The town council of Torquay did not want their seaside resort disfigured by the poles and overhead wires of a conventional electric tramway and so invited the Dolter Electric Traction Company to construct a tramway using their stud-contact system.

A conductor cable was laid in a trench between the rails.
At 9-foot (2.7 m) intervals a box was fitted between the rails that contained a stud (which protruded about 1 inch (25 mm) above the road) and a bell crank.
A magnet on a passing tram attracted this crank which then moved to make contact between the conductor cable and stud; once the tram moved away the crank dropped away and the stud was no longer connected to the cable.
A long skate was suspended beneath each tramcar which was magnetised by electro-magnets and so both operated the cranks and collected the current that both moved the tram car and powered the electro-magnets.
A small battery was carried to charge the electro-magnets should the power be interrupted.
The negative return current passed through the rails.

A horse was killed after it stepped on a live stud during construction of the tramway in Torquay.
Each tram car was then fitted with a bell connected to a special contact arm to warn the driver if a stud remained live after it had passed.
The conductor of the tram then had to reset the crank using an insulated mallet.
During the Board of Trade inspection of the tramway four such studs were detected during about 8 miles (13 km) of tests.
There were also frequent problems with trams being stopped when a stud failed to be made live when needed.
On 27 January 1910 a snow storm stopped all the trams as they couldn't make contact with the studs.

Electricity was supplied from Torquay town council's generating station on Beacon Quay.
The town council of Torquay did not want their seaside resort disfigured by the poles and overhead wires of a conventional electric tramway and so invited the Dolter Electric Traction Company to construct a tramway using their stud-contact system.
A conductor cable was laid in a trench between the rails. At 9-foot (2.7 m) intervals a box was fitted between the rails that contained a stud (which protruded about 1 inch (25 mm) above the road) and a bell crank. A magnet on a passing tram attracted this crank which then moved to make contact between the conductor cable and stud; once the tram moved away the crank dropped away and the stud was no longer connected to the cable. A long skate was suspended beneath each tramcar which was magnetised by electro-magnets and so both operated the cranks and collected the current that both moved the tram car and powered the electro-magnets. A small battery was carried to charge the electro-magnets should the power be interrupted. The negative return current passed through the rails.
A horse was killed after it stepped on a live stud during construction of the tramway in Torquay. Each tram car was then fitted with a bell connected to a special contact arm to warn the driver if a stud remained live after it had passed. The conductor of the tram then had to reset the crank using an insulated mallet. During the Board of Trade inspection of the tramway four such studs were detected during about 8 miles (13 km) of tests. There were also frequent problems with trams being stopped when a stud failed to be made live when needed. On 27 January 1910 a snow storm stopped all the trams as they couldn't make contact with the studs.
Electricity was supplied from Torquay town council's generating station on Beacon Quay.
Torquay Tramways