48

The Denburn Valley railway was constructed about 1867, and Union Terrace Gardens was laid out a few years later. The closeness of the railway led to the gardens being nicknamed the 'Trainie Park'. The bandstand was removed in the 1930s. The iron footbridge which allowed access over the Denburn and the railway to the Rosemount area of the city was replaced by the Denburn Viaduct in the 1880s.

136

Six men working on Third Class Great North of Scotland Railway carriage No. 128

137

The inaugural procession on 23 December 1899 for the electrification of the Woodside tram route, the first in Aberdeen to be modernised. Lord Provost John Fleming is at the helm, with Tramways Convener Alexander Wilkie standing next to him, and Councillor Alexander Glass with his foot on the platform.

201

Bridge Street, Aberdeen. This George Washington Wilson image shows a horse drawn bus on Bridge Street travelling towards Union Street. The stairs leading to the upper deck can be seen, and the iron wheels must have been very noisy on the cobbled streets. The bus is just passing the American Store whose premises were 'To Let', and Galloway and Sykes, cabinet makers - the latter firm are only listed at 50 Bridge Street between 1887 and 1889.

267

Bus driver with his Albion motor bus belonging to the Deeside Omnibus Service, 1930s. This coach was one of several in the fleet of the Ballater based Strachan's Company. For many years, these coaches regularly departed from the SMT depot in Bon Accord Square before journeying to Banchory and beyond. Strachan's Deeside Omnibus Service operated on the Royal Deeside route for many years with Alexanders. This particular 'Aberdeen' bus looks in good condition with gleaming bodywork. Note the roof-rack for any large pieces of luggage.

344

Aberdeen Joint Station under construction. The station was built between 1913 and 1916. The engineer in charge was a Mr. J.A. Parker.

353

Horse-drawn tram and mechanical tram (Mannofield and Castle Street) side by side in Union Street

357

The Castle Street / Rosemount / Mile End horsedrawn omnibus. This photograph looks north towards the houses where Beechgrove Terrace becomes Kings Gate.

392

Many thanks to Silver City Vault users Dr Mike Mitchell and Brian Kennedy for providing us with information on this photo. It shows the no. 27 tram on Victoria Road with the wall of Balnagask House in the background. The Balnagask Mains farm is partially visible to the left of the tram. The St. Fittick's Road terminus of the Torry Route is located further along Victoria Road. The female conductor indicates the photo was taken during the Great War. The tram waits to depart for Bridge Street.

429

A 'wagonette' travelled between Castle Street and the sea beach taking people down to enjoy the bracing sea air. Note the bare foot children in the foreground.

430

The No2. Woodside Tram. Anderson Road, Aberdeen 1900. A group of Aberdeen businessmen formed the Aberdeen District Tramways Company in 1871 and proposed a number of tram routes to run within Aberdeen. This was the beginning of the use of horse drawn trams within the city and a regular tram service started to run from St Nicholas Street to Woodside. The Aberdeen Corporation purchased the District Tramways in 1898 and started to electrify the tram routes and the first route to be electrified was the Woodside line in December 1899. The trams were a popular and convenient mode of travel and the tramways competed with the railways by providing a similar suburban service. By the 1950's plans were afoot to replace all of the trams with buses as Aberdeen Transport Committee decided that a modern fleet of buses could provide quicker and more regular services at cheaper running costs. The last tram to Woodside ran in 1955.

509

Signal box interior at Kittybewster North. Signalman operates levers.

510

Signalbox at Kittybrewster North. Signalman fills in train register.

511

Railway line to Inverness at Kittybrewster North showing signal box and signals in the foreground.

512

Signalbox at Kittybrewster with railway lines in the foreground.

522

The end of Aberdeen's trams, 3rd. May 1958, with 2 trams on Union Street.

523

Bridge of Dee and Bridge of Don tram

524

The Castle Street tram, car no. 15, photographed in front of Queen's Cross Church. This is a closed-top deck tram, alterations from open-top deck trams starting in 1906.

525

Aberdeen Corporation Mannofield tram, car no.19 taken in 1901.

526

The two 1940 streamlined single-truck trams, to Mannofield and Hazlehead, in Castle Street in 1946, with Inspector Barnett regulating

527

Union Terrace, Rosemount and Mile-End tram

531

Aberdeen Joint Station under construction. The station was built between 1913-1916. The engineer in charge was a Mr J. A. Parker.

532

A scene of change and renovation in the Denburn Valley. The image looks south from Union Bridge over the suburban platforms of the old Aberdeen Joint Railway Station. The old station's large, curved roof can be seen in the background. The area we are looking at has seen much change since this time. It is now largely covered by the 1960s retail development on the south side of the bridge, the later Trinity Centre, the development of Wapping Street and Denburn Road, and the building of Atholl House. Though many of the buildings of note we can see in this image are still visible today. The tall buildings on the far right are the rear of those on Bridge Street. The small street in front of them, going up to Guild Street, is the start of College Street. It is now a partially pedestrianised lane that goes under Wapping Street. The building at the top of this street is the classical style suburban ticket office, built 1909 and now home to Tiffany Hair & Beauty. Going west along Guild Street's two span road bridge we come to the Great North of Scotland Railway Company's headquarters. This was designed by architects Ellis & Wilson and built in 1894. It is now part of the Station Hotel, along with number 78 next door. The building retains many of its original features. The Guild Street entrance to the Trinity Centre now runs along the western side of this building. The image also shows features that are no longer present. The covered walkway that can be seen on the near right of the image enabled direct access from the station's central platform to the Palace Hotel on Union Street. The hotel was owned by the Great North of Scotland Railway Co. (GNSR). The walkway was vaulted to pass over the tracks at sufficient height. Consulting The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992 (c1992), this image probably dates from 1912 when, in additional to commencing the reconstruction of the Joint Station, the GNSR also laid new loading docks and carriage storage siding in the Hadden Mills site (left of image). This was to ensure that the main station buildings were used purely for passenger traffic. The walkway that linked Windmill Brae and the Green, known affectionately as the Puffing Briggie, can be seen in the centre of the image. It looks like a section on the left has been temporarily demolished as part of the ongoing work. The sidings on the extreme left were used for cleaning carriages in the later 20th century. One of our correspondents recounts using the often-unattended carriages, accessible when entering the station from the Green, as an unusually exciting and plush playground during their youth in the late-1940s.

533

Aberdeen Joint Station under construction.The station was built between 1913-1916. The engineer in charge was a Mr J. A. Parker.