London Trolleybus in Tramway Avenue

Click on picture [Ds170] for an enlarged version

From: "Mike Adams" <madams@lorettacigars.co.uk>

Just visited your Web-site, which brought back many memories for me - I guess it was provoked by getting a copy of Ken Blacker's new book for Christmas! I have always been interested in London Buses, and Trolleybuses in particular. This is because I spent the first 23 years of my life living in Edmonton, North London, and my Father was a Trolley-Bus Driver at the famous "Tramway Avenue" Depot. I can remember being given a ride up the Avenue in the Cab of my Dad's bus [sitting on the Battery Box], until the vehicle reached the top of the Avenue, and went into service. Obviously, I became a Bus Spotter, and visited every Depot on the system whilst operational except Fulwell, Isleworth and Carshalton.

Anyway, thanks for provoking me into sending this e-mail - as I say, it brings back many happy memories.

From: "Carol Forse" <carolforse@hotmail.com>

I was recommended to your site by an ebayer selling a Bus window blind.

I am tracing my family history, and my grandfather worked for London Transport for 50 years. He was based at Tramway Avenue in Edmonton, North London.

He started as a conductor on the Trams and finally worked as a Depot Inspector at Tramway Avenue. I have his long service certificate and a couple of internal memos sent him to thank him for attending to accidents that had happened.

I have spent some time looking at your wonderful site; as you state, it would take many hours to view all the contents and so I am being a little lazy in asking for directions to any photos you may have of Tramway Avenue in Edmonton?

Having spent my childhood in Edmonton, I recall fondly of the 279 and 149 bus routes: funny how seeing the blind advertised on ebay sent me back to my childhood days. I can recall my granddad telling me how the initials on the side of a bus showed which depot it had come from.

I regret that buses has not been one of my passions in life, but 50 odd years on, I can recall the pride I had as a child when I correctly remembered the "home" of the relevant trolleybus, just to make granddad pleased with me!!!!

Anyhow, enough of my own reminiscences, my granddad was Harold Lock and he seemed to have been very well liked amongst all his colleagues, though it seems your main interests are in the Croydon area so I suspect you wouldn't have ever made contact.

From: "Bob How" <bh1@bobhow.plus.com>

Looking at this photo and the others taken at the end of Tramway Avenue and inside the depot have brought back so many memories for me. My grandfather started here with the MET in 1919, driving trams, working with ex-horse tram drivers who struggled to cope with the new technology. He converted to trolleybuses in 1938, and I have his signed timetable from the last day of the tram service [15/10/1938], when he drove tram no. 2173 on the Holborn Service. After a few weeks short of 40 years service, including driving into central London during the blitz, he retired in 1959 as an inspector. My father started at Edmonton in 1947, and drove trolleybuses, Routemasters and the later DMS [I think - I'd lost interest in the buses by then !].

I never saw the trams here [although I do remember the tops of the rails grinning through the worn tarmac at the junction - are they still down there ?], so maybe I am biased, but I do think the trolleybuses were wonderful machines - swift, silent and very comfortable for the passenger. The top of Tramway Avenue was always a hive of activity with buses arriving and departing and crews changing, with the duty inspector more often at the kerbside than in his 'bothy' next to the phone box. This view shows the overhead really well, but I also like the shot of 1195 by the bus stop next to the public toilets - most photos are taken closer to the road junction and miss this vital facility ! And congratulations on the view looking south, again something which is not often seen but which I remember so well. I know how sad this is going to sound but never mind - I have dreamed several times of walking along the road here, generally on this side, and also of travelling on the upstairs rear seat of a trolleybus, looking back at the overhead - it was such a big part of my childhood. I wouldn't be surprised if seeing these photos sets me off again - thanks, more than I can say.

From: "Mike Hutchinson" <mike.hutchinson50@gmail.com>

Very interesting your web page - I used to live in St.Joseph's Road and I remember the old trolleybuses coming out of Tramway Avenue. I lived in St.Joseph's Road until the early sixties's.

From: "Colin Banks" <colin.banks1@virginmedia.com>

Re pictures 169 and 170.

Way back about 1935 ish Bert Banks visited the Cafe on the corner of Edmonton Tramway Avenue and Hertford Road He repeated the visit several times, and each time he asked the young lady that served the ice cream to go out with him. Eventually she agreed and romance became marriage in 1937.

The young lady was Rose Gill, one of several daughters of David Gill the proprietor of the Tramway Cafe.

Colin Banks, Son of Bert and Rose Banks.