Michael Holroyd Smith (1847–1932) was a British pioneer of electrical and motor car engineering. He was born in Halifax on 22 December 1847, the son of Matthew Smith and his wife Mary Sutcliffe. Over his life he worked on various projects as a consulting engineer. In 1885 he was responsible for the design and construction of the Blackpool Electric Tramway, a line in Blackpool that was Britain’s first electric tramway and survives to this day, albeit in a rather different form. Between 1886 and 1890, he was responsible for the electrification of the City and South London Railway, the first deep-level tube railway in London. In the 1890s, he built at least two motor cars of his own design, though these do not appear to have gone into production. He died at his home in Llanrwst, Denbighshire on 6 July 1932.
Michael Holroyd Smith
The Blackpool Tramway was officially opened by Alderman Harwood, the Mayor of Manchester. Blackpool Corporation paid for and built the tramway, while the new Blackpool Electric Tramway Company provided the electrical equipment, depot, and trams. It didn’t take long to see that the conduit system used to power the trams had serious issues. This system, which had a power supply in a slot between the tram rails, often filled with seawater and sand from the seaside location. The mix of water and electricity caused the trams to run unpredictably.
At the time, people didn’t understand electrical systems as well as they do now. The loss of power from the generator to the trams, combined with sand and water problems, often made the trams stop unexpectedly. As a result, horses were often used to pull the trams along the promenade when the power failed. Over the years, the tramway has been updated many times to keep up with the times. Blackpool is proud to have the oldest electric tramway in the UK, and it’s the only one that’s been in continuous use for 137 years – and still going strong. For more details on its history, check out their website.
There’s plenty more about trams to discover on Blackpool Timeline – Two Blackpool Metro Trams Find a New Home and Metro Coastlines & Blackpool Transport.
Text source: Blackpool Heritage’swebsite
