From the horse-drawn trams of the nineteenth century to the larger
electric models of the early twentieth, this reliable form of public
transport revolutionized town travel by making it affordable enough for
working people to use. From the 1930s, the rise of the trolleybus, which
also picked up power from overhead cables but ran without expensive
tracks, looked set to supersede the tram--but ultimately, by the 1950s,
both fell victim to motor buses and private cars. However, since the
1980s the environmental benefits of light rail have encouraged a growing
comeback for trams on our crowded and polluted city streets. Using
beautiful contemporary photographs, this is the fascinating story of the
rise, fall and revival of this everyday, yet sometimes controversial,
mode of urban transport.