Bradford 046 - AEC Regent 1 Snowplough/Gritter
(from CoBMDC) - (KY 9106)
Bradford 844 - Sunbeam Trolleybus (from WYPTE) - (FWX 914)
KY 9106 : AEC Regent Grit Wagon 1935
Bus operators have long had the need for a range of ancillary vehicles to support
the day-to-day operation of their networks. For large vehicles, such as towing vehicles,
it has been common practice to convert time-expired buses to fill these roles. In
the case of tramway and trolleybus fleets, there would also be a need for tower wagons
and pole carriers, and for municipalities ancillary vehicles could also serve other
council requirements. In Bradford, the bus fleet provided an ideal source for grit
wagons.
046 has existed in its current form as a gritter for far longer than its career as
a doubledecker bus, having been converted in 1953/54. As new it was one of a batch
of 25 AEC Regents supplied to Bradford in 1935 with bodies by Weymann and English
Electric and fitted from new with AEC 8.8 litre diesel engines. KY 9106 was a Weymann
example with fleet number 401. It was withdrawn as a bus in 1952.
It was one of seven of the 1935 Regents converted for gritting duties and re-entered
service in its new role in January 1954. They replaced a number of Leyland Lions
and Tigers from the late 1920s which had previously been similarly transformed, and
ran alongside some Leyland Titan TD1s also previously converted. They were later
joined by cut-down AEC Regent IIIs. 401 assumed a new identity as 046 in the separate
numbering sequence for ancillary vehicles.
Withdrawn in December 1968, it was retained by Bradford Council for inclusion in
the Industrial Museum at Moorside Mills, Eccleshill. It was displayed there for a
while, parked outside in un-restored condition. It was later place on loan to a Halifax-based
preservationist. However, no restoration work has taken place and in early 2000 custodianship
was transferred to Keighley Bus Museum Trust. The vehicle remains in the ownership
of Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council.
FWX914: Sunbeam F4 East Lanes
Bradford was the pioneer of trolleybus operation in Britain. Services began on 20
June 1911, the same day as in Leeds. The latter system closed in 1928, but the Bradford
system prospered and survived to become Britain's last trolleybus system on 26 March
1972.
In its later years, the Bradford system was noted for its second-hand acquisitions
and its re-bodying programme. Apart from some former demonstration vehicles, the
first second-hand purchases were in 1953 and over the years used trolleybuses were
purchased from various others systems as they declined and closed. Although there
had been earlier re-bodying, from 1959 the standard re-body became a forward entrance
8ft wide style by East Lanes, incorporating a deep windscreen. Both native Bradford
and second-hand chassis were included in the re-bodying programme between 1959 and
1963.
The role of Bradford's last trolleybus fell not to one of the city's indigenous vehicles
but to a second-hand re-bodied example. The chassis of 844 had been supplied new
in 1948 to the Mexborough & Swinton system in South Yorkshire as number 30. Because
of the predominance of low bridges in its operating area, the company's trolleybuses
were all single deck. In common with other postwar deliveries to the company, 30
carried a 32-seat centre entrance body by Brush. The Mexborough system closed in
1961 and 12 Sunbeam chassis, minus their bodies, were acquired by Bradford. Of these
5 were used for spares and the other 7 given new East Lanes bodies as fleet numbers
841 - 847. They were the last trolleybuses to be acquired by Bradford and the last
to enter service.
On 26 March 1972, 844 fulfilled the role of Bradford's and Britain's last trolleybus
when it was used to convey local dignitaries on the ceremonial last run. It still
carries the commemorative lettering applied for that occasion. 844 was subsequently
sold for preservation and moved to Sandtoft Transport Centre. It remained there until
May 1975, when purchased by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, successors
to Bradford City Transport. In 1984 it was placed on loan to the West Yorkshire Transport
Museum, and on closure of Transperience, custodianship was transferred to Keighley
Bus Museum Trust.
