WCT 2, Guy Warrior tower wagon, Cleveland Road Depot, 1969

            Wolverhampton Corporation Transport, tower wagon No2 pictured inside Cleveland Road Depot, having received its repaint from red and cream into apple green and primrose livery in July 1969. New in January 1959, No2 was one of two identical tower wagons built for maintaining the town's extensive trolleybus overhead; its sister No1 having been delivered new in June 1958.

Both tower wagons featured bespoke locally built Robinson bodies mounted onto a locally built Guy ‘Warrior’ lorry chassis, incorporating an onboard workshop. The tower was likely built by 'Eagle Engineering' who specialised in building wooden/metal telescopic towers for these types of vehicles.

When the Wolverhampton trolleybus system closed in March 1967, these two tower wagons were used in the dismantling of the overhead wires between Wolverhampton and Dudley. Beyond that the two relatively new vehicles were retained by the Corporation.

In late 1967, No1 was converted by the Transport Department into a bus towing vehicle, having its tower removed in the process. However, No2 remained as a tower wagon and continued its maintenance duties for lighting and depot roof infrastructure repairs, seeing extended periods of disuse.

In October 1969, both of these ancillary vehicles passed to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) with the rest of Wolverhampton’s bus operations, staff and assets. At that time WMPTE were duty bound to continue trolleybus operations in the neighbouring town of Walsall. Walsall Corporation had not given up on the trolleybus and intended to operate them into the 1970s. However, WMPTE had other ideas and closed the system in October 1970. 

On the closure of Walsall’s trolleybus system, No2 was resurrected and used by outside contractors to help dismantle the now redundant trolleybus overhead wiring in Walsall. After completion of that final task, No2 became redundant and is recorded as being sold to scrap dealer ‘Berry’ of Leicester. However, in truth, No2 was driven to Stone in Staffordshire and parked in a scrap yard next to the railway line where it languished for decades. It was discovered in the 1990s and inspected by Guy Motors enthusiast and restorer, the late great Ron Lucas. No2 was to be later recovered by the Aston Manor Transport Museum and placed into undercover storage. Sadly, its rescue came too late and now in a terribly dilapidated state the badly decayed vehicle was deemed beyond saving and was dismantled.

Taken on: October 24, 2023

Tags:

WDA302

Wolverhampton

Guy

Warrior

tower wagon

Cleveland Road

Garage

Depot

1960s

1969

repaint

July

Trolleybus

maintenance

overhead repairs

overhead

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