WMPTE Trolleybus 869, Walsall, 1970
West Midlands PTE were the only passenger transport executive in the UK to operate trolleybuses. The trolleybus system had been inherited from the erstwhile Walsall Corporation Transport Department, whose assets and operating network had been acquired under the 1968 Transport Act, enacted on 1st October 1969.
Under WMPTE ownership, the trolleybus system lasted just 12-months. The trolleybuses did not feature in the PTE's future plans for public transport in the West Midlands region, and were seen as an outdated encumbrance.
By early 1970, surplus motor buses from other West Midlands garages were drafted into Walsall. These vehicles were used to provide replacement journeys on trolleybus routes at certain times, readying the public for the change-over.
As it became more widely known that the PTE intended to rid Walsall of its trolleybuses, the town became a focal point for enthusiasts to descend upon, recording to film the trolleys last days of service.
The end came on the 3rd October 1970, when the remaining trolleybuses bid farewell to the town. Special last-day services were laid on for locals and enthusiasts alike. The final journey was undertaken by trolleybus 872 in the evening, taking civic officials on a last sentimental journey before the power was turned off. Today, trolleybus 872 resides at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft in South Yorkshire.
The image shows trolleybus 869, one of the Willowbrook bodied Sunbeam F4s at the back of the ABC Savoy cinema on Shaw Street in July 1970. This was the terminal point for the 33 service to Cavendish Road (via the The Beechdale housing estate). The bus is looking very work-worn and neglected under PTE ownership. Whilst all motor buses in the newly created PTE fleet carried the 'WM - West Mildands' logos, the trolleybuses never did.
Scanned from the original 35mm slide taken by the late David Everitt.
WMPTE Trolleybus 869, Walsall, 1970
West Midlands PTE were the only passenger transport executive in the UK to operate trolleybuses. The trolleybus system had been inherited from the erstwhile Walsall Corporation Transport Department, whose assets and operating network had been acquired under the 1968 Transport Act, enacted on 1st October 1969.
Under WMPTE ownership, the trolleybus system lasted just 12-months. The trolleybuses did not feature in the PTE's future plans for public transport in the West Midlands region, and were seen as an outdated encumbrance.
By early 1970, surplus motor buses from other West Midlands garages were drafted into Walsall. These vehicles were used to provide replacement journeys on trolleybus routes at certain times, readying the public for the change-over.
As it became more widely known that the PTE intended to rid Walsall of its trolleybuses, the town became a focal point for enthusiasts to descend upon, recording to film the trolleys last days of service.
The end came on the 3rd October 1970, when the remaining trolleybuses bid farewell to the town. Special last-day services were laid on for locals and enthusiasts alike. The final journey was undertaken by trolleybus 872 in the evening, taking civic officials on a last sentimental journey before the power was turned off. Today, trolleybus 872 resides at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft in South Yorkshire.
The image shows trolleybus 869, one of the Willowbrook bodied Sunbeam F4s at the back of the ABC Savoy cinema on Shaw Street in July 1970. This was the terminal point for the 33 service to Cavendish Road (via the The Beechdale housing estate). The bus is looking very work-worn and neglected under PTE ownership. Whilst all motor buses in the newly created PTE fleet carried the 'WM - West Mildands' logos, the trolleybuses never did.
Scanned from the original 35mm slide taken by the late David Everitt.