Tram Disasters

PETER TUFFREY has always been fascinated by trams, just as other people are captivated by racing cars, vintage automobiles, steam locomotives and buses. He can't explain why, but it all began over thirty years ago when he bought a glass plate photographic collection that depicted, with pin-sharp clarity, numerous varieties of Doncaster trams. From there he moved on to collecting tram crash postcards and helped Sheffield author Brian Hinchliffe produce a small tram crash booklet in 1990. He has since carried on collecting as many pictures of tram crashes as he can find. And the particular interest in crashes? That probably springs from a slightly morbid, boyish fascination with disasters of any sort, be they natural or man-made, on private jets, ocean liners, spaceships or ... trams. So, without any rational explanation or excuses, this book boldly illustrates British and foreign tram crashes from the late nineteenth century to the present day, including instances of trams falling victim to aerial bombing. The stories of these disasters are often humorous, touching and tragic. They also form a unique and dramatic picture of the changing transport scene over the last century.