WOLVERHAMPTON TROLLEYBUS RETURNS HOME
It all started when Malcolm Keeley attended a National Association Road Transport Museums (NARTM) meeting and reported back that the St Helens Transport Museum had to be emptied of buses by the end of July so that the roof could be replaced. The problem was that this was the place that the Trust’s Wolverhampton trolleybus has been stored for more years than most of us care to remember!
There has been a myth for many years that the reason it went to St Helens was because we could not get it in either of our halls due to its height. Whilst this is true for the Shire Hall a quick check with a tape measure suggested that the higher door to the Scania Hall would allow it in. Hence it was decided that rather than arrange temporary accommodation near St Helens the bus should return home.
Having not seen the trolleybus for many years the next stage was to ascertain its condition and true height. A party consisting of Alwyne Marsden, Kevin Hill, Alex Potts and Pete Murphy thus paid a visit. The conclusion was that it definitely would fit under the Scania Hall door and that the general condition was much as when it had been towed to St Helens many years ago. Its location in the St Helens building meant that many buses would need moving to extract it and fully check it over.
The next stage was to investigate how to transport it. Should it be flat towed, suspend towed or even put on a low loader? Suspend towing would increase the height and may necessitate the front wheels being removed. After some discussion it was agreed to offer the work to Gareth Atherton a Sheffield enthusiast who has done towing work for us in the past.
The earlier visit to St Helens had identified some things we needed to do to the bus before it was towed, so early July saw Phil Ireland, Kevin Hill and Alex Potts visit St Helens again. This time, with the help of people at St Helens the bus was moved (for the first time in over a decade) and checked over. This confirmed it to be remarkably intact and with some strapping, the trolley booms tied down, and covering over missing windows it was thought ready for towing.
Gareth then took the sensible precaution of going to look at the job before arriving with his tow truck and found that with the type of lift he had available it would damage the front of the vehicle. This together with some other concerns meant he had to decline to transport the trolleybus.
With the clock now ticking, as St Helens had a deadline for clearing the building, we had to find a way of shifting it and some malicious joker was also phoning St Helens saying we intended to abandon it; nothing was further from our minds! A number of options for moving the bus were explored, including using a low loader, but the low loader option raised the load height to such an extent that escorts were required pushing up the price dramatically.
Fortunately, Andy Camp, who does much of the towing for St Helens came to our rescue and agreed to tow the bus at a reasonable cost. After a last minute date change it was finally agreed the trolley would arrive sometime after 8am on Saturday 24 July. In practice it arrived somewhat earlier than this, having left St Helens the previous evening and being flat towed at a leisurely pace down the M6. Despite some earlier fears, the tyres stood up to the tow and the bus arrived intact at Wythall. Saturday saw the bus being given a thorough clean both inside and out and by the end of the day it had been installed in the corner of the Scania Hall where it is to live for the time being.
Phil Ireland
616’s rear destination box is now fitted with rollers/spool ends and a WCT motorbus blind. This has a few suitable displays which will do for now – does anyone have a spare trolleybus blind?
Bob Williamson
AN OLD FRIEND OF OV4486 AND FJW616
John Seale reports that Don Everall FJW322 is referred to on the web as being in preservation with a Mr Boath of Norwood Green. Many independent operators found it difficult to get new heavyweight coach chassis just after the Second World War and one solution was to rebody good quality prewar chassis. Wolverhampton’s Don Everall was one of the biggest supporters of this idea, employing surprisingly elderly chassis, and FJW322 is not the AEC Regal it seems. Under the 1948 registration and Burlingham 33-seat coach body is the lengthened chassis of Birmingham 1931 Regent 448 (OV4448). Does anybody know about the coach’s present condition?
Malcolm Keeley
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
