Hoylake and Birkenhead Rail and Tramway Company
History
The Hoylake and Birkenhead Rail and Tramway Company (H&BR&TCo) commenced horse-drawn tramway services between Woodside Ferry in Birkenhead and the Docks Station on the Hoylake Railway on the 6th December 1873. The vast majority of the track over which it ran was owned by the company, save for a couple of sidings at the Woodside Ferry terminus, which were owned by Birkenhead Commissioners (the local authority), and for which the company was charged a rental. The company also owned the Hoylake Railway, and despite initially working the 2.29-mile tramway itself, it eventually chose — on the 2nd May 1876 — to lease its working to a Mr W W Towson.
Following negotiations between the H&BR&TCo and the Birkenhead Tramways Company, the latter acquired the railway's tramway undertaking on the 12th October 1879, a move which would ultimately prove to be its undoing.
Uniforms
Unfortunately, photographs of the tramway in operation have not survived, nor is there any documentary evidence that would confirm whether or not uniforms were worn.
Further reading
For a history of Birkenhead's tramways, see: 'The Tramways of Birkenhead and Wallasey' by T B Maund and M Jenkins; LRTA (1987).