Trolleybuses in Walsall
Encyclopedia
The Walsall trolleybus system once served the town of Walsall
, then in Staffordshire
, but now in West Midlands
, England
. Opened on , it gradually replaced the Walsall tramway network.
By the standards of the various now defunct trolleybus
systems in the United Kingdom
, the Walsall system was a medium sized one, with a total of 6 routes, and a maximum fleet of 60 trolleybuses. It was also one of the last to be closed, on .
In its final years, the Walsall system had a very diverse fleet of trolleybuses, many of which had been acquired secondhand from already closed trolleybus systems elsewhere in England.
Four of the former Walsall system trolleybuses are now preserved in their pale blue Walsall livery. Two of them are at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
, Lincolnshire
, one is at the Black Country Living Museum
in Dudley
, West Midlands, and the other one is at the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum, Birmingham
.
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, then in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, but now in West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Opened on , it gradually replaced the Walsall tramway network.
By the standards of the various now defunct trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
systems in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Walsall system was a medium sized one, with a total of 6 routes, and a maximum fleet of 60 trolleybuses. It was also one of the last to be closed, on .
In its final years, the Walsall system had a very diverse fleet of trolleybuses, many of which had been acquired secondhand from already closed trolleybus systems elsewhere in England.
Four of the former Walsall system trolleybuses are now preserved in their pale blue Walsall livery. Two of them are at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft is a transport museum which specialises in the preservation of trolleybuses. It is located by the village of Sandtoft, near Belton on the Isle of Axholme in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Description:...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, one is at the Black Country Living Museum
Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country Living Museum is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings, located in Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The museum occupies a urban heritage park in the shadow of Dudley Castle in the centre of the Black Country conurbation...
in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands, and the other one is at the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
See also
- History of Walsall
- Transport in Walsall
- List of trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom
External links
- Off their Trolleys in Walsall & Bloxwich - a brief history of the Walsall trolleybus system.
- SCT'61 website - photos and descriptions of Walsall trolleybuses and early motorbuses.
- British Trolleybus Society, based in Reading.
- National Trolleybus Association, based in London.