Misplaced Pages

Hobart trolleybus system
Hobart's first trolleybus in 1935
Operation
Locale	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Open	29 October 1935
Close	22 November 1968
Status	Closed
Operator(s)	Hobart City Council Metropolitan Transport Trust
Statistics
Route length	22 km (14 mi)

The Hobart trolleybus system operated in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia from 1935 until 1968.

History

The Hobart trolleybus system opened on 29 October 1935 when a route from the Hobart City Centre to South Hobart commenced replacing a tram. Starting at Hobart Town Hall in Argyle Street it travelled along Macquarie Street, Davey Street and Huon Road terminating at the intersection with Congress Street.

On 14 October 1937, a second route began running to New Town station and in mid-1939 was extended to Cornelian Bay. A further service to Cascades commenced on 24 August 1942, being extended along Strickland Avenue on 11 October 1948. Further lines opened to Dynnyrne on 4 June 1945 and Sandy Bay on 7 December 1952.

On 1 March 1955, operation of the network passed from the Hobart City Council to the Metropolitan Transport Trust. A final line opened to West Hobart on 23 February 1958. At this stage the network, extended for 22 kilometres. In February 1967, much of the Strickland Avenue route infrastructure and one bus was destroyed by fire.

The Cornelian Bay line closed in 1959 with the rest of the network closing in stages in 1968.

Services

Hobart's trolleybus routes were as follows:

Fleet

Operations commenced with a single Leyland TTB bodied by Hobart Municipal Tramways. A further four were acquired in 1937. Between 1939 and 1946, 22 Leyland TB5s were purchased. Between 1950 and 1952, 36 BUT ETB/1s bodied by City Body Works were delivered with the five Leyland TTBs withdrawn in 1953. In 1964, five second-hand BUT RETB/1s were purchased from Launceston.

BUT ETB/1 no. 235 has been preserved by the Tasmanian Transport Museum.

Image	Fleet nos.	Quantity	Chassis	Body	Year	Notes
	25	1	Leyland TTB	Hobart Municipal Tramways	1935	renumbered 65 in 1946
	66-69	4	Leyland TTB	Hobart Municipal Tramways	1937
	70-91	22	Leyland TB5	Hobart Municipal Tramways	1939-1946	72 renumbered 92 in October 1958
	201-236	36	BUT ETB/1	City Body Works	1950-1952	body frames manufactured by Commonwealth Engineering, Sydney
	237-241	5	BUT RETB/1	JA Lawton & Sons	1950	ex Launceston 326-330

Depot

Initially housed at the city tram depot on the corner of Macquarie and Campbell Streets, in 1944 a trolleybuses depot opened on Collins Street. On 29 October 1954, a new depot opened on Davey Street.

References

1. ^ Cooper, Ian (1979). Trolley Buses of Tasmania. Sydney: Australian Electric Traction Association. pp. 2–44. ISBN 0-909459-05-3.
2. ^ Lynas, Ian (1983). Buses & Trams of Australia's Government & Municipal Operators. p. 58. ISBN 0-9592580-0-0.
3. ^ Jones, David (2000). Australian Trolley Buses. City Tramway Publications. p. 10-14. ISBN 0 473 07118 5.
4. ^ Cooper, Ian (2010). Tasmania's Trolley Buses. Rozelle: Transit Australia Publishing. pp. 17–115, 184–195. ISBN 978-0-909459-22-2.
5. Trolley Bus to New Town Hobart Mercury 8 October 1937 page 5
6. Trolley Bus Installations for Two Tasmanian Cities Truck & Bus Transportation December 1948 page 36
7. Hobart Trolleybus Extension Truck & Bus Transportation Decdember 1952 page 7
8. Tramways of Australia Electric Traction June 1960 page 6
9. Bushfire Damage to MTT Property in Hobart Green over Red April 1967 pages 6/7
10. Many trucks, buses gutted in Tasmanian bushfires Truck & Bus Transportation May 1967 page 92
11. Leylands for Australasia Railway Gazette 14 February 1936 page 304
12. Hobart's Trolley-Bus Trial Leads to First Fleet Order Truck & Bus Transportation December 1936 pages 10/11
13. 40 per cent of BUT output for overseas Commercial Motor 22 July 1949
14. Hobart & Launceston Electric Traction May 1964 page 3
15. Tasmanian Transport Museum Society Trolley Wire issue 205 April 1983 page 22
16. Trolley Bus 235 Tasmanian Transport Museum

External links

Media related to Trolleybuses in Hobart at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Trolleybus systems in Oceania
Australia	Adelaide Brisbane Hobart Launceston Perth Sydney
New Zealand	Auckland Christchurch Dunedin New Plymouth Wellington
United States	Honolulu

• Defunct trolleybus systems by city
• Transport in Hobart
• Trolleybus transport in Australia
• 1935 establishments in Australia
• 1968 disestablishments in Australia