ON June 1 it will be 100 years since Darlington's electric tram and trolleybus network started, and the anniversary is being commemorated with the publication of a book.

Darlington, of course, has always been a transport pioneer. It was the birthplace of the railways in 1825, and in 1862 was one of the first towns in the world to dabble in horse-drawn trams. This attempt ended in 1864, partly because so many people had tripped over the protruding tramlines and were suing the owners.

Stephen Lockwood's new book, Darlington Trolleybuses (Including the Tramways), concentrates on 1904 to July 1957, during which time Ipswich was the only other place in Britain not to have a council-owned motor bus operating in its town centre.

First of all, Darlingtonians were transported on an electric tramway, which had four lines radiating from the Market Place and going to Harrowgate Hill, Haughton Road, Eastbourne and Cockerton.

In 1926, Darlington converted from trams to trolleybuses, with pneumatic tyres for a more comfortable ride and large booms, which enabled them to be connected to the electricity supply while pulling out to overtake parked vehicles.

In 1957 the electrical apparatus needed a complete overhaul. It also needed extending to take in the post-war suburbs. This was too big a bill for the council, and the trolleybus era came to an end.

"They were very green, as we would say nowadays, very silent, very fume-free, smooth to ride and very good acceleration," said Mr Lockwood.

"There are still a lot of trolleybuses on the Continent, but not in this country because of deregulation. It is much easier and cheaper to compete against them with a motor bus."

Mr Lockwood never rode on a Darlington trolleybus. He is a native of Huddersfield and started work scheduling timetables for Bradford's trolleybuses - his previous two books are about these towns' networks.

He came to work for Darlington Corporation Transport in 1976 and has never left.

He was even managing director of Darlington Transport Company (DTC) during the infamous bus wars of 1994 when the deregulated bus market flooded Darlington with buses from all over the country and drove DTC out of business. He is now Durham County Council's rural transport officer.

Although many people have memories of trolleybuses, there is very little evidence of them on the ground.

A gym has recently been built on their Haughton Road depot, and now there are a couple of lamp-posts in Yarm Road which used to carry their wires, and a peculiar inset kerb in Coniscliffe Road which was once a turning circle.

* Mr Lockwood's book, published by Middleton Press, goes on sale for £14.95 tomorrow.