Wemyss and District Tramways Company

Wemyss and District Tramways operated a tramway service between Leven and Kirkcaldy between 1906 and 1932.^[1]

Wemyss and District Tramways
The "Car Shed" East Wemyss, a former tram stop.
Operation
Locale	Leven, Kirkcaldy
Open	25 August 1906
Close	30 January 1932
Status	Closed
Infrastructure
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Propulsion system(s)	Electric
Depot(s)	Aberhill, Methil, Fife
Statistics
Route length	7.45 miles (11.99 km)

History

The Wemyss Tramway Order of 1905 authorised the construction of this tramway. It was financed by the Wemyss Coal Company, owned by Randolph Wemyss.

On 8 August 1906 a tram made a trial run from the shed at Aberhill, Methil to the power station at Denbeath, which attracted a large crowd. The power station contained two engines of 250 h.p. each.^[2] Services started on 25 August 1906, and it had running powers to the Kirkcaldy Corporation Tramways system.^[3]

The tramway company were granted permission to operate a limited service on Sundays, but by 1907 it was reported that services started at 7.40am and ran continually through the day^[4] and this was objected to by those in favour of the Sabbath Observance in relation to Sunday working by tramway employees and it was reported that drunkenness was a problem at the tramway termini^[5]

The mainline of the tramway joined Leven, Methil, Buckhaven, East Wemyss, West Wemyss, Coaltown of Wemyss, Dysart and Kirkcaldy.^[6]

The company was acquired by Balfour Beatty in 1922.

Fleet

• 1-13 Brush Electrical Engineering Company 1906
• 14-17 Milnes Voss 1907
• 18-19 Brush Electrical Engineering Company 1925
• 20-21 Brush Electrical Engineering Company 1928 (second hand from the Potteries Electric Traction Company)
• 22-29 ex Kirkcaldy Corporation Tramways

Closure

Services were closed on 30 January 1932.^[7]