100 Years of British Buses and Trolleybuses

[oldMohawk]

I like looking at old pictures and anyone interested might like this four minute video clip from 1903. Horse buses, and very heavy traffic congestion builds up as the video progresses - but horses seem to know where to go and not bump into things. Adverts on the buses for some things which have not faded away - and ladies climbed those steep stairs to the open top decks - also spot the one car in the video.
[video=youtube;DVQiEJW7RWg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQiEJW7RWg[/video]

 

[Stitcher]

This is a photo from inside the Leyland works where six wheeler Trolley Buses are being built. The bus on the left hand side is actually a Birmingham trolley bus. 1937

 

[Bill Parker]

View attachment 76988
This is a photo from inside the Leyland works where six wheeler Trolley Buses are being built. The bus on the left hand side is actually a Birmingham trolley bus. 1937

Great Pic Stitcher, I had the opportunity to drive a trolley bus a few weeks back and they are interesting to say the least. The accelerator is on the left and the brake pedal on the right. They have really good acceleration, electric motors can quickly develop plenty of power.
The skill for slow speed manouvres it to do it in short burst of power on the first "click" or notch and then coasting through things like dead sections and keeping the wires over ones right shoulder.The breaking system is known as "rheostatic" ie the motor gets switched to acting as a generator and retards the bus the main brakes are used to stop it completely. The energy from the motor/generator is fed into the same bank of resistors used for speed control.
Its really a shame that these buses went so quickly from the Birmingham System, Wolverhampton and Walsall kept theirs for much longer.

 

[motorman-mike]

View attachment 76988
This is a photo from inside the Leyland works where six wheeler Trolley Buses are being built. The bus on the left hand side is actually a Birmingham trolley bus. 1937

That's an interesting photo Trevor. The Birmingham trolleybus was actually a Leyland demonstator that was loaned to Birmingham to try out. It originally ran in Brum with fleet number 17 from March to July 1933 then went back to Leyland. In July 1936 it was back again as fleet number 68 and ran to October 1937 when it went back to Leyland again (in the year of your photo).None of this type were purchased for the Birmingham fleet. In 1937 an order for Leyland 2 axle trolleybuses was delivered.

 

[Stitcher]

Hello Bill and you Mike, Glad you found it interesting.