"We used to have a Tram"
A short history of the Lagos steam tram in the early 1900s
The Main Line
There were two connected line for the tram. The Main Line of the tramway was opened to the public in 1902. It ran along the Old Marina, connecting Kokomaiko Gardens to Iddo Station, where passengers could continue to the Nigeria Railway.
The Lagos Steam Tramway, 1902 -1933
The tram connected Lagos Island to the Nigeria Railway. The image above shows a 3-coach car crossing the Old Carter Bridge after leaving Iddo Station. Source: N.S. Miller, "The Lagos Steam Tram"
"It is doubtful when the tramway will become a really profitable concern. The lines upon which the tramway is run at present make it extremely improbable that it will ever bet the case. The tram cars run at intervals of no less than half an hour, sometimes as much as 45 minutes; so that if any one should happen to miss one car, he has to wait an unconscionably long time before he can get another.”
The timetable in August 1904, when the colonial government announced the new fares. Now Iddo to Kokomaiko cost a tuppence. From the Lagos Observer.
The Branch Line
But the tram passed through another side of the city. The Branch Line started as a sanitary service, picking up and disposing of night soil.
This part of the line ran through the interior of the city. Starting east of the Racecourse at the Golf Links, it went north through Lafiaji, then passed north of the Brazilian Quarter via Tokunbo Street.
The tram's itinerary in 1908, showing the Main and Branch lines
It continued on Agarawu Street (pictured right) through Massey Square to Faji Market, and then to the junction at Ereko Market.
There are no traces of the tracks left in the Lagos anymore. But in 1908, Edmund Fortier, a French photographer visited the city. His images of the areas off the Branch Line show parts of Lagos Island that are rarely photographed.
Click on the locations on the map to the right to see the photos in their approximate location.
Tokunbo Street, Lagos Island. Image by Olalekan Adedeji @StyloMedia
Today, there is little to no physical evidence of the tram in Lagos Island. Residents in the former part of the tram remember the tracks being stopped. This image of Tokunbo Street, where the tram used to run, has been covered over by a median.
