Central Tramway

The Central Tramway runs between the town centre on Marine Parade (at the North side of The Grand Hotel) and the beach at Foreshore Road in the South Bay and is still owned and operated by the same corporate entity that established the Tramway in 1881. The attractive top station is an excellent example of Victorian design which enhances its primary function of carrying the
Scarborough public and visiting holiday makers between the town centre and the beach. The amenity is a credit to Victorian engineering, much of which remains intact today.

The tramway was built by Messrs George Wood of Hull. The carriages were originally powered by a steam engine, located beneath the track. The steam engine was replaced by electric power in 1920. In 1932 Hudswell Clarke & Co of Leeds relaid the track and converted the electricity to ac drive with a 60 horse power motor at the upper station. At the same time, the local coach building company of Plaxton’s supplied new carriages. The new cars entered service in a livery of brownish red, the same colours that are used today.