A coffin being carried to Newcastle Railway Station from a tram hearse, circa 1934.
When the dead travelled by tram
In years gone by, the dead were frequent patrons of Newcastle's public transport system. As a matter of fact, the city's tramways offered a unique service, taking deceased folk from the homes of their loved ones in specially made hearse trailers to connect with trains to cemetery. One of Newcastle's old hearse trailers, made to be towed behind a tram. Visitors arriving at Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle, by train on Mothers Day 1939. Ideally, the body would - after having been farewelled in the family home - be carried to a tram stop where, by arrangement, the…