THE PORTSTEWART TRAMWAY

The 1.85 mile 3 foot gauge Portstewart Tramway operated tramway services between Portstewart and Portstewart railway station at Cromore from 1882 to 1926. The Portstewart Tramway Company, formed by a group of local businessmen, built the tramway in 1882 to form a link to Portstewart railway station on the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Coleraine–Portrush railway line, as the line had bypassed the town. Services began in June 1882, a few days in advance of the arrival of the formal permission from the Board of Trade. Two tram engines were obtained from Kitson and Company. The tramway went into liquidation in 1897 and was purchased for £2,100 by the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway. They invested in the tramway providing some additional passenger vehicles and a new steam tramway engine. A new depot was constructed in Portstewart in 1899, at the southern end of the promenade, opposite the Town Hall. It became part of the Midland Railway in 1903, and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, through their satellite company in Ireland, the Northern Counties Committee. The service ceased in January 1926. A replacement bus service was provided by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
Tram engine No.1 is preserved at the Streetlife Museum of Transport Hull and No.2 is in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
These pictures are published for pleasure/information/research purposes only and are not for sale or copy under any circumstances. Information in captions has been researched as thoroughly as possible but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
PLEASE NOTE : IMPORTANT MESSAGE : Please be aware that I do not sell copies of ANY of my pictures, DO NOT email copies to viewers or allow re-posting on other sites. Neither do I wish to enter into correspondence with any individual or group regarding my pictures or their captions. All comments reflect my personal opinions and I am not prepared to discuss these with anyone or to spend the rest of my life answering inane questions. I apologise for this disclaimer but I'm afraid it has been forced upon me. I have no wish to offend anyone and I hope you will continue to enjoy my pictures at your leisure.