Some Background Notes
Ex-London Transport #1812 [registration number HYM 812], a double deck 70-seat 3-axle trolleybus of BUT
manufacture, dates from 1948. It is one of just 127 trolleybuses bought by London Transport after the Second World War,
designated the Q1 Class, to replace the capital's original 1931 trolleybuses and to replace vehicles destroyed during
the blitz.
Along with the rest of the Q1 class, #1812 operated from Isleworth and Fulwell depots until 1961 [a year before
London's trolleybuses were finally replaced by the world-famous Routemaster diesel buses], when they were prematurely
withdrawn from service and 125 of them sold to various trolleybus operators in Spain. #1812 - which had been the
last trolleybus ever to operate the old 607 service from Uxbridge - was one of six trolleybuses that were hand picked
as the best in the London fleet to go to Santander in Northern Spain.
There, the vehicle was modified to suit the "drive on the right" rule of the road, by having the rear platform
and stairs "reversed" and a new exit doorway cut in the side; the UK driving position was left unaltered.
Now #8 in the Santander fleet, the trolleybus operated for a further 14 years until it was finally withdrawn in 1975
and eventually purchased for preservation by the British Trolleybus Society, returning to Britain in 1977.
Over the past two years the British Trolleybus Society, with concurrent fund-raising activities and appeals for the 1812
project, have been completely renovating the trolleybus to put it back into its London condition. In excess of £35,000
will have been spent getting #1812 pristine so that it can take pride of place in the British Trolleybus Society's
collection and join the operational "fleet" at the Museum of the Trolleybus at Sandtoft.
The renovation work has entailed, amongst many other things, the reconstruction of the rear of the vehicle and the
stairs to its London layout, removing the extra Spanish exit doorway, re-cabling, and refurbishment of some of the
electrical components, the re-equipping of auxiliary traction batteries [as originally fitted for emergency maneuvering
away from the overhead wires], a full mechanical overhaul, re-upholstering the seats in authentic moquette,
trimming the interior panels in leather cloth and a full repaint inside and out, including lettering, lining out
and period, sign-written advertisements.
Amazingly, in a test run early in May 2001 - the first operation under
550 volts DC since 1975 - #1812 operated near perfectly. Whilst the work itself may be complete, the 1812 project
appeal is still short of its target and remains open for further donations. |