Trolleybuses in Glasgow

Glasgow trolleybus system

TB116 en route to Clarkston, near Victoria Bridge.
Operation
Locale	Glasgow, Scotland
Open	1949 (1949)
Close	1967 (1967)
Status	Closed
Operator(s)	Glasgow Corporation

The Glasgow trolleybus system operated in the City of Glasgow, Scotland, between 1949 and 1967, with the network reaching its largest extent in 1959.^[1] It was the only British system to open after World War II.

The trolleybuses were owned and operated by Glasgow Corporation's Transport Department (along with the city's buses, trams and the Subway).

Routes

All Glasgow's trolleybus routes were numbered from 101 onwards. Summary of services:^[2]

• 101: Started on 6 November 1949, initially between Shawfield and Cathedral Street (replacing part of tram route 10). The route was eventually extended to run between Rutherglen and Riddrie. Closed on 20 April 1966 and replaced by bus route 27.

• 102: Started on 3 April 1949, initially between Polmadie and Riddrie (replacing tram route 2). Cut back from Riddrie to Royston Road on 2 September 1962. Withdrawn on 30 April 1966.

• 103: Southerly extension of route 102 to Hampden Park, starting on 3 July 1949 (but not renumbered 103 until 6 August 1950). Withdrawn on 9 May 1959.

• 104: Started on 31 August 1952 between Muirend and Cathedral Street, replacing part of motorbus route 37. Withdrawn on 6 January 1962.

• 105: Started on 5 July 1953 between Queen's Cross and Clarkston, replacing part of tram route 13. Withdrawn on 27 May 1967 and replaced by bus route 66. This was the last trolleybus route to operate in Scotland.

• 106: Started on 15 June 1958 between Millerston or Riddrie and Bellahouston, replacing tram route 7. Additional rush hour services to Linthouse and Shieldhall were replaced by motorbus route 106 on 14 November 1964, due to the construction of the Clyde Tunnel. Service withdrawn on 1 October 1966 and replaced by bus route 65.

• 107: Started 7 May 1958 between Maitland Street and Muirend, replacing parts of motorbus routes 18 and 43. Withdrawn 4 March 1967 and replaced by bus 67.

• 108: Started 15 November 1958 between Mount Florida and Paisley Road Toll, replacing tram service 12. Rush hour services to Linthouse and Shieldhall withdrawn on 14 November 1964 (see route 106). Withdrawn 4 March 1967 and replaced by bus 68.

Vehicles

TB110 at the route 105 terminus in Mearns Road, Clarkston.

The majority of Glasgow's trolleybuses were double-deck vehicles, painted in Glasgow Corporation's orange, green and cream livery (though in a different style from the buses and trams). The destination blinds on the trolleybuses used white letters on a green background (unlike the trams and buses, with more conventional white lettering on a black background).

Glasgow's first trolleybuses were a fleet of 34 three axle (six-wheeled), double-deck B.U.T. vehicles with bodywork by Metro-Cammell of Birmingham.^[3] They were almost identical to those built for London Transport, even briefly including London's distinctive trolleybus symbol (a "T" over the London Transport roundel). In 1950 Glasgow bought 30 Daimler trolleybuses.^[4]

Between 1957 and 1959, a fleet of 90 B.U.T. type 9613T trolleybuses with Crossley double-deck bodywork were built. Unlike the earlier vehicles, these trolleybuses had two axles.^[5]

Closure

The trolleybuses (as well as the city's much larger tram fleet) used electricity generated at the Pinkston power station, later sold to the South of Scotland Electricity Board. Following the closure of the tram system in 1962, the maintenance of the electrical supply system solely for the trolleybuses became impractically expensive.

Construction of approach roads to the Clyde Tunnel led to the abandonment of trolleybus services to Linthouse and Shieldhall in 1964. In 1965, Glasgow Corporation agreed to purchase 150 new Leyland Atlantean diesel buses to replace the remaining trolleybuses.^[6] Glasgow's last trolleybuses ran on 27 May 1967.

See also

• Transport in Glasgow
• List of trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom
• Scottish Tramway and Transport Society
• The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft

References

Notes

Books

External links

Media related to Trolleybuses in Glasgow at Wikimedia Commons

• Photograph of Glasgow trolleybus TB78 at the Trolleybus Museum
• Glasgow Transport Memorabilia - A website displaying many different items from Glasgow trams, buses and Subway
• John Walker's Glasgow trolleybus pages on the www.semple.biz website
• Web page featuring drawings of the TB and TG series of Glasgow trolleybuses

Historic trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom England Ashton-under-Lyne Birmingham Bournemouth Bradford Brighton Chesterfield Cleethorpes Darlington Derby Doncaster Grimsby Halifax Hartlepool Hastings Huddersfield Ipswich Keighley Kingston upon Hull Leeds London Maidstone Manchester Mexborough and Swinton Newcastle upon Tyne Nottingham Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Oldham Portsmouth Ramsbottom Reading Rotherham St Helens Southend-on-Sea South Lancashire South Shields Stockport Teesside Walsall Wigan Wolverhampton York Wales Aberdare Cardiff Llanelli Pontypridd Rhondda Scotland Dundee Glasgow Northern Ireland Belfast Museums Black Country Living Museum East Anglia Transport Museum London Transport Museum North West Museum of Road Transport The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft

Transport in Glasgow Bus Bus Stations Buchanan bus station Present First Glasgow McGill's Stagecoach Glasgow Glasgow Citybus Past Kelvin Central Buses Glasgow Corporation Transport Arriva Scotland West Western Scottish Trolleybuses in Glasgow Rail Present Stations Alexandra Parade Anderston Anniesland Argyle Street Ashfield Baillieston Barnhill Bellgrove Bridgeton Cardonald Carmyle Carntyne Cathcart Charing Cross Corkerhill Croftfoot Crookston Crosshill Crossmyloof Dalmarnock Drumchapel Drumry Duke Street Dumbreck Easterhouse Exhibition Centre Garrowhill Garscadden Gilshochill Glasgow Central High Street Hillington East Hillington West Hyndland Jordanhill Kelvindale Kennishead King's Park Langside Maryhill Maxwell Park Mosspark Mount Florida Mount Vernon Muirend Nitshill Partick Pollokshaws East Pollokshaws West Pollokshields East Pollokshields West Possilpark and Parkhouse Priesthill and Darnley Queen's Park Queen Street Scotstounhill Shawlands Shettleston Springburn Summerston Commuter Lines   Argyle   Ayrshire Coast   Cathcart Circle   Croy   Cumbernauld   Inverclyde   Maryhill   Motherwell-Cumbernauld   North Clyde   Paisley Canal   Shotts   South Western   Whifflet Main Lines Cross Country Network East Coast Main Line Glasgow to Aberdeen Line Glasgow to Edinburgh via Carstairs Line Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line Highland Main Line TransPennine North West West Coast Main Line West Highland Line Operations ScotRail First TransPennine Express Caledonian Sleeper Virgin Trains East Coast Virgin Trains West Coast Past Stations Bellahouston Botanic Gardens Bridge Street Bridgeton Central Buchanan Street (mainline) College Crow Road Cumberland Street Dunlop Street Eglinton Street Finnieston Gallowgate Gallowgate Central Glasgow Cross Glasgow Green Gorbals Govan Hyndland Ibrox Kelvinbridge Kelvinside Kirklee Main Street Maryhill Central Merkland Street Mount Vernon North Parkhead Stadium (GCR) Parkhead North (NBR) Partick Central (aka Kelvin Hall) Partickhill Partick West Pollokshields Possil Shields Shields Road Southside St Enoch (mainline) Strathbungo Tollcross Whiteinch Victoria Park Lines Cathcart District Railway City Union Line Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Glasgow City and District Railway Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway Glasgow Central Railway Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Glasgow and Renfrew District Railway Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway Polloc and Govan Railway Stobcross Railway Operations Caledonian Railway Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway North British Railway LNER Scottish Region of British Railways ScotRail Future GARL Glasgow Crossrail (Proposed) Subway Stations Bridge Street Buchanan Street Cessnock Cowcaddens Govan Hillhead Ibrox Kelvinbridge Kelvinhall Kinning Park Partick Shields Road St Enoch St George's Cross West Street Roads Motorways M8 M73 motorway M74 motorway M77 motorway M80 motorway A Roads A8 / European route E05 A74 A77 A728 A730 A737 A739 A749 A761 A763 A80 A81 A82 A89 A803 A804 A814 A879 Streets Argyle Street Buchanan Street Byres Road Candleriggs Duke Street Glasgow Cross High Street Ingram Street Paisley Road West Queen Street Rottenrow Sauchiehall Street Scotland Street St. Vincent Street Trongate Great Western Road Broomielaw Gallowgate Saltmarket London Road Tram Past Glasgow Corporation Tramways Other Air Glasgow Airport Glasgow Prestwick Airport Glasgow Seaplane Terminal Water SPT Ferry Services Forth and Clyde Canal Cycling National Cycle Route 7 National Cycle Route 75 National Cycle Route 754 National Cycle Route 756 SPT Transport in Scotland