Transport Department

Glasgow Subway Railway Co papers, including directors’ reports, 1890 - 1924; Transport General Manager’s reports (incomplete), 1946 - 1973; Abstracts of account (in some cases including accounts of the Motor Car Central Garage) and related papers, 1894 - 1973; Ledgers, cash books and other financial records, 1871 - 1974; Files and other papers relating to fares and fare inquiries, 1928 - 1974; Timetables and fare tables, 1967 - 1977; Rules and regulations for staff, 1931 - 1961; Files and other papers relating to wages and conditions of staff, 1919 - 1972; Tramways Friendly Society records, 1896 - 1970; Recreation club records, 1925 - 1972; Miscellanea (including Paisley tramways papers, 1919 - 1923, and papers relating to the ‘last tram’, 1962), 1891 - 1978; Maps showing transport routes, 1870 - 1935 and undated.

Records of Glasgow Corporation Transport Department. For records of the Passenger Transport Executive, see SR 19. The main series of printed annual reports of the Transport Manager have been retained, apart from a small number of duplicates. (See also D-TC7/26/1). For traffic records retained by the Traffic Section, see AGN 1573.

In 1870 two separate undertakings applied for powers to run tramways in Glasgow. The town council opposed both and succeeded in reaching an compromise whereby it acquired an option to take over the undertaking at a future date (Glasgow Street Tramways Act 1870, 33 & 34 Vict., c.175). The lines were then leased to the Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Co for 23 years (1871-1894). On 1 July 1894 the council took control and soon began to extend the area covered and to electrify the rolling stock. The last horse trams disappeared in April 1902.The tramway system had a separate power station at Pinkston on the Forth and Clyde Canal, and large workshops at Coplawhill (now the Tramway Theatre). The subway was established by a private company in 1890 and only municipalised in 1923 (Glasgow District Subway Act 1890, 53 & 54 Vict., c.162; Glasgow Corporation Order Confirmation Act 1923, 13 & 14 Geo.V, c.52). Corporation buses ran for the first time in 1924 and were later joined by trolley-buses (1949-1967). The last trams ran in September 1962, in a procession through the streets which was attended by over 200,000 spectators. The buses and the subway, the only remaining parts of the transport undertaking, transferred to the new Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive on 1 June 1973 (Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Order Confirmation Act 1975, c.26).

[Information taken from the Scottish Archive Network]

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Plans of track, rolling stock and depots, along with much other related material, are with Glasgow Museums.

Descriptive list available at Glasgow City Archives (some uncatalogued material).

Application for reproduction should be made to the Archivist

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB243 procedures.

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