London Tram #2000 at Abbey Wood terminus

Model of London Tramcar 2000
Click on picture [TR33] for an enlarged version
 
Car 2000 in service at Abbey Wood
Click on picture [HT27] for an enlarged version

Picture information from: "John King" <JKing77189@aol.com> and
"Terry Russell" <terry@terryrusselltrams.wanadoo.co.uk>

A 1/16th scale working model of a London Transport, ex London County Council Tramways 1930 vintage class E/3 tramcar. It is in the form that it ran in 1938 with white lead painted roof and unshielded headlamps both of which disappeared as soon as the war started in 1939. Both the roof and gleaming lights could be easily seen from the air.

This model, built by Terry Russell, won the "Best in show" cup at the Model Tramway Festival held in Manchester early in July, 2000.

The full size tramcar can be seen in picture HT27 in a rural looking Abbey Wood, pulling round the corner from the terminus in Knee Hill into McLeod Road on its way to the Embankment during the week of July 5 1952 [Most trams carried a "Last Tram Week" poster on their sides].

For many years, people used their shilling all day ticket to come here for a day out in the summer, no doubt enjoying a drink in the Harrow Inn which remains just out of site on the left by the tram terminus.

The middle of this road is the boundary between London and Kent. Things look very different today. That field of lush grass now has a huge roundabout in the middle of it, and some of those houses just visible on the right have been demolished for a Flyover linking the roundabout to the town of Thamesmead.

That horse seems to be enjoying his breakfast whilst delivering milk or bread.

Of note in the photograph is the overhead where the tram has its own wires separate from the trolleybus. [At Bostal Hill to Woolwich the tram shared the trolleybus positive wire].

From: "Pat Smith" <Carrot60der@aol.com>

I just 'wandered' onto your site! I grew up in Abbey Wood in [upper] Crumpsall Street, and my sister and I travelled on the very last tram.

I'm trying to remember if the old 'wooden huts' as we called them, were still there when this picture was taken? They were to the right of the picture, between Knee Hill and Crumpsall Street. Had the new estate had been built by then I wonder? The older homes were beautifully kept by their tenants or owners

It's good to see the old Abbey Wood picture. It's a pity the Planners decided Thamesmead would be an improvement!

From: "Toby"

I'm fascinated by the history of where I used to live, and am amazed by the picture you have of the Tram at Abbey Wood.

Do you have any idea in which direction this picture was taken? I'm finding it hard to place. Actually on reading your site in more details [oops!], it appears to be from Knee Hill, looking down [north] to where Abbey Wood Train Station would be.

Also, you mention a terminus in Knee Hill. Does this have anything to do with the old Bus Station that was just around the corner in Abbey Wood Road?

From: "John King" <JKing77189@aol.com>

This is not the tram terminus in Knee Hill, that is around the corner to the left. The wide part of the road outside the Harrow Inn. This is at the Eastern end of McLeod Road, looking East. That field is/was in the county of Kent and has been pointed out is now occupied by a large roundabout. The Harrow Inn car park can just be seen to the left of the picture.

If you turn left from here hen left again [into Abbey Wood Road] you come to the tram depot, later AW garage. The 698 as can be seen from the overhead also turned left, but then went right [Abbey Road] into Kent for Erith and Bexleyheath. As has also been pointed out the separate overhead for trolleys and trams as the road was wide enough for overtaking Through Plumstead to Woolwich the roads were narrow so trams shared the trolley positive wire.

From: "Pat Smith" <Carrot60der@aol.com>

I hope you don't mind me suggesting a couple of minor corrections to the script alongside the pic?

"pulling round the corner from the terminus in Knee Hill"; There wasn't ever a tram terminus in, or on Knee Hill, certainly not one that I can remember as a child living there and using the trams daily. I'll ask a couple of older friends who also grew up there for confirmation of that and will let you know. In fact, those trams actually 'pulled round the corner' from Harrow Manorway. Knee Hill ended where it joins McLeod Road and, virtually, Harrow Manorway.

If you look at another of your pics on-site, you'll see where the division was between Kent and London - slap on the corner of Harrow Manorway / Abbey Wood Road [I think it was called that even then]. Also, as you know, anyone on a tram wanting to go onto London proper, travelling from Belvedere or Erith for example, had to get off the Kent tram and jump on a London tram at that junction.

The rural look to Abbey Wood, and your reference to 'a field.' In fact, the houses which were built was the Co-Op Estate, called the Abbey Wood Estate, were actually built on what had been farm land, two farms that the Co-op bought up. I lived in one of those houses and as children my younger sister and I frequently picked gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries and apples, whatever was in season and ripe, on that wonderful area, our favourite playground. 'The gang' played cricket on the flatter surface near the Harrow Inn PH and great games in the woods at the top, alongside Knee Hill.

The write up says that "The middle of this road is the boundary between London and Kent" Was that a reference to McCleod Road? If so, the actual boundary was Knee Hill itself. The western side was Greenwich Council, London of course, and the eastern side of Knee Hill was in Kent, now Bexley Council.

It's lovely to see photos of the old Abbey Wood, pre-Thamesmead days.