| LC control no. | sh 85137980 |
|---|---|
| LC classification | TL232 |
| Topical heading | Trolley buses |
| Variant(s) | Trackless trolleys |
| See also | Buses, Electric |
| Found in | Schwarzkopf, Tom. Tire and wires, 2019: p. 9 ("[...] post-WWII, when many Canadian systems were converting streetcar systems to the electric bus, the most common word used for it was "trolley coach". Trade journals used this term extensively as did manufacturers. In the latter years, the remaining systems' marketing people started using "trolley bus" or alternated it with "trolley coach". But, for internal use (garage staff, rolling stock engineers), these vehicles were usually referred to as "trolley coaches". Post-war ads placed by Canadian Car & Foundry, maker of the Canadian Car-Brill referred to the vehicles as "trackless trolley coaches". In some US cities, such as Boston and Philadelphia, the term more commonly used was "trackless trolley" or simply, "trackless". However, all the US manufacturers used the term "trolley coach". In Vancouver, the public and transit staff most often used the simple short form, "trolley" which was common in other places like Hamilton and Toronto, but this can be confused with "trolley car", a.k.a. "streetcar" (or "tram" overseas).") San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's website, viewed on November 18, 2019: Muni's electric trolley buses ("Electric trolley buses are rubber-tired vehicles with motors powered by electricity from overhead wires. "Trolley" refers to the trolley poles on the roof of the bus that are used to transmit the electricity from the overhead wires. [...] Modern trolley buses have a battery which allows them to travel off-wire and reroute around anything blocking their path, such as an excavation site or a street fair. The use of trolley buses is generally restricted to lines on which a high-enough frequency of service can justify the expense of the electric power system installation and vehicle costs. [...] Muni's trolley coaches (as well as its streetcars and cable cars) are almost entirely pollution-free") <https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/munis-electric-trolley-buses> Encylopedia Britannica online, viewed on November 18, 2019: Trolleybus ("Trolleybus, also called Trackless Trolley, vehicle operated on the streets on rubber tires and powered by electricity drawn from two overhead wires by trolley poles. It is distinct from a trolley car, which runs on rails rather than on tires and is thus a form of streetcar.") |
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