Tram operations in 1903 in Lytham, England.

That's a real period piece, but I question the supposed 1903 date. The video seems too good for that old. The Lytham electric trams operated 1903-1937.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...Corporation_Tramways

Lytham is near Blackpool which has long been a major seaside resort town/city, north of Liverpool about 25 miles.

At 5:00 in the video is a row of old horse-drawn omnibus bodies parked for use as beach cottages.

Just before the end of the video there's a group of people waiting for an approaching double-deck tram, and one guy is holding a tall pole upright which nearly contacts the overhead trolley wire. I'm supposing he is assigned to reverse the trolley pole on the tram?

My very elderly mother is English and she remembers open-top double-decker trams when she was young. She says sometimes people sat up there in the rain with an umbrella ...

Saw this in York in 2007, people on the open top of a double-decker bus with umbrellas.

I think there is a shot in the movie that shows the Blackpool Tower in the distant background (at 6:11). I didn't know where this town is located until after I posted the video; I just assumed it was a seashore town because you can see sand dunes along the route.

There are numerous little details to be noted upon reviewing it, like the various dogs; the steam loco passing in the background (2:13),  the cop gesticulating as the tram approaches a stop (3:55), and the filigree on the catenary support poles. I agree about the guy with the long pole; he is there for a reverse move.

Thanks for the link, BTW!

Great link, thanks! I wonder if this was made shortly after the opening. The road surface, shoulder grading and rock-work looks very fresh. Easy to see the origins of standard gauge; those horse-cart wheels fit almost perfectly!

I also think that this was made shortly after the opening of the line. The clothing is very Victorian. In some ways, this video reminds me of that famous video of Market Street in San Francisco, just before the 1906 earthquake.

Firewood posted:

... Easy to see the origins of standard gauge; those horse-cart wheels fit almost perfectly!

Yeah, at 1:30 in the video a horse-cart has its wheels riding right in the flange-ways.

No color? Blimey! Clothing and autos date (lack thereof).  They were on the roads in limited numbers in 1903, but probobly not in this area but rarely. Long skirts on women, began to get high water in the 1920'a, and out on that cricket field, say circa 1900.  Hosses all over the place, and bicycles, means at or before the auto age.  This trolley was gone in 1937?..a clue how fast the auto age changed culture, for traction and passenger rail.

I think the Lytham film is a good candidate for colorization, like this German film, some of which is from 1900 or so, and some from 1914.

colorado hirailer posted:

...  This trolley was gone in 1937?..a clue how fast the auto age changed culture, for traction and passenger rail.

The Lytham electric trams ran 1903 - 1937:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...Corporation_Tramways

But nearby Blackpool still has an operational tram line:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool_tramway

It was the last surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom^[3] until it was replaced by a fleet of modern Flexity 2 trams in 2012. However, today the traditional trams still provide a 'heritage service' on bank holiday weekends and during the summer, as well as operating on tours during the illuminations. In 2015 it was announced that the heritage service would run every weekend from March to November. The line dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world ... Excluding museums, it is one of only a few tramways in the world to use double-deck trams, others including Hong Kong and Alexandria Tram in Egypt.

Seems like a lot of "timeless" action got captured here.

    I like they lone buggy  "stuck in traffic" behind the tram at 1:40 on the 1st vid., the folks not looking before crossing and crazy driving in Cali.... and almost forgot, the kid watching the camera from the back of the "station wagon".

  Harder to judge about England's fashion at the time, but the scenery all seems very clean and fresh to me too. I'd have to think its early. 

On quality, Maybe the video has been digitally edited already? Or just maybe it is that good?

jay jay posted:

I think the Lytham film is a good candidate for colorization, like this German film, some of which is from 1900 or so, and some from 1914.

 

This Berlin video is surprisingly good quality, nicely enhanced with colorization, but abbreviated titles lose accuracy. It actually has scenes from a 30-year period. I had to wonder when I saw a group of automobiles. From YouTube:

this is a video showing berlin, the german capital around the year 1900, although the last scenes are from 1914. ENJOY!

P.S I´m sick of repeating it time after time, so here is the following:

i just wanted to keep the title as short as possible, so i didn´t want to write " Berlin and germany in the years of 1890-1920" . therfore, i chose the year 1900 to give the viewer a general idea of about what year the footage he is watching is from.
So yes, some scenes are from munich,(2) although the very most, 98% or so is indeed Berlin footage.

colorado hirailer posted:

No color? Blimey! Clothing and autos date (lack thereof).  They were on the roads in limited numbers in 1903, but probobly not in this area but rarely. Long skirts on women, began to get high water in the 1920'a, and out on that cricket field, say circa 1900.  Hosses all over the place, and bicycles, means at or before the auto age.  This trolley was gone in 1937?..a clue how fast the auto age changed culture, for traction and passenger rail.

I am surprised you "saying" Blimey as I live in the UK  and a cockney to boot, I would have said 'cor blimey, and colour should be spelt right, I am assuming you are an ex pat???? Seriously I enjoy all the posts on here, especially as I am a Lionel Fan and have few locomotives in my collection, but I get great support from Lionel technical department.

Nope...my ancestor left Wales in 1630, when his older brother inherited all the property (Tedsmore Hall in what is now Shropshire), as was the custom.  I just used the term "blimey" to be facetious since it was a film clip about England.  I have had a few visits to GB, including a long walk in the pleasant English countryside when I missed the bus from Stonehenge back to the train station.

Lionel man UK posted.

I am surprised you "saying" Blimey as I live in the UK  and a cockney to boot, I would have said 'cor blimey, and colour should be spelt right, I am assuming you are an ex pat???? 

You can spell the word "color" or "colour" on this Forum.  However, whatever you do, never use the term "lashup".