Dublin tramways
The last DUTC tram to run in Dublin city,needed police protection from souvenir hunters on its final trip to the Blackrock Depot
Trams passing the Parnell monument in 1913
Overview
Locale	Dublin, Ireland
Transit type	trams
Number of lines	23 (1928)
Annual ridership	88,530,737 (1937)
Operation
Began operation	1872
Ended operation	1949
Operator(s)	Dublin United Tramways Company
Technical
System length	over 60 mi (97 km)
System map

Dublin tramways was a system of trams inDublin, Ireland, which commenced line-laying in 1871, and began service in 1872, following trials in the mid-1860s.^[1] Established by a number of companies, the majority of the system was eventually operated by forms of theDublin United Tramways Company (DUTC), dominated for many years byWilliam Martin Murphy. Most of the services ran within the city centre and near suburbs, with the majority of major suburbs served (and many of the remainder handled by mainline rail). Additionally, there were two longer-range services, one reaching the "excursion" destination of Poulaphouca Falls, and two services concerningHowth.

At its peak, with over 60 miles (97 km) of active line, the system was heavily used, profitable and advanced in technology and passenger facilities, with near-full electrification complete from 1901. Heavy usage lasted from the late 19th century into the 1920s. The tram system was also central to theDublin Lockout, which caused major distress within the city.

Elements of the system went out of service from the mid-1920s, in part overtaken by the bus.^[2] The decline of the trams accelerated in the 1940s and the last trams ran on 9 July 1949 in Dublin city^[3] and in 1959 on Howth Head, near Dublin.^[4]

The tram concept arrived in Ireland in the early years of railway development, and the first related projects concerned attempts to link major city train stations with alight railway. The legislation on this topic was the model for the first of the Irish Tramways Acts (which differed somewhat from those of England and Wales, or Scotland), theTramways (Ireland) Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. 152). One feature of this law was that each establishment of a tramway operation required approvals including those of theIrish Privy Council,and an act of theImperial Parliament, onerous and expensive provisions. This and other provisions argued to be impractical led to modification by theTramways (Ireland) Amendment Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. 102).

Dublin Tramways Act 1871
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise the construction of Tramways in and near the city of Dublin; and for other purposes.
Citation	34 & 35 Vict. c. lxxxviii
Dates
Royal assent	29 June 1871
Text of statute as originally enacted

The next relevant legislation was the special act, theDublin Tramways Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. lxxxviii), setting up the first company to actually deliver service, and the associated similarly named act of 1872, finalising initial routes and other rules. In parallel the main legislation was modified by theTramways (Ireland) Amendment Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 114). A furtherDublin Tramways Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. 65) followed, and theTramways (Ireland) Amendment Act 1881 (44 & 45 Vict. c. 17), provided for the formation of tramway ventures by way of simplified procedures. In the meantime, theRelief of Distress (Ireland) Act 1880 (43 Vict. c. 4) allowed for local authority support of tramway ventures (previously some provisions existed for such support for railways only).

From 1889, a new focus came to legislation on this topic, beginning with theLight Railways (Ireland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 66), also known as "Balfour's Act", which aimed to encourage tram-like or light rail systems in poorer areas, and increased the potential for government to support such projects. With more guarantees from local authorities, more light rail systems were developed, with Dublin's extensive network just part of a total of 581 miles (935 km) by 1906.

The first Dublin trams were horse-drawn. In the early years, there were several operators, including (with the abbreviations by which they were often known):

• The Dublin Tramways Company (DTC), which acquired the rights of the City of Dublin Tramways Co. and the Rathmines omnibuses, and started laying lines in 1871, commencing service toTerenure on 1 February 1872; notably, in the run-up to launch and for some time after, there were concerted objections^[5] to the placing of rails in or on the road, with fears about carriage accidents (a similar process occurred later when steam trams were proposed), and some of these objections were continued during^[6] and after construction
• The North Dublin Street Tramways Company (NDST), formed 1875, with a line fromNelson's Pillar toDrumcondra commencing in 1877^[7]
• The Dublin Central Tramways Company (DCT), formed 1878, with authority to build a line from College Green toRathfarnham with branches toRanelagh,Rathgar,Rathmines andClonskeagh,^[8] and with a line commencing 22 June 1879, fromNelson's Pillar toTerenure viaHarold's Cross^[7]

By 1880, with many of the major districts of Dublin being served by the above three tram companies,William Martin Murphy, a founding shareholder of the Dublin Central Tramways Company, founded theDublin United Tramways Company (DUTC) in January 1881, with himself as manager, and his father-in-law as chairman, and arranged the merger of the three companies, uniting 32 "route miles" under DUTC control.^[4][8]

• The Dublin Southern Districts Tramways Company (DSDTC), formed 1878
• The Blackrock and Kingstown Tramway (BKT), formed 1883^[4]

In 1878, the DSDTC was acquired by theImperial Tramways Company, who in 1893 secured an Act of Parliament allowing them to purchase the BKT, and to use electrical and mechanical power.^[9] In mid-1896, the combined operation of these two companies, including the recently acquired legal authority to use electricity, was sold to theBritish Thomson-Houston Company, which almost immediately in turn sold it to the DUTC.^[10]

Discussions towards electrification began in the late 1890s, but this was opposed byDublin Corporation, among others. An American panel also opposed the overhead line in densely populated areas.^[11]

TheDublin United Tramways Company, with the acquisition of the Dublin Southern Tramways, which had earlier the same year started the first electrical tram line in Ireland, reversed long-standing policy favouring horse-drawn trams, and, having reorganised as the Dublin United Tramways Company (1896) Ltd., proceeded with a rapid electrification. As part of a deal with Dublin Corporation, the DUTC agreed to pay them£500 per route mile for 40 years and a minimum of £10,000 per year when the system was fully electrified.^[11] Also included as part of the deal, the DUTC agreed not to charge more than one penny from the Pillar to any city boundary less than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.^[11]

By January 1901, the entire city system,^[12] which covered about 60 miles (97 km) to 66 miles (106 km),^[13] was electrified^[14] and the system has 280 trams, including a specialDirectors tram that was used byWilliam Martin Murphy among others to inspect the system.^[15] In 1911 the system had 330 trams.^[16]

At its peak, the system was known as technically innovative and was described in 1904 as"one of the most impressive in the world",^[1] so that representatives of other cities from around the world came to inspect it and its electric operation.^[15]

In 1913, the Dublin tram system was central to theDublin lock-out, when DUTC members walked off the job over the refusal ofWilliam Martin Murphy to allow some^[17] workers to join theIrish Transport and General Workers' Union^[18]

The DUTC opened its first bus route in 1925, progressively replacing the trams until the closure of their last route, the No. 8 to Dalkey, on 10 July 1949. According to the thenMinister for JusticeSeán Mac Eoin,"A force of 60guards, including 2 superintendents, 1 inspector, 8 sergeants and 3 motor-cyclists[,] were placed on duty over the route," but they were unable to protect the last tram from damage by souvenir hunters.^[19]

Following theTransport Act 1944, control of the DUTC was vested in the newly formedCóras Iompair Éireann (CIÉ).^[20] At the time the DUTC had 113 trams remaining.^[21]

TheHill of Howth Tramway was transferred to CIÉ in 1958 and closed on 31 May 1959. It was the last tram to run in Ireland until theLuas tram system opened in 2004.^[22]

A number of factors combined in the decline of Dublin's tram system. The advent of buses and large-scale competition meant that buses often ran the same routes as the trams and would jump in front to"grab" customers, and buses were able to move into Dublin's expandinghinterland more quickly and at less cost than the trams,^[2] and the belief that trams were outdated and old technology,^[4] leading to declining use.^[2] Meanwhile, the DUTC's takeover of many bus operators left the DUTC with a large number of buses, which were used and expanded to areas of Dublin with no tram service, and buses eventually became the DUTC's core business. There was a belief that buses were cheaper to run than trams^[23] and that the system was in a poor state of repair.^[24][25] Britain's 1930 Royal Commission on Transport similarly actively advised against trams and for their replacement with buses.^[4]

After closure, the system was still being discussed in theDáil until at least 1960 when the issue of removal of the old tram tracks was raised.^[26]

The original tram-related legislation identified proposed lines by number, with a detailed route description, but these numbers were not widely used.

In 1910, there were seventeenDublin United Tramways Company (DUTC) routes, each identified with a different symbol (since 1903), and named for their terminus stations. Route numbers replaced the symbols from 1918, rising from 1 at Ringsend to 30 for Dollymount (and 31 for Howth, shared with another company) in a circuit around the city. Both the original routes and their numbers were the basis of some of the later bus routes and numbers.

The Dublin region had six other tram companies in the early 20th century, two operating back-to-back lines toLucan andLeixlip, and two similarly in the direction ofBlessington andPoulaphouca. The remaining two operated lines relating to Howth, one circuitingHowth Head and one connecting the DUTC system to Howth village and harbour. The Lucan and Leixlip lines were absorbed by the DUTC in 1927, and the coastal service to Howth was part-DUTC for many years.

TheClontarf and Hill of Howth Tramroad (C&HoHT), incorporated by a Private Local Act, having considered both a coastal route and one viaRaheny, had a single line, fromDollymount toHowth Harbour, which opened on 26 July 1900. It operated as an extension of the DUTC lines and shared operation with the DUTC, providing a route from Nelson's Pillar to Howth. It remained legally independent until closure, being wound up on 1 July 1941,^[29] but was operationally integrated with the DUTC, at least from the second decade of the century.

TheDublin and Blessington Steam Tramway (DBST), (1888–1932), which ran fromTerenure toBlessington, at a length of 15.5 miles (24.9 km) and with a total journey time of 1 hour and 25 minutes.^[30][31] Although the DBST connected with the DUTC system at Terenure, through-running was not allowed, asDublin Corporation prohibited the operation of steam trams within the city.

The line was actually one of the first proposed in Ireland, as theDublin and Baltinglass Tramway, but the costs of setting up operation under the early legislation were deemed prohibitive, and it was only after its promoters obtained theDublin Tramways Act, 1881 (c. 17 of that year) that work really started.

Dublin andWicklow county councils guaranteed this line,Kildare however, despite usage from the direction of Harristown (andKilcullen andBallymore Eustace) refused to be involved. It came under the administration of the DublinCounty Surveyor in 1916, after years of profitable operation ended in 1914, and later under a committee of management. The potential inclusion of the line into the newGreat Southern Railways entity was debated in the Dáil in 1924, but the government successfully opposed the idea. The DBST was closed by theDublin and Blessington Steam Tramway (Abandonment) Act, 1932, after years of being a burden on ratepayers, especially in the much more sparsely populatedWicklow.

Blessington and Poulaphouca Steam Tramway

The Blessington andPoulaphouca Steam Tramway (1895–1927), was a 4.5 miles (7.2 km) extension of the DBST fromBlessington toPoulaphouca,^[31] built and operated by a separate company.

TheDublin and Lucan Steam Tramway (DLST), authorised by an Order in Council under the Tramways Act, which commenced in 1880, opened, mostly on a roadside reservation, toChapelizod in June 1881,Palmerstown in November 1881, and toLucan in 1883.^[32]

In 1900, under a new Order in Council, the DLST was electrified andregauged from3 ft (914 mm)narrow gauge to3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) and renamed theDublin and Lucan Electric Railway Company (D&LER).

Legally a railway, it was taken over and supported by the government duringWorld War I under theDefence of the Realm Act (DORA). However, this ended in 1921 and facing increasing competition from the Tower Bus Co., the D&LER's financial position deteriorated.

In 1925, after their failure to be amalgamated into theGSR under theRailways Act 1924, the line was closed, going into liquidation. Following discussions, and enabled by two acts of theIrish Free State, the D&LER was bought up by the DUTC. The lines were regauged to Dublin's5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)^[33] only as far as Lucan, a new line was fitted in Chapelizod, and it reopened as a DUTC route in 1928.

Extensions beyond Lucan

Lucan and Leixlip Steam TramwayTheLucan, Leixlip and Celbridge Steam Tramway Company was established to build lines from the Lucan terminus to Leixlip andCelbridge (branching off just outside Leixlip). TheLucan and Leixlip Steam Tramway (L&LST) extension was built, and operated between 1890 and 1898.^[34] After it went into liquidation, its assets were sold at auction on 1 August 1899, including around 6,160 yards (5,630 m) of rails, two bogie passenger carriages, two other passenger carriages, two goods wagons, a locomotive engine, a water ram in the River Liffey and much other material^[35]

Lucan and Leixlip Electric RailwayA new line was laid close to the original steam line, over a decade later, under an Order in Council, theLucan and Leixlip Electric Railway Order, 1910, by a completely new company. Despite the name, this does not seem to have followed the full distance to Leixlip but rather only the 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the Spa Hotel at Doddsborough. This was opened as an electric line in 1910, and was leased to the (D&LER) in August 1911.

When the DUTC bought up the insolvent D&LER, they also purchased the L&LER from its shareholders, and although required to refit and reopen it in like manner, following objections from Dublin County Council the extension beyond Lucan was not reopened.^[36]

Interconnection of the Lucan / Leixlip and city trams

While not originally connected, the Dublin terminus of the Lucan line was 12 yards from the Park Gate terminus of the DUTC lines, on Conyngham Road, and the two were connected after the purchase by the DUTC.

Operated by theGreat Northern Railway (GNR), theHill of Howth Tramway comprised a single route, fromSutton railway station toHowth railway station overHowth Head by way of the Summit. The tramway was opened under the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Act of 1897 (and the Tramways Acts), the first line segment, from Sutton to the Summit, on 17 July 1901, the remainder to Howth on 1 August 1901.

Saint James's Gate Brewery (Dublin) Tramways Act 1878
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise Edward Cecil Guinness to certain Tramways in the City of Dublin; and for purposes.
Citation	41 & 42 Vict. c. xxv
Dates
Royal assent	16 April 1878
Other legislation
Amended by	Dublin St. James's Gate Brewery Tramways Act 1901
Text of statute as originally enacted

Dublin St. James's Gate Brewery Tramways Act 1901
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise Arthur Guinness Son and Company (Limited) to construct tramways in the city of Dublin in connexion with St. James’s Gate Brewery and to work the same and their existing tramways by mechanical or other power to construct certain street improvements and for other purposes.
Citation	1 Edw. 7. c. lxviii
Dates
Royal assent	2 July 1901

TheGuinness Brewery tramways was a system of industrial tramways that operated on and around the site ofSt. James's Gate Brewery^[37] Two different gauges were used; anarrow gauge tramway and a broad gauge line. Neither were for public use.

The narrow gauge tramway operated on and around the site of St. James's Gate Brewery.^[37] The system was laid between 1873 and 1879 and had a gauge of1 ft 10 in (559 mm).^[37] The tramway had direct access to theLiffey via a specially constructed quay and made use of a spiral tunnel to overcome a height difference on the brewery site. The tunnel cost £3,000 and construction spanned 1877–1878^[38]

The broad gauge tramway connected the brewery with the goods yards ofHeuston Station. The system began circa 1880, had a gauge of5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)^[39] and was horse drawn but they were replaced by the narrow gauge tramway's locomotives on a specialhaulage wagon.^[37] The broad gauge system closed on 15 May 1965.

Dublin tramways, routes, tracks and the DUTC are mentioned several times inUlysses byJames Joyce^[40]

Around the city it is still possible to see buildings associated with the system such as the Dartry Depot, Clonskeagh Depot, Donnybrook Depot (now part of Donnybrook Bus Garage), Dalkey Yard (some track still in-situ), the Sandymount Depot, theMarlborough Street Depot which still features the lettering DUTC^[41] and elements in Clontarf, as well as the Power House inRingsend,^[42] and other reminders of the system also exist. Meanwhile some trams are preserved in theNational Museum of Ireland and the National Transport Museum of Ireland (atHowth Castle)^[43] and at theNational Tramway Museum in the UK.^[44] A modern tram system,Luas, opened in 2004.

• 
  Horse tram, Lord Edward St.
• 
  Horse trams onSackville Street (modern-day O'Connell St), 1896
• 
  Electric trams,Dame Street, 1910
• 
  Former horse tram, No. 80, converted to electric, Sackville St.,ca. 1900
• 
  The Leixlip extension, 1892
• 
  The route 16 tram (left) & the route 15 tram (centre) at Terenure Cross, c. 1900. The line in the foreground connected with theD&BST's Terenure depot. It was used at night to transfer goods between the two systems.
• 
  Hill of Howth Tramway trams atHowth railway station
• 
  The Hill of Howth Tramway, 1907
• 
  The D&LER terminus, Lucan, 1907
• 
  Electric trams inSackville Street in the early 20th century.

• 
  The former DUTC Power House, Ringsend
• 
  The original 1872 Sandymount horse tram sheds, for the single-decker trams of the No. 4 route
• 
  The later Sandymount electric tram shed
• 
  Restored No. 253 on temporary bogies

• Dublin United Transport Company
• Hill of Howth Tramway
• Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDublin United Tramways.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHistoric Dublin tram systems.

• Photos of Guinness no. 23 loco & "converter wagon"

• 1873 establishments in Ireland
• Tram transport in the Republic of Ireland
• Transport in Dublin (city)
• History of Dublin (city)
• Defunct town tramway systems by city

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