Bradford 845
(JWW 375)
Chassis: | Sunbeam F4 |
Chassis No: | 50729 |
Motor: | British Thomson Houston type 209AY3, 95hp |
Bodywork: | East Lancs.(1962) H37/29F |
Body No: | 5888 |
Length: | 28 ft 6 in |
Width: | 8 ft 0 in |
Unladen Weight: | 7 t 19 cwt 3 qr |
Entered Service: | 1 February 1950 |
Withdrawn: | 26 March 1972 |
Owner: | The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft |
Brief History
This was the first vehicle of a batch of three, which turned out to be the last trolleybuses delivered to the Mexborough & Swinton company. Originally they carried centre-entrance Brush single-deck bodies. After the M&S system closed in 1961 the three together with another four similar vehicles were sold to Bradford Corporation.
The intention had been to extend the chassis to allow new 70-seat forward entrance bodywork to be fitted but with a new manager that year Bradford's policy towards trolleybuses changed. Consequently the chassis although rebuilt were not lengthened, nor were they fitted with automatic acceleration control as was standard in the Bradford fleet.
845 re-entered service with its new East Lancs double-deck forward-entrance body on 3 December 1962. As a sign of the times, in 1970 it was one of four trolleybuses equipped with 2-way radios to improve staff security on late evening journeys.
845 was the first trolleybus to operate from overhead wires at Sandtoft. It is awaiting restoration and has been placed on permanent loan to Keighley Bus Museum.