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Trolley Bus
first arrived on our streets in 1949
and ran for eighteen years,
finally being withdrawn in 1967
1950's bus at
Glasgow Cross
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The Trolley bus was nicknamed the 'silent death', they were powered by
overhead electric wires and just 'hummed' along the road, a whining sound which you
could barely hear. I don't know if many people were 'silently' knocked down and killed, but a
good nickname and typical Glesga humour!
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The TB78 were supplied in 1958/9 on the nine and a half mile long
106 route linking
Millerston or Riddrie with Bellahoustan Converted from tramcar operations
on 15 June 1958.
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The last route to be converted from tram to trolleybus operation on 15 Nov
1958, was the route 108 from Mount Florida to Paisley Road Toll which was
extended at peak hours to Linthouse and Shieldhall. Special dispensation to
Glasgow manager Fitzpayne allowed him to operate experimentally high
capacity single deck trolley busses 35ft long with fifty seat bodies
arrived in 1958 to operate this route.Its successful operation paved the way
for general use of 36ft long vehicles from 1961. The last of the '10 TBS21', above is seen in April 1962 at Paisley Road
Toll.
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excerpt
from 'The Journey' ( Oot the
Windae by D.Reilly)
I would take the tram to Bridgeton
Cross, the wee conductress always the boss
in her uniform of transport green,
click click clicking her ticket machine
trying as usual to skip my fare,
and often got caught but didn’t care
the clippie cried c'mon and get aff, I reluctantly paid my thrupenny half
I got off the tram and crossed the street,
and caught the trolley always a treat
they nicknamed the trolley the silent death,
it could hardly be heard above your breath
it ran on electric from overhead lines, with a silent engine that barely whines
got chucked off the trolley at Gorbals cross,
skipped my fair and couldn’t give a toss
Tramcar, motorbus and trolleybus at Bridgeton Cross
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Glasgow was the last place in the British Isles where
all three forms
of public street transport
could be seen operating together.
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