Cheltenham and District Light Railway

Owner Cheltenham and District Light Railway Company
Opened 22nd August 1901 (electric)
Operator Cheltenham and District Light Railway Company
Taken over 1914 (Balfour, Beatty and Company Limited)
Closed 31st December 1930
Length 10.44 miles
Gauge 3ft 6ins

Button description Block initials: 'MOTORMAN' between 'C & D' and 'L R'

Materials known Brass

Button Line reference [None]


Comment Stylistically, this button is very unusual, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to any other pattern of button issued by a UK tramway company. A clue may perhaps lie in the unique use of the word 'MOTORMAN', a frequent occurrence on American 'streetcar' buttons, bearing in mind that the Cheltenham system was promoted by an American entrepreneur, Thomas Nevins. This also begs the question of whether other patterns existed for conductors and inspectors, though I am not aware of any (please let me know if you have any evidence for such issues). All buttons known are of 2-piece construction, ie, blazer style, with the shank soldered directly to the front.

I had originally identified this button - somewhat tentatively - as an issue of another tramway company, the Chatham and District Light Railway, but this was solely based on 'hearsay'. Follow-up investigation revealed the main source of these buttons to have been a single auction where they were simply advertised as such. Given the relative regularity with which I see buttons misdescribed, I'm inclined to think that this auction description was nothing more than a guess that has come to be accepted as fact. However, in the absence of firmer evidence, the current identification can still only be considered as 'tentative'.

In addition to the Cheltenham system, BB also owned, operated or controlled the following systems: Dartford and District Light Railway, Leamington and Warwick Electric Tramway, Llanelly Tramways, Luton Corporation Tramways, Mansfield and District Light Railway, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways, Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway, Dunfermline and District Tramways, Falkirk and District Tramways and Wemyss and District Tramways.