A second Act obtained in 1900 allowed them to build and operate their own lines, and a network developed fairly quickly.

The route opened in 1913, but the onset of the First World War made obtaining spare parts from Germany impossible, and it ran intermittently, due to maintenance problems.

Through running allowed long journeys to be made by tram, with the route from Hazel Grove to Seaforth Sands near Liverpool being 51.5 miles (82.9 km).

At least one tram was sold off after withdrawal, and the lower saloon of tramcar number 5 was recovered from a field, where it had been used as a hen house, in 1971.

It was a double track standard gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) line, with horse-drawn trams, and was about 2.25 miles (3.62 km) long.

It had been authorised by the Stockport and Hazel Grove Tramways Order 1889, and the main line was about 3 miles (4.8 km) long.

A batch of ten open top double deck trams were ordered from Dick, Kerr & Co. of Preston, and had all been delivered by the end of the year.

In 1908, through running with the Manchester Corporation Tramways system began when their Hyde Road route was connected to the line at the Old Bull's Head Inn.

However, Modern Transport magazine carried a letter in its 4 April 1936 edition, stating that the writer's aunt had made the journey from Liverpool to Stockport for the pleasure of doing so on several occasions.

The through route also enabled Liverpool Corporation Tramways to lend an illuminated tramcar to Stockport to publicise a municipal event.

[4] Stockport took an early interest in trolleybuses or trackless cars, as they were known initially, for the Tramway Manager was sent to Bradford and Leeds in 1911, to inspect the newly opened systems in those towns.

The Corporation elected to go with this system, and applied to Parliament for powers to build a line from St Peter's Square to borough boundary at Offerton Road, a distance of 1.75 miles (2.82 km).

The technical press of the day made much of the fact that the speed change control system was operated by pedals, leaving the driver's hands free to steer the trolleybus.

The trolley that ran between the two wires, known locally as a 'monkey', was prone to dewire and drop onto the roadway, causing disruption to the service as well as being a hazard to pedestrians.

[9] There were also problems with reliability, which were exacerbated by the onset of the First World War, making the purchase of spare parts from Germany impossible.

One of the vehicles was sold for further use to the Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company in 1916, and in 1919 motor buses replaced the trolleybuses when both were awaiting spare parts.

It was recovered from a field between Glossop and Hayfield by 236 Squadron Royal Corps of Transport, and restoration by the Stockport 5 Tramway Trust began.

Further work was carried out over the winter of 2012, including the application of period adverts to the upper deck panelling, and it re-entered service in March 2013.