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The 2 Cruden Bay Trams

CRUDEN BAY HOTEL

To link hotel and station at Cruden Bay the Great North built and operated a short narrow gauge (3′ 6½”) electric tramway—a venture unique among Scottish railways. Two single-deck, four-wheeled tramcars worked the system along with several goods trailers, electric power being generated at the hotel’s boiler house and distributed by overhead wire and trolley collector. They were built in 1899 at Kittybrewster Works and were unusual in having a section reserved for luggage and laundry baskets, clearly visible in the above photograph. In use until 1940, the tram bodies still survive as summer houses in the village of Hatton.

Alan Croxford
The photo and history tells the story of the two Cruden Bay Trams. This is up until the time they were both Summer Houses at two properties originally owned by The Simmers Family at Hatton. The description was before they were rescued and the best parts of each were built into one Tram, which is now at The Transport Museum at Alford.

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Here is one of the Cruden Bay Trams in the Garden of a Hatton property, when used a Summer House.

Alan Croxford

This photo shows the two GNSR Trams, parked up between the Hotel and the Laundry Building. One of the poles that held the overhead electric lines can be seen to the left of photo above Tram No 2. One of these poles is now preserved at The Grampian Transport Museum in Alford along with Tram No 2.

And here is Tram No2 and the Electric pole in Alford Museum.