow and black moquette. you can see everything, Trams are thoroughly All handrails are yellow including traffic jams! All cleaned each night at with grey hand straps on glass has protective anti- Therapia Lane by ISS clean- the longitudinal rails. Some scratch film which is ers. Mobile cleaners also youths tend to swing from replaced every two to three roam the trams in the cen- the handrails, prompting weeks. Even if scratching is tral area (Sandilands- drivers to make announce- visible, it is likely that it is Wandle Park), picking up lit- ments like “this is a tram, only on the film. Another ter and cleaning up spills.

sandy campbell not a gymnasium.” benefit of the film is the abil- Each tram has a scheduled ity to hold the glass together In addition to space available “dusting” every three hours in case of stones or other in the door vestibules, the during peak times. missiles being thrown. If the low-floor area in each car glass does break, it will not Trams with serious spills, incorporates a disabled area shatter and cause flying graffiti or less pleasant sub- which can hold wheelchairs glass in juries. stances are usually substi- (top left). This area also fea- tuted in Croydon with a tures a convenient perch for Windows in the center low- spare at the depot. standing passengers. Each floor section of the tram Providing there is a spare half has one dedicated prior- have hopper-style windows available, a relief driver will ity seat which is longitudinal for additional ventilation. take a new tram out and and has additional hand rails Unfortunately, this does not trams will be swapped. (middle left). apply to the high-floor sec- This usually occurs at sandy campbell All stops on the system are Beddington Lane or East technically request stops Croydon. and may be skipped if the tram is late and no one requires the stop. Stop

3 2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 sandy campbell headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 3 3 Croydon Tramlink

Therapia Lane stephen j. parascandolo photos Ero del ulla commodiat. An et, commy num zzriustio eraessed te dolor augiam, sectem ea facin velit ullan henim vel il exer ip eugiation vel ex eu feuissectem quisl Nulla faccumm olortie dunt elisim veros ad ercidunt ut Ciduismod tem acinit vendre niam iriure te sandip el lore diat velit ipiscillaore et lorer sequat velesed enit, eraestrud tincipit in essi. facipis nos nim quismod tis- quatuerilit acin vulputet mod mod molore min erat, utem ilit, consed te modo Min henibh eliquam at. Duip velit alisl ilit voloborpero odolut do doloreet auguer- elestio ex eros nullan ent lor- euguer atum volor ipsusci aesto eugueril iustrud mag- tin hent lore dolestrud ncipit, sit ulla consequam ver nit ulpute velis eum ip eui doloreetum vendiat ut uta- inim quatisi bla ad miniamet, bla feu feugait lut nostrud tet euipit nulputpat ut num commod et eu feugait lore dolorperil ullum irit non ero- magnim duisl iusto etue con- strud molore con utpat. Ut seni siscillaor iril utpatuero deliquam venit augiam verc- dunt wismod minisci idunt augait ilisim do odolo- liquamconse tet wisit niat bortin hendigna consequat. nisit praestrud ercipis Esequip sustrud del duis nonullu ptatem aliquis num- molenis ad te dolore modit nostism oluptat in ute el sandre magnibh enim zzrit praessequi blam, sim velesto exeraes sequisi el ut laorem wisit nonsequ ismodip sum- con quat incin ute core ing exero od minit, commod rosto commy nonulpute magna accum incilit prat illa tatumsandre volor si blaore commy nos dolessi er aut conulla autetuerci tisl exer dolortisl dolessis acidunt at. Ut amconse mod tisisi autet dunt aut autpat lore vel iurero delesequis eriureet Met adipit, si. Gueros ver ipit, quatum ipissis do nulputa tiscil euguercin ut etumsandit la faci eugue vel- luptat il in utem et, conul- iquat, core dolum quat. Isi lutem augue faci eu feuguer endio euis augait laoreet, cor cipisi. ing eraessi. Ent ad tet amet dit wissi.

Alis et, si bla acil ulluptat ipsum dolore dolorem vel ero consequat at. Commod ex ex et autem eniat ate doloreet utpatuerit adiat.

3 4 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 3 5 Croydon Tramlink

�

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

� ��

tram stop �� illustrations �� reproduced by �� permission from �� the london trams signs standard, © transport for london � �� photos by sandy �� campbell � ��

� ��

3 6 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 Ticket Machines � All stops have Schlumber ticket machines (J) like the one below. They feature � an electronic display (inset) and are operated by a simple � toggle wheel. All stops except � � � Reeves Corner have at least � two. If one is out of order, Tram Stops riders can use the other. almost all stops have a shel- � � � Cash is emptied daily and the ters of some kind (K). These � � Sign Positions Official TfL diagram (left) machines are remotely moni- are of a modular design and � � � � � shows possible sign tored from the control room the shelter size varies � positions at a tram stop. at Therapia Lane. depending on the number of � people that are expected to Lamp Posts be waiting at that platform. Each tram stop is lit by lamps For this reason, inbound (I) that glow orange at night. platforms (towards Croydon) A sensor on top turns them often have larger shelters. on when it gets dark. Many shelters incorporate a BT Payphone. All have light- CCTV Cameras ing and most have illumi- All stops have closed-circuit Noticeboard nated advertising as part of television cameras which are All stops feature at least the structure. monitored in the control one noticeboard like the room at Therapia Lane. Litter Bins one to the left of the ticket Controllers are able to record Most stops have litter bins. machine below. This has the evidence when necessary There are two sizes, a free- stop name at the top, the should an incident occur. standing one and a half-size timetable in the left-hand one fixed to the back fence. pane and a route map and Passenger Information They appear to be far too other information in the Display (PID) small for the job and are right-hand pane. Also known as Next Tram often overflowing despite � �� Indicators, PIDs (E) display �� Shelter and Seats being emptied daily. They the destination and were apparently designed �� All stops except Reeves �� expected arrival times of the mainly for used tickets. New, �� Corner have seats and �� next two trams. They can larger bins have now been �� also display any message the provided at some stops. controllers want to display. This could be information on � �� delays or even direct instruc- �� tions to vandals to stop plac- �� ing objects on the track. �� Passenger Help Points (PHP) PHPs (left) are provided for emergencies. Pressing the � �� emergency button con- �� nects the caller to a controller at Therapia Lane. When a PHP is activated, a CCTV camera automatically zooms in on the caller and recording is initiated.

headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 3 7 Croydon Tramlink

roundabout around the unusually shaped NLA tower. Now, all through traffic runs North-South along Cherry Orchard Road and trams occupy the northern part of the old roundabout on segregated track. There is traffic light control to get trams over Cherry Orchard Road. Trams run on segregated track in front of the Post Office before another signaled junction at Taxi Rank where taxis and cars drop off passengers for the station cross. All westbound trams stop here to request, via the vehicle computer (VECOM; effectively, this is not part of the tram, but an extension of the SCADA system to control and pick up data from the tram in service and once set up with the duty and drivers I/D and duty. It feeds back and receives data through the transponder loops to give the driver and controller an accurate picture of the trams ‘in service’ performance), a platform at East Croydon. East Croydon has a reversible center platform which is very useful to turn trams short in case of a problem or delays, to stable a failed tram, to swap trams over or, as usually happens, to boost capacity for westbound trams. East Croydon stop is located outside the busy station and on the bridge over the Brighton mainline. After East Croy- don, trams continue over Dingwall Road LC and along George Street East. They have sole use of the north side of the road which was formerly a dual carriageway and is now restricted to local traffic and public transport. After passing the Dingwall Road emergency crossover and the Tramlink Shop on the left, trams reach the Wellesley Road/ George Street Junction, the start of the Croydon Loop. West- bound trams now follow the single westbound track on the south side of the loop while eastbound trams will have turned into George Street East from Wellesley Road and the single track north side of the loop. Croydon Loop (South Side): From George Street East, trams cross the busy junction with Wellesley Road which is above the Croydon Underpass. They then enter George Street West which is a much older, narrower road. It is, on paper at least, pedestrianized for most of the day with loading in the evenings and at night, although this is widely abused! Loading bays are provided to keep vehicles clear of trams. Overhead wires are strung between the old buildings in this street. George Street stop is a short distance down the road on the right hand side of the tram outside the entrance to Alders. This is one of the busiest stops for shoppers to access the Whit- gift center, but the stop is small and often overcrowded. If the planned Park Place redevelopment takes place, this stop will be moved and enlarged. Now for the best part of the system, trams pass the ancient Whitgift Almshouses and cross North End, the pedestrianized

3 8 headlights | july–december 2 0 0 2 main shopping street. Trams used to operate along North End After leaving the stop they run up the slip road and turn until 95 as part of the trunk London/Purley route. Tramlink, left into George Street East, where the south side of the loop however, now descends the pedestrianized Crown Hill. With diverges. a 9 percent grade, it is the steepest part of the system and with PROPOSED EXTENSIONS dazed shoppers, can be an interesting ride! It certainly keeps the drivers on their toes. The Sutton/Wimbledon proposal would utilize existing Tram- Trams now enter Church Street with traffic light control link infrastructure between Wimbledon and Morden Road stop. at Middle Street and Frith Street and pass the famous Surrey The cramped tram terminus inside Wimbledon station is barely Street market on the left. They continue with normal traffic adequate for its present function. If another service is to arrive now along Church Street, past my favorite McDonalds restau- at Wimbledon a new terminus will need to be created. rant and into Church Street Stop, which is segregated. Note Another Sutton Line proposal — to Tooting — is more the “Tramms” shopping precinct on the right here — no one ambitious and undoubtedly contains many more challenges is sure why they can’t spell “Trams”! than a Sutton/Wimbledon link. Apart from workshop/depot Beyond Church Street, the tramway splits into interlaced facilities and a curve required to link the line into the exist- track. This is provided to avoid a point mechanism in the mid- ing system, this extension would share no infrastructure with dle of a road junction. The interlaced tracks cross Drummond the existing Tramlink. Road Level Crossing before they diverge in front of Reeves fur- North and South from Croydon are currently extremely niture store. Trams to Wimbledon go straight ahead, crossing busy bus corridors. This proposal envisages Tramlink diverg- Tamworth Road and running into Cairo New Road towards ing from its central Croydon loop to pick up highway align- Wimbledon. Trams going round the loop turn sharply to the ment probably using South End, and Brighton Road to Purley. right and join the line from Wimbledon and Reeves Corner Streatham Station will increase in importance as an interchange Stop in Tamworth Road. with the East London Line extension and this is envisaged as Croydon Loop (North Side): After the two routes converge in the northern terminus of the Tramlink extension. Tamworth Road, they run along the road towards West Croy- The Crystal Palace Extension looks to replace a local low- don. This road was actually built as part of the Surrey Iron Rail- frequency conventional rail service with a more attractive way in 803. Initially, it is shared with other traffic, but at Mid- tram service between Beckenham Junction and Crystal Pal- dle Street becomes tram and bus only. Trams now pass the site ace Station. of Tamworth Road stop. This is being constructed, together These proposed Tramlink exensions would provide fast with a bus interchange, for the new Centrale Shopping center and reliable transport to major hospitals in south London on the right-of-way. It should open in 2003. that are currently accessible only by bus or car. They would At the top of Tamworth Road trams cross the other end of significantly improve access to health services for people North End and enter Station Road at West Croydon under traf- living in some of south London’s poorest areas and to those, fic light control. They run along station road to a stop apposite predominantly older, people who do not have access to a car. West Croydon Bus Station. This area is often congested with In addition, more people would have access to south London illegal parking and buses and the interchange with West Croy- parks and open spaces — including Crystal Palace Park and don station is far from ideal. its sports facilities — and the proposed 236 acre Wandle Leaving the stop, trams run between the large Prospect Valley Country Park. The extensions would also improve West and Delta Point offices of British Telecom (BT) and turn public transport access to other local sports facilities such as right from Station Road into Wellesley Road under traffic light the Sutton Arena and the Sutton Junior Tennis Center. Finally, control. Trams run along the central reservation of Wellesley these extensions would aid access to a proposed development Road, which is a busy dual carriageway. in Streatham, including a leisure center and ice rink, placing it There is traffic light control of first a signaled north- south u- within easy reach of half a million south London residents. turn at Delta Point, and then the right turn from Poplar Walk into Wellesley Road. CONCLUSION They continue until after the Whitgift center where, at the Trams are back in Croydon and running very successfully. The junction with Landsdown Road, they cross on the traffic light detailed work that went into achieving this has all been worth side of the southbound carriageway, and for Wellesley Road it. Other authorities can look to Croydon as the way ahead in stop — which is on the slip road for buses only — to the junc- local transport. E tion above the underpass.

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