My 90yr old dad Manchester born and bred, would have loved these.....wish I'd found them earlier but he passed away last month. Now I am watching them all in his memory!
I should think there are tram tracks under Princess Road (Hulme/Moss Side). When I was a kid, my Grand Parents lived by the old Princess Road Bus Depot. The huge wood doors that used to face Princess Road had tram tracks in the Setts (large cobbles), that had been tarmacked over. I saw them when works were being done just in front of the unused doors to level the pavement, as it still had the original kerbs on either side of the doors.
Love this video! Manchester is a totally amazing place to be. When I first got off a train there, the vibe hit me. It just felt so... vibrant. It’s odd saying that, but something really is different. Amazing kebabs too! I need to search out these original tramway relics next time I’m there. I never knew they existed. But when the new link via Exchange Square was being constructed, you got an amazing slice of archaeology in Corporation street. If you looked into the excavation hole, you could see the original cobbled roadway with the original tram rails. But it was about a metre below the current roadway. The old rails were being removed and piled up for scrap. I was on a bicycle so even if I slipped a guy a few quid to cut off a bit of old tram rail, I wouldn’t have been able to carry it. The oddest thing for me is that the original shops and their frontages and the pavement hadn’t changed their ground level so some serious regrading must have taken place when the Arndale Centre opposite.
That was great, thanks Ollie! Funny how things go round in circles...get rid of the trams, bring em back....I wonder what they'll do next??? Your production skills are fantastic. I have a tiny bit of experience of editing, so I know how much work would have gone in to this film to have it flow so well. The different soundtracks you've laid in fit with the vision perfectly too....so well done you! I remember the old toll gates on Daisy Bank Rd/Oxford place in Victoria Park. Just the stone pillars left when I was a kid in the 60's , but all four sets were still in their original locations back then. Can't wait to see what you come up with next. Stay safe!
Once again, another excellent and really interesting video on Manchester. I am especially pleased you talked about the wider MCR network, not just the Manchester Corporation like most videos concentrate on. An interesting point, our tramway lines actually connected with the wider Liverpool network as well, so it was possible to get a tram all the way from the seaside to the Pennines - although generally you had to change, sometimes they put on a direct route as a special. Though probably for a different video, maybe one regarding the underground that never happened (there were over 20 attempts at getting an underground railway in MCR), the only reason the trams came back was that we got the poor-man's subway. Normally a city of our size would have begun building a metro network, but the funding for various reasons never reached us in MCR. Metrolink was a cheap solution. It wasn't chosen because modern trams are the best, but because they are at least better than buses. It's also worth pointing out that the main reason the original trams died away was because, as you say, the car - but more than politics, the advantages vis cost of modernising the trams. Cars became cheaper and people just preferred them to the ageing tram network. You could go door to door, to anywhere in your neighbourhood, city, county or country. Why bother with public transport which was so much slower and run down. As you point out, traffic congestion eventually became an issue, but people back then didn't know this would happen and the attraction was just too great. With the trams needing a huge upgrade, it was just seen by almost everyone, as the logical solution to get rid of them. The cities around the world that didn't are generally really happy now that they kept theirs, but that's hindsight for you. Finally, I thought it was odd bringing up class at the end. Public transport is hugely popular with both working and middle class. Metrolink fills its cars whether from Didsbury or Altrincham to Oldham or Eccles. And this can be seen much better in cities that have proper metro systems. It is really just about getting people where they need to go. If there is an efficient journey and if the network is modern and effective, everyone uses it. Again, a fantastic video and thanks for posting. I love your work and this channel :)
Thank you! Yes thats a good point about cars and convenience etc. I think I wanted to mention Marples because he was from Manchester and also because the Beeching cuts, which people still get very angry about. But yes, cars were the natural next mode of transport for the 20th century. I was just trying to be funny at the end about class, since a lot of my videos mention some sort of working class struggle. I think the trams are a brilliant way of attracting all people to public transport. Thanks for watching!
Thanks! A nice, light-hearted film! But - a historical note. All the trams in the country had - not - gone by 1952. Several British systems ran until the late '50s. The last three large British city tramway systems to close were Leeds in November 1959, Sheffield in April 1960 and, finally, the once very large Glasgow system in September 1962.
A lot of the tram lines were just covered up and forgotten about. Earlier this year they were updating the utilities under Princess Street and had to dig their trenches carefully to avoid the tram lines buried just under the tarmac. I was amazed to see the lines - I thought they'd have been sold for scrap!
When they were resurfacing the A6 south of Stockport town centre and up past the townhall back in 2010/11 (can't be more specific) they uncovered tram tracks that had been simply left in situ in the tarmac. A couple of years later the preparation work for the Metrolink into Rochdale town centre uncovered a couple of hundred yards of old tramtrack too.
Nice video. I remember, when living in Moss Side as a kid, the huge front door, facing Princess Road of the Princess Road bus depot (now gone). There was an odd looking set of kerb stones and if you looked closely, you could see the original tram track from within the depot, embedded in the old road setts, on to Princess Road with tarmac over the top.
You described cars perfectly, you forgot "antiquated", i always remember a tram depo over in manchester, not sure where now, over in salford i think, that was in the 80's, it was unusual for me to see, maybe it's still there
After WWII, probably 1946 as I don’t remember my brother being around, my cousin came to visit from Portugal and arrived at London Road station as I remember the long long ramp. Well I wanted my parents to get a taxi to the Salford bus station near the Cathedral but Gillian wanted to go on the double decker tram. I lost. 😊
Technically, there was a fire at Hyde road in 1949. The only thing is it was the corporation that lit it as a means of disposing of the trams having already decided to shut the system and scrap off everything. The closure of the tramway system was a very deliberate act by the then general manager Robert Stuart Pilcher in favour of the trolley and motor busses.
Remember being a ten year old living in West Didsbury when tram stopped at Barlow Moor Road terminus. Conductor reset seats to face other way and driver went to other end and off we went again to Piccadilly.
Is that disused tram line actually disused or does it get some sort of museum operations today? Because those tracks look rather still too good to let go to waste. And 3:29 someone needs to make a wee cart to run around that unused stretch... That'd be a ball.
Hi looking on old maps on line it shows Thomas street depo Cheetham hill where Tesco is now I think this was the first depo and the map shows that the track did not go up to Bury at this time.
My idea would be to make all buzzes Black and yellow stripes like a bee London has its own why can't we more people will use them for the pride of Manchester plus they will stand out
My 90yr old dad Manchester born and bred, would have loved these.....wish I'd found them earlier but he passed away last month. Now I am watching them all in his memory!
I should think there are tram tracks under Princess Road (Hulme/Moss Side). When I was a kid, my Grand Parents lived by the old Princess Road Bus Depot. The huge wood doors that used to face Princess Road had tram tracks in the Setts (large cobbles), that had been tarmacked over. I saw them when works were being done just in front of the unused doors to level the pavement, as it still had the original kerbs on either side of the doors.
Absolutely brilliant mate! Love how effortlessly you present this to us; I bet it took hours upon hours of research etc.
Haha thanks. Yes probably a little too much for a ten minute video 😁
I'm binge watching all your stuff, I *love* the amount of research coupled with the casual delivery. Do u have a patreon?
Love this video! Manchester is a totally amazing place to be. When I first got off a train there, the vibe hit me. It just felt so... vibrant. It’s odd saying that, but something really is different. Amazing kebabs too! I need to search out these original tramway relics next time I’m there. I never knew they existed.
But when the new link via Exchange Square was being constructed, you got an amazing slice of archaeology in Corporation street. If you looked into the excavation hole, you could see the original cobbled roadway with the original tram rails. But it was about a metre below the current roadway.
The old rails were being removed and piled up for scrap. I was on a bicycle so even if I slipped a guy a few quid to cut off a bit of old tram rail, I wouldn’t have been able to carry it.
The oddest thing for me is that the original shops and their frontages and the pavement hadn’t changed their ground level so some serious regrading must have taken place when the Arndale Centre opposite.
That was great, thanks Ollie! Funny how things go round in circles...get rid of the trams, bring em back....I wonder what they'll do next??? Your production skills are fantastic. I have a tiny bit of experience of editing, so I know how much work would have gone in to this film to have it flow so well. The different soundtracks you've laid in fit with the vision perfectly too....so well done you!
I remember the old toll gates on Daisy Bank Rd/Oxford place in Victoria Park. Just the stone pillars left when I was a kid in the 60's , but all four sets were still in their original locations back then.
Can't wait to see what you come up with next.
Stay safe!
Thanks Mike!
Once again, another excellent and really interesting video on Manchester. I am especially pleased you talked about the wider MCR network, not just the Manchester Corporation like most videos concentrate on. An interesting point, our tramway lines actually connected with the wider Liverpool network as well, so it was possible to get a tram all the way from the seaside to the Pennines - although generally you had to change, sometimes they put on a direct route as a special.
Though probably for a different video, maybe one regarding the underground that never happened (there were over 20 attempts at getting an underground railway in MCR), the only reason the trams came back was that we got the poor-man's subway. Normally a city of our size would have begun building a metro network, but the funding for various reasons never reached us in MCR. Metrolink was a cheap solution. It wasn't chosen because modern trams are the best, but because they are at least better than buses.
It's also worth pointing out that the main reason the original trams died away was because, as you say, the car - but more than politics, the advantages vis cost of modernising the trams. Cars became cheaper and people just preferred them to the ageing tram network. You could go door to door, to anywhere in your neighbourhood, city, county or country. Why bother with public transport which was so much slower and run down. As you point out, traffic congestion eventually became an issue, but people back then didn't know this would happen and the attraction was just too great. With the trams needing a huge upgrade, it was just seen by almost everyone, as the logical solution to get rid of them. The cities around the world that didn't are generally really happy now that they kept theirs, but that's hindsight for you.
Finally, I thought it was odd bringing up class at the end. Public transport is hugely popular with both working and middle class. Metrolink fills its cars whether from Didsbury or Altrincham to Oldham or Eccles. And this can be seen much better in cities that have proper metro systems. It is really just about getting people where they need to go. If there is an efficient journey and if the network is modern and effective, everyone uses it.
Again, a fantastic video and thanks for posting. I love your work and this channel :)
Thank you!
Yes thats a good point about cars and convenience etc. I think I wanted to mention Marples because he was from Manchester and also because the Beeching cuts, which people still get very angry about. But yes, cars were the natural next mode of transport for the 20th century.
I was just trying to be funny at the end about class, since a lot of my videos mention some sort of working class struggle. I think the trams are a brilliant way of attracting all people to public transport.
Thanks for watching!
Know I know what I’m watching after work!
Hi Ollie Anoter great video, Spoken with such passion and knowledge, I learn so much watching them, Take care.
I love looking at the old days
Thanks! A nice, light-hearted film! But - a historical note. All the trams in the country had - not - gone by 1952. Several British systems ran until the late '50s. The last three large British city tramway systems to close were Leeds in November 1959, Sheffield in April 1960 and, finally, the once very large Glasgow system in September 1962.
A lot of the tram lines were just covered up and forgotten about.
Earlier this year they were updating the utilities under Princess Street and had to dig their trenches carefully to avoid the tram lines buried just under the tarmac. I was amazed to see the lines - I thought they'd have been sold for scrap!
When they were resurfacing the A6 south of Stockport town centre and up past the townhall back in 2010/11 (can't be more specific) they uncovered tram tracks that had been simply left in situ in the tarmac.
A couple of years later the preparation work for the Metrolink into Rochdale town centre uncovered a couple of hundred yards of old tramtrack too.
You make feel homesick and want to move back to Manchester Xx
Put me on the same boat with you.
Same mate 💔
The editing choices and music are so fine!
Beautiful piece about our city's transportation past,and I especially enjoyed it since a mate does You Tube vlogs on Mancunian history.
Great! What are they called? I like checking new stuff out.
Your videos look very professional. The editing in nice work and the choice of music suits.Well done.
Brilliant video again Oli, thanks for such a great story. Very well presented.
Nice video. I remember, when living in Moss Side as a kid, the huge front door, facing Princess Road of the Princess Road bus depot (now gone). There was an odd looking set of kerb stones and if you looked closely, you could see the original tram track from within the depot, embedded in the old road setts, on to Princess Road with tarmac over the top.
It's brilliant this channel. Not a single bad video (except the history of Man city).
Haha thanks!
Subscribed... So I can watch all the videos from start. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I hope you find them interesting
I love trams. I remember the first generation in London. We have super systems nearby in Sheffield and Nottingham.
Great video. Informative as always
Great video as always Ollie 👌
Thank you!
You described cars perfectly, you forgot "antiquated", i always remember a tram depo over in manchester, not sure where now, over in salford i think, that was in the 80's, it was unusual for me to see, maybe it's still there
Mini documentary. Nice!
Loved it very informative and interesting 🧐
After WWII, probably 1946 as I don’t remember my brother being around, my cousin came to visit from Portugal and arrived at London Road station as I remember the long long ramp. Well I wanted my parents to get a taxi to the Salford bus station near the Cathedral but Gillian wanted to go on the double decker tram. I lost. 😊
Thanks
Ah nice video, enjoyed watching it, Manchester kinda has it's own Jago Hazzard I see! :)
Love the vids, Olie!!! Keep 'em coming!!!
Uh I just saw and I like the tee 😁
Technically, there was a fire at Hyde road in 1949. The only thing is it was the corporation that lit it as a means of disposing of the trams having already decided to shut the system and scrap off everything. The closure of the tramway system was a very deliberate act by the then general manager Robert Stuart Pilcher in favour of the trolley and motor busses.
Looking forward to this
Remember being a ten year old living in West Didsbury when tram stopped at Barlow Moor Road terminus. Conductor reset seats to face other way and driver went to other end and off we went again to Piccadilly.
that means you're 130 yrs old.
I remember when Francis Drake used to come in the pub.
Very informative
Excellent
Great video AGAIN..
QUESTION... Do the Heaton Park trams run at any time, like in the summer holidays for example.?🤔?.
Rich🥰🥰🥰.
Yes they do in spring and summer but I'm not sure what days or times.
Glasgow's trams lasted, at least in part, till 1962.
Excellent work fancy a tory being up to no good would never happen now 😉
My grandad used to drive the no. 53 route.
Is that disused tram line actually disused or does it get some sort of museum operations today? Because those tracks look rather still too good to let go to waste.
And 3:29 someone needs to make a wee cart to run around that unused stretch... That'd be a ball.
My grandad worked at tramways
That disused railway line on the left. Do you think that it could be reused. Or is that part of the museum in Manchester.
Not sure 🤔
@@BeeHereNowuk Ok 👍
Some are left in Roxhdale too
Hi looking on old maps on line it shows Thomas street depo Cheetham hill where Tesco is now I think this was the first depo and the map shows that the track did not go up to Bury at this time.
Don't really know why you showed a railway line in Trafford Park in a video about trams.
Haha, yes I just wanted to show something I suppose
Nothing changes with tories does it?
Trolley busses are far superior to trsmcars as they need only copper wires and stantions. No costly track.
8:50 you've sold it to me, I want to go.
I think your videos are dead good🤓🤓🤓
Hey thank you! That's very nice!
Just goes to show, there's nowt new, hey!!
Headaches and sore bums? Insert your distasteful Canal Street gag here....
Did the sun come out at 01.44 or did u casually lies?
My idea would be to make all buzzes Black and yellow stripes like a bee London has its own why can't we more people will use them for the pride of Manchester plus they will stand out