Latest journals available to members:
October 2021 Trolleybus + Wheels + Bus Fare
The British Trolleybus Society owns a fleet of historic trolleybuses, details of which are in the Fleet List pages. The BTS also contributes to the management & operation of the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft, which houses the largest collection of preserved trolleybuses in the world, and we now own the adjacent property, which will be incorporated into the Trolleybus Museum. In addition to our monthly magazine, ‘Trolleybus’ we publish local bus newsletters for Reading and the Thames Valley (Bus Fare) & West Yorkshire (Wheels). A free copy of 'Trolleybus' is available to prospective members. Either download a copy by registering using "Member Login", or apply to the Secretary who will post a printed copy to you.
Monthly meetings are held in London, Reading & Bradford, to which all are invited. No meetings are being held during the lockdown although from December 2020 our traditional 'first Friday of the month' meetings will resume using Zoom. An advantage will be that these meetings will be accessible without the need to travel.
BTS Online Newsletter Members have access to our magazines online and we have now introduced a monthly newssheet which is emailed to all members who are registered on the website and includes joining instructions for the Society’s Zoom meetings and other topical matters.
We are now expecting Reading meetings to resume in January 2022 and a further announcement will be made nearer the time.
Zoom meetings are open from 19.15 and the presentations, which last for around one hour, start at 19.30
Friday 1 October Our presenter will be Robert Williams, Chief Executive of Reading Buses. We will learn about the enormous challenges posed to public transport operators by the Covid-19 pandemic.
If you do not receive the monthly newsletter but wish to register to attend, please email chairman@britishtrolley.org.uk and you will be sent joining instructions. All are welcome to register.
The Joint Working Group established by the Society's Committee and the Museum's Board of Directors have now signed off a strategic plan that meets the specific needs of the Society and the Museum and will eventually result in a much improved visitor experience. This will include a spacious Exhibition Hall where visitors will be able to view selected trolleybuses and an exhibition telling the story of the trolleybus in the UK. A planning application is being prepared and work which does not require planning permission will commence soon.
The Society's "flagship" trolleybus, the 1938 AEC 661T/Park Royal which was the first trolleybus to be privately preserved in the UK, returned to the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft on Friday 24 May 2019 after receiving a full repaint and now looks magnificent. Following research by Dave Hall, the Society's Archivist and Librarian, the adverts have been signwritten to an give authentic appearance. The work was largely funded by a legacy from Colin Enticknap, who was a Society member for around 50 years. We were delighted that Colin's niece, Valerie Hayllor, accepted an invitation to perform the launch ceremony.
The BTS (originally formed as the Reading Transport Society in 1961) celebrated its 60th anniversary at the Trolleybus Museum At Sandtoft over the August Bank Holiday. It was a huge success, with high visitor numbers every day. We ran four members of the BTS fleet of trolleybuses (Reading 113, Huddersfield 631, Manchester 1344 and South Shields 204, plus privately-owned Nottingham 506). There were presentations in the Regal Cinema looking at the history of the BTS and our fleet of historic vehicles. Keith Burbidge brought his mini Bournemouth trolleybus and bus and we were visited by preserved Hull bus 337, a 1953 AEC Regent lll. Thank you to everyone who attended for making it such a memorable weekend.
There were more events planned for the following weekend after the August bank holiday in Reading to mark the occasion, but these have had to be postponed until 2022 due to Government Covid restrictions and the reluctance of hotels to take bookings for large numbers at the time of trying to make the arrangements. We plan to mark the occasion in Reading as follows:
The BTS Reading meeting on Friday 1 April 2022 will be devoted to looking back at our 60 years' existence and a lot of fun is guaranteed as we present digital photo shows and cine fim featuring many members as youngsters!
On Saturday 2 April 2022 there will be a tour of the former trolleybus routes in Reading in a preserved motorbus followed by an Anniversary dinner at a local hotel. More details will appear later this year once details are finalised.
London Transport 1812 Our London Q1 trolleybus was built in 1948, operated in Spain from 1961 until 1974, and was brought back to the UK by the BTS in 1977 for restoration to London condition and operation at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft. It was on loan to the London Bus Museum from 2015 until October 2020 and the Society is now raising £20,000 to fund a substantial mechanical overhaul, in particular to rectify steering and suspension problems that have been experienced.
It is an exciting prospect that 1812 will return to service at Sandtoft in time for the 60th anniversary of the closure of the London trolleybus system in 2022, once again providing “Queen of the Road” riding quality.
We are seeking your help! You can donate online using the link below to pay using PayPal or your credit or debit card. For details of how to pay by cheque please see the Latest News page.
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=E7RCH69YE3X76
Bournemouth 301 The Society's Bournemouth MF2B, which was the last new trolleybus to enter service in the UK, received a full repaint and some work on its electrics while at Keighley Bus Museum. It has now left Keighley and is having its window rubbers replaced before returning to the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft later this year.
BTS Calendar 2022. This year we are featuring trolleybus tours in British cities and around the world. AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE
A London Trolleybus Reborn. The latest Trolleybooks title relates the full story of the Society's London Q1 trolleybus, 1812, from construction in 1948 and service in London, sale for further service in Santander - Astillero, then return to the UK by the British Trolleybus Society and restored for service at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft. The vehicle's life story is set in the context of the history of public transport operation in south-west London, the history of trolleybus operation in Spain, and 1812's place as one of the few surviving London trolleybuses.
All profits are being devoted to the fund 1812's mechanical overhaul. AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE
The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and is a registered charity No. 1033666.
It's very easy to join the Society! Just click here to find full details of how you can join and pay online or, if you prefer, send a cheque to our Membership Secretary. The annual membership rate starts at £21 for online-only membership.
We now have a wide range of publications available for delivery to your door. When you buy from BTS Sales you are supporting the Society's fleet of historic trolleybuses.
Have a look at our "Other Publications" page, which includes many Trolleybooks titles and a few others.
We are partners in the publication of ‘Trolleybooks’, which cover historic and current systems in the UK and abroad. Please visit our Trolleybooks page to see the latest titles, which include Glasgow Trolleybuses, Britain's Lost Trolleybus Systems, Reading Trolleybuses, Italian Trolleybuses Abroad and Walsall Trolleybuses. Our TrolleyBooks page has more details about these publications.
David Bowler's 'Bournemouth Trolleybuses' which you can purchase here, is a lavishly-illustrated comprehensive history of Bournemouth's trolleybus system. All profits from BTS Sales go towards trolleybus restoration and preservation. Purchase this book from the BTS and you will directly help with the restoration of our 1935 Sunbeam MS2, Bournemouth 99.
There is also a lovely set of notelets showing six different scenes of Reading trolleybuses in service - click here to order!
Copyright British Trolleybus Society 2012 - 2019 - Registered Charity 1033666
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