| Perth trolleybus system | |||||||||||||
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The Perth trolleybus system in Western Australia linked the capital Perth's central business district with its inner suburbs on the northern side of the Swan River. It was the first permanent trolleybus network to open in Australia, in 1933, and also the last to close, in 1969.
The first trolleybus route commenced operating on 1 October 1933 between East Perth and West Leederville station via Wellington Street. [1] It was the first permanent trolleybus network in Australia, [2] Adelaide having commenced a trial service in May 1932. In 1938 it was extended along Cambridge Street to a balloon loop at Keane Street, Wembley while in the same year, a new route to Claremont via Mounts Bay Road and the Stirling Highway was established replacing a tram route. A branch from the Wembley route to the intersection of Grantham and Reserve Streets via Gregory Street was a new route not previously served by trams. [3] [4] [5]
In the late 1940s, it was proposed that trolleybuses replace tram routes to Victoria Park, Welshpool, South Perth and Como. However overhead wires were considered an unsightly blight on the new Causeway Bridge so motor buses were introduced instead. [4]
On 8 August 1951, trams were replaced on the Mount Hawthorn line from William Street in the city, The Claremont route was extended along the Stirling Highway to the Swanbourne Fire Station and Wembley routes along Louth Road and Dumfries Road to Floreat Park. In 1959, trolleybuses replaced trams on the routes to Mount Lawley, extending beyond tram territory to Dianella via Grand Promenade and to Bedford Park. In the same year, the Swanbourne route was replaced by motor buses in connection with road works associated with the interchange at the city end of Narrows Bridge. [3] [4]
The Mount Hawthorn route closed on 17 March 1963, the Beaufort Street routes at the end of 1968 when Barrack Street was made one-way northbound, and the remaining routes to Floreat Park on 29 August 1969. [3] [4] [5]
To commence operations three Leyland TTBs were landed at Fremantle on 10 June 1933. [6] One had been bodied by Park Royal, with the other two bodied locally by the Midland Railway Workshops. When the network was extended in the late 1930s, a further 12 Leyland TTBs (later extended to 19) were ordered, again with the first bodied by Park Royal and the balance by Midland Railway Workshops. [7] [8] A further 18 Leyland TB5s originally destined for Canton, China were bodied by Midland Railways Workshops. [3]
In 1950/51, 50 Sunbeam F4s entered service; 10 bodied by Commonwealth Engineering in Sydney with the balance under sub-contract by Boltons in Perth. [9]
The Perth trolleybus fleet was as follows: [4] [5]
| Image | Fleet nos. | Quantity | Chassis | Body | Configuration | In service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Leyland TTB | Park Royal | Three axle, front and rear entrance | 1933–c 1960 | |
 | 2–3 | 2 | Leyland TTB | Midland Railway Workshops | Three axle, front and rear entrance | 1933–c 1960 |
| 4 | 1 | Leyland TTB | Park Royal | Three axle, dual entrance | 1938–c 1960 | |
 | 5–22 | 18 | Leyland TTB | Midland Railway Workshops | Three axle, front and rear entrance | 1938–c 1960 |
 | 23–40 | 18 | Leyland TB5 | Midland Railway Workshops | Two axle, dual entrance | 1942/45–1962/64 |
 | 41–50 | 10 | Sunbeam F4 | Commonwealth Engineering | Two axle, centre entrance | 1950/53–1967/69 |
 | 51–90 | 40 | Sunbeam F4 | Boltons | Two axle, centre entrance | 1950/53–1967/69 |
Some former Perth trolleybuses are now preserved by the Perth Electric Tramway Society at its heritage tramway in Whiteman Park. [5]
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws power from dual overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires, and two trolley poles, are required to complete the electrical circuit. This differs from a tram or streetcar, which normally uses the track as the return path, needing only one wire and one pole. They are also distinct from other kinds of electric buses, which usually rely on batteries. Power is most commonly supplied as 600-volt direct current, but there are exceptions.
Mount Lawley is an inner northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The suburb is bounded by the Swan River to the east, Vincent, Harold and Pakenham Streets to the south, Central Avenue and Alexander Drive to the north, and Norfolk Street to the west.
Wembley is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Cambridge. Its postcode is 6014.
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Transport in Perth, Western Australia, is served by various means, among them an extensive highway / freeway network and a substantial system of commuter rail lines and bus routes. Public transport is managed by the Transperth agency.
The earliest trams in Australia operated in the latter decades of the 19th century, hauled by horses or "steam tram motors". At the turn of the 20th century, propulsion almost universally turned to electrification, although cable trams lingered in Melbourne. In cities and towns that had trams, they were a major part of public transport assets.
The Perth tramway network served Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, from 1899 until 1958. The network was initially run by a private company but was taken over by the state government in 1913. From a single line along Hay Street, the network expanded north as far as Osborne Park, east as far as Welshpool, south as far as Como, and west as far as Claremont. The tramways were gradually replaced by buses after World War II.
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The Hobart trolleybus system operated in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia from 1935 until 1968.
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Pontypridd Urban District Council Tramways operated a tramway service in Pontypridd between 1904 and 1931. Part of it used the route of the Pontypridd and Rhondda Valley Tramway Company's horse tramway. Between 1919 and 1927, it was the only system in Wales where through running onto a neighbouring system occurred. In 1930, part of the system was converted to use trolleybuses, and the former horse tramway section was replaced by motor buses in 1931, bringing the tramway era to an end. During the Second World War, a number of trolleybuses were borrowed from other systems, to cope with heavy traffic, but the use of electric vehicles ended in 1957. Most of the vehicles were sold on to other undertakings, and the system was the last in Britain to be run by an Urban District Council.
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Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles was a commercial vehicle manufacturing offshoot of the Wolverhampton based Sunbeam Motor Car Company when it was a subsidiary of S T D Motors Limited. Sunbeam had always made ambulances on modified Sunbeam car chassis. S T D Motors chose to enter the large commercial vehicle market in the late 1920s, and once established they made petrol and diesel buses and electrically powered trolleybuses and milk floats. Commercial Vehicles became a separate department of Sunbeam in 1931.
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