Historic Journey on Solingen's Iconic Bus
Solingen's Historical Trolleybus System: A Journey Through Time
Solingen, a city in Germany, has a unique place in the country's public transport history. Once relying heavily on tramways, Solingen transitioned to a modern electric bus transit system, known as the O-Bus, in the 1950s. This change was a reflection of the broader trend where German cities gradually replaced trams with buses from the 1960s onward.
The evolution of Solingen's urban transport can be traced as follows:
- In the mid-20th century, tramways (Straßenbahn) were the backbone of urban transport across German cities.
- By the early 1960s, many German cities began replacing trams with buses to reduce infrastructure costs and increase route adaptability.
- Solingen chose to embrace trolleybuses (O-Bus) instead of conventional diesel buses, preserving electric traction but freeing networks from tram rails.
- Videos show that Solingen's trolleybuses were still in operation as late as December 1990, decades after tram replacement.
A significant historical event connected to Solingen's O-bus is the 1955 special trip ("Sonderfahrt"), which was a celebrated journey on the trolleybus system. Although precise archival detail on this special trip is limited, it is clear that it was viewed as a significant historical milestone or preservation effort celebrating Solingen's trolleybus heritage.
On August 6, 1955, the first trip of the O-bus to Hasten took place. After this special trip, passengers could delve deeper into public transport history at the Obus Museum. Jürgen Lehmann from the board of the Obus Museum shared many interesting facts about the switch from trams to O-buses in Solingen during the special trip.
The O-bus of the Obus Museum, built in 1955, was in operation until 1974. In Ohligs, O-buses were already in use a year before the citywide switch, starting in 1954. The O-bus represented progress in Solingen at the time of its introduction.
The special trip on the O-bus offers passengers a journey back 70 years in time. The line to Höhscheid went into operation in June. Initially, the O-bus service operated every 10 minutes, with peak times seeing service every 5 minutes.
On August 4, 1955, there was an unspectacular test run of the O-bus to Hasten, which was later celebrated with a small event that turned into a big folk festival. Many passengers on the special trip were delighted to learn about the history of the O-bus and the switch from trams to O-buses in Solingen.
The O-bus, now known as car 59, is a historical "tram taxi" that enjoys a comfortable retirement. The departure for the special trip is from Graf-Wilhelm-Platz. The special trip on the O-bus allows passengers to take photos at the stop.
Today, the O-bus is still used on its line to Hasten, delighting passengers and passersby who take photos. The O-bus system in Solingen serves as a microcosm of German public transport evolution, reflecting broader German transit modernization trends but with Solingen’s notable retention of electric bus technology longer than many peer cities.
- The special trip on August 4, 1955, marked a significant event in Solingen's history, transitioning from trams to the O-bus system, which was a progressive step in the city's transportation industry.
- As home-and-garden enthusiasts might appreciate, preservation efforts have been ongoing since then, as the first O-bus museum was established following the successful switch from trams to the O-bus.
- In the realm of finance, the shift to trolleybuses was strategic, offering reduced infrastructure costs while maintaining electric traction, a decision that accurately reflected the broader trend in German cities from the 1960s onward.
