Trams and Trolleybuses in Tamworth Road, Croydon

Click on picture [55] for an enlarged version

Click on picture [628] for an enlarged version

Notes by David Bradley:

In 1959 there was not much of a parking problem in Tamworth Road, even for a Saturday when this picture was taken, and yet there were, by today's standards, some quaint parking restrictions. The yellow circular signs on the traction support poles were hinged to inform the motorist which side of the road parking was permitted on that particular day. There must have been hundreds of such signs in Croydon, requiring a team of Council employees to alter the signs each day.

The trolleybus heading away from us would shortly make its way into Station Road, after crossing North End, and then proceed onto Crystal Palace; in the opposite direction, trolleybus passengers are travelling towards Sutton. The section of overhead in Station Road and Tamworth Road also supported the last mile of route 630 which would remain for a further year after the withdrawal of route 654. The picture was taken in early 1959 and with the withdrawal of local tram routes 16, 42 and 18 some seven years previously, and the forthcoming withdrawal of route 630, it was inconceivable that electric street transport would be seen again in Croydon.

The challenge to provide a rail link into the sprawling New Addington Estate was solved through a light rail option which spawned routes into Wimbledon and Beckenham. Mainly built on former heavy rail alignments, there is about two miles of street running in central Croydon which includes Tamworth Road. So we return there in late 2006 to provide this 'Then and Now' for you to spot the differences that forty years make.