Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company
Encyclopedia
The Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company was the name adopted by the Mexborough & Swinton Tramways Company
in 1929 following the introduction of trolleybus
es on all its routes. It operated in South Yorkshire
, England
, over routes serving Manvers Main Colliery
, Wath upon Dearne and the towns of Rotherham
, Rawmarsh
, Swinton
and Mexborough
.
It had been opened in 1907 and was owned by the National Electric Construction Co., becoming part of the British Electric Traction
Group in 1931.
charabanc, hired from the Musselburgh
Tramways Company, was tried for a short period, operating between the Old Toll Bar and Denaby Main Colliery village, and also from Mexborough to Wath via Manvers Main. Objections from Mexborough Council caused the withdrawal of the service and, because of this, the company turned its attention to "rail-less traction" and a new Act of Parliament, the Mexborough & Swinton Tramways Rail-less Electric Traction Act, 1913 gave authority for the "Trackless", as it was known to the locals.
In 1915 the company opened two trolleybus routes: the first ran from Mexborough town centre to Manvers although failing to reach the main gates of the colliery due to a low bridge below the Midland Railway
line; the second ran from the Old Toll Bar to Conisbrough
. Manvers is the only locality in England to have had a trolleybus before a tramway.
a new livery was introduced, starting with the company's six austerity Sunbeam trolleybuses. The red/brown livery which had been carried since the early days was replaced by a brighter green and cream livery. It was well received and the rest of the fleet followed. The first new vehicles to carry the livery were delivered in 1947.
Route changes were proposed and first was an application to extend from the Adwick Road terminus in Mexborough to the newly built Windhill estate. It never happened and Windhill was not directly served until the coming of the motor bus route, itself short-lived (December 1948 to June 1953) as the route was unprofitable. The second application was to ease the traffic problems in the narrow streets of Conisbrough and in this respect a new link along Station Road to allow one-way working was proposed. This was opened by March 1948.
The beginning of the end of the trolleybus system started in 1953 when an order was placed for ten Leyland Tiger Cubs with Weymann B44F bodywork (Nos. 40-49 / MWU140-MWU149), which arrived the following year. Another three changes took place at the same time. To house miners who were moving into the area, particularly from Scotland, the National Coal Board
built a new estate, known as "The Concrete Canyon" at Sandhill, Rawmarsh, and, to serve this, a new route between Parkgate and Kilnhurst was developed. This was then extended to the Woodman Inn, Swinton. Secondly, a new route from Low Stubbin to the newly built Monkwood estate in Rawmarsh to Rotherham which joined the main road at the top of Blythe Avenue. The third change, which took place on 27 September 1954, was the conversion of the Rawmarsh (Green Lane, route 'S') to Rotherham trolleybus service to motor bus operation. At the beginning of 1961 the Manvers Main to Conisbrough route, mostly paralleled by new motor bus routes, was itself converted and the last trolleybuses ran on 26 March 1961. The Leyland Atlantean
buses ordered as replacements were the first double-deckers in the fleet.
on 1 October 1969, after more than sixty years of service to the Don Valley communities.
Mexborough & Swinton Tramway
The Mexborough & Swinton Tramways Company was a tramway system in South Yorkshire, England, founded in 1902 and which began services in 1907 linking Rotherham with the Old Toll Bar, Denaby...
in 1929 following the introduction of trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es on all its routes. It operated in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, over routes serving Manvers Main Colliery
Manvers Main Colliery
Manvers Main Colliery was a coal mine, sunk on land belonging to the Earl Manvers and was situated on the northern edge of the township of Wath-upon-Dearne, between that town and Mexborough, in the Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire, England...
, Wath upon Dearne and the towns of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Rawmarsh
Rawmarsh
Rawmarsh is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England. It is two miles north of Rotherham. It has a population of 18,210. The village also forms part of the Sheffield Urban Area.-Etymology:...
, Swinton
Swinton, South Yorkshire
Swinton is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England on part of the west bank of the River Don...
and Mexborough
Mexborough
Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne...
.
It had been opened in 1907 and was owned by the National Electric Construction Co., becoming part of the British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.- Early history :The company was founded as...
Group in 1931.
Early bus conversion
The company's first attempt at rail-less operation was in 1910 when a ThornycroftThornycroft
Thornycroft was a United Kingdom-based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.-History:Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. John Isaac Thornycroft, the naval engineer, built his first steam lorry in 1896...
charabanc, hired from the Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
Tramways Company, was tried for a short period, operating between the Old Toll Bar and Denaby Main Colliery village, and also from Mexborough to Wath via Manvers Main. Objections from Mexborough Council caused the withdrawal of the service and, because of this, the company turned its attention to "rail-less traction" and a new Act of Parliament, the Mexborough & Swinton Tramways Rail-less Electric Traction Act, 1913 gave authority for the "Trackless", as it was known to the locals.
In 1915 the company opened two trolleybus routes: the first ran from Mexborough town centre to Manvers although failing to reach the main gates of the colliery due to a low bridge below the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
line; the second ran from the Old Toll Bar to Conisbrough
Conisbrough
Conisbrough is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is located roughly midway between Doncaster and Rotherham, and is built alongside the River Don at...
. Manvers is the only locality in England to have had a trolleybus before a tramway.
After the war
Following the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a new livery was introduced, starting with the company's six austerity Sunbeam trolleybuses. The red/brown livery which had been carried since the early days was replaced by a brighter green and cream livery. It was well received and the rest of the fleet followed. The first new vehicles to carry the livery were delivered in 1947.
Route changes were proposed and first was an application to extend from the Adwick Road terminus in Mexborough to the newly built Windhill estate. It never happened and Windhill was not directly served until the coming of the motor bus route, itself short-lived (December 1948 to June 1953) as the route was unprofitable. The second application was to ease the traffic problems in the narrow streets of Conisbrough and in this respect a new link along Station Road to allow one-way working was proposed. This was opened by March 1948.
The beginning of the end of the trolleybus system started in 1953 when an order was placed for ten Leyland Tiger Cubs with Weymann B44F bodywork (Nos. 40-49 / MWU140-MWU149), which arrived the following year. Another three changes took place at the same time. To house miners who were moving into the area, particularly from Scotland, the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
built a new estate, known as "The Concrete Canyon" at Sandhill, Rawmarsh, and, to serve this, a new route between Parkgate and Kilnhurst was developed. This was then extended to the Woodman Inn, Swinton. Secondly, a new route from Low Stubbin to the newly built Monkwood estate in Rawmarsh to Rotherham which joined the main road at the top of Blythe Avenue. The third change, which took place on 27 September 1954, was the conversion of the Rawmarsh (Green Lane, route 'S') to Rotherham trolleybus service to motor bus operation. At the beginning of 1961 the Manvers Main to Conisbrough route, mostly paralleled by new motor bus routes, was itself converted and the last trolleybuses ran on 26 March 1961. The Leyland Atlantean
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
buses ordered as replacements were the first double-deckers in the fleet.
Finale
Mexborough & Swinton Traction Company Limited was absorbed into the Yorkshire Traction CompanyYorkshire Traction
Yorkshire Traction was a bus operator in South Yorkshire. Between 1986 and 2005 it was a key part of the Traction Group. In December 2005 it was sold to the Stagecoach Group.-History:...
on 1 October 1969, after more than sixty years of service to the Don Valley communities.