Celebrating 50 Years of Trolleybus Preservation

2011 marked the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Reading Transport Society, forerunner of the British Trolleybus Society. The British Trolleybus Society emerged in 1971 from the Reading Transport Society, which had collected trolleybuses from all over Britain through the 1960’s.

To mark this momentous occasion, the British Trolleybus Society organised a number of special events, including a special BTS meeting in Reading on Friday 1 April 2011 plus a tour of Reading trolleybus routes and a jubilee dinner on 2 April 2011. There was also a celebration weekend at Sandtoft at the end of May. Finally, 113 was brought  back to Reading at the end of June and was displayed with our ex Reading motorbus, 47, in the main shopping area in Reading on Saturday 2 July and at Reading Buses Open Day the following day. The following weekend saw 113 displayed at the Woodcote Rally. Click here for the full story.

What The British Trolleybus Society Does

The British Trolleybus Society maintains & restores a historic & unique fleet of trolleybuses, details of which are in the Fleet List pages. Our latest restoration project, Manchester 1344, was completed and recommissioned into service on 29 May 2011. Work has now started on Walsall 872's restoration  with completion expected later this year. You can follow the progress by clicking here. 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. The Society produces a monthly magazine, ‘Trolleybus’, as well as local bus newsletters for Reading (Bus Fare) & West Yorkshire (Wheels). A free copy of 'Trolleybus' is available to prospective members on application to the secretary.

There are monthly meetings in London, Reading & Bradford, to which all are invited.

We are partners in the publication of ‘Trolleybooks’, which cover historic and current systems in the UK and abroad. The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and is a registered charity No. 1033666.