page_title: Walsall Corporation Tramways
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Walsall Corporation Tramways / History
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Schematische weergave tramnet Birmingham (UK), 1930
context_page_description: Walsall Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Walsall between 1904 and 1930.
context_section_description: Faced with a likely takeover of the South Staffordshire Tramways Company by British Electric Traction, Walsall Corporation made their own agreement with the South Staffordshire Tramways company, and on 1 January 1901, for the sum of £18,500 (equivalent to £1,843,186 in 2016), Walsall Corpopation became owners of the tramway system. They leased the tramway back to the former company who operated for the next 3 years.
  From 1901, contracts were awarded for the modernisation, electrification and extension of the system.
  On 3 December 1903, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Horatio Arthur Yorke carried out an inspection of the new extensions and passed them fit for service. The official opening ceremony took place on 31 December 1903, when the Mayor, the Council, officials and Justices of the Peace were conveyed in four special cars, covering most of the routes of the new network.
  Fifty drivers and fifty conductors were employed to start the corporation services which began on 1 January 1904.
  In June 1905, an agreement was made with the Wolverhampton District Electric Company whereby Walsall Corporation tramcars would be allowed to work over their tracks into the Market Place at Willenhall. A junction was constructed at the Willenhall Board Schools, and Walsall tramcars first ran through to Willenhall Market Place on 19 July 1905.
  1 May 1907 through running to Wednesbury and Darlaston was begun.
  Reduced services were operated in the evenings in 1916 after the Zeppelin raids. In one of these raids by LZ 61 (Zeppelin 'L 21') on 31 January 1916 tramcar 16 was on Bradford Street with the Mayoress, Mrs. Mary Julia Slater on board. In Bradford Place a bomb fell and the glass in the car was shattered. The Mayoress was severely injured and died from her injuries on 20 February.
  In 1920-21 the route from Pinfold to Bloxwich was doubled at a cost of £14,313 (equivalent to £582,747 in 2016). In 1922, the corporation took over responsibility for the lines from Pleck to Wood Green and James Bridge.
caption: Map of the routes in the West Midlands including those in Walsall
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