Summerlee Transport Group

The Tramways of Ayr 

The tramways of Ayr were operated by Ayr Corporation Tramways and launched into passenger service on the 26th September 1901 although the original proposal for a tramway in Ayr can date back to October 1883 when a plan was drawn up for a link between Burns Cottage and the golf course. The Ayr and District Tramway Company was formed and received parliamentary approval in 1884, although this project was abandoned in 1888.

In 1889 a new application was made by the Drake and Gorham Electric Power & Traction for an Ayr, Prestwick and Monkton Light Railway. The line would have been 4 ¾ Miles long and linked the towns of Ayr, Prestwick and Monkton but this plan was rejected. The town council also proposed their own tramway and obtained the necessary powers under the Ayr Burgh Act, 1899. The tramway opened in 1901 and operated a 6 ½ mile tramway running from Burns Monument to Prestwick Cross going through Ayr town centre.

The First of 24 trams were built by Hurst Nelson in Motherwell between 1901 and 1915 and were numbered 1 -24 and were mostly open topped trams apart from no 17 that was a water car and 23-24 were balcony trams.

Ayr Corporation Tramways, Tram Fleet

(A) E.x. Oldam, Ashton and Hyde Electric Tramway cars Built in 1899 and purchased from Manchester Corporation Tramways
(B) E.x. Dunbarton Tramways car Built in 1921 and Sold to South Shields Corporation in 1932

The tramway continued to improve the service until 1931 when at the end of that year, the Scottish Motor Traction Company offered to buy the company and it was taken over on the 1st January 1932 and assumed operations of the service under an agreement for 21 years, this marked the end of tram services in Ayr because on the 1st of January the new company started operating buses.

Some Press cuttings about the service

Sunday Car Traffic at Ayr
The Car service on Ayr Corporation Tramways was largely taken advantage of on Sunday, the drawings actually exceeding the amount one day during the week, and nearly approaching the amount drawn on two other days. A 15 minutes’ service was given from both Prestwick and St Leonards from 10:30am till 9pm. In all 4559 passengers were carried, and the drawings reached the sum on £20 odd, as contrasted with £12 on the previous Sunday
Dundee Evening Telegraph - Tuesday 08 October 1901

Purchase of Ayr Tramway
An offer by the Scottish Motor Traction Company, Ltd, Edinburgh, for the purchase of the Ayr Corporation Tramways undertaking was on Friday accepted by the tramway committee of Ayr Town Council, which consisted of all the members of the council and came up for confirmation at the monthly meeting of the council on Monday. The company are to make an annual payment of £2500 for ten years, and thr there-after of £500 for eleven years
The company will take over the Corporation rights in respect to public passengers transport services in the burghs of Ayr and Prestwick an the heritable properties included in the undertaking balance sheet. The Corporation undertakes to support an application by the company to the area traffic commissioner for securing licences to operate the o the tram at the same fares as are present charges on the tramway.
The purchasing company are to substitute first-class ‘buses for the tramcars, and to maintain a service for at least as good as that maintained by the tramway. The proposed date of taking over is January 1
The Ayr tramways have been in operation for the 30 years. The undertaking provided profitable from the outset, but in recent years bus competition caused a serious drop in revenue, and at the last financial year there was a loss of £3450, the number of passengers carried during the year was 5,282,000. The debt outstanding on the undertaking is £54,000
Leven Advertiser & Wemyss Gazette - Tuesday 17 November 1931