Photography by David Page
GHN 574 Fleet No 792 at the junction of Clayton Road and Pasture Lane. The driver seems to have turned a bit short and derailed the poles.

Continued from February article.

In 1961, the year Bradford celebrated 50 years of trolley buses in the city, Mr Humpidge moved away from Bradford. Trolley bus use nationwide had been declining and Bradford also took the decision to abandon the whole of the 47 miles network over the next few years.

In fact it was Saturday, 31st July 1971, before the Wibsey trolley bus service ceased. Colin Wright (the author of these trolley bus notes) and a 'trolley bus' friend left Tyrell Street in the centre of Bradford on the final ride to Wibsey on trolley bus 732 and recorded its last departure with a photograph at the Wibsey terminus. Then they rode quickly but sadly back along the High Street and up Fair Road, changing over at St Enoch's Road top onto the last ever Buttershaw trolley bus 841 for a final trip along Wibsey Park Avenue and Reevy Road. Duly photographed, they sped back and Colin alighted at St Enoch's Road top to walk home.

The sixteen years blue and cream trolley bus era in Wibsey had ended. Power was cut off the following morning and the overhead wiring removed during the ensuing months. Many of the supporting poles carrying the street lighting remained to remind us of those silent, fume-free, electrically powered servants. (The support poles, many of which had been installed when the tram service started in 1907, were mainly replaced during the summer of 2009, after over 100 years of service.)
In his article Colin Wright acknowledged information from Bradford Corporation Trolley Buses by J S King, 1994 and The Bradford Transport Review 1956-1974.

by J S King, J Copland, G B Lodge
and C Wright.