Latest journals available to members:
May 2019 Trolleybus + Wheels + Bus Fare.
In 2017the Society purchased the bungalow and property adjoining the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft. On 5 October 2018 the Trolleybus Museum announced that it had purchased another 1.5 acres of land, mainly adjoining the western boundary of the BTS land. The Society's Committee and the Museum's Board of Directors are working closely together to develop 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.
Bournemouth Trolleybus Pageant 25 - 27 May 2019
This event, to be held at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft, will see the Society's most recent acquisition, Bournemouth 301, (seen below on Christchurch turntable while on hire to the Reading Transport Society - as we were then known - on 29 December 1968), in service for the first time as a BTS vehicle. 301 was the last new trolleybus to enter service in the UK. It will operate alongside 297 from the same batch for the first time in many years. The Society's 1935 Sunbeam MS2 is expected to operate demonstration runs at the same event. Our Archivist and Librarian, Dave Hall, will be running film shows in the Regal Cinema including rare very early films of Bournemouth and Hastings trolleybuses.
READING ANNIVERSARY Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the closure of our "home" system, Reading, where the Society was founded in 1961. We held an exhibition of Reading trolleybus artefacts in Reading Museum and the British Trolleybus Society and Reading Museum jointly hosted two very interesting speakers for an informal get-together as part of BLACK HISTORY MONTH called 'Come and Drive Our Buses'.
We also held a free film show in Reading Town Hall co-presented by Dave Hall and Peter Whitehead showing old cine film and digital photos of Reading's trolleybuses which was attended by 180 people. Our events were made possible by Heritage Lottery Funding.
Following the success of last year's events the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft has Reading-themed Trolleydays on 2 and 3 November 2019, with Reading trolleybuses in service and Dave Hall showing films in the Regal Cinema.
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.
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.
Britain's Lost Trolleybus Systems by Roland Box. Now being reprinted with minor amendments. "Lost" sold out in under thre months and so Trolleybooks has arranged a limited additional print run. This highly detailed book discovers the amazing number of towns and nearly all cities of Britain that planned trolleybus networks over the last century.
188 pages and 225 pictures and large maps. £28 + postage. http://www.trolleybooks.co.uk/losttrolleybussystems.html
Also recently published:
Dave Hall's thoroughly updated comprehensive history, Reading Trolleybuses. 278 pages, together with 412 photographs, maps and diagrams. http://www.trolleybooks.co.uk/readingtrolleybuses.html
Italian Trolleybuses Abroad 258 pages, in Italian and English, this encyclopedic volume covers the fascinating story of the many Italian trolleybuses exported to the world between 1939 and 2008. 360 images show that contribution to trolleybus history; and over 20 maps show where the trolleybuses operated. £38 + postage. http://www.trolleybooks.co.uk/italiansabroad.html
Bob Rowe's comprehensive Walsall Trolleybuses was also launched earlier in 2018, documenting the full history of this Black Country system from small beginnings in 1931 through innovative vehicles and extensive route developments during the 1950s to inventive management and then closure in 1970. With over 400 images and told over 232 pages of highly researched narration, that have been evolving over 30 years of the author's commitment.http://www.trolleybooks.co.uk/walsalltrolleybuses.html
We also have available currently, copies of David Bowler's 'Portsmouth Trolleybuses' which you can purchase here. These are post free while stocks last.
The 2019 calendar has now SOLD OUT! Look out for details of the 2020 calendar. Click here for details.
A lovely set of six different scenes of Reading trolleybuses in service - click here to order!
The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and is a registered charity No. 1033666.
It's very easy to join the Society! Just click on "Why not join the BTS?" in the next column 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 below £20 for online-only membership.
Copyright British Trolleybus Society 2018 - Registered Charity 1033666
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