London Trolleybus terminus at The Dittons for Route 602

Click on picture [304] for an enlarged version

From: "Alan Stokes" <alan@aspal.co.uk>

I recently discovered your Trolleybus site. I'm not sure how, but that's one of the joys of the 'net'!

As for your site, the Trolleybuses on the 601-605 were of most interest as they ran local to where I live(d), Kingston-upon-Thames. In fact, I often went to school on the 602 as my school was at Hinchley Wood, not too far away from The Dittons - terminus for the 602. I live near the 'Kingston Loop' so made much use of the 602 and 603. I also often used to go for a 'Red Rover', probably three shillings at the time, and would haunt the 667/660/666 and mooch around Colindale depot and scrap yard.

Nowadays, my interest in LT trolleybuses is re-kindled [not that it ever went far away] with the discovery of those at Carlton Colville and Sandtoft. I belong to both museums but cannot get to either very often because of my work.

There is much pleasure in finding more 'new' pictures and your site was a great discovery.

From: "Mike Cawood" <mike@cawood51.fsnet.co.uk>

I now live in Wrexham, North Wales but I used to live in Thames Ditton and I regularly caught the 602 Trolleybus to Surbiton Station to catch the train for school. Then of course the trolleybuses were taken out and we had the 282, which was a Routemaster. Other buses to pass that location were 215, 218 & 219, which were RF single deckers.

The view of The Dittons, in picture 304 was where I got on. The flat above the chemist in the background was where a friend of my family [a Mrs Jay] lived and we used to visit there from time to time.

From: "Alan Jarvis" <Alan.Jarvis1@btopenworld.com>

What a wonderful site to visit because it brought me back to my wartime days. I was then a trainee Draughtsman at Hawker Aircraft Co in Kingston [and an ATC Warrant Officer at Hinchley Wood].

I lived close to the terminus at Thames Ditton where my sister and dad worked at my Uncle's firm which was AC Cars. I have to confess that I've copied one of the Trolley shots as a small picture for my own web site My Web by AJ where I hope to include an article and pictures about those glorious eco-friendly transports in my December 2003 Update.

I'm afraid waiting for all your pictures to download locked up my machine's memory so I couldn't see the Thames Ditton one, but those that did appear were very good and full of memories - aaahhh!

I now live at Southwold, within shooting distance of the Transport Museum near Lowestoft and visited today but some bum information on their web site said it was open but it wasn't so it was a wasted visit.

In my update, I'm hoping to suggest the return to Trolley Buses in view of their lack of eco-Unfriendly emissions.

From: "Mary Heath" <jjh.mch@btinternet.com>

Just discovered this wonderful site. I was brought up in Surbiton so the 601,602 and 603 are all very familiar to me. Going in and out of Surbiton to Kingston you only had to stand outside the Odeon for a few minutes before some sort of bus came along and the price was so reasonable even my pocket money could sustain it!

Even used to go the length of Claremont Road from The Odeon to my school, Park Lodge, at the bottom of Claremont Road if I had walked to the town for something in my lunch hour. Only 1½d or 2d half fare for that short but time saving trip!

As one of your other correspondents said, if only a few more years had passed they might have survived but everyone thought petrol would last and be cheap forever. When the 601 and 603 turned up St Marks Hill the conductor had to "change the points" before the bus left the stop outside Peggy Browns. And they were subject to "losing an arm" on tight corners or going round obstacles/parked cars, no preference bus lanes then and it was a bit of a stretch for the arms sometimes; then the conductor had to get out, pull a long pole from under the bus, and latch the arm back on to the wires.

You say one went to the Transport Museum in East Anglia, was that the one in Ipswich?
[Check out the EATM page].

Mary Heath, Northampton