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THE TROLLEY-BUS
Page 122
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as an Important Factor in Municipal Transport.
"DRIOR to the Great War public
transport by road in Great Britain was confined very largely to trams and buses. In recent years the trolley-bus has taken its place beside the two older forms of vehicle and it has met with a ready response on the part of municipal officials. One of the reasons which account for this has undoubtedly been the fact that, at comparatively small expense, the average overheadwire system used for tramway work can be converted, by the addition of a negative wire, to serve the I rolley-bus. The rails are eliminated, thus reducing the cost of route maintenance by a very considerable extent. Trams can therefore be discarded in favour of the rail
less machine without the loss of the capital invested in overhead equipment.
Route extensions can be made with relatively little trouble where tramway or trolley-bus systems are already in existence, the new standards and wires merely having to be installed along the routes to be worked; the power-station plant is generally sufficient to deal with the additional load which will be imposed upon it.
Much attention has been focused upon the type of vehicle in question, and one of the latest papers dealing with it is entitled "The Sphere of the Railless Trolley Vehicle System." It was read by Mr. A. A. Jackson before a recent meeting of the Birmingham and district section of the Institute of Transport. This paper reveals the fact that in 1928 there was an increase of 136 per cent. in the route miles operated, as compared with the figure for 1921.
Road improvements have helped the advancement of the trolley-bus, as did the lack of maintenance of tram rails during the years 1914-1918. Features which have appealed to the public in connection with the operation of the type in question are the smooth acceleration and deceleration, the safety of kerb-side loading and unloading, silence and the absence of fumes. The range of deviation from the path of the overhead wires—in most cases about 15 ft.—makes it safe and earns the blessings of other road users on account of the small amount of obstruction it causes as compared -with the tram,
Single-saloon designs can accommodate up to 40 seated passengers, whilst the double-saloon machines can carry some 68 persons, a fact which appeals to those who have to provide for heavy loads at peak hours. Trolley-bus routes are being operated in over 20 different areas in this country. In addition to service on the Continent, fleets have lately been put into opera,Lion in China and South Africa. The system has not made much headway in the U.S.A., with its wide streets.
Many of the types of trolley-bus in use are illustrated in this issue. On this page we reproduce a photograph of a typical double-saloon vehicle in this case a Ransome, whilst another article deals with municipal experience in the operation of railless routes at Southend-on-Sea.
Both four-wheeled and six-wheeled machines are in everyday use, the latter being increasingly employed for double-saloon bodies which are required when routes are instituted to replace tramway services. The British chassis mostly come from factories producing vehicles of other types. The leading makes are A.E.C., , Garrett, Guy, Karrier-Clough, Railless and Ransome.