London United Tramways
London United Tramways

Author: Geoffrey Wilson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-17

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1135670161

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

With the twentieth century arrived the first electric tramcars in London. Thirty years later the first trolley buses arrived - along with a fleet of new trams that were the most modern of their day. This era was one of rapid change, rich in achievement adn personalities. Among the more colourful of the undertakings involved was London United, which introduced the first public service of electric tramcars in 1901 adn became one of the predecessors of the present London Transport. This is a study of this eventful period, relating the development of the tramway and trolleybus system to the changing social background. It contains a wealth of hitherto unpublished material, both factual and anecdotal, taken from contemporary newspaper and other accounts, and a remarkable collection of illustrations - 48 pages in all. It should be of interest not only to the transport enthusiast but also to the general reader interested in social history. This book was first published in 1971.

Under the Wires at Tally Ho
Under the Wires at Tally Ho

Author: David Berguer

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2011-02-01

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 0750953535

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Today pollution-free transport is high on the political agenda yet it is sometimes forgotten that electric vehicles ran on the streets of London from the early 1900s until 1962. This book tells the story of that period and describes both the vehicles themselves and the effect they had on the development of the suburbs. Local historian David Berguer has endeavoured to paint a picture of what life was like in the capital during this golden age, travelling and working on the trams and trolleybuses, and includes material based on newspaper reports, council and official minutes and oral histories from those involved. With many previously unpublished photographs and detail on the vehicles and routes themselves, there is even a chapter on the colourful pirate buses which competed against trams in the 1920s. Full of local interest and insights into daily life on north London trams and trolleybuses, this celebration of the glory days of electric street traction in the suburbs of North London is bound to capture the imagination of both transport and local historians alike.

A-Z of British Trolleybuses
A-Z of British Trolleybuses

Author: Stephen Lockwood

Publisher: The Crowood Press

Published: 2017-05-09

Total Pages: 518

ISBN-13: 1785002899

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In the last century, the trolleybus developed into a successful provider of public transport in many towns and cities around Britain. It is often described as being part tram and part motorbus. The trolleybus was a fast vehicle whose acceleration from rest was far superior to that of any motorbus. Added to this it was quiet and fume-free, and consumed home-produced electricity generated using coal. During the last twenty years, there have been many books about trolleybuses published, but hardly any of these has tackled the subject from the vehicle manufacturers' angle, instead concentrating on individual trolleybus systems. This volume is, therefore, a summary of the British trolleybus, describing each manufacturer and its products, and then showing what happened to these vehicles throughout their life. It contains an alphabetical listing of all the manufacturers, detailing company history and trolleybus types produced including production totals. A second alphabetical company-by-company listing gives full details of every trolleybus built for British use, including data such as chassis number and any subsequent significant changes. As far as possible it is all presented in a non-technical way. This complete guide to the types of British trolleybuses produced, how many and their operational history is superbly illustrated with over 300 photographs, many in colour.

London Trolleybuses and Red Buses 1959-62
London Trolleybuses and Red Buses 1959-62

Author: Geoff Bannister

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Published: 2022-04-08

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The author came to London from Burnley in 1949 as a nine-year old having developed an interest in transport at a very early age; he remained here, mainly in Wandsworth, until 1994. In his first two books, he described his trainspotting travels around Britain. In this third book, he considers London Transport’s road fleet with an emphasis on the Central Area during the conversion of the trolleybus routes during 1959-62. He writes about his local trolleybus routes, also recollecting seeing trams as a schoolboy in Tooting. Not possessing a camera until 1959, he has drawn on later photographs and preserved vehicles to fill earlier gaps and takes the reader on a tour of the Central Area with an emphasis on the trolleybuses but covering other vehicles such as the early days of the iconic Routemasters along with everyday shots of life at that time. Green Country buses do make some appearances and he makes a brief nod to the off-the-peg vehicles acquired after RM production which led such chequered lives in the capital.

British Trolleybus Systems
British Trolleybus Systems

Author: Peter Waller

Publisher: Pen and Sword Transport

Published: 2023-05-04

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1399022490

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Although there had been experiments with the use of a new form of transport - the ‘trackless tram’ (better known as the trolleybus) - during the first decade of the 20th century, it was in June 1911 that Bradford and Leeds became the country’s pioneering operators of trolleybuses. There had been earlier experimental users – in places like Hove and London – and as the tide turned against the tram in many towns and cities, the trolleybus became a popular alternative with the trolleybus coming to dominate the provision of local public transport in places like Derby and Ipswich. This volume – one of four that examines the history of all trolleybus operators in the British Isles – focuses on the systems that operated in Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia.

London Transport Buses in the 1960s
London Transport Buses in the 1960s

Author: Jim Blake

Publisher: Pen and Sword Transport

Published: 2022-10-21

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1473867886

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Just as life in Britain generally changed dramatically during the 1960s, so did London Transport's buses and their operations. Most striking was the abandonment of London's trolleybuses, once the world's biggest system, and their replacement by motorbuses. Begun in 1959 using surplus RT-types, it was completed by May 1962 using new Routemasters, designed specifically to replace them. They then continued to replace RT types, too. Traffic congestion and staff shortages played havoc with London Transport's buses and Green Line coaches during the 1960s, one-man operation was seen as a remedy for the latter, shortening routes in the Central Area for the former. Thus the ill-fated "Reshaping Plan" was born, introducing new O.M.O. bus types. These entered trial service in 1965, and after much delay the plan was implemented from September 1968 onwards. Sadly, new MB-types, also introduced in the Country Area, soon proved a disaster! Unfortunately, owing to a government diktat, Routemaster production ended at the start of 1968, forcing LT to buy "off-the-peg" vehicles unsuited to London operation and their in-house overhaul procedures. The decade ended with the loss of LT's Country Area buses and Green Line coaches to the National Bus Company. Photographer Jim Blake began photographing London's buses towards the end of the trolleybus conversion program in 1961 and continued dealing with the changing scene throughout the decade. He dealt very thoroughly with the "Reshaping" changes, and many of the photographs featured herein show rare and unusual scenes which have never been published before.

London's Transport Recalled
London's Transport Recalled

Author: Martin Jenkins

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2019-05-30

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 152672698X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A portrait of midcentury London and its trams, trains, trolleybuses, ferries, and more, filled with color photos from 1948-1969. The rich variety of transport in the London area is reflected in this color album from Martin Jenkins and Charles Roberts. Using mainly previously unpublished color views from the period 1948-1969, they have assembled a remarkable array of views covering all modes of transport. The reader is taken on a fascinating journey of discovery, not knowing what will be around the next corner—encountering buses, trams, and trolleybuses; main line steam, diesel and electric; London Transport electric and steam as well as little-known industrial railways; activities on the Thames, in docks, and on canals; liners, ferries, and pleasure steamers; plus aviation and even a coal merchant’s horse-drawn cart. Captioned images in stunning color have been selected wherever possible to show changing streetscapes, buildings, and fashions, bringing the period to life. This book is a tribute to those photographers who had the foresight to record these scenes before they were swept away in the name of progress.