The 'Silent Death' trolleybuses which were pure street theatre in Glasgow

New book celebrates short-lived wired electric bus network

They were nicknamed "Silent Death" for their quietness, their wires melted an Orange Order mace and one of their drivers was mistaken for a specially-dressed Celtic fan.

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The short-lived era of Glasgow's trolleybuses in the 1950s and 1960s is celebrated in a new book whose author has called for their return.

A trolleybus emerging from a railway bridge on the Cathcart Circle on May 25 1967 - the day Celtic won the European Cup against Inter Milan in LisbonA trolleybus emerging from a railway bridge on the Cathcart Circle on May 25 1967 - the day Celtic won the European Cup against Inter Milan in Lisbon
A trolleybus emerging from a railway bridge on the Cathcart Circle on May 25 1967 - the day Celtic won the European Cup against Inter Milan in Lisbon | Hugh Dougherty

The electric buses powered by overhead cables operated in Scotland’s largest city from 1949 to 1967, followed by a 53-year gap until battery electric buses were introduced by First Glasgow in 2020.

Dundee was the only other Scottish city to operate trolleybuses, from 1912 to 1914, while the UK’s last stopped running in Bradford in 1972.

Hugh Dougherty, author of Trolleybuses - Glasgow’s Silent Service, published by Stenlake, has had a life-long fascination with the vehicles since travelling in them to school in the early 1960s.

He said: “They were dubbed ‘Silent Death’ by sceptical Glaswegians who held that you couldn’t hear them coming, unlike noisy trams and diesel buses.”

His book features incidents he witnessed, such the mace of an Orange Order band being thrown so high it was melted by the current in the trolleybus wires on Victoria Road in the Govanhill area, “as the band looked up in horror”.

The author also related how a clippie was hoisted aloft by the pull of the trolley spring while she tried to catch it with the bamboo pole carried aboard to deal with wires problems.

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He recalled: “Complete with ticket machine and cash bag, and yelling blue murder, she had to be pulled back to Earth by other trolleybus crews.

“Glasgow has always loved street theatre, and the trolleybuses were often the star of the show, especially with the banter of the conductors and conductresses, or when a dewirement took place.”

This Glasgow trolleybus was moved from storage to the Riverside Museum in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the city's systemThis Glasgow trolleybus was moved from storage to the Riverside Museum in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the city's system
This Glasgow trolleybus was moved from storage to the Riverside Museum in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the city's system | CSG CIC Glasgow Museums and Libraries Collections

Mr Dougherty said one trolleybus driver was mistaken for a specially-dressed Celtic fan in 1967 when he travelled to Lisbon after his shift while still in uniform for the European Cup final against Inter Milan.

He said: “I wrote the book to recall the days of the trolleybuses, which gave the city an excellent service before being scrapped when some of them were hardly ten years old.

“Glasgow had nailed its colours firmly to the motor car, and councillors felt the trolleys, with their fixed, overhead wires, were getting in the way of redevelopment and motorways. Totally ignoring the fact they were pollution-free, the city replaced them with diesel buses.”

The book’s cover shows trolleybuses passing each other on Muirend Road in 1967The book’s cover shows trolleybuses passing each other on Muirend Road in 1967
The book’s cover shows trolleybuses passing each other on Muirend Road in 1967 | Hugh Dougherty

Mr Dougherty said there were more than 250 trolleybus systems operating, with Vancouver’s and Salzburg’s among those being extended.

He said: “We could do with bringing them back instead of favouring electric buses, which are heavy on the roads because of the weight of their batteries, which lose their edge over time and are expensive to replace.”

Philip Johnson, sales officer for the National Trolleybus Association, said of the book: “It is a highly engaging personal memoir of the system based on the records and memories of a young enthusiast who rode the trolleys as part of his everyday life in the 1960s.”

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John Messner, transport and technology curator at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, said: “The trolleybus represents the willingness of the-then Glasgow Corporation to try to adapt to the changing nature of transport in the city, as well as offering better access to the riders.”

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