Trolleybuses in Bradford
Encyclopedia
The Bradford trolleybus system served the city of Bradford
, West Yorkshire
, England
for much of the 20th century. It was one of the first two trolleybus
systems to be opened in the United Kingdom
, along with the Leeds system.
Both systems commenced operations on 20 June 1911. However, the public service on the Bradford system did not start until four days later. The Bradford system lasted the longest of all the UK's urban trolleybus systems. Having been one of the first two such systems to open, it was also the last one to close, on 26 March 1972. Just before its closure, it also held the distinction of being the longest-lived surviving trolleybus system in the world, but with the Bradford closure that distinction passed to the Shanghai, China, trolleybus system
, opened in 1914.
Many of the former Bradford trolleybuses are now preserved at various locations around the UK, including eleven of them at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
, Lincolnshire
.
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 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...
for much of the 20th century. It was one of the first two 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 to be opened 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...
, along with the Leeds system.
Both systems commenced operations on 20 June 1911. However, the public service on the Bradford system did not start until four days later. The Bradford system lasted the longest of all the UK's urban trolleybus systems. Having been one of the first two such systems to open, it was also the last one to close, on 26 March 1972. Just before its closure, it also held the distinction of being the longest-lived surviving trolleybus system in the world, but with the Bradford closure that distinction passed to the Shanghai, China, trolleybus system
Trolleybuses in Shanghai
The Shanghai trolleybus system serves the city of Shanghai, in the People's Republic of China. Of more than 300 trolleybus systems in operation worldwide , the Shanghai system is the oldest...
, opened in 1914.
Many of the former Bradford trolleybuses are now preserved at various locations around the UK, including eleven of them 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...
.
See also
- Transport in Bradford
- Transport in Bradford
- List of trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom
External links
- British Trolleybus Society, based in Reading
- National Trolleybus Association, based in London