Hill of Howth Tramway

The Howth Tram was a tram which served Howth Head, near Dublin, Ireland. The termini were at Sutton railway station and Howth railway station. It operated from June 1901 to 31 May 1959 and was run by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I)), which viewed it as a way to bring more customers to its railway stations at Sutton and Howth.

Trams at Howth railway station

History

Closure and replacement
The Hill of Howth Tramway, 1907

In 1958, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) took over GNR(I)'s operations in the Republic of Ireland, including the Howth Tram. A year later, the tramway was closed down. It was initially replaced by two CIÉ bus routes – numbers 87 (Sutton to Ceanchor Road) and 88 (Howth to Windgate Road).[1] Two routes were necessary, as several narrow hill curves were not passable by the buses used. Eventually, sections of the disused tram route between the Baily post office and the Summit were expanded to form an extension of Carrickbrack Road; this enabled a single bus route (number 88) to be introduced.

The area is now served by the 31, 31a and 31b bus routes which operate from Abbey Street in the city centre. In winter, icy roads on the hill occasionally cause the bus service to be suspended, unlike the tram, which ran in all weather conditions. A public footpath now follows the tram route between Howth station and the Summit.

Preservation
No. 4 at Cultra

Four of the trams survive in preservation. No. 9 is now exhibited at the National Transport Museum of Ireland, which is located at Howth Castle, near the former terminus of the tramway at Howth railway station.[2] No. 4 is on display the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra. No. 10 is preserved at the National Tramway Museum in Derbyshire, England; it has been converted to 4' 8.5" gauge and had previously run on the Blackpool Tramway from 1985-89.[3][4] No. 2 is at the Orange Empire Railway Museum, California, USA, in operating condition; it has also been converted to 4' 8.5" gauge.[5]

Plans to Reinstate the Tram

In 2016 Fingal County Council announced it was issuing an invitation of tenders[6] for options for possible reinstatement of the Howth Tram or part of it, as a possible tourist attraction.[7][8] Proposals which are being considered include the possibility of having a horse-drawn tram on tracks along the seafront.[9]

Route
Route map, c. 1922

Electric double-decker tramcars ran the five-mile route, which went from Sutton station along Greenfield Road and Carrickbrack Road to St. Fintan's Cemetery, then past the Baily post office and Stella Maris convent to Howth Summit. From there, the tramway ran down into Howth, terminating at the railway station. Most of the route was single track, with passing points at the main stopping places. The track gauge was 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), the same standard as railways in Ireland.

Stops
StopYear openedYear closedNote
Sutton Station[10]19011959Sutton tramcar shed (connected to mainline in 1951)[10]
Sutton Cross[10]19011959
Marine Hotel[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Church Road[10]19011959Request stop. Formerly called Saxe (or Sax or Sacks) Lane[10]
Strand Road[10]19011959
Howth Desmesne[10]19011959
St Fintans' Cemetery[10]19011959Request stop[10]
St Fintans[10]19011959
St Fintans' Road[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Barren Hill[10]19011959
Red Rock[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Somali Village[10]19011959Request stop (also called Bellinghams')[10]
Ceanchor Road[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Baily Post Office[10]19011959
Convent Gate[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Stella Maris[10]19011959Formerly called Bay View or Baily View[10]
Ravensdale[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Tweedys' Lane[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Hill of Howth[10]19011959Formerly called Howth Summit, renamed 1912[10]
Kitestown Road[10]19011959Request stop (formerly called Bakers' Lane)[10]
Greys' Lane[10]19011959Request stop[10]
Dungriffen Road[10]19011959
Balkill Road[10]19011959Request stop (also called Balglass)[10]
Island View[10]19011959Request stop[10]
'Korea'[10]circa 1950s1959Unofficial stopping place[10]
Howth Station[10]19011959Connection to mainline[10]

See also

References
  1. "Hill Of Howth Tramway Closure". Irish Railfans' News. Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. 5 (3): 6. July 1959.
  2. "The Hill of Howth Tramway and tram No. 9". www.nationaltransportmuseum.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  3. "GNRi Hill of Howth Tram No.10". www.irishrailwaymodelling.com. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  4. "Blackpooltra.ms". www.tramway.com. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  5. "Trams DownUnder - Message 179538". tdu.to. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  6. Feasibility study on reinstatement of Howth Tram Mytenders.ie, 15 June 2016.
  7. Ding Ding Old Number 9 tram may roll again in Howth by Dan Griffin, Irish Times, June 16, 2016
  8. FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL CONSIDERING RESTORING HOWTH TRAM Archived 2016-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Interview with FIngal County Council Mayor, www.q102.ie, 20 June 2016.
  9. Howth tram is on course to be running again by Tom Prenderville, Irish Independent, 15 July 2012.
  10. Johnson, Stephen (1997). Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the railways of Ireland. Leicester,UK: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-044-3.

Further reading
  • Kilroy, James: Howth and her Trams: Stories and Sketches of the Howth Tram, Fingal Books, Dublin (1986). ISBN 978-1-85186-010-4
  • Kilroy, James: Trams to the Hill of Howth: A Photographic Tribute, Colourpoint Books, Newtownards, Co. Down (1998) ISBN 1-898392-13-7, ISBN 978-1-898392-13-2

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