The London 'E/3's

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Whilst the fate of the London tramway networks was probably sealed as a result of the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 and the new board’s decision to favour investment in a trolleybus network, prior to that date the London County Council had been keen on the development of its tramway system.

In its later days, the LCC opened a number of extensions and also acquired a significant number of new tramcars. Although prototype car No 1 was, sadly, destined to be a one-off, a total of 150 new bogie cars – designated Class E/3 – were acquired in the early 1930s. Of these, 50 – Nos 161- 210 – were allocated to the LCC operated services on behalf of Leyton Corporation, whilst the remaining 100 – Nos 1904-2003 –were based on the LCC network. Following the LPTB’s decision to replace trams by trolleybuses, the Leyton-based trams were transferred south of the river in the 1930s.

Whilst a number of the types were lost as a result of enemy action in World War 2, the majority saw operation through until the final conversion of the London system between 1950 and 1952. Sadly, none of this classic design survived into preservation. Drawing upon the previously unseen or rare works of many of Britain’s foremost tramway photographers, this book provides a largely pictorial history of the ‘E/3’ in operation between 1930 and 1952.