Trolleybuses in Rotherham

Mexborough & Swinton and Rotherham Trolleybuses
Manvers Main C 8 A Adwick Road Mexborough Denaby depot C Conisbrough High Conisbrough Low 9 B K S 8 Kilnhurst Rawmarsh depot Greasbrough 7 6 Thrybergh 39 Silverwood Colliery Rawmarsh Rd depot Toll Bar 5 5 Pumping Station Rotherham Ewers Road 2 Brecks Lane 6 3 Wickersley Maltby 1 Templeborough – 4 Worry Goose Lane
Key
A etc. termini for Mexborough and Swinton services 1 etc. termini for Rotherham Corporation services Most services probably terminated in Rotherham town centre

The next extension to the system was influenced more by external factors than internal policies. Rotherham Corporation and Mexborough and Swinton Tramway Company had joined up their tram tracks and operated joint services from 6 February 1907.[3] Mexborough and Swinton had grand designs in the early 1920s, hoping to convert some of their trolleybus routes to tramways, and to connect their system to the Doncaster Tramway and the newly opened Dearne District Light Railway. As the likelihood of this happening faded, they decided to convert their tramways to trolleybus routes, and as a major part of their operation was the joint route into Rotherham Town Centre, they approached the Corporation about their plans. Rotherham were initially opposed to the idea, but consensus was reached in 1926, and Rotherham agreed to replace the overhead wiring on their part of the route, and in return, would be able to operate trolleybuses to termini in Mexborough. An Act of Parliament was obtained by Mexborough to authorise the changes in 1927.[9] Through working began on 10 March 1929, with some new three-axle trolleybuses purchased from Guy Motors operating the routes for the corporation, and Mexborough's Richard Garrett & Sons vehicles becoming a common sight in Rotherham. A formal commemoration ceremony was held on 12 March to celebrate the event.[8] One quirk of the system was that Rotherham used numbers for their routes, while Mexborough used letters, and so vehicles running between Rotherham and Conisbrough Low were operating route "9" if they were owned by the corporation, and route "B" if they were owned by Mexborough.[10]

The next extension to the system was triggered by proposals for major reconstruction of the roads on the route to Thrybergh. Rather than relay the tram tracks in the new road, the Corporation decided to convert the route to trolleybus operation, and to replace the trams on the Kimberworth route at the same time. The work was completed in time for an opening on 17 May 1931, with trolleybuses running through the town centre between Thrybergh in the east and Kimberworth to the west. A batch of 22 new vehicles were ordered from Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies, making this the largest single order that the corporation had ever placed. At Kimberworth, the route was extended from the original tram terminus to the Colin Campbell Inn, while at Thrybergh, the new route left the course of the tramway at Whinney Hill to continue along Old Gate Lane and Park Lane. Shortly after operation began, a new branch was added, enabling trolleybuses to serve Silverwood Colliery. This was about 1 mile (1.6 km) in length, and the idea of running a service to the colliery was not new, as there had been earlier proposals to extend the tramway to its gates. There had also been proposals in 1928 to extend the wires from Thrybergh along the Doncaster Road to Conisbrough, where they could join up with Mexborough's wiring to create a large loop. Other proposals included extending the wires from Conisbrough to join the Doncaster system, so that through services from Rotherham to Doncaster could be operated, but neither of these two proposals ever became more than plans.[11]

Trams on the route to Canklow were withdrawn on 10 July 1934, but were replaced by motor buses, rather than trolleybuses.[12] On the Maltby route, a branch to Worry Goose Lane was created, with a connecting link back to the Maltby route at Brecks Lane. This opened on 28 March 1935, but was not particularly successful, and Worry Goose Lane became a terminus when the route onwards to Brecks Lane was closed in 1939. A new route to Greasbrough, to the north west of the town centre, fared rather better,[6] when it opened on 1 July 1936. It followed the planned route of a tramway extension that had been proposed some years earlier, but never built.[12] Purchasing of new trolleybuses continued, all of them single-deck vehicles with centre entrances, but a mixture of two-axle and three-axle types. 44 three-axle trolleybuses were obtained between 1936 and 1942, from three separate manufacturers, Guy Motors, Associated Equipment Company, more commonly known as AEC, and Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles.[6]

Since 1934, only one tram route had been operating, but this was the route to Templeborough and onwards to Sheffield, worked as a joint service by the two Corporations. Rotherham used single-ended trams for their part of the service, looking similar to double-deck trolleybuses, which they had bought in 1934–35. Although its conversion to trolleybus operation had been actively considered, Sheffield was not keen to introduce trolleybuses, and so the trams remained. Traffic levels increased considerably with the onset of the Second World War, and so the trolleybus wiring was extended along the tram route as far as the boundary at Templeborough. This enabled several cross-town routes to be introduced, with trolleybuses from Maltby, Thrybergh and Kilnhurst Road on the Mexborough system running through to Templeborough. This was particularly useful for those working in the steel industry. Subsequently, trolleybuses ran rather erratically on the route, although the through service of trams continued until 1948, after which they worked to Templeborough for another year, until they were withdrawn on 13 November 1949.[13]

One further extension to the system took place on 2 May 1948, when the Kimberworth route was extended to the Toll Bar, but this was relatively short-lived, as the service was cut back to Ewers Road in September 1953. Rising costs and the low capacities of the single-deck vehicles meant that the trolleybuses were becoming uneconomic, and services to Greasbrough ceased in May 1951, with those to Broom Lane following shortly afterwards. The route to Maltby was cut back to Wickersley on 2 May 1954. This had been Rotherham's pioneering route, and had a reputation for speed. A comparison of 16 systems in 1927 showed that Rotherham's was the fastest, and the Maltby route was the only one operating at the time. In 1931, the Ministry of Transport had authorised vehicles to run at up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) on the rural route, the first time that such a speed had been permitted. The round trip covered 14 miles (23 km) and was timetabled to take 58 minutes, including a rest period for the crew, and trolleybuses ran every 6 minutes at peak periods.[14] Two batches of new vehicles were purchased from Daimler between 1949 and 1951, based on a three-axle chassis with 38-seat bodywork by East Lancashire Coachbuilders.[15] Comprising 44 vehicles, the orders accounted for almost half of Daimler's post-war production of trolleybuses.[16]

Faced with staff shortages and the poor economics of single-deck vehicles, the new general manager, I O Fisher, decided that larger capacity double-deck vehicles would be more suitable.[14] A double-deck Karrier trolleybus was borrowed from Doncaster, and as the trials proved successful and the Daimlers were comparatively new, some of them were sent to Charles H Roe where new 70-seat double-deck bodywork was fitted to the chassis. The first one was completed in 1956, and the original plan to rebody 14 vehicles was extended, resulting in 20 being converted. Eight single-deck vehicles were retained, for use on the Mexborough services, and the rest were sold for further use in Spain.[17] The extra capacity of the new bodies meant that they were more profitable to operate, but closure was only delayed, rather than prevented. The new vehicles worked on the Kimberworth to Thrybergh service from 7 May 1956, and the Wickersley service from 1 February 1957. The neighbouring Mexborough and Swinton system closed four years later, with the final joint workings taking place on 26 March 1961. This was the last instance in Britain of a joint working between a Corporation and a private company, and had been the first when it was introduced. The demise of the Brecks and Wickersley service took place on 14 January 1963, and the final route from Kimberworth to Thrybergh, with its peak-time branch to Silverwood Colliery and short workings to the Pumping Station survived until 2 October 1965. The system had lasted for 53 years, with its life extended for almost 10 years by the introduction of double-deck vehicles.[18]

Sixteen of the Daimler single-deck vehicles were sold for further use in Spain, fifteen of them going to Cadiz, and one, together with one of the AEC vehicles, going to Tolosa.[15] Of those fitted with double-deck bodywork, the first and the last to be converted are preserved at The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft. Both remained in service until the final day of operation. No.37, the first to be converted, was registered as FET 617, has been fully restored, and was running regularly at the museum in 2014. It is owned and maintained by the Rotherham Trolleybus Group, but in 2020 needed some remedial work before it could re-enter service.[19][20] Following withdrawal, No. 44 was used to provide tours for enthusiasts on the systems at Manchester, Wolverhampton and Bournemouth. It is owned by the museum, and is not normally on display, as although its bodywork is in good condition, it requires a lot of work on its electrical equipment. It was registered as FET 618.[21][20]

A third vehicle, No. 73, with registration number CET 613, is owned by the Rotherham Trolleybus Group, and is kept at Burton upon Trent.[22] It was originally numbered 88, and was part of a batch of eight Sunbeams with bodywork by East Lancashire Coachbuilders purchased in 1942. It became No.73 in the late 1940s, and in 1950 the bodywork was rebuilt and it became No.74. When it was withdrawn in 1954, many major components were removed, and the shell became a meeting room for the Rotherham Chantry Pistol and Rifle Club. It was rescued in the late 1970s, and stored at Sandtoft, but was transferred to the Rotherham Trolleybus Group in 2001. The group are reconstructing it as it was prior to 1950, and have managed to find many of the missing components, although the trolley gantry, the trolleygear, the roof mounted resistor-case and the contactor panels have had to be built from scratch. They hope to return it to operational condition.[23]

One of the Spanish trolleybuses has also been preserved. It was originally No.84 and carried the registration number FET 344. It was renumbered to become No.2 in 1956, and was the sole Daimler sold to Tolosa. On arrival in Spain, it was rebuilt with a front and rear entrance on the right hand side, although the position of the steering wheel was not changed. When it was withdrawn, it was sold for scrap, and a private collector in northern Spain succeeded in buying it from the scrapyard. It is the subject of a restoration project to return it to operational condition.[23][24]