During the late 19th century the port and city of Southampton expanded rapidly and, to cater for the growing population, a network of trams ? horse initially but latterly electric ? grew up. Expanding through until the late 1920s, the next decade saw the system begin to decline but, given a reprieve by the onset of World War II, the remaining trams ? many of which were open-top ? soldiered on into the years of post-war austerity. It was only in December 1949 that the city finally bade farewell to its last trams but, through the preservation of No 45, Southampton was to play a pivotal role in the development of the tramcar preservation movement. Now, little remains to remind people of this once important form of transport other than historic photographs. The Lost Tramways of England series documents the tram networks which were at the heart of many of Britain's growing towns and cities from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. An informative, accessible and portable resource for the tram enthusiast as well as the general reader, and a superb souvenir or gift for visitors past and present. AUTHOR: Brought up in Bradford, Peter Waller grew up witnessing the gradual decline of the city s trolleybus network. He studied history at university and also has a masters degree in industrial archaeology. In 1986, he began a career in publishing, working for a number of years for Ian Allan Publishing Ltd where he oversaw the commissioning and publication of a wide range of books. His first book, British and Irish Tramway Systems since 1945, was published in 1992 and since then he has written extensively on transport subjects. Moving to Shropshire in 2007, he is now a full-time author and editor and well as being a director and secretary of the Online Transport Archive and a committee member of the National Railway Heritage Awards.
