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| Tram at junction of Arksey Lane and The Avenue |
Bentley Trams And Trolleybuses
During the late nineteenth century the growth of industry in the Doncaster area brought with it a need for public transport. Ways to get the population to and from their places of work became a necessity.
This article tells the story of how Bentley became part of an electrified public transport system that served key areas of Doncaster and its suburbs for over sixty years.
Contents
- Horse Buses To Trams
- The Level Crossing Problem
- World War 1 Workforce Shortages
- From Trams To Trolleybuses
- The Rise of Trolleybuses
- Rolling Stock
- Maintenance Vehicles
- The Demise Of The Trolleybus
- A Little Piece Of Buried History
- Public Transport Photos
Horse Buses To Trams
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| Hodgson & Hepworth horse bus 1899 |
Following a failed attempt to bring a tram system to Doncaster in 1878, some local businesses introduced horse bus services. These services started to appear from 1887, with large stores, such as Hodgson & Hepworth conveying customers to Doncaster from out-lying areas. J.G. Steadman, who became a well known taxi operator also ran one of these horse bus services, as well a J Stoppani, carrier and horse bus operator in Doncaster.
In 1897 electricity was a new form of energy with little domestic demand. Most households used gas or oil for lighting. Doncaster Corporation learned that the British Electric Co. Ltd wanted to supply electricity and trams to the town. The Corporation were opposed to the intervention of another company, and decided to take on the project themselves. The idea of running trams would make the building of a new electric generator a viable prospect for the town, as it would provide a major source of demand for the power.
The proposals were submitted under the 1896 Light Railway Act and was granted. However, because there was a level crossing where North Bridge now stands, the Great Northern Railway objected to the proposal on the grounds that there may be interference with train services, and did not want to see tram tracks laid across their tracks. In the end a stipulation was made that the Bentley route would have to be remote from the rest of the system, until a bridge could be built to replace the crossing.
Permission was granted in 1899 for both the new power station and the tramway.
The problem of the Marsh Gate level crossing was initially solved when a large shed in Marsh Gate was acquired by the tramways committee and used for running services to Bentley. Passengers from Doncaster used a 'feeder' service which ran from Clock Corner to the level crossing. Alighting here, they would then use an underpass to Marsh Gate for the Bentley service.
The tramway between Bentley and Doncaster was consolidated in 1910 when the newly built North Bridge opened to traffic.
At first the trams ran as far as the corner of Millgate in Bentley. Later, a section of track was laid which branched off on to Chapel Street, this was so that parked trams did not obstruct other traffic on the main road.
In the photo above, car number 22 is seen at the Bentley High Street terminus, in Chapel Street. It was purchased in 1904 and withdrawn in 1930.
The Bentley route was extended in 1913 or 1914 to nearer the colliery, terminating at Alexander Street.
Passing loops were created to allow trams to pass each other on single sections of track, as in the photo below, taken on Bentley Road.
The trams provided a very popular mode of public transport. In their first year nearly 1.6 million passengers used the service, but just a decade later, there were almost four times as many. In September 1911 the Chronicle reported that Bentley Urban District Council had recommended that the attention of Doncaster Corporation should be brought to the problem of serious overcrowding on Bentley trams.
In the photo above, taken during World War 1, the tram is fitted with a headlamp mask, a precaution against Zeppelin raids. Note too, the presence of female staff.
The tramway proved expensive to maintain and building them caused serious disruption in the streets. Skimping on foundations when the tracks were first built caused endless problems for Doncaster Corporation, and it seems that the Bentley route suffered the most, as borne out by this Chronicle article from May 1913:
Almost all the original tracks were replaced during the First World War.
By the mid 1920's the local councils wanted to relay the road to a higher level, and taking into account all the earlier complaints about the tracks, the decision to replace the trams with trolleybuses was taken.
On the 16th of October 1925 the Chronicle printed an article with the headline 'Bentley Trams to Go'. The article stated:
The 1920's was a difficult time for public transport companies, the government introduced unregulated competition as part of its road transport policy, and this created severe competition from private bus companies. Doncaster Corporation introduced its own local Act in 1922, authorising it to run bus services. At first they were reluctant to replace the trams with buses as the loans taken out when the tram system was first built were only half paid off.
Trolleybuses were introduced in Doncaster in 1928 when Doncaster Corporation purchased sixteen of them, this number had tripled by 1940. As with the trams, the trolleybuses provided essential custom for the electricity generator, as it wasn't until the late 1930's that domestic use of this energy took off.
The Bentley tramway was closed in 1928 and the route converted to the overhead trolleybus double wire system. A single wire extension loop ran around Bentley New Village. A further extension to Toll Bar was authorised but never built.
The Bentley trolleybus service was the first to be introduced in Doncaster, which began running on the 22nd of August 1928. Five trolleybuses operated on the route, six on Saturdays, and a journey to Bentley and back from Doncaster took thirty minutes.
The route began at the Brown Cow public house on North Bridge, travelled into Bentley via St Mary's Bridge, West End and Bentley Road. Up High Street to Playfairs Corner, then Arksey Lane to The Avenue where they ran up the whole length of The Avenue (unlike the trams, which had terminated at Bentley colliery working Men's Club), turned left onto Victoria Road, and returned to Playfairs Corner via Askern Road, from where the trolleybus journeyed back to town. A small bus station on North Bridge (opposite the Brown Cow) served as a terminus for inbound services.
It was found that most people used the service between the town centre and Playfairs Corner, so any extra trolleybuses put on at busy times, or on Saturdays relieved those on the 'normal' route by terminating and turning around at Playfairs Corner, thereby missing out the New Village loop. The manoeuvre involved the vehicle reversing from Arksey Lane on to Askern Road, where the booms were transferred to the wires running to High Street for the return journey to Doncaster. Bamboo poles were carried on all vehicles to retrieve the booms.
Gradually, over the following three years other tram routes in Doncaster were converted to trolleybuses, with the Balby route being the last to be converted in 1931.
The earliest trolleybuses, introduced for the opening of the system in 1928 were the Garrett 3 axle, 60 seat models. The similarly styled Karrier-Clough E6 were distinctive by their projecting driver's cabs, both models remained in service until around 1937.
The first 'flat fronted' models to be delivered were the Karrier E6 trolleys in 1934, but started to be withdrawn in 1952.
During WW2 nine vehicles built to wartime utility specification were brought into service in Doncaster. The Karrier W model, which was the first two axle trolley in the area, remained in service until the whole system was withdrawn, undergoing re-modelling in the mid 1950's.
In 1897 electricity was a new form of energy with little domestic demand. Most households used gas or oil for lighting. Doncaster Corporation learned that the British Electric Co. Ltd wanted to supply electricity and trams to the town. The Corporation were opposed to the intervention of another company, and decided to take on the project themselves. The idea of running trams would make the building of a new electric generator a viable prospect for the town, as it would provide a major source of demand for the power.
The proposals were submitted under the 1896 Light Railway Act and was granted. However, because there was a level crossing where North Bridge now stands, the Great Northern Railway objected to the proposal on the grounds that there may be interference with train services, and did not want to see tram tracks laid across their tracks. In the end a stipulation was made that the Bentley route would have to be remote from the rest of the system, until a bridge could be built to replace the crossing.
Permission was granted in 1899 for both the new power station and the tramway.
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| Marsh Gate level crossing 1908 |
The Level Crossing Problem
The first route to Hexthorpe opened on the 2nd of June 1902, while the Bentley route began operating on the 27th of October that year. All other routes were operational by January 1903, with further routes and extensions being added right up to the 1920's. A large depot was built in Greyfriars Road to serve the main Doncaster system.The problem of the Marsh Gate level crossing was initially solved when a large shed in Marsh Gate was acquired by the tramways committee and used for running services to Bentley. Passengers from Doncaster used a 'feeder' service which ran from Clock Corner to the level crossing. Alighting here, they would then use an underpass to Marsh Gate for the Bentley service.
The tramway between Bentley and Doncaster was consolidated in 1910 when the newly built North Bridge opened to traffic.
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| The new bridge with a tram crossing, and below a gate across the old level crossing site. Photo courtesy of Tom Beardsley |
At first the trams ran as far as the corner of Millgate in Bentley. Later, a section of track was laid which branched off on to Chapel Street, this was so that parked trams did not obstruct other traffic on the main road.
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| A Bentley tram at Chapel Street |
In the photo above, car number 22 is seen at the Bentley High Street terminus, in Chapel Street. It was purchased in 1904 and withdrawn in 1930.
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| Tram and trolleybus routes |
The Bentley route was extended in 1913 or 1914 to nearer the colliery, terminating at Alexander Street.
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| The Tram terminus on the Avenue |
Passing loops were created to allow trams to pass each other on single sections of track, as in the photo below, taken on Bentley Road.
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| Passing loop on Bentley Road. Photo Courtesy of Pete Dumville |
The trams provided a very popular mode of public transport. In their first year nearly 1.6 million passengers used the service, but just a decade later, there were almost four times as many. In September 1911 the Chronicle reported that Bentley Urban District Council had recommended that the attention of Doncaster Corporation should be brought to the problem of serious overcrowding on Bentley trams.
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| A tram heading for Doncaster along Bentley High Street |
World War 1 Workforce Shortages
The First World War brought staffing problems to the tramway. With many drivers and conductors called upon to fight, women were brought in to replace their male counterparts. In July 1915 four conductresses were taken on, and by the following spring they had all qualified as drivers. Whether they were referred to as 'motoress', 'motorwomen' or 'driver', was a matter for debate when they first began their duties. Obtaining drivers was not the only problem faced by Doncaster Corporation, skilled mechanics to maintain the trams were also difficult to find. |
| Women working on the trams during WW1, seen here at High Street, Bentley |
In the photo above, taken during World War 1, the tram is fitted with a headlamp mask, a precaution against Zeppelin raids. Note too, the presence of female staff.
The tramway proved expensive to maintain and building them caused serious disruption in the streets. Skimping on foundations when the tracks were first built caused endless problems for Doncaster Corporation, and it seems that the Bentley route suffered the most, as borne out by this Chronicle article from May 1913:
'There is hardly a week that passes but what a gang of men are to be seen repairing the tram track and yet, in spite of all their labours, the Bentley route remains the worst of any on the whole system.'
Almost all the original tracks were replaced during the First World War.
By the mid 1920's the local councils wanted to relay the road to a higher level, and taking into account all the earlier complaints about the tracks, the decision to replace the trams with trolleybuses was taken.
From Trams To Trolleybuses
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| An early trolleybus alongside a tram on South Parade about 1930 |
On the 16th of October 1925 the Chronicle printed an article with the headline 'Bentley Trams to Go'. The article stated:
'The reconstruction of the road [along which the tram tracks ran] will necessitate an approximate expenditure of £21,000, towards which the Corporation has agreed to contribute £8,691, and the County Council the remainder. The roadway will be reconstructed in accordance with modern methods... Alterations to the overhead and electrical equipment of the line will cost £5,000... An extension of the existing route from the Bentley Village terminus, along the Avenue and Victoria Road, and thence a southerly direction along the Doncaster and Selby main road is contemplated.'
The 1920's was a difficult time for public transport companies, the government introduced unregulated competition as part of its road transport policy, and this created severe competition from private bus companies. Doncaster Corporation introduced its own local Act in 1922, authorising it to run bus services. At first they were reluctant to replace the trams with buses as the loans taken out when the tram system was first built were only half paid off.
The Rise of Trolleybuses
In 1923 there were forty eight trams running in the Doncaster area, Doncaster Corporation supplemented these with six motor buses. By 1930 trams were rapidly being withdrawn from service, while there were five times as many buses running. By 1935 only nine trams remained on the whole system, and these were finally withdrawn a year later.Trolleybuses were introduced in Doncaster in 1928 when Doncaster Corporation purchased sixteen of them, this number had tripled by 1940. As with the trams, the trolleybuses provided essential custom for the electricity generator, as it wasn't until the late 1930's that domestic use of this energy took off.
The Bentley tramway was closed in 1928 and the route converted to the overhead trolleybus double wire system. A single wire extension loop ran around Bentley New Village. A further extension to Toll Bar was authorised but never built.
The Bentley trolleybus service was the first to be introduced in Doncaster, which began running on the 22nd of August 1928. Five trolleybuses operated on the route, six on Saturdays, and a journey to Bentley and back from Doncaster took thirty minutes.
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| Bentley trolleybus turning near the Brown Cow public house on North Bridge |
The route began at the Brown Cow public house on North Bridge, travelled into Bentley via St Mary's Bridge, West End and Bentley Road. Up High Street to Playfairs Corner, then Arksey Lane to The Avenue where they ran up the whole length of The Avenue (unlike the trams, which had terminated at Bentley colliery working Men's Club), turned left onto Victoria Road, and returned to Playfairs Corner via Askern Road, from where the trolleybus journeyed back to town. A small bus station on North Bridge (opposite the Brown Cow) served as a terminus for inbound services.
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| Playfairs corner turning junction |
It was found that most people used the service between the town centre and Playfairs Corner, so any extra trolleybuses put on at busy times, or on Saturdays relieved those on the 'normal' route by terminating and turning around at Playfairs Corner, thereby missing out the New Village loop. The manoeuvre involved the vehicle reversing from Arksey Lane on to Askern Road, where the booms were transferred to the wires running to High Street for the return journey to Doncaster. Bamboo poles were carried on all vehicles to retrieve the booms.
Gradually, over the following three years other tram routes in Doncaster were converted to trolleybuses, with the Balby route being the last to be converted in 1931.
Rolling Stock
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| A Garratt trolleybus on High Street in 1928. A filled in tram tack can just be seen in the centre. |
The earliest trolleybuses, introduced for the opening of the system in 1928 were the Garrett 3 axle, 60 seat models. The similarly styled Karrier-Clough E6 were distinctive by their projecting driver's cabs, both models remained in service until around 1937.
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| An original trolleybus from 1929. Photo courtesy of Paul Adams |
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| The Karrier E6 at North Bridge |
During WW2 nine vehicles built to wartime utility specification were brought into service in Doncaster. The Karrier W model, which was the first two axle trolley in the area, remained in service until the whole system was withdrawn, undergoing re-modelling in the mid 1950's.
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| A BUT trolleybus travels along Askern Road |
All of Doncaster's rolling stock after the war was purchased second hand from other areas. Usually the vehicles underwent an overhaul and refit before entering service. The BUT (British United Traction) and Sunbeam models were the most prevalent during the 1950's.
Maintenance Vehicles
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| A tower wagon in operation on Bennetthorpe, Doncaster |
Maintenance of the trolleybus standards and wires was carried out using tower wagons. Doncaster had four of these vehicles over the life of the system, three of them made from converted motor buses, and one dedicated vehicle.
The tower wagons provided a high level platform for the linesmen to work on the line standards safely.
The Demise Of The Trolleybus
When electricity was nationalised in 1947 Doncaster Corporation could no longer profit from the sale of electricity. Coupled with cost increases trolleybuses began to be phased out. Many municipal operators had withdrawn their services, and with demand for overhead fittings and equipment declining, this forced the main UK supplier to withdraw from the market.
At first Doncaster took advantage of buying up second hand vehicles and rebodying them. But with the need to service new housing estates, and with new road schemes being planned it was decided to withdraw the trolleybus system.
The Bentley route was the first to be closed on the 12th of February 1956, and instead became fully motorised. In 1961 the main closure programme began, with the final service taking place at Beckett Road on the 14th of December 1963.
Many trolleybuses were converted to motor buses, some with the half-cab layout.
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| Half cab bus in 1972 |
Local transport services were taken out of local authority hands in 1974 and became the responsibility of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. The policy of cheap fares was ended a year later to bring prices in line with those of Sheffield, but were then frozen until 1986.
Altogether the Doncaster travelling public had enjoyed sixty one and a half years of electrically powered public transport. Thirty five and a half of them on trolleybuses. In September 1985 it was revealed that a prototype trolleybus had been commissioned by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. Fitted with an electric motor, a mile of overhead wiring was erected adjacent to the racecourse on a test route. However this hope of re-introducing trolleybuses to Doncaster and Rotherham was halted by the de-regulation of the bus industry, and the project proceeded no further.
A Little Piece Of Buried History
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| Evidence of tram tacks on North Bridge Road* |
Major road improvements to North Bridge in the 1990's revealed the old trackbed from the days of the trams. They were carefully recovered so they will remain there for future generations to discover.
Public Transport Photos
A collection of photos showing public transport serving Bentley.
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| Tram making its way up Arksey Lane towards the junction with The Avenue |
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| Bentley Road 1916 |
Bentley tram 1920's
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| Tram terminus at Chapel Street |
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| Trolley bus passing the Toby Jug public house (being built) on North Bridge Road |
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| Trolleybus turning into The Avenue from Arksey Lane |
Trolleybus passing over the flood arches on Bentley Road.
Photo courtesy of Pete Dumville
Trolleybus passing over the flood arches on Bentley Road.
Photo courtesy of Pete Dumville
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| A Karrier E6 at the North Bridge station, with an Arksey bus by its side. Photo courtesy of Robert Ashton |
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| A Karrier E6 trolleybus bound for Playfairs. Photo courtesy of Robert Ashton |
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| 1954 Sunbeam W. Photo courtesy of Jason Bowers |
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| Bentley bus 1974 |
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| Single deck bus 1974 |
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Alison Vainlo
First written 2015, updated 2020
