LONDON UNITED TRAMWAYS (London United Tramways).

35810/LUT

LONDON UNITED TRAMWAYS (London United Tramways).

English

The nomenclature of London United Tramways and its associated companies is confusing. London United Tramways Co. Ltd. was incorporated in 1894, taking over the assets of West Metropolitan Tramways. It was initially equipped with horse-drawn trams, but George White and James C Robinson introduced electric tram cars which bore the legend 'London United Electric Tramways' (London United Electric Tramways), although this never became the company's legal title. George White and James C Robinson subsequently decided that London United Tramways should venture into underground railways, and the London United Electric Railways Co. (London Underground Electric Railways) was incorporated in 1901. In 1902, a Bill was brought before Parliament to empower it to acquire land, build railways, and make agreements with London United Tramways. (It was one of 26 tube railway proposals considered by Parliament in the 1902 Session.) An alliance was struck between London Underground Electric Railways and a syndicate backed by John Pierpoint Morgan, and clashed with the Underground Electric Railways of London (UERL), a rival group led by Charles Tyson Yerkes and Speyer Brothers. However, George White was uneasy about an alliance with Morgans, which would have been dominated by the American partners, and in 1902 he sold his controlling interest in London United Tramways and London Underground Electric Railways to Speyer Brothers. C.T. Yerkes replaced George White as chairman of London United Tramways, which had become London United Tramways (1901) Ltd. George White played no further part in the development of London's trams and tube railways, although James C Robinson remained as managing director and engineer of London United Tramways, and joined the board of the Metropolitan District Railway Co. (Metropolitan District Railway Company). Many of the London United Tramways papers, and those of similar and/or related companies, appear to be James C Robinson's personal copies in his capacity as managing director and engineer. They are incomplete, and their arrangement is haphazard, especially where parcels had broken.