Memories of Rotherham's trolleybuses

Trolleybuses? Although the UK had 50 systems,from Hastings to Belfast; Portsmouth to Dundee, Yorkshire is the spiritual home of the British trolleybus.

Yorkshire had 11 trolleybus networks including the first, last and the four longest lived systems (a poor second, Lancashire had just five). Second only to Bradford, Rotherham had trolleys for 53 years.

Well known for its unique single-ended trams, the town was also renowned for its unusual single deck trolleybuses. These gave a fast, efficient service on many long routes (notably to Maltby), and connected with Mexborough and Swinton’s adjacent and almost as long lived system.

The centenary of Rotherham's first trolleybuses occurs on October 3 this year. I really hope that the town will celebrate this and mark its huge contribution to the history of a smooth, silent, non-polluting means of transport, now sadly extinct in these islands.

Jim Maxey