Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester

SHMD Board

Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport Board

originally Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Tramways and Electricity Board

History

The original title of this organisation was the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Tramways and Electricity Board, but it was always referred to as SHMD. As the tramways were abandoned, the title changed to Transport.

As the name suggests this was a joint municipal venture between the four towns with the aim of supplying electricity and providing transport for its residents. The first route was opened on 15th October 1903 which quickly became part of a network which covered all 4 towns. A fleet of 70 four wheeled trams was operated out of 3 garages in Stalybridge, Mossley and Hyde. Like all the other tramway operators there was a lot of joint operation and the green SHMD tramcars could be seen in Manchester, Ashton and Stockport. The network was more interurban than operations like Bolton and Stockport and abandonment of routes started in 1932, most were gone by 1936. At this point only the Manchester and Stockport routes remained. A few cars remained at the small Hyde depot to operate a service between Hyde and Gee Cross until 12th May 1945. The tracks and overhead remained in place and Manchester and Stockport continued to run over the tracks until Manchester ran its last tramcar on the route on 30th December 1947.

Following the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1949 the board lost its function to supply electricity but chose not to change its title.

SHMD continued its tradition of joint operation started with the tramways and as motorbus operation expanded it ended up with agreements with Ashton, Manchester, North Western, Oldham and Stockport.

Two sections of trolleybus overhead were owned, but the board never operated any trolleybuses. These sections were between the Ashton boundary and Stalybridge, run by Manchester and Ashton and between Bloomstair Bridge and Gee Cross which was operated by Manchester. The Ashton section operated between 1938 and 1966, but the Hyde Section only survived for twelve years between 1950 and 1962.

Motor buses were introduced on 29th May 1925, the first ones being Thorneycroft BX type 26 seaters. Until full size Thorneycroft buses ceased to be available in 1936 this was the only chassis that SHMD bought. The first double deckers arrived in 1933 when a batch of Thorneycroft Darlings was purchased. The final batches of Thorneycroft’s were fitted with Gardner engines, 6LW in the double deckers and 5LW in the single deckers. One of the Thorneycroft single deckers lingered on until 1962 as a staff canteen at Hyde, but unfortunately failed to pass into preservation. Following the demonstration of a Daimler COG6 in 1936 the board switched its allegiance to Daimler which it patronaged until 1954. Even during the war the Board managed to avoid Guys and Bristols. A brief flirtation with Atkinson followed with 1 double and 7 single deckers being purchased. The Atkinson double decker is unique in being the only double decker made by the company for the home market. At the same time as the Atkinsons were purchased, 7 of the double deckers were built with central entrances, but this feature was soon discarded for the more conventional rear entrance.

The purchases in the last years of the joint board’s existence included Leyland Titans, Daimler CVG6s and Daimler Fleetline’s. The last batch of Fleetines supplied in 1968 was to a design unique to Walsall with a short wheelbase and an entrance behind the front wheels. Practically all of the buses purchased by SHMD had bodies built Northern Counties. After the war the only non NCME buses were a batch of 10 Daimlers in 1949 bodied by East Lancs.

With the conversion of the trams, the depots at Mossley and Hyde were closed and the fleet was concentrated on the Stalybridge depot in Tame Street. Surprisingly this building still survives unchanged in the hands of Tameside MBC.

Most of the Operators in Greater Manchester tried to patronise local industry if it could. SHMD in the last 20 years used ultimate tickets printed by Williamsons of Ashton Under Lyne.

The end of the joint board came in 1969 when it was absorbed into SELNEC PTE on the 1st November.

The livery was always green and cream, in earlier years there was a lot of cream, but in the last 10 years the cream became restricted to a number of cream bands.