A once popular ‘green’ form of transport you’d have seen trolleybuses in many cities and towns from around the early 1900’s when in many cases they replaced aging tram networks.
Trolley buses were seen as a viable alternative as whilst they were powered in a similar way to trams they didn’t need the track infrastructure.
Summary
The first trolleybus was invented back on 29th April 1882, when Dr. Ernst Werner Siemens demonstrated his “Elektromote” in a Berlin suburb.
The first trolleybuses to be used in the UK were in Bradford and Leeds on 20th June 1911, although public service in Bradford did not commence until 24 June the same year.
Away from the restrictions of tracks, like trams they took their power from dual overhead cables, they provided clean, affordable and quick transport for the masses for the best part of 50 years.
Where Did They Go?
Coincidentally, the UK’s last trolleybus service also operated in the same place it started, Bradford on 26th March 1972. However many other countries still use the trolleybus system today.
It is generally thought that trolleybuses in the UK were phased out as a boom in private car ownership during the 1960’s meant there was less demand for public transport. Electricity prices were rising and rapidly-growing cities soon outgrew a network of overhead cables in desperate need of investment.
Sadly whilst there are no UK trolleybus networks remaining, there are a number of buses still working at Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum
and the Black Country Living Museum
Nostalgia Time