中国最早的有轨电车

·有轨电车行驶在老城西南城角

光绪二十八年(1902),世昌洋行获得了在天津设立电车电灯公司的专利权。但是，世昌洋行本身没有投资能力，便将专利转让给比国通用银行财团。比利时人梅雅德与德璀琳，首先在“都统衙门”备案。
“都统衙门”撤销后，袁世凯要重新谈判，否则不允许施工。光绪三十年三月十一日(1904年4月26日),袁世凯委派天津知府凌福彭、天津海关道唐绍仪、候补道蔡绍基、天津道王仁宝等，与比利时驻津领事嘎得斯、比国工程师沙特、世昌洋行经理海礼，进行谈判，重新签订了《天津电车电灯公司合同》。
合同共有27个条款，是一份典型的掠夺殖民地的契约。合同规定，该公司经营范围是以鼓楼为中心，其半径线不得超过6公里区域，经营期限为50年。1927年11月15日，又经直隶督办褚玉璞批准，补签合同6款，以及直隶省政府与天津比商电车电灯公司解决办法10条。
比商通用银行财团获得承办专利后，立即着手筹备，建立组织。并拨出25万英镑(折合当时中国银元250万),电车厂址设在南开三马路(西南角南开中学旁)。
该公司董事由6人组成，外国董事和华人董事各3人。洋人董事由公司股东选出，华人董事则由直隶总督委派。天津海关税务司德璀琳出任董事长。
光绪三十一年(1905),开始铺设电车轨道工程； 转年春，建成了环天津老城的第一条电车路线； 并于正月二十三日，举行环城有轨电车(俗称白牌电车)通车典礼。这是全国最早的有轨电车。
到光绪三十四年(1908),又陆续开辟红牌、蓝牌、黄牌、绿牌、花牌电车，各路均由北大关起，分别以老龙头车站、海关为终点。各路电车都以颜色来区分： 白牌电车，由北大关起，沿北马路-西马路-南马路-东马路-北大关环行。黄牌电车，由北大关起，沿东马路-和平路-海关(赤峰道与大沽路交口)。蓝牌电车，由北大关起，沿东马路-和平路-劝业场东行-滨江道-解放路北行-经解放桥-火车站。红牌电车，由北大关起，经东北角-沿河马路-过金汤桥-沿建国道-火车站。在全市形成了电车网路，成为当时天津市的主要交通工具。
电车票价以铜元为单位，每日可收七八十万枚，占全市流通铜元的50%～60%,因此银元和铜元的兑换比率被电车公司操纵。由于电车的经营状况良好，所以，在1912年左右，投资全部收回。
天津沦陷时期，1943年8月，日军正式接收电车电灯公司，改名为“军管理天津电车电灯公司” 。1944年4月，将该公司的电灯部分划归“华北电业公司天津支店” ; 电车部分由满铁株式会社接管。同年12月，将其与日本人经营的天津交通株式会社合并，称为天津交通公司。
抗日战争胜利后，天津电车被中国政府收回，改称天津市政府公用局电车临时管理处。期间，比商曾以和清政府所定50年期限未到为由，要求收回电车电灯厂继续经营。但是，由于电车职工发动了 “抗交运动” ,才未得逞。1947年，又增铺了紫牌单线电车，通往北站。截至1948年底，天津共有有轨电车线路8条，线路长度25.31公里，日均乘客14.23万人次。
天津解放后，人民政府接管了电车，改名天津市人民政府公用局电车管理处，同年9月17日，改名为天津市电车公司。截至1957年，有运营车辆165辆，线路5条，总长36公里，客运量1.4万多人次。20世纪60年代，逐步拆毁。
In 1902 (the 28th year of Emperor Guangxu),ShichangBank obtained the exclusive right to set up electric lightand electric car company in Tianjin. However,ShichangBank itself could not invest in that large sum of money.Therefore,it transferred its exclusive right to BelgiumGeneral Bank Consortium,and first registered in DutongYamen.
In August 15,1902 (the 28th year of EmperorGuangxu),Dutong Yamen was cancelled and YuanShikai asked to renegotiate with Belgium General BankConsortium for the matter.In April 26,1904 (the 30thyear of Emperor Guangxu),Yuan Shikai entrusted LingFupeng and other officials Tang Shaoyi,Cai Shaoji andWang Renbao to renegotiate electric light and car matterswith Belgium consulate in Tianjin Gedesi,Belgiumengineer Shate and manager of Shichang Bank Haili.After negotiation they signed the Contract for TianjinElectric Car and Electric Light Company.
There were 27 clauses in the contract. It was atypical agreement plundering colonies. The contract saidthat the company dealt with services in areas centeredaround Gulou with radius no more than six kilometersand the operation term was fifty years. In November15,1927,approved by Zhili inspector Chu Yupu,sixmore clauses and ten more articles regarding settlementbetween Zhili government and the company were added.
After obtaining the exclusive right,BelgiumGeneral Bank Consortium immediately assigned 250thousands pounds (amounting to 2.5 million Chinesesilver yuan) to set up a trolleybus company that waslocated in San Road in Nankai District (beside NankaiMiddle School in the south- west of the district).
The board of the company consisted of six people,three foreign and three Chinese members. The threeforeign board members were elected by share holders ofthe company and the three Chinese board members wereappointed by the chief governor of Zhili. Detring Cuilin,manager of taxcotion department of Tianjin customwas appointed the director of the company. Both thecompany and its car ports were located in San Road inNankai District.
In 1905 (the 31st year of Emperor Guangxu),railroads for th trolleybus were started to put up. In thespring of 1906 (the 32nd year of Emperor Guangxu),the first railroad for the trolleybus around Tianjin oldcity was finished. Open-to-traffic ceremony was heldin January 23. Ta Kung Pao newspaper reported theceremony. This was the earliest railroad tolleybus(alsocalled white trolleybus) at that time in the whole countryof China.
By 1908 (the 34th year of Emperor Guangxu),therehad been red,blue,yellow,green and pied trolleybuses.All trolleybuses started from Beidaguan and ended atLaolongtou Station or Custom. Colors of trolleybusesrepresented different lines. White trolleybus wentfrom Beidaguan,passing through East Road,HepingRoad and Quanye Bazaar,and then it went eastwardto Beijiang Road and Jiefang Road,and then passedthrough Jiefang Bridge,and finally reached the railwaystation. Red trolleybus also started from Beidaguan,passing through Northeast Corner,Yanhe Road,JintangBridge,Jianguo Road and finally reached the railwaystation. A trolleybus network was formed in the city.Therefore,trolleybus became the major transportationtool for Tianjn people.

·北门外、北大关一带的有轨电车

People used cooper coins to buy tickets fortrolleybuses. Trolleybus company could receive 700-800thousands copper coins every day,50-60% of currentcopper coins in Tianjin. Therefore,the exchange ratiobetween copper coins and silver coins were manipulatedby the trolleybus company. Because trolleybus companyran very well,all investment returned by around 1912.
During the period when Tianjin was occupied bythe Japanese,the Japanese army took over the ElectricCar and Light Company in August 1943. They renamedit as Army-Administered Tianjin Electric Car and LightCompany. In April 1944,business of electric light wastransferred to Tianjin branch of North China ElectricityCompany and business of trolleybus was taken over bythe Japanese. In December 1944,Mantie Company Ltdwas combined with Tianjin Transportation CompanyLtd. and was then called Tianjin TransportationCompany.
After the victory of the anti-Japanese war,Tianjintrolleybus business was taken back by the governmentand was administered by Trolleybus TemporaryManagement Section of Tianjin Public Affairs Bureau.In this period,the Belgium tradesmen had asked to takeback the trolleybus and electronic light company fortheir operation because it had not reached the term offifty years the Qing government had been granting themfor exclusive operation rights. However,they failedbecause of the protest movement of trolleybus workers.In 1947,a single-way trolleybus line was completed. Itsrepresenting color was purple and it reached the NorthStation. By the end of 1948,there had been altogethereight lines of railroad trolleybus in Tianjin,coveringa mileage of 25.31 kilometers,transporting 142.3thousands of passengers each day.
After Tianjin was liberated,the people`s governmenttook over the management of trolleybus lines underTrolley Car Management Section of Tianjin PublicAffairs Bureau. In September 17 in the same year,it wasrenamed as Tianjin Trolleybuses Company. By 1957,it had 165 operating trolleybus and 5 lines,coveringa mileage of 36 kilometers and transporting 14.311thousands of passengers each day. In 1960s trolleybusgradually fell into disuse and railroads were removedaccordingly.

·白牌电车围城绕(油画 作者 杨明)