year is spent in Nottingham for passenger traffic. Accidents and incidents If the nineteenth century horse trams were recreated today on the streets of twenty-first century Nottingham, they would seem impossibly slow but an almost risk free form of transport. However, the company was involved in some accidents, some fatal, as this report from the Nottingham Journal on 1 September 1879 shows: On Saturday (30 August) a sad accident happened in Station Street. It seems that a porter or carriage driver named Walter Shepherd employed at the Midland Railway Station was trying to cross the road in the above named street when in endeavouring to get out of the way of a horse which was coming along and a tramcar was passing at the same time [sic]. He was knocked down and so dreadfully crushed by the wheels that he died sometime after at the General Hospital. The deceased was about 36 years of age, married and leaves a family. At the inquest the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. On 7 May 1880 a case was heard before the Nottingham Magistrates' Court where James Crabbe a tram driver was charged with offences from 4 May of using abusive language to the police and with running his tramcar into the Yeomanry. The officer reported that his was on duty at the junction of Clumber Street and Parliament Street when the defendant came along driving his tram, and persisted in pushing his way into the Cavalry. The officer tried to stop him but he refused and the pole of the tram car ran into the horses, though it did no injury. The officer reported that the defendant used bad language and told the officer to go somewhere. James Crabbe was found guilty and the bench imposed a fine of 40s. On 4 July 1880 five conductors were charged with allowing overcrowding of their tramcars and after an appearance by Herbert Gideon, the Manager and Secretary of the company promising that this would not happen again, they were fined 10s each. The Basford route was the scene of a fatal accident on 3 August 1880. Two young girls were crossing Alfreton Road. A bleach van approached and they tried to avoid it, one of them ran in front of a passing tram car and was knocked down by the horses. A wheel passed over her neck and she was killed on