It looks similar to this design [attachment below, although it has 7 windows, not 6] - built by 'John Stephenson & Co, New York, USA'. The company did export to Liverpool in 1879. See report
here.
The picture attached [source London Transport Museum Archive] is of a London Tramways Company double deck horse tram No 284, built by John Stephenson & Co, New York, USA, 1882
Reference number: 1981/533 part 0
Dimensions:
Width: 2130mm,
Height: 3200mm
The advantages of this design were explained by the company, when they won the bid to supply London - in an interview with Scientific America:
“Our cars weigh less by one-half than those made in Germany. They can be procured for £35 less than Birmingham can quote. The cars we furnish Glasgow can be operated from a stable one-third smaller than their own cars require. The nature of American woods has much to do with our success. The selection and preparation of material are no light jobs; the process of preparation requires three to four years. American irons are tougher than the English and we can get the required strength with less weight. We use white oak, white ash, poplar, basswood, hickory, beech, maple and pine—woods all easily procurable by us, while the English are obliged to use teakwood. Because their woods are inferior, they find it necessary to reinforce with iron, at the expense of lightness. . . . We meet with considerable opposition abroad, and the press is used to raise a cry against any corporation sending money away from home, especially in these hard times.”
Originally Posted by dazza
It looks similar to this design [attachment below, although it has 7 windows, not 6] - built by 'John Stephenson & Co, New York, USA'. The company did export to Liverpool in 1879. See report here.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks