Created 6-Aug-22
Modified 8-Mar-24
Bradford's trolleybus network included several stretches of wiring which never saw a regular service (and were never intended to). They were built either for depot workings or as an emergency provision in case of disruption. What is not included here is wiring that had once been part of a trolleybus route but was retained for depot access, notably a significant length of the Bankfoot to Bolton service.
Although not that long, the connections between the Duckworth Lane route and the Frizinghall Road routes were undoubtedly the most complex, involving no less than sixteen frogs. These ran along John Street and North Parade and not only linked the two parts of the network but also provided a turnback facility for trolleybuses from Saltaire direction in the event that Forster Square was blocked. This wiring dated from the opening of the Frizinghall routes although surprisingly the curves that gave the turnback facility were only added in 1950. The northbound wiring on North Parade was removed slightly before the rest, which ceased to have any function with the cessation of trolleybuses along Frizinghall Road on 31st October 1963.
The wiring along John Street and North parade mimicked the track layout in tram days, which was also the case for another set of emergency wiring on Harris Street between Leeds Road and Barkerend Road. This opened with the Bradford Moor route in 1949 and remained until its closure in 1962. It is likely that the lower section of Harris Street at least was intended to form part of the new trolleybus route 4 to Undercliffe, which was never built.
Nearby a connection from Leeds Road to Forster Square was opened in 1930 along Well Street to allow trolleybuses from Thornbury depot to reach the service, it was not until 1959 that the junction at Bolton was modified to allow full connection from Thornbury depot, shortly after the closure of Bolton depot. The Well Street wiring ceased to be used on 3rd November 1962.
The final section of wiring in this category became the best known. The link between Duckworth Lane and Four Lane Ends, using Squire Lane, permitted buses from Duckworth Lane depot to reach the Allerton and Thornton routes without needing to go through the City Centre. It was opened in 1947 and remained until the last day of the system, March 26th 1972.
The rather sporadic use of these sections of wiring means that in some cases, particularly, photographs were rarely taken (Squire Lane, for example, was only really used first thing in the morning and last thing at night making photography difficult.) As a consequence I have been unable to cover all these sections in this gallery due to a lack of suitable material.
© David Beilby
