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Trolley buses

  • Thread starter Thread starter jake
  • Start date Start date
Whilst extra wiring might appear unsightly the fact is that most people do not look upwards, unless there is something that actually draws their attention. However, the trolleys were very quiet whereas tramcars in the narrower city streets made quite a racket, especially when braking.
I feel that is was a grave error that most British cities rid themselves of a quiet, fume less and efficient mode of mass transportation.
 
Radiorails said:
Whilst extra wiring might appear unsightly the fact is that most people do not look upwards, unless there is something that actually draws their attention. However, the trolleys were very quiet whereas tramcars in the narrower city streets made quite a racket, especially when braking.
I feel that is was a grave error that most British cities rid themselves of a quiet, fume less and efficient mode of mass transportation.
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Were there trolley buses on every rout in Birmingham, I was born in 1949 and do not remember trolley buses or trams.
 
Grea said:
Were there trolley buses on every rout in Birmingham, I was born in 1949 and do not remember trolley buses or trams.
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You're probably a bit too young to have seen them because trams and trolleybuses were gone by 1953. I was taken on trams from an early age but never rode on a trolleybus. I did see some in Russia in 1977 and wanted a ride on one but our 'minders' would not let us. I put a pic of one in another thread click/here. Looking at it now I notice the trolley poles are almost vertical but I suppose being a 'single decker' did not help.
 
oldMohawk said:
You're probably a bit too young to have seen them because trams and trolleybuses were gone by 1953. I was taken on trams from an early age but never rode on a trolleybus. I did see some in Russia in 1977 and wanted a ride on one but our 'minders' would not let us. I put a pic of one in another thread click/here. Looking at it now I notice the trolley poles are almost vertical but I suppose being a 'single decker' did not help.
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I've been on many trolley buses in Portsmouth, I think they were in service there up to the 60s. Just wondered where they used to run in bham
 
Grea,
there were few areas in Birmingham that were served by trolleybuses. The first route, numbered 7, was to Nechells. This commenced in 1922 which replaced trams also route 7 and ran until September 1940. It was curtailed due to fears that overhead sparking with the electrical overhead wiring might give the Luftwaffe clues particularly as there was very heavy industries in that area at the time. It was intended to recommence after the war was over but it did not happen. Bus route 43 replaced the trolleybuses which were put into store for the wartime period and scrapped shortly after.
The other part of the city served by trolleybuses was places along the Coventry Road. Trolleybuses replaced trams there at the beginning of 1934. The new Rover factory in Solihull was naturally Midland Red territory but the were unable to deal with the large amount of workers employed at Rover. During the war (WW2) BCT were given permission to construct a trolleybus route extension to Rover. Midland Red took over again in 1951 after the trolleybuses were replaced by diesel buses.
Some reasons that trolleybuses did not survive longer was due to great strides made with diesel buses and the fact that around 1950 there were approximately 1500 diesel buses and just 75 trolleys and as such were not considered needed.
Trolley were, at one time, considered as tram replacements. The Dudley Road and Hockley direction routes were considered in 1939 but it was not implemented much to the dismay of West Bromwich Corporation, who were in favour of trolley buses and who shared some of the routes that ran via Hockley. The attitude by West Brom was understandable as nearby Walsall and Wolverhampton Corporations both operated trolley buses.
 
Radiorails said:
Grea,
there were few areas in Birmingham that were served by trolleybuses. The first route, numbered 7, was to Nechells. This commenced in 1922 which replaced trams also route 7 and ran until September 1940. It was curtailed due to fears that overhead sparking with the electrical overhead wiring might give the Luftwaffe clues particularly as there was very heavy industries in that area at the time. It was intended to recommence after the war was over but it did not happen. Bus route 43 replaced the trolleybuses which were put into store for the wartime period and scrapped shortly after.
The other part of the city served by trolleybuses was places along the Coventry Road. Trolleybuses replaced trams there at the beginning of 1934. The new Rover factory in Solihull was naturally Midland Red territory but the were unable to deal with the large amount of workers employed at Rover. During the war (WW2) BCT were given permission to construct a trolleybus route extension to Rover. Midland Red took over again in 1951 after the trolleybuses were replaced by diesel buses.
Some reasons that trolleybuses did not survive longer was due to great strides made with diesel buses and the fact that around 1950 there were approximately 1500 diesel buses and just 75 trolleys and as such were not considered needed.
Trolley were, at one time, considered as tram replacements. The Dudley Road and Hockley direction routes were considered in 1939 but it was not implemented much to the dismay of West Bromwich Corporation, who were in favour of trolley buses and who shared some of the routes that ran via Hockley. The attitude by West Brom was understandable as nearby Walsall and Wolverhampton Corporations both operated trolley buses.
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When Birmingham's Soho Road/West Bromwich trams were scheduled to be replaced, West Bromwich Corporation's bus depot was built (rebuilt?) with sufficient headroom to accommodate the necessary overhead wiring. Birmingham was having none of it and insisted that their joint routes were to be operated by diesel buses.
In order to operate the services the result was that West Bromwich purchased 31 Daimler COG5 buses (71 - 101, AEA1-31) and Birmingham bought 85 (!) Leyland TD6c (211-295, EOG211-295).
 
The photo of the trolley bus, 17, as a demonstrator new in 1926, It was withdrawn in 1932 and scrapped in 1933. The date appears to be incorrect.
The last photo was trolleybus introduced in 1932 and withdrawn from service in 1940 and stored by BCT until 1945 and sold Midland Motor Co. Small Heath and subsequently to a Worcestershire farmer in about 1951.
 
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Radiorails said:
The photo of the trolley bus, 17, as a demonstrator new in 1926, It was withdrawn in 1932 and scrapped in 1933. The date appears to be incorrect.
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Thanks Alan. I wondered if the photo was earlier as the bus looks like an earlier vehicle. When you say 'demonstrator', was that to show to bus companies ?
 
Yes, Viv, BCT bought the bus after trials i guess. Birmingham was the first place to have trolley busses with top cover roofs such the earlier photo shown in another thread.
 
My first experience of busses where Trolley busses. We lived in Hay Mills and we used the Trolley busses on the cov road. When the diesel busses came along the noise they made frightened the life out of me. In comparison they were loud and uncomfortable. When I told my Son in law about Trolley busses he didn't believe me I had to show him photo's.
 
The vehicle concerned Richard, if that is your inference, was a 1926 vehicle. Modern for the period I feel. The Coventry Road trolley buses ran a silent and very frequent service when they started in 1934 whereas the Nechells route was abandoned in 1940
 
Radiorails said:
The vehicle concerned Richard, if that is your inference, was a 1926 vehicle. Modern for the period I feel. The Coventry Road trolley buses ran a silent and very frequent service when they started in 1934 whereas the Nechells route was abandoned in 1940
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Alan, I was referring to the 1940 one. I loved everything about trolley buses especially when the conductor had to reposition the power take off with the long pole.
 
Richard, the 1940 dated photo was incorrect as recorded in my post #42. 1940 was the date it was withdrawn and stored.
 
From 'Tramway & Railway World', 1922

WHAT the Tramway & Railway World, London, considers the most important service of Railless trolley cars yet introduced in Great Britain, or any other country, has just been commenced by the Birmingham Corporation's tramway department. On a route which extends from Broome Square in the centre of the city to Nechells, a suburban district about 3 miles to the northeast, the tramway cars have been replaced by double-deck trolley buses. These will be operated on a four-minute headway. The replacement was made because the tramway line was worn out and it was considered cheaper to put in the trolley buses than to reconstruct the railway. The buses have a capacity of fifty-one seated passengers, twenty-six below and twenty-five above.

Twelve of these buses are under construction by Railless, Ltd., London.The drive is by two motors, each of 22-hp.
capacity, placed side by side. Each drives one of the rear wheels independently through a worm gear. There are two
independent brakes, one an internal expanding brake on the rear wheel, the other an external contracting brake at the
driving end of each motor shaft. The wheel brake can be operated either by a pedal or by hand, while the shaft brake
is operated by a pedal. Thus there are two sets of brakes, each with two braking members.

6 OK 4828 .jpg

Railless chassis .jpg
 
Lloyd said:
From 'Tramway & Railway World', 1922

WHAT the Tramway & Railway World, London, considers the most important service of Railless trolley cars yet introduced in Great Britain, or any other country, has just been commenced by the Birmingham Corporation's tramway department. On a route which extends from Broome Square in the centre of the city to Nechells, a suburban district about 3 miles to the northeast, the tramway cars have been replaced by double-deck trolley buses. These will be operated on a four-minute headway. The replacement was made because the tramway line was worn out and it was considered cheaper to put in the trolley buses than to reconstruct the railway. The buses have a capacity of fifty-one seated passengers, twenty-six below and twenty-five above.

Twelve of these buses are under construction by Railless, Ltd., London.The drive is by two motors, each of 22-hp.
capacity, placed side by side. Each drives one of the rear wheels independently through a worm gear. There are two
independent brakes, one an internal expanding brake on the rear wheel, the other an external contracting brake at the
driving end of each motor shaft. The wheel brake can be operated either by a pedal or by hand, while the shaft brake
is operated by a pedal. Thus there are two sets of brakes, each with two braking members.

View attachment 208089

View attachment 208091
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