The Brisbane trolleybus system was part of the
public transport network in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Australia from 1951 until 1969. The
Brisbane City Council
Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
operated 36
Sunbeam trolleybuses on a 28 kilometre network.
History
The
Brisbane Tramways Trust experimented with providing bus services in the 1920s but these proved impractical due to mechanical unreliability and
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
's poor road surface quality. The first permanent bus services were introduced in 1940 as a supplement to Brisbane's tram services.
In 1948 the
Brisbane City Council
Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
municipalized 20 privately run bus operators and expanded its own fleet of buses. The first tram lines to close were the
Lower Edward Street to Gardens route, and the Upper Edward Street to
Gregory Terrace
Gregory Terrace is a road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Gregory Terrace commences at an intersection with Wickham Terrace and College Road in Spring Hill (). It travels in a north-easterly direction through Spring Hill, Fortitu ...
route in 1947, the latter due to the very steep grades on that line. The vertical curves were difficult for Brisbane's double bogie cars. Diesel-engined buses initially replaced tram services on these lines. These were however replaced by trolleybuses on 12 August 1951.
The council also intended to introduce a trolleybus service to the new
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
campus at
St Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...
, and purchased enough trolleybus chassis from the United Kingdom for the route. However, it was vigorously opposed by residents and the plan was abandoned. The council then found itself with surplus trolleybuses but no route on which to run them, so it decided to run the trolleybuses from
Herston to Stanley Bridge,
East Brisbane
East Brisbane is an inner southern suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , East Brisbane had a population of 5,934 people.
Geography
East Brisbane is located south-east of the CBD. It is mostly residential, with some ...
, commencing in 1952.
Several other trolleybus routes were subsequently established in the eastern suburbs. The first of these replaced a tram route, along
Cavendish Road
Cavendish Road is an arterial road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, linking the suburbs of Coorparoo, Queensland, Coorparoo, Holland Park, Queensland, Holland Park and Mount Gravatt East, Queensland, Mount Gravatt East.
Geography
Cavendish R ...
, in 1955. Other trolleybus routes to
Seven Hills and
Carina
Carina may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Carina, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane
* Carina Heights, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane
* Carina, Victoria, a locality in Mildura
Serbia
* Carina, Osečina, a village in the Kolubara District
...
did not involve tram route closures.
The network reached its peak of 28 kilometres on 19 June 1960 when the Carina route was extended. Most of the network closed in 1968 with the last service operating on 13 March 1969.
Fleet
The fleet comprised 36
Sunbeam MF2B trolleybuses; 30 bodied locally by Charles Hope in 1951/52 and six by
Athol Hedges in 1959.
Withdrawn Bus Models
Brisbane Transport Info Two have been preserved by the Brisbane Tramway Museum
The Brisbane Tramway Museum is an Australian transport museum that has preserved a collection of trams and trolleybuses most of which operated in Brisbane from 1897 until 1969. The museum is located at Ferny Grove.
History
The Brisbane Tramway ...
.
Depot
The depot and workshops for the trolleybuses was located in Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
on Milton Road
Milton Road is an arterial road in Brisbane, Australia. It is currently signed as State Route 32 for its entire length. Milton Road is a major corridor for traffic between the Brisbane central business district and the western suburbs. It car ...
between Hale and Castlemaine Streets. The former depot was demolished to make way for a redevelopment of Lang Park
Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
.
See also
*Brisbane Tramway Museum
The Brisbane Tramway Museum is an Australian transport museum that has preserved a collection of trams and trolleybuses most of which operated in Brisbane from 1897 until 1969. The museum is located at Ferny Grove.
History
The Brisbane Tramway ...
*History of Brisbane
Brisbane's recorded history dates from 1799, when Matthew Flinders explored Moreton Bay on an expedition from Port Jackson, although the region had long been occupied by the Yugara and Turrbal aboriginal tribes. The town was conceived initially ...
*Trams in Brisbane
The Brisbane tramway network served the city of Brisbane, Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on standard gauge track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in ...
*Transport in Brisbane
Transport in Brisbane, the capital and largest city of Queensland, Australia, is provided by road, rail, river and bay ferries, footpaths, bikepaths, sea and air.
Transport around Brisbane is managed by the Government of Queensland, Queensla ...
References
*
*
External links
Brisbane Tramway Museum
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
Public transport in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
1951 establishments in Australia
1969 disestablishments in Australia
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