British Trolleybus Systems

Part of a four-volume history of trolleybus systems across Britain, this book covers operations based in Wales, the Midlands, and East Anglia.

The first British experiments with trolleybus systems began in the first decade of the twentieth century. They were meant to be a low-cost means of supplementing tram services in lightly trafficked areas and providing links to communities not served by existing tram routes. But when the Bradford Corporation introduced fully enclosed, double-decker trolleybuses in the early 1920s, they became a serious competitor for the tram. 

For decades, the trolleybus enjoyed increasing usage and became the dominant form of local public transport in places like Derby and Ipswich—both covered in this volume. Fully illustrated and comprehensive, this volume also covers the trolleybus systems of Aberdare, Birmingham, Cardiff, Pontypridd, and other cities.