James Valentine

To qualify for the Tramway Treat to the bairns at Christmas time, children were picked from local schools. I remember ripping my jumper and being chosen. The Treat was in the Breakfast Hall in Constitution Road where every one got some food and we played games. I think I would have been about 7 or 8 years old.

On the Maryfield line, just before the Arbroath Road on Albert Street a fellow had parked his horse and cart. The tram driver decided that there was not enough room to pass, he decided to go into nearby shops to look for the carter but the tram's air brake leaked and the tram, full of passengers ran right down Princes Street and King Street to the Gaumont Cinema. Mr Charles Broadley, Superintendent, took charge of the situation, fortunately no one was hurt.

Six trams went up in convoy to Den's Park with the football fans on board. Unloading and parking on Provost Road. Tram drivers got into the match for free and this day the driver of the last tram in the convoy, in a special hurry to get into the match, omitted to put on the tram brake. The tram, sitting on a brae, started to run down Provost Road. A policeman spotted the runaway tram and stopped all the traffic coming down Moncur Crescent, to let the tram run past, it came to a stop at Isla Street because of the gradient there. No one was hurt.

I started off as a tram Conductor for two years, most of us always started here and then learned tram driving. An Inspector trained me. I began as a spare driver and was then given a steady line on the Blackie to Downfield line. I started in 1947, after leaving the army and worked until 1956 when the trams were taken out of service, any driver under the age of 50 could train as a bus driver.