Despite a severe contraction of the trolleybus network in 1963 and a further retrenchment in 1970, a number of lines remained in the late 1970s, served by a venerable fleet of Twin Coaches built between 1940 and 1944 and Pullman-Standards dating from 1943 and 1944. There was even a single Brill built by Pacific Car and Foundry in 1940, retired in 1963, brought back from rusty oblivion and renovated in 1975 to answer a shortage of coaches - as were three Twins during the same period.

The aging buses bore three liveries: green and white, introduced by Seattle Transit in 1955; red and grey from 1963, and the white, yellow, ochre and brown scheme chosen when the system passed to King County Metro in 1973. The resurrected Brill sported yet a fourth, the cream, dark green and black with silver roof that had heralded the new fleet in 1940 but that had given way after World War 2 to a more easily-maintained cream and grey.

All surviving trolleys had been renumbered at least once, some twice, even thrice. Seattle Transit did renumberings in 1964 and 1971-73; Metro consolidated the roster into a single block in 1974. And that's why the numbers vary all over the place.

Renaissance came with closure of the system in 1978 for complete rebuilding and the opening of an expanded network with new coaches in 1979. The Saturday after closure saw a farewell tour; several of the pictures in the Pullman and Twins sections were taken then.