Birmingham Corporation Tramways



Owner Birmingham Corporation
Took over 1st January 1904 (Birmingham and Aston Tramways [steam] - lines within city boundary owned by Birmingham Corporation)
Operator Birmingham Corporation
First electric route 4th January 1904
Took over 1st January 1907 (City of Birmingham Tramways, a BET controlled company [steam; cable; electric] - majority of the company's routes; these having been owned by Birmingham Corporation from their inception)
Took over (operation) 1st July 1911 (Handsworth UDC owned lines) - previously leased to the South Staffordshire Tramways (Lessee) Company Ltd
Took over 1st January 1912 (lines owned by Erdington Urban District Council, but operated by BCT, which subsequently passed into the hands of Birmingham Corporation following expansion of the city's boundaries in 1912)
Took over 1st January 1912 (City of Birmingham Tramways [cable; electric] - remainder of the company's routes, ownership of which had passed to Birmingham Corporation from local councils [Aston Manor, Handsworth, Kings Norton and Northfield], following expansion of the city's boundaries in 1912)
Took over 1st April 1924 (operation of West Bromwich Corporation-owned lines previously leased to the Birmingham and Midland Tramways Joint Committee [South Staffordshire Lessee Co], a BET subsidiary)
Took over 1st April 1928 (Birmingham and Midland Tramways Joint Committee [Birmingham and District Power and Traction Co Ltd] - main line to Dudley)
Closed 4th July 1953
Length 80.42 mile
Gauge 3ft 6ins


Button description Title (‘Birmingham Corporation Tramways') in circlet, surrounding arms (quartered shield, surmounted by castle and arm with hammer), with worker supporters, all above motto ‘Forward’
Materials known Brass; japanned brass; black horn; natural horn
Button Line reference [113/7]


Comments The natural horn issue seems a mystery. In effect the button is translucent and it is almost impossible to discern the design — let alone the owning company — other than on close inspection. I'm not aware of any other tramway or railway company issuing such buttons, which suggests to me that they may in fact be unfinished. Indeed, it has been said that the manufacturer's ran out of blacking material in the war and the need for buttons was so great that they were issued without. I must say that I don't find this anecdotal explanation very convincing. For me, a much better explanation is that they remained unfinished at the manufacturers and were eventually passed directly from there to collectors - my example is certainly in pristine condition, indicating that it was never used.