"ABOUT TURN" ROLLEYBUSES
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By C. S. Dunbar,
M.Inst.T. FOR many years, Rotherham was known for its fidelity to electric traction. The through tram service to Sheffield, with the famous singleended double-deckers, remained until November', 1949, and for many years its most heavily trafficked routes have been served by 38-seat single-deck i rol leyb uses.
Rotherham was among the earliest operators of this form of transport. A tram route to Broom Lane, then the limit, of the built-up area, was opened in July, 1912, and, in October, extended to Herringthorpe Lane. Simultaneously, a trolleybus route was opened from the new terminus to Maltby, a further 5-.1 miles out. Twelve years later, the trolleybus service was extended into the town centre over the tram route.
The decision of the Mexborough and Swinton Traction Co., Ltd., to convert its system to trolleybus operation (whkh will be referred to later) caused Rotherham, in March, 1929, to convert the short lengths—totalling f mile—over which the company's trams ran inside the borough. As the track on other ti am routes .wore out, they were converted as well, with the exception of the Canklow service which was turned over to motorbuses.
Not only were tram routes converted, but electric vehicles also took the place of motorbuses on the Greasbrough route to the north of the town, and to Worry Goose Lane, on the south-east. Several extensions were made even during and after the war.
Thus, although trams were still running to Sheffield, trolleybuses were introduced between Rotherham and the boundary at Templeborough in March, 1940. This was done so that the through trolleybuses could be worked to the United Steel works from other parts of the system. As late as May. 1948, the Kimberworth service was extended about half a mile at its outer end.
Then came a complete reversal of policy. The Templeborough trolleybuses were withdrawn at the same time
as the Sheffield tram service in November, 1949. The Greasbrough route was converted to motorbuses in May, 1951, and the Worry Goose Lane service in July, 1951.
Housing developments at the outer end of the Worry Goose Lane route made it necessary to extend and fan it out. The trolley buses were losing money, and the late Mr. Norman Rylance, then general manager, did not feel justified in recommending extensions, so that conversion was the only alternative.
considerations applied in respect of the Maltby service, where two prongs at the outer end were necessary, with the early prospect of a third. It was decided to withdraw trolleybuses east of Wickersley, and to work them enly between The Breck Arms and Wiekersley at peak periods. This was done on May 2, 1954.
The distance from the centre of Rotherham to the old Maltby trolleybus terminus, The Queens, is '7,1 miles, and the two prongs add about mile and mile respectively. There is now a 15-minute service of double-deck buses over the whole route to The Queens, fanning out alternately to the two housing estates, and a 10-minute peak-hour service of trolleybuses for the 3/ miles from Rotherham to Wickersley or a 15-minute off-peak service from Rotherham to The Breck Arms (2+ miles).
The effect of this method of working has been that earnings on the 1Vialtby route as a whole (taking both forms of traction together) have increased by 21d. a car-mile over the figures when trolleybuses alone were working it.
In the north-west of the borough a large housing estate is being built at Kimberworth Park. in the early stages the approach to the Park was either by tiolleybus through Kimberworth to the Toll Bar or by motorbus along the main Wortley Road.
When the estate had developed sufficiently, it was decided to cut the trolley buses back to Ewers I,ane (although the last extension on this route had only taken place three years before) and to serve the estate by a 20-minute motorbus service superimposed on the trolleybus service with art additional 15-minute service via Bradgate.
The reason for retaining the trolleybuses as far as Ewers Lane is that this section is part of a heavily trafficked cross-town service to Dalton and Thrybergh.
When Mr. I. 0, Fisher, Assoc.Inst.T., was appointed to succeed Mr. Rylance, he found himself with a serious problem on his hands. If the policy of trolleybus abandonment was to be continued a loan would have to be raised for new vehicles, as the reserve fund at March, 1955, stood at only £26,729.
Apart from the interest charges that would have to be met if money were raised, the department would have 44 trolleybuses dating only from 1949-50 ty sell. When new, the capital value of these was £250,000. On the other hand, if the trolleybuses were to' be retained in their present form on the existing routes, about £850 would have to be spent on each for repairs, mainly to the bodies.
Mr. Fisher recommended to his committee that the policy of scrapping oileybuses should be stopped and that the remaining routes should be converted to double-deck operation.
Mr. Fisher's proposals have been adopted. The cost of converting the 38-seaters to 70-seaters will he about E2,300 per bus. Of the 44 in stock, only 34 are required for peak service and two for spares.
Rise in Capacity The Kimberworth-Dalton service, which now needs 17 vehicles will be converted first. By a . slight reduction hi frequencies, • 12 double-deckers will give about 40 per cent, more seating capacity per day than at present, so that the licensed fleet will be reduced to 31. jhe extra seating should produce an increase in revenue from 27.5d. to 35.6d. per mile, with little increase in operating costs. The reduction in the number of buses needed will also save eight crews a week.
As a start, 14 buses are being converted. The new bodies will be built by Chas. H. Roe, Ltd., and the chassis alterations are being made in the department's own workshops. It is hoped to make the changeover on Monday, May 7. '
Closely linked with the Rotherham system is the Mexborough and Swinton jraetion undertaking, the backbone of which is a trolleybus route stretching, the shape of an inverted "L," from the centre of Rotherham to Conisbrough. At the north-western end the route forks, one prong going to Brook Square (described on the indicators as "Conisbrough Low ") and the other climbing a steep arid winding hill along a narrow road (where at one point vehicles cannot pass) to Conisbrough High and Conanby.
A through service is run from Rotherham to Brook Square, a distance of over 9 miles. with shorts from Rotherham to Mcxborough; these turn off the main route at the eastern end of Mexborough to a housing estate in Adwick Road, 7.+, miles from Rotherham. The trolleybuscs serving Conanby normally work through from Manvers Main (47,, miles), which is Feached by a branch from the western end of Mexborough.
These routes derive from a tram service started on February 2, 1907. when the company was a subsidiary of the National Electric Construction Co., which was eventually absorbed by the B.E.T. undertaking. At first, trams ran only between the Rotherham boundary and Rawmarsh, but on August 3, 1907, the route was extended into Rotherham at one end and to the Old Toll Bar. Mexborough, at the other extreme, The through-running agreement then made with Rotherham has lasted to the present day.
This was the full extent of the tram system, but the company were early in the field with trolleybuses as the branch to Manvers Main already referred to, and the portion ofthe present main route from Old Toll Bar to Brook Square. were opened on August 31, 1915. The success of these vehicles led to the two isolated portions being joined in 1928, in which .year also the Conanhy spur was opened and trolleybuses were also put onto the part of the main route between Mexborough and The Woodman's Inn, Swinton.
It was then decided to convert the whole tram route, and this was done on March 10, 1929.
The narrow main street of Mexborough makes turning impossible and, as traffic builds up quickly, the Adwick Road spur was opened on Jane 28, 1931. A further and final extension of the trolleybuses was opened on October 15, 1934, when a loop off the main road through the Ryecroft district of Rawmarsh was brought into operation.
Mexborough and Swinton Traction have also had lengthy experience with inotorbuses. From November,. 1922, to May 15, 1924, they ran buseS from Vexhorougla to Goldthorpe, but this service was transferred to the Yorkshire Fraction Co., Ltd. On April 25, 1925, a bus service was started between Low Stubbins and •Kilnhurst via Rawmarsh, followed, on June 10, 1927, by a Friday and Saturday afternoon service between (3reasbrough.and Kilnhurst. The Greas hi route was abandoned when, on February 28, 1953, a Parkgate—Rawmarsh—Kilnhurst service was started. In August, 1954, this route was extended ,t the northern end to Swinton.
One-man Buses Fail
An attempt to serve the Windhill housing estate at Mexborough by a short local service " was unsuccessful, even with one-man buses, and the service was withdrawn after running liom December I, 1948, to June 30, 1953. Better results appear to be arising from a through service from Rotherham ta Upper Haugh and Low Stubbins, passing through the Monkswood estate, which was put on, jointly with Rotherham Corporation, in August, 1954, In the meantime, the overhead on the Ryecroft loop had come to the end' of its useful life and, in •view of the high cost of renewal (about £3,000 a mile), it was decided to convert the major part of the loop to motorbus working, Which was done in September, 1954. A length of about mile was left at the Rawmarsh end for the working of extras off the main route. Trolleybus route mileage is 11.44 (12.63 at maximum) and motorbus route mileage 8.83. Coining after the trolleybus abandonments in Rotherham, the Ryecroft change-over was interpreted in some circles as presaging the early disappearance of electric vehicles entirely from South Yorkshire. The change of policy at Rotherham has already been described, and it is understood that there is no immediate likelihood of furthel abandonments on the Mexborough and Swinton Traction system.
If traffic remains at about its present level there will be no special incentives to change, but should there be any considerable increase in the future it will oe necessary to consider whether a larger type of vehicle—perhaps towbridge double-deck motorbuses—might
• he more suitable. The normal combined headway of all services between Rotherham and Stocks Lane, Rawmarsh, is 3 minutes, building up to 3 minutes on Saturdays.
Only 32 passengers can be seated in the present single-deck trolley buses, which have central entrances, but they are being converted to give three extra seats. The main difficulty in the future is financial, and concerned, as at Rotherham, with the age of the vehicles. Of the 33 Sunbeams which make up the fleet,18 date from 1947, 12 from 1948 and three from 1950. They have, therefore, many/ more years of useful life and there is a margin available in that the maximum service ealls for only 26 vehicles.
The good relations between the two undertakings which have now existed for close on 50 years will, no doubt, dictate a continuation of joint working even if the type • of .vehicle has to be changed. Until recently Mexborough :ind Swinton • Traction's motorbus services were run With second-hand vehicles, but there is now only oope of these—a . Leyland TS8 34-seater ex-Maidstone and District. The 'other
10 are Leyland Tiger Cubs with 44 seats and it may be that this type of vehicle will obviate the need to go in for double-deckers should traffic increase.
At present, the motorbuses are carrying about 5.3m. passengers annually and the trolleybuses about 121m. Annual • mileages are about 500,000 and 1.2m.
respectively. It will be noted that passengers average about 10 a mile, which is fairly high for this type of: service.
All services working into Rotherham are covered by joint working agreements with the corporation which provide for car-mileage to be balanced in the two areas. Revenue is dealt with by Rotherham receiving the fares —adult 14,d. and children Id.—for the first section (out of town to the bound-' ary) and being credited with the same amounts out of all through fares.
While on the subject of joint work
ing, it should be mentioned that, on their routes passing through Mex
borough, Yorkshire Traction arc, regarded as operating for Mexborough and Swinton Traction, but pay the latter a lump sum per annum in lieu of a detailed analysis of receipts. TheKiln-, hurst—Brook Square section of the' Yorkshire Traction I( ilnhu rst—Don caster service is the subject ofanother ' agreement, but in this case Mexborough and Swinton Traction receive the excess. over an agreed figure of receipts.
Last year, Mexborough and Swinton Traction obtained authority to operate excursions and tours, and this will be done for the first time in 1956. Seven.
teen tours of varying lengths (the farthest to the Lake District) will be offered from picking-up points at Kilnburst and Swinton. The company have a Leyland-Burlingham 41-seater coach to start this work.