100 years of Trackless Electric Traction
2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the first public trolleybus systems in the UK. Introduced in June 1911 by Leeds and Bradford, the "trackless" or trolleybus was positioned as a more flexible form of transport than electric tramways. At this period the internal combustion engine was just taking over from the horse bus. Many municipalities had their own electricity generation stations and particularly for town fleets such as Bradford with hilly routes it seemed logical to make use of the in-house energy supply.
In all some 50 UK towns sported trolleybus networks. Some installations, including Halifax (1921-26), were quite short-lived. Others were more successful including London (1931-62), home of the largest trolleybus fleet in the world, and Glasgow (1947-67), the last system to open in Britain.
24 towns retained their trolleybuses into the 1960s, but rising traffic levels, one-way streets and spreading housing estates sorely tried the systems' flexibility. B.U.T. and Sunbeam saw their market dwindling and closed their production lines, Bournemouth receiving the UK's last new vehicles in 1962.
As networks closed, an active second-hand market saw younger and more capable vehicles migrate to the few remaining fleets. Just Cardiff, Walsall and Teesside made it into the 70s with Bradford taking the crown of first-and-last, finally closing in March 1972.
More than 100 trolleybuses are believed to survive in various collections. Look out for anniversary events in Bradford and at the museums of Sandtoft , Lowestoft and the Black Country.