Re: Australian trolleybuses??? (was: Z1 Car No. 1 (trying again))

[Dave McL <davemcl@AXE*THISiprolink.co.nz>]

James Brook wrote:
 
> Did Australia have any trolleybuses?

Yes indeed, a great many.

Sydney had the smallest system -- two isolated lines, one from the city
to Potts Point and another based around Kogarah. The Potts Point line
closed circa WWII. The Kogarah line lasted until 1959. 

Brisbane had five routes -- Prospect Tce-Stanley Bridge via the Valley,
Gardens-Gregory Tce and North Quay to Carina, Seven Hills and Cavendish
Road. They ran from 1951 to 1969 (closing a month or so before the trams
closed).

Perth had quite a large system which opened in the 1930s and lasted
until 1969, closing after Brisbane did so it was Australia's last
trolleybus system.

Adelaide had a few routes including one to Port Adelaide, Semaphore and
Largs and some other routes to the east of the CBD. They closed about
1963 IIRC.

Launceston and Hobart both had extensive systems. Launceston despite
being the smallest Australian city to operate trolleybuses actually had
the greatest proportional use of them, as they ran virtually all the
main routes from the early 1950s to 1967. Hobart's trolleys ran from the
1930s until 1968. One Hobart trolleybus was destroyed during the
terrible bushfire of 1967 and the photo of it, burnt out at Cascades,
its poles still up in the air, was published in many Australian
newspapers at the time. 

Melbourne had a plan to introduce trolleybuses on a cross-suburban route
along North Road as recently as the mid-1980s but sadly it came to
nought. There was also a plan to convert the Burke Road section of the
No 72 tram to trolleybuses (with lengthy extensions at each end north
and south of where the trams run) but it also came to nothing.

Here in New Zealand trolleybuses operated in Auckland, New Plymouth,
Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Only the Wellington system remains
but it is a thriving modern system which serves all the major routes in
the city operating seven days a week, dawn till midnight. Two routes go
right past the airport runway so trolleybuses are one of the first
things arriving passengers see in Wellington. The present fleet of Volvo
trolleys dating from 1981-86 will need replacement in about three years
but public support is so strongly behind trolleybuses in Wellington
there is a reasonable chance the replacement vehicles will also be
trolleybuses.

Wellington has the only trolleybus system in the English-speaking world
outside the US and Canadian systems (most trolleybuses are to be found
in Europe, Russia, China and Latin America). The Wellington system
celebrated its 50th birthday earlier this year with a week of trolleybus
tours, parties and operation of historic trolleybuses from former NZ
systems.

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand