Brighton Trolleybus in Hollingdean Road

Click on picture [365] for an enlarged version

Click on picture [MS245] for an enlarged version

From: "Martin Snow" <martin@snowing.co.uk>

Referring to the Hollingdean Road tram shelter in the background of picture 365, it needs a lot of imagination even looking at the enlarged image!

I took some images of this shelter and the other one in Ditchling Road, as well as the one in Dyke Road and these can be seen on my WEB site. Taken [dodging traffic] on an evening in June 2001, with the light failing - hence some funny colours. Picture MS245 shown on this page is perhaps the best picture taken. I am sure they were a dull green at one time.

The red and cream in the restored image of the trolleybus would appear to equate to the colour - as I remember it 40 + years ago? My biggest memories are being stuck by the frequent power cuts of those days at the bottom of Elm Grove and at St Peters Church.

I remember a conductor with a badly injured face, no doubt from WWII. They stayed on the same routes in those days.

From: "Alan Hobden" <cfeng@btconnect.com>

Firstly, many thanks for some great photographs of the fondly-remembered Brighton trolleybuses. I lived close to the No 26 and 26A routes from March 1959, near to Ditchling Road at its lower end, and used them a great deal until their [too early] demise.

You mention the Bristol Lodekkas being introduced to the route between Pool Valley and Coombe Road. This was the No 38 route which, again, I used very frequently. I well remember the introduction of this strange looking fleet of buses, Nos OPN 801 etc. As far as I recall, the route originally started at the bottom of West Street. At the northern terminus, the route followed Coombe Road to the top and then turned left into Bevendean Road, and finally left again into Eastbourne Road, where it terminated. The return journey used Baden Road to return to Coombe Road.

At a later date, [possibly in 1961 following the merger you mention with Southdown], the No 38 went down to the bottom of West Street and turned left along Kings Road [Brighton seafront] to terminate at Pool Valley.

Alan Hobden [Brighton & Hove resident].

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