Seaton Tramway

Seaton Tramway
Seaton Tramway tram at Seaton
Locale	Devon
Commercial operations
Original gauge	2 ft 9 in (838 mm)
Original electrification	120 V DC overhead wire
Preserved operations
Length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Preserved gauge	2 ft 9 in (838 mm)
Preserved electrification	120 V DC overhead wire
Preservation history

The Seaton Tramway is a 2 ft 9 in (838 mm) narrow gauge electric tramway which operates over part of the route of a former London & South Western Railway branch line to Seaton, Devon. The line was converted between 1969 and 1971 by Claude Lane, who had bought the line from British Rail and had successfully operated trams in Eastbourne as a visitor attraction.

The 3-mile (4.8 km) route runs through East Devon's Axe Valley, between the coastal resort of Seaton (Seaton Tram Station) and the small village of Colyford and the ancient town of Colyton.

Thirteen tram cars are part of the visitor attraction which sees about 80,000 visitors per year. The tram cars are half-scale (1:2) replicas of classic British tram cars from various cities; some were rebuilt from full-size cars which originally ran on other networks. Number 19 is the only tram from the Exeter tram system which is still in service.

Claude Lane was the owner of the Lancaster Electrical Company of Barnet, a manufacturer of battery electric vehicles. His hobby was trams, and in 1949 he constructed a portable 15 in (381 mm) gauge tram system that he displayed at garden fetes and with semi-permanent sites at St Leonard's in 1951 and Rhyl from 1952 to '56. In '53 he agreed a lease at Eastbourne for a permanent 2/3rd mile-long 2 ft (610 mm) gauge system in the name of Modern Electric Tramways Ltd. The first new 2 foot gauge tram, now Seaton's Nº6, was ready for the 1956 season. By '57, Eastbourne was successful and he closed the Rhyl operation in order to concentrate on a single line. Cars 6, 7, 4, 2 & 12 were all constructed for the Eastbourne line.

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