This was filmed in 2003 in order to produce an educational film which sadly was not finalised. Included is some rare cine footage of Bradford's final weekend of operations.
How ironic, in this day and age, that an environmentally friendly means of mass transit was taken out of service to make way to polluting diesel buses. Now, these trolley buses are more relevant today than ever. It is a shame they only have a small area to operate in. I traveled on trolley buses in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the late 60s.
I came to Brisbane, Queensland as lad of 11 years. My father was transferred from NSW with his job. I loved the trolley bus rides from the city centre to our new home in East Brisbane. They were so smooth to ride in, and very silent. Going to and from school I rode trams which were another discovery for a country boy. They were exciting and noisy. So the smooth and silent trolley bus rides were were something I'd look forward to whenever the occasion arose.
Yes, always preferred a trolley to go up Ditchling Road where the diesels struggled on the steep bit. Lived in Florence Road for a while in the late 50's.
Forget Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London. All that "royal" stuff! If I'm going to take a trip to the U.K., this trolleybus museum is what I'd visit first (It broke my heart as a teenager when Chicago discontinued commercial use of electric trolleybuses on March 31, 1973). Thanks for sharing!
I can just about remember travelling on London Trolleybuses as a small boy to visit an aunt who lived in Earlsfield. It was the 630 that ran from West Croydon to Harlesdon.
I loved this video. It took me back to when was a child 60 years ago and travelled on Wolverhampton trolley buses out to Tettenhall. Every so often the pantographs would come off the wires with a loud bang. We loved that happening. I now live in New Zealand. Such happy memories. Thank you and hats off to all you wonderful people.
I remember Green Lane Walsall, bus stopped and conductor got the long pole out to reattach. I wonder if term conductor has anything to due with "recontacting" arms to wires.
I worked as a trolleybus operator for nearly a decade and a half. They weren't retired until 1994. I still have a headsign to remind me of better days. Ours were replaced by diesel and natural gas buses...both more costly to operate and maintain. I'm surprised by the manual switches...ours were all selectric or power. I particularly liked the E800's...very warm in bitter winters.
@@Telecolor-in3cl Hamilton, Ontario...both Toronto and Hamilton had trolleybus systems. In Hamilton, all the overhead was upgraded in the 1990s and then scrapped. Only Hamilton had the newer E800 trolleys from Flyer...one of which had high performance shoes and brakes before the decision was taken to scrap the service.
@@Telecolor-in3cl the Ministry of Transportation (provincial govt) wanted to promote alternative fuels...first a failed demonstration with propane in Ottawa then natural gas in Hamilton. If the trolleys were scrapped in both cities it would provide an opportunity to sell a large number of CNG buses to both cities from the govt's preferred supplier. Both cities were effectively "Blackmailed" into accepting poor performing CNG buses. Search an article, Dewired, for the full story.
In the Canadian city where I grew up, we had trolley busses and on very cold days where the temp was colder than -30C and very low humidity the trolleys would be arcing and sparklers would be coming down from the overhead wires as they passed by. I would always stop and watch as I walked to school.
Excellent video, very well put together and very informative. I had a ride on the Black Country Living Museum's Trolleybus some years ago - what a fantastic vehicle, I remember the young driver being very keen to show off the startling acceleration! I know that they say "hindsight is a wonderful thing", but the UK government and councils have a lot to answer for, for the astonishing damage they did to our public transport infrastructure in the 50 and 60s. The scrapping of the tram and trolleybus was, of course, followed by appalling air quality and smog that has, potentially, killed thousands. Growing up in the 80s a few miles from Coventry, trips into the city used to make me feel ill because of the bus fumes; and yet, today, little has changed. Whilst we are expected to all go out and buy electric cars with their environment destroying batteries, to replace the diesel cars people were encouraged, by the government, to buy, the diesel bus still reigns supreme. How difficult would it be to reinstate the clean, efficient and reliable trolleybus in our cities?
You mention 'environment destroying batteries'. I would be interested to see your detailed research into the comparative environmental impact of producing an electric vehicle battery and, say, a kilometre of new trolleybus route. In particular your comparison of maintenance costs and reliability for cadmium copper and other overhead catenary wire types.
@@conradharcourt8263 Thank you for your comment. The environmental impact of Li-ion battery production is well known and it is easy to find information about this. The life cycle of the batteries is also relatively short, and, at present, recycling of these batteries is almost non existent. Add to this the potentially dangerous and unstable nature of the batteries, which is also well documented. You could also include energy ‘waste’, as it takes more energy to charge a battery than you get out of a battery, and also the energy loss as a battery loses charge over time. On the other hand, most of the materials used in catenary are abundant and easy to extract and refine, and, importantly, easy to recycle. I understand the lifespan of the contact wire to be several decades? It would also be a relatively simple affair to combine the overhead lines with other street furniture, such as lighting and buildings. Please note that I am suggesting the maximum benefit of such a system to be urban, where pollution and road congestion is a great liability. I would suggest the implementation of an electric bus system powered by overhead lines would have great environmental benefits, both locally and globally, with very few drawbacks.
@@gord307 Thank you for your reply. I commend your objectives but have put down my responses to the points you raise below: The environmental impact of Li-ion battery,,, a) Much of the published information is produced by the oil lobby who have made sure that it is well-known that battery production has an environmental impact. They neglect to say how very small this is compared to the production and use of oil. b) Li-on batteries are likely soon be superseded by one or more of a number of more environmentally friendly alternatives now being developed. The life cycle of the batteries... Electric vehicle batteries now last more than ten years and recycling plants are now being built as the need to recycle grows with time. Add to this the potentially dangerous and unstable nature .. This was an unfortunate characteristic of early batteries, in 2022 however the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded that battery-powered EVs suffer only 25 fires per 100,000 sold, compared to 1,530 for petrol or diesel vehicles, and notably 3,475 for hybrids. High voltage cables suspended above public roads are also not without risk. You could also include energy ‘waste’... Again this is something which is improving constantly. Any wired system will also suffer losses through transmission. On the other hand, most of the materials used in catenary are abundant.. As are most of the materials used in electric vehicle battery manufacture. I understand the lifespan of the contact wire to be several decades? True, although this is dependent upon regular, skilled maintenance and a lack of incidents such as other vehicles colliding with poles. It is an inherent flaw of any overhead wire system that a single failure can put a number of vehicles out of action. The points mentioned above about batteries apply here too. It would also be a relatively simple affair to combine... There are legal and practical issues here. Surely there are few, if any instances where catenary could be safely and legally suspended from buildings. Combining lighting or other services on high voltage catenary poles would give rise to problems with ensuring the safety of maintenance staff as sadly the current political thinking for many years has been to prefer chaos to co-ordination in the supply of public services. There is also the difficulty that very many people would see trolleybus wires as unsightly and would object vociferously to re-introduction. Although many more ill-advised transport projects do get built the World over, I would surmise that there is now little call for or chance of success with the re-introduction of trolleybuses at least in the 'Western Hemisphere'. It may be that a better solution overall would be modern trams. Again this is idealistic, tram systems have an exponentially high build cost but lower running costs, longer vehicle life, fewer direct particulate emissions and also give a smoother ride than pneumatic-tyred vehicles.
Though noting your exchange of views below re batteries, I tend to agree that it's a shame there is no trolleybus system remaining in the UK (except for museums). Maybe it would need several such systems to make the supply industry economic, while for battery buses that seems to be happening already (though maybe at a risk of making everyone dependent on supplies from abroad?). However, it is interesting that railways seem to have decided that overhead wires are the way forward except for the odd branch or so, where batteries will be used.
Those rear engine bus fumes were awful. Going into Cov city centre in the early 60s & 70s was better on the rear platform Daimler CVG-6s. That said, upstairs was invariably smoke filled.
Wow!! Double deck trolleybuses. I haven't ridden a double deck trolleybus since the late 1950's, when they ran in Sydney NSW Australia. I have ridden single deck trolley buses in later years during the 1970's, while holidaying in New Zealand. New Zealand's last trolleybus system operated in Wellington, which finally closed in October 2017. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
We had trolley buses running a circuitous route terminating in North Ormesby, but travelling to places like Cargo Fleet, South Bank, Grangetown, Eston and Normanby - that was discontinued in about 1971, I believe!
Beautifully & lovingly restored. By those who enjoy working with these lovely old vehicles. Just wish they had a lot more space to drive on instead what seems like just over 200 yards or less than quarter of a acre ( or there abouts). 🥺
I remember well the Huddersfield and Bradford trolley buses. I went on them regularly. They should never have been stopped. They were so environment friendly, but no one bothered much back in the 60s. They were better times than now.
I recall that the had a Newcastle [upon Tyne] Trolley bus at Beamish Museum in the early days. On one occasion visiting, it was got out of the shared Tram/road vehicle shed. Once outside it studiously refused to go backwards, forwards or any direction at all, no matter what...... After a while the staff gave up and pushed the 'bus back in the shed by hand. In the same way as folk "jump start" a car.
I knew of trolleybuses but thought it was a way more modern concept (1960s or 1970s maybe). It was very surprising to learn how long they already exist. Anyway this looks like a museum worth visiting.
Many thanks….a truly excellent video and it’s the very first (I’ve watched many trolleybus themed videos) to show the power supply aspects. I really wasn’t expecting to see a Hackbridge-Hewittic glass bottle Mercury Arc rectifier in action! Well done for showing this absolutely basic piece of information that’s usually totally ignored by other videographers. Top marks! Suggestions: I would have preferred a higher definition up-load but the lower definition didn’t detract from the viewing very much. Secondly, I would have preferred no music in the background so I could enjoy the peaceful sounds of the vehicles and your excellent camera work. Many thanks again and please pass my congratulations on to the private owners of the Huddersfield trolleybus….it looks brand new! From Rob in (unfortunately trolley-less nowadays) Bournemouth.
Hi Rob. I very much appreciate your comments. The footage was initially intended as an information/teaching aid for the museum but sadly it did not come to fruition. It was filmed on standard definition digital video and unfortunately on a large screen does not look anywhere near as good as the latest 2K /4K presentations. Just for anyone reading this I am a film maker and do not have any direct connection with the trolleybus museum.
Great educational video. Went to Sandtoft in 2014. Pity the London trolley wasn't working, I remember them well. Strange that the accelerator and brake are reversed. I still don't know how they tension the tra tonight wires which must expand and contract.
Hi Steven.I understand the control handing was to aid tram drivers to adapt to trolleybuses. If you look at a tram controller the regulator is on the left and the brake on the right.
A modern trollybus system has so many advantages over trams but at a fraction of the price and difficulty of the inflexible dangerous track system. Plus with a battery pack on board you can divert round accidents and temporary diversions. You could skip any overheads at junctions and turns.. For bodys use the 6 wheel double decker coaches...with large luggage rooms at the rear down stairs so you could carry bikes, prams and shopping trolleys out of the way of passengers.
I fly into Sandtoft airfield sometimes from Humberside. never knew it had a trolleybus museum 😮. I’ve only ever picked up some car spares from RenParts and took off again.
I grew up in Walsall, one of the very last Corporations to have Trolley buses, Tesla would be embarrassed at the power to weight acceleration possible over 60 years ago..
I've see a Porto trolleybus (Porto, Portugal was the last city with double deck trolleyebuses) and a Soligen one (the one with an upper deck only in the rear side).
That grey and red one with Boland on the front is very much like the livery that Northumbria adopted after the NBC split United up 3 ways in,if I remember correctly,1987.
Great video. Very good clear explanation. I travelled on one of the Nottingham Trolleys between 1959 and 1964 (one of the 8 footers) for school (Route 43). I am sure I have sat many times on that actual 8 footer you have. Do the trolley buses also have batteries for short emergency movement?
Modern trolleybus overhead is far less obtrusive as in the previous systems. There is a definate place for such vehicles, especially if operable in dual mode electro-diesel guise, with modern construction methods. Seen were the pioneering days, until urban planners in the 1960s decided otherwise. Perhaps twenty-first century attempts can re-ignite a clean come back given some forward thinking!
Thanx for the great tour. Where I come from in Auckland, New Zealand we had trolly busses until 1980 when the system was closed for upgrading. They lied and replaced it with dirty diesel busses. Our busses had BUT control gear with Ohio Brass overhead. Could never understand why the bus accelerator was on the left side of the steering wheel and the brake on the right. Was this a BUT thing?? Also I notice no overhear powered track switches only manual ones. Was this the norm in the UK??
Hi Paul. I understand the accelerator on the left and brake on the right reflected the layout of tram controls and was an aid to driver conversion from tram to trolleybus. I am not sure about the overhead powered switches here.
Cardiff trolleybuses had powered track switches in the overhead;the method of operation seemed to be approaching the switch the driver pulled on the handbrake at the same time boosting the power supply throught the bus,this made the switch change.
All buses in Vancouver BC Canada become trolley buses when they enter the city limits. I rode on theses buses on many visits there between 1990 and my last vist in 2016.
Such a shame they are on only a 4 acre area of land & it be far more enjoyable to ride on these with a huge 15 or 20+ acre area instead. But, sadly that is unlikely to happen.
Not locally. The bus would not be able to collect nearly enough power on it's own. But renewable resources such as solar, wind and HEP, can feed into the grid to power electric buses.
How ironic, in this day and age, that an environmentally friendly means of mass transit was taken out of service to make way to polluting diesel buses. Now, these trolley buses are more relevant today than ever. It is a shame they only have a small area to operate in. I traveled on trolley buses in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the late 60s.
I came to Brisbane, Queensland as lad of 11 years. My father was transferred from NSW with his job. I loved the trolley bus rides from
the city centre to our new home in East Brisbane. They were so smooth to ride in, and very silent. Going to and from school I rode trams
which were another discovery for a country boy. They were exciting and noisy. So the smooth and silent trolley bus rides were were
something I'd look forward to whenever the occasion arose.
I used to love riding on these in Brighton as a child; so clean, smooth and quiet.
Yes, always preferred a trolley to go up Ditchling Road where the diesels struggled on the steep bit. Lived in Florence Road for a while in the late 50's.
Forget Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London. All that "royal" stuff! If I'm going to take a trip to the U.K., this trolleybus museum is what I'd visit first (It broke my heart as a teenager when Chicago discontinued commercial use of electric trolleybuses on March 31, 1973). Thanks for sharing!
I can just about remember travelling on London Trolleybuses as a small boy to visit an aunt who lived in Earlsfield. It was the 630 that ran from West Croydon to Harlesdon.
I loved this video. It took me back to when was a child 60 years ago and travelled on Wolverhampton trolley buses out to Tettenhall. Every so often the pantographs would come off the wires with a loud bang. We loved that happening. I now live in New Zealand. Such happy memories. Thank you and hats off to all you wonderful people.
I remember Green Lane Walsall, bus stopped and conductor got the long pole out to reattach. I wonder if term conductor has anything to due with "recontacting" arms to wires.
I worked as a trolleybus operator for nearly a decade and a half. They weren't retired until 1994. I still have a headsign to remind me of better days. Ours were replaced by diesel and natural gas buses...both more costly to operate and maintain. I'm surprised by the manual switches...ours were all selectric or power. I particularly liked the E800's...very warm in bitter winters.
In what city you worked as a operator?
@@Telecolor-in3cl Hamilton, Ontario...both Toronto and Hamilton had trolleybus systems. In Hamilton, all the overhead was upgraded in the 1990s and then scrapped. Only Hamilton had the newer E800 trolleys from Flyer...one of which had high performance shoes and brakes before the decision was taken to scrap the service.
@@obus7800 Why did they scraped it?
@@Telecolor-in3cl the Ministry of Transportation (provincial govt) wanted to promote alternative fuels...first a failed demonstration with propane in Ottawa then natural gas in Hamilton. If the trolleys were scrapped in both cities it would provide an opportunity to sell a large number of CNG buses to both cities from the govt's preferred supplier. Both cities were effectively "Blackmailed" into accepting poor performing CNG buses. Search an article, Dewired, for the full story.
What a beautiful video-loved looking at all those restored trolleybuses in operation,how they’re driven,and maintained !!
In the Canadian city where I grew up, we had trolley busses and on very cold days where the temp was colder than -30C and very low humidity the trolleys would be arcing and sparklers would be coming down from the overhead wires as they passed by. I would always stop and watch as I walked to school.
Hamilton? I remember seeing them there back in 1974.
Those 3 axle double deckers are so stylish. I can ‘just’ remember yellow ones in Newcastle
I took my son & nephew here when they were about 4 & 5 years old they loved it especially the mock up cabs where they went mad on the steering wheel.
Great video great place will be returning there soon!
Great video. Lovely to hear the sound of the overhead wiring.
Excellent video, very well put together and very informative.
I had a ride on the Black Country Living Museum's Trolleybus some years ago - what a fantastic vehicle, I remember the young driver being very keen to show off the startling acceleration!
I know that they say "hindsight is a wonderful thing", but the UK government and councils have a lot to answer for, for the astonishing damage they did to our public transport infrastructure in the 50 and 60s. The scrapping of the tram and trolleybus was, of course, followed by appalling air quality and smog that has, potentially, killed thousands.
Growing up in the 80s a few miles from Coventry, trips into the city used to make me feel ill because of the bus fumes; and yet, today, little has changed. Whilst we are expected to all go out and buy electric cars with their environment destroying batteries, to replace the diesel cars people were encouraged, by the government, to buy, the diesel bus still reigns supreme. How difficult would it be to reinstate the clean, efficient and reliable trolleybus in our cities?
You mention 'environment destroying batteries'. I would be interested to see your detailed research into the comparative environmental impact of producing an electric vehicle battery and, say, a kilometre of new trolleybus route. In particular your comparison of maintenance costs and reliability for cadmium copper and other overhead catenary wire types.
@@conradharcourt8263 Thank you for your comment.
The environmental impact of Li-ion battery production is well known and it is easy to find information about this. The life cycle of the batteries is also relatively short, and, at present, recycling of these batteries is almost non existent. Add to this the potentially dangerous and unstable nature of the batteries, which is also well documented.
You could also include energy ‘waste’, as it takes more energy to charge a battery than you get out of a battery, and also the energy loss as a battery loses charge over time.
On the other hand, most of the materials used in catenary are abundant and easy to extract and refine, and, importantly, easy to recycle. I understand the lifespan of the contact wire to be several decades?
It would also be a relatively simple affair to combine the overhead lines with other street furniture, such as lighting and buildings.
Please note that I am suggesting the maximum benefit of such a system to be urban, where pollution and road congestion is a great liability.
I would suggest the implementation of an electric bus system powered by overhead lines would have great environmental benefits, both locally and globally, with very few drawbacks.
@@gord307 Thank you for your reply.
I commend your objectives but have put down my responses to the points you raise below:
The environmental impact of Li-ion battery,,,
a) Much of the published information is produced by the oil lobby who have made sure that it is well-known that battery production has an environmental impact. They neglect to say how very small this is compared to the production and use of oil.
b) Li-on batteries are likely soon be superseded by one or more of a number of more environmentally friendly alternatives now being developed.
The life cycle of the batteries...
Electric vehicle batteries now last more than ten years and recycling plants are now being built as the need to recycle grows with time.
Add to this the potentially dangerous and unstable nature ..
This was an unfortunate characteristic of early batteries, in 2022 however the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded that battery-powered EVs suffer only 25 fires per 100,000 sold, compared to 1,530 for petrol or diesel vehicles, and notably 3,475 for hybrids.
High voltage cables suspended above public roads are also not without risk.
You could also include energy ‘waste’...
Again this is something which is improving constantly. Any wired system will also suffer losses through transmission.
On the other hand, most of the materials used in catenary are abundant..
As are most of the materials used in electric vehicle battery manufacture.
I understand the lifespan of the contact wire to be several decades?
True, although this is dependent upon regular, skilled maintenance and a lack of incidents such as other vehicles colliding with poles. It is an inherent flaw of any overhead wire system that a single failure can put a number of vehicles out of action.
The points mentioned above about batteries apply here too.
It would also be a relatively simple affair to combine...
There are legal and practical issues here.
Surely there are few, if any instances where catenary could be safely and legally suspended from buildings. Combining lighting or other services on high voltage catenary poles would give rise to problems with ensuring the safety of maintenance staff as sadly the current political thinking for many years has been to prefer chaos to co-ordination in the supply of public services.
There is also the difficulty that very many people would see trolleybus wires as unsightly and would object vociferously to re-introduction.
Although many more ill-advised transport projects do get built the World over, I would surmise that there is now little call for or chance of success with the re-introduction of trolleybuses at least in the 'Western Hemisphere'.
It may be that a better solution overall would be modern trams. Again this is idealistic, tram systems have an exponentially high build cost but lower running costs, longer vehicle life, fewer direct particulate emissions and also give a smoother ride than pneumatic-tyred vehicles.
Though noting your exchange of views below re batteries, I tend to agree that it's a shame there is no trolleybus system remaining in the UK (except for museums). Maybe it would need several such systems to make the supply industry economic, while for battery buses that seems to be happening already (though maybe at a risk of making everyone dependent on supplies from abroad?). However, it is interesting that railways seem to have decided that overhead wires are the way forward except for the odd branch or so, where batteries will be used.
Those rear engine bus fumes were awful. Going into Cov city centre in the early 60s & 70s was better on the rear platform Daimler CVG-6s. That said, upstairs was invariably smoke filled.
I'm Canadian and
loved this video!
I remember as a kid travelling on Walsall corp. trolley buses. Should bring them back.
There is quite a bit of amateur video on YT.
Wow!! Double deck trolleybuses. I haven't ridden a double deck trolleybus since the late 1950's, when they ran in Sydney NSW Australia. I have ridden single deck trolley buses in later years during the 1970's, while holidaying in New Zealand. New Zealand's last trolleybus system operated in Wellington, which finally closed in October 2017. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Yep that was criminal by the Wellington Council to rip out a basically new wiring system and buses that were only 10 years old.
Absolutely wonder I’m going be taking my elderly friend there who used to be a conductor on a trolley bus thank you 🚎
We had trolley buses running a circuitous route terminating in North Ormesby, but travelling to places like Cargo Fleet, South Bank, Grangetown, Eston and Normanby - that was discontinued in about 1971, I believe!
Went on longer than 1971 Arthur
I was on that last Bradford trolley bus as a teenager, a sad day indeed for public transport in the city.
Awesome. I remember as a small child in the 60’s being on a trolley in Bradford. I would have been 9 when they ended. Shall visit soon...
Used ride the trollies in Grangetown near Middlesbrough great ! Cheap green safe!
Beautifully & lovingly restored. By those who enjoy working with these lovely old vehicles. Just wish they had a lot more space to drive on instead what seems like just over 200 yards or less than quarter of a acre ( or there abouts). 🥺
I remember well the Huddersfield and Bradford trolley buses.
I went on them regularly.
They should never have been stopped. They were so environment friendly, but no one bothered much back in the 60s. They were better times than now.
I recall that the had a Newcastle [upon Tyne] Trolley bus at Beamish Museum in the early days. On one occasion visiting, it was got out of the shared Tram/road vehicle shed. Once outside it studiously refused to go backwards, forwards or any direction at all, no matter what...... After a while the staff gave up and pushed the 'bus back in the shed by hand. In the same way as folk "jump start" a car.
Cracking film!
I've been on modern trolley busses in Belgrade. A strange but good experience with no engine sound
I remember riding the 609 T/B in North London back in the day brilliant😎👍
teesside trolley buses were clean quiet and fast
Nice Video!
I knew of trolleybuses but thought it was a way more modern concept (1960s or 1970s maybe). It was very surprising to learn how long they already exist.
Anyway this looks like a museum worth visiting.
Thoroughly enjoyable, thanks for sharing the video.
THANK YOU FOR VIDEO
USED IN AUSTRALIA IN STATE SERVICE HERE FOR SHORT TIME
Loved Cape Town trolley busses when I was growing up. Sadly they produced lots of static radio interference as they didn't have surpressors
Many thanks….a truly excellent video and it’s the very first (I’ve watched many trolleybus themed videos) to show the power supply aspects. I really wasn’t expecting to see a Hackbridge-Hewittic glass bottle Mercury Arc rectifier in action! Well done for showing this absolutely basic piece of information that’s usually totally ignored by other videographers. Top marks!
Suggestions: I would have preferred a higher definition up-load but the lower definition didn’t detract from the viewing very much. Secondly, I would have preferred no music in the background so I could enjoy the peaceful sounds of the vehicles and your excellent camera work. Many thanks again and please pass my congratulations on to the private owners of the Huddersfield trolleybus….it looks brand new! From Rob in (unfortunately trolley-less nowadays) Bournemouth.
Hi Rob. I very much appreciate your comments. The footage was initially intended as an information/teaching aid for the museum but sadly it did not come to fruition. It was filmed on standard definition digital video and unfortunately on a large screen does not look anywhere near as good as the latest 2K /4K presentations. Just for anyone reading this I am a film maker and do not have any direct connection with the trolleybus museum.
Great educational video.
Went to Sandtoft in 2014.
Pity the London trolley wasn't working, I remember them well.
Strange that the accelerator and brake are reversed.
I still don't know how they tension the tra tonight wires which must expand and contract.
Hi Steven.I understand the control handing was to aid tram drivers to adapt to trolleybuses. If you look at a tram controller the regulator is on the left and the brake on the right.
I remember Lancashire transport trams as a kid in 1950in Farnworth near Bolton. In 1967 they were still running in Pretoria S.A.
Here in the U.S our trolley buses don't have point controls, the pole pulls the direction change on its own.
This is a brilliant video and is informative.
This is the future🙂
A modern trollybus system has so many advantages over trams but at a fraction of the price and difficulty of the inflexible dangerous track system. Plus with a battery pack on board you can divert round accidents and temporary diversions.
You could skip any overheads at junctions and turns..
For bodys use the 6 wheel double decker coaches...with large luggage rooms at the rear down stairs so you could carry bikes, prams and shopping trolleys out of the way of passengers.
I fly into Sandtoft airfield sometimes from Humberside. never knew it had a trolleybus museum 😮. I’ve only ever picked up some car spares from RenParts and took off again.
Fascinates me how this worked in busy cities??!
In the early 1950's they converted 3 diesel bus lines to trolleybus and in 1973 back (in East Berlin) and they abandoned trolleybus (in West Berlin).
I grew up in Walsall, one of the very last Corporations to have Trolley buses, Tesla would be embarrassed at the power to weight acceleration possible over 60 years ago..
Make trolleybuses great again!
I've see a Porto trolleybus (Porto, Portugal was the last city with double deck trolleyebuses)
and a Soligen one (the one with an upper deck only in the rear side).
In Berlin we had double deck bus and trolleybus, but never both in one.
They should have a look at the ultra modern trolly buses that are supposed to be withdrawn in Wellington New Zealand .
They were shut down in 2017
I cant wait to visitsantoft orthecollection held in the lt museumm in south acton.london
That grey and red one with Boland on the front is very much like the livery that Northumbria adopted after the NBC split United up 3 ways in,if I remember correctly,1987.
Great video. Very good clear explanation. I travelled on one of the Nottingham Trolleys between 1959 and 1964 (one of the 8 footers) for school (Route 43). I am sure I have sat many times on that actual 8 footer you have. Do the trolley buses also have batteries for short emergency movement?
Yes, most if not all modern trolleybuses do
Looks like the acceleratoeur was just an on off switch with very limited modulation?
Well, going here is on my "To do" list now.
Modern trolleybus overhead is far less obtrusive as in the previous systems. There is a definate place for such vehicles, especially if operable in dual mode electro-diesel guise, with modern construction methods.
Seen were the pioneering days, until urban planners in the 1960s decided otherwise.
Perhaps twenty-first century attempts can re-ignite a clean come back given some forward thinking!
Thumbs up David.Did they have a heater?
Cheers.
So far as I know they did have electric heaters in the later buses. If you contact the Trolleybus Museum they will confirm this. They have a web site.
Thanx for the great tour. Where I come from in Auckland, New Zealand we had trolly busses until 1980 when the system was closed for upgrading. They lied and replaced it with dirty diesel busses. Our busses had BUT control gear with Ohio Brass overhead. Could never understand why the bus accelerator was on the left side of the steering wheel and the brake on the right. Was this a BUT thing?? Also I notice no overhear powered track switches only manual ones. Was this the norm in the UK??
Hi Paul. I understand the accelerator on the left and brake on the right reflected the layout of tram controls and was an aid to driver conversion from tram to trolleybus. I am not sure about the overhead powered switches here.
@@davidmyers9810 For me, that should be the layout.
Cardiff trolleybuses had powered track switches in the overhead;the method of operation seemed to be approaching the switch the driver pulled on the handbrake at the same time boosting the power supply throught the bus,this made the switch change.
My hometownofsalzburgis still using articulatedand single cartrolly bussesthe articulazedareknown as"bendy busses"!!!!!!!!!!
All buses in Vancouver BC Canada become trolley buses when they enter the city limits. I rode on theses buses on many visits there between 1990 and my last vist in 2016.
No London trolley busses?
I remembertravelling as a childonroute445 in north londonout of north finchley bus an d tram depot
So cool
Such a shame they are on only a 4 acre area of land & it be far more enjoyable to ride on these with a huge 15 or 20+ acre area instead. But, sadly that is unlikely to happen.
they knew what the future holds but we didn't keep up with the times as usual
The British people that used to travel on them will be things of the past soon
Most cities in Ukraine still have running trolley buses. Trams are still quite common.
And yes they have lots of dirty diesel ones.
I wonder if these trolly buses could be revived by solar power?
Not locally. The bus would not be able to collect nearly enough power on it's own.
But renewable resources such as solar, wind and HEP, can feed into the grid to power electric buses.
Lancia Esagamma Dalfa (Oporto)
Bei uns im Aachen. Deutschland hat es auch solche E Busse. Gegeben
Have they spelt bazaar wrong?
This place needs some serious investment and expansion
Remember the Trolleybus is all shot here too I think, together with some kind of soundblaster music.
Not one London Trolley Bus
I have 150scale models trolly buses When l tell Them they were electric they are Shocked and say what happened to them