An era of Australian transport history came to an end thirty years ago, on 29th August 1969. Trolleybuses operated by the Metropolitan (Perth ) Transport Trust, were phased out.

Trolleybuses had served the people of Perth for 36 years, but it was stated by Government of the day, that high costs of maintenance, plus high cost of extending the system to new areas has been quoted as reasons for their replacement. (We now know better — such things quoted as replacements for trolleybuses were spent on the diesel buses, tyres batteries etc.) On inspection of Trolleybuses preserved , there were years of service life left, and the above quotation proved right. by ex employees.

The Western Australian Government Tramways received their first Trolleybuses on the 10th of June 1933, when one complete Leyland with a Park Royal body and two more trolleys crated, were unloaded from the S.S. Limerick at Fremantle. The two chassis were sent to Midland Junction Workshops where the bodies were built. As certain parts have been supplied no difficulty was experience in producing a similar body to the imported one

August saw all the overhead lines in place and driver training began with one bus. When the other two became available, they were used for training too.

A diary kept by Motor Inspector Phil Glover records the event of the Official opening of the Trolleybus Service. At 2.25 p. m. there was an official opening at West Leederville by the Minister for Railways, Mr. Willcocks. During the afternoon we were not able to cope with the loading and the people were joyriding. Many expressed their appreciation of this new form of travel.

The Perth Trolleybus system was opened on 1.10.1933 from Trafalgar Road, East Perth to the West Leederville Railway Station. The connection between Wellington Street up Hill Street to the Carbarn was made by the Tramway Line, using a skate on Tram line and one pole on overhead line.

Although a Trolleybus line was in existence between Payneham and Paradise in South Australia from 18.4.1932 it was only experimental nature only. Thus Perth can claim the distinction of being the first city in Australia to install a permanent Trolleybus System.

The early days of service were plagued with teething troubles and often the ingenuity of the crews was all that kept the new Trolleybuses on the road, one of the many problems encountered was the continual de-wiring of the trolley poles whenever the buses ran over rough sections of road, this problem lasted until the moderfaction of sliding slippers on the poles replaced the trolley wheels.

First three buses had co-axial trolley bases for the booms (poles), the only application of this type in Australia.

On 27.2.1938 an extension was made from West Leederville to Reserve Street, Wembley, closing the loop at West Leederville on this day (but it remained in place till April 1939). This was followed with a branch line to Lissadell Street Floreat Park on 23.4.1939.

A turning circle was erected in Wellington Street, opposite the Perth Railway Station for short workings, this was opened to service also on 23.4.1939. This group of Trolleybus routes replaced tramways to East Perth, West Perth and Wembley and remained unchanged till 1949.

Claremont Tram Service was the next to be replaced by Trolleybuses, this occurred on 12th June 1938. A Service from Perth around Mounts Bay Road , Stirling Highway past the old Claremont Tram Terminus to Claremont Fire Station at Congdon Road and Stirling Highway

The service was declared open by the Premier ( Mr.J.C.Willcock ) before a large crowd of people, including Minister of Railways (Mr.F.C. Smith), Commissioner of Railways (Mr. J. Allis), the General Manager (Mr. W.Taylor ), the Mayor of Claremont (Mr.G. Mengler), many more Councillors and Government members and local district Councillors of surrounding areas including the Mayor of Perth.

Two turning loops were located at Loch Street & Broadway and Cooper & Bruce Street. The only extension to this Service occurred in October of 1950, when a line off the Stirling Highway at Vaucluse Street to Ashton Avenue Subway was installed. This serviced the Friday night Speedway and the Showgrounds. The Loch Street line closed in October. 1950.

The only minor turning loop was installed in 1954 around a small park at foot of Mill Street, because of the visit of the Queen which would close the Terrace to traffic.

It is interesting to note that Claremont route was never physically attached to any of the other three groups of Trolleybus routes, and yet all four groups shared the one depot ! When the Claremont route was first opened, Trolleybuses proceeded from Carbarn along Hay Street, Barrack Street and the Esplanade to William Street, where they turned North towards St George's Terrace. This was accomplished by placing one Pole on the Tramway overhead wire and placing a skate in one of the grooved rails. In William Street, both poles were placed on the Trolley wire ,and the vehicle was ready for traffic. Proceeding to the Carbarn, it was the procedure to put one pole on the tram overhead in William Street. The skate in Tramline was used up to Wellington Street. Both poles were put up on the trolleybus overhead. The trolley driven to Hill Street, thence one pole was put up on the tramway overhead wire. The skate on grooved line proceeded to Hay Street, then back to the carbarn. This changed on 13th May 1953 when overhead line was extended up Wellington Street Bay Street to Carbarn, cancelling out Hill Street line. This date saw the last time skates were used behind Trolleybuses returning to the Carbarn.

June 1950 saw the Wellington Street line also extended around Wellington Square, to relieve traffic away from railway turning loop, which was still used until 1957. This made the East Perth run shorter on some runs instead of going to Trafalgar Road Terminus empty.

The next major Tram replacement was on the Mt. Hawthorn line. Trolleybus Service started on the 22nd of July 1951. This started at Wellington Square East Perth followed the Wembley Service as far as Cambridge Street and Oxford Street Leederville down Oxford Street to Scarborough Beach Road terminated at Kalgoorlie Street Mount Hawthorn. There was a spur line at Bourke Street Leederville for a short working. At this stage, the trams were still running down Newcastle Street to Oxford Street

The East Perth Power House Rotary Converters were being overtaxed by supplying D.C. power. Therefore, the Tramways installed a new Sub-station at Vincent Street Mt Lawley, the equipment was second hand Mercury Arc Rectifiers and high speed breakers from Fremantle Tramways. This was commissioned in August of 1954. A new Sub-Station was added at Selby Street and Salvardo Road Wembley. It was equipped with mercury arc rectifiers. The substgation came on line in September 1955 to service the greater demand for power in the Wembley area.

The Wembley route was extended from Reserve Street to Linden Gardens on the 30th of November 1954. The Floreat Park line was extended from Lissadell Street to Louth Road also on the 30th of November 1954.

On the 6th December 1954, the trams in Newcastle Street were replaced by trolleybuses and the Mount Hawthorn Service followed the old Tram route to the foot of William Street where a turning circle at the Esplanade, closure of service via Cambridge and Oxford Streets.

For the opening of William Street to trolleybus service, a connection was put in at William and Wellington Streets both ways so the buses could return to Carbarn and so they could go into service from Wellington Street. Claremont Trolleybuses still had to change onto the Mount Hawthorn lines to return to the Carbarn.

A further and final extension to the Wembley service occurred on 15th December 1957 with a extension from Linden Gardens to Dumfries Road.

On the closure of Perth's last Tram line on 19th of July 1958, an extensive expansion of the rolleybus system occurred. Trolleybuses replaced the trams on the Inglewood and Mt Lawley lines. At the same time a new line to Bedford was opened, which had no service by electric traction before this service.

The Inglewood line was extended beyond Grand Prom. to Lawrence Street. A turning circle was used for the return journey. A short spur at Normandy Street for short working terminus in Dundas Road was installed.

The Mt. Lawley line was moved from Walcott Street past old Tram Terminus to Charles Street. It used a circular loop to return.

The Bedford line, a new route for Electric Traction, left at Beaufort Street and Grand Prom and proceeded along Grand Prom to Woodrow Avenue, where a turning circle for the return. The Inglewood line was opened by Trolleybus 60 and the Mt. Lawley line by Trolleybus 86 on Monday, the 21st of July 1958. The Bedford line opened in August of 1959 with Trolleybus 50.

The next occurrence of significance to the Trolleybus System was the opening of the Narrows Bridge line between South Perth and Mounts Bay Road. Although Mounts Bay Road was affected a little by the bridge, the government policy was, following a big reorganisation of routes and the formation of the Metropolitan (Perth ) Passenger Transport Trust, to abandon the Claremont Trolleybus route. The M.T.T. which comprised the merger of many Perth omnibus companies was not keen on Trolleybus operations, a vehicle with which they were basically unfamiliar.

It has been said that if the government had let the Tramways Board run the M.T.T. instead of the Metro Bus Company, things would have been different. The Perth end of the Claremont System would have been removed from Mounts Bay Road, and re-routed over the old Subiaco Tramline to Broadway. This statement was quoted from a senior Tramway Official, who was then on the M.T.T. Board, while being interviewed by Ric Francis about the reasons behind the closure. Claremont Trolleybus System closed on 3rd August 1959.

Because the terminus at the foot of William Street was in the way of the approach to the extension to the Narrows Bridge roadway, the Mount Hawthorn Service was closed on the 3rd of August 1959, running in William Street and extended along Newcastle Street to Beaufort Street, around the James Street loop and down to the Barrack Street jetty.

The M.T.T. made changes to operating hours of the Trolleybuses, because of two man crews. The trolleys from Monday to Friday 7a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturdays from 7 am 12 midday There was no Sunday or Public Holiday Service.

On Saturday the 17th March of 1963, Inspector Biggs give the final departure instruction to the crew of Trolleybus No 41 G .Gutrich and L. Stewart to depart for the last run to Mount Hawthorn; Ric Francis accompanied the crew on it trip out to Kalgoorlie Street Terminus and back to Barrack Street Jetty, then returning to the Causeway parking yard. Diesel Buses replaced the Trolleybuses that afternoon.

Kensington Street in East Perth was closed to Trolleybus service on the 13th of December 1964, but the East Perth service still ran from Wellington Square.

All trolleybus services to Mt Lawley Inglewood and Bedford were closed as from 20th December 1968, because of Barrack Street becoming one-way traffic, the trust said it would be too expensive to rewire William Street for incoming Trolleybuses to the City. It was stated by a senior Staff member that they had enough equipment on hand to do the job. But because the Trust was Diesel Bus inclined the project was failed.

The trolleybus system closed on Friday evening, the 29th of August 1969. The Wembley and Floreat garages closed together. Saturday, the 30th August 1969, saw the Railway Historical Society hire Trolleybuses 85 & 46 for a final journey over the System before it was a memory.

Trolleybus 885 worked the last Floreat Park from Dumfries Road at 18:27 on Friday, the 29th of August 1969.