Subject: Portsmouth C. T. 16 (RV 6374)
Chassis: AEC 661T
Body: English Electric H26/24R
Location: Fratton, Fratton Road
Date: 1936/37

This delightful period shot shows the first of the batch of nine outside St. Mary's Church, the longest-established church on Portsea Island although the current building was only consecrated in 1889, largely funded by the First Lord of the Admiralty. He was one W. H. Smith, better remembered for the chain store that he founded.

It is working Portsmouth's original trolleybus route which ran as the 3 from Cosham almost due south to South Parade Pier. Either a lack of traffic, or old habits from tramway days, see the bus stopped in the middle of the road with the conductor marshalling the ladies on board. PIMCO, advertised on the side of the bus, was Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society.

124 (RV 6367) behind also has English Electric bodywork on a Leyland Titan TD4 chassis. It was converted to open-top in 1954 and renumbered 7 in 1958. It ran in this guise until 1972, the last of the quartet of open-top veterans. It passed into preservation and is still with us today.

Photograph from the GEC archive