The Reading trolleybus system served the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire and was owned by Reading Corporation, who had operated an electric tramway since 1901. As there was a need for major refurbishment of the tramway in the 1930s, they decided to replace it with a trolleybus network. The first route was converted on , and by mid 1939, trolleybuses were running over most of the tramway routes, with the last tram running on 20 May. By the standards of the various now-defunct trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom, the Reading system was a moderately sized one, with a total of four routes, and a maximum fleet of 63 trolleybuses, a size that lasted from 1 December 1950 to 27 March 1952.
Reading saw a large increase in population during the Second World War, and extra vehicles were obtained to meet the demands for transport. During this period, all of the termini were given new non-geographical names, in case there was an invasion, but most were reverted when hostilities ceased. In the post-war period, small extensions to the system continued to be made, and although a batch of second-hand trolleybuses were purchased in 1949, most acquisitions were new, with a final batch of twelve obtained from Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles in 1961. The demise of the system was hastened by the manufacturer of overhead wiring announcing that they would cease production of these items, and some major roadworks taking place in the town, which would have required reconstruction of the overhead wiring. The first closure of a route took place in July 1965, and the system closed on .
Reading was at the forefront of the trolleybus preservation movement, when Reading Transport Society obtained the first British trolleybus to be privately preserved. Another five Reading vehicles were eventually saved, including one that was sold to Teesside for further service when the Reading system closed. The Reading Transport Society spent years searching for a site where their vehicles could be exhibited and operated, and were instrumental in setting up The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft in 1969, where all of the preserved vehicles are normally stored. The Society was rebranded as the British Trolleybus Society in 1971, reflecting the wider remit that they now had.
History
Reading Corporation had run an electric tramway network since 1 November 1901, and by the 1930s the tramcars were showing their age, as the fleet still consisted of the 30 vehicles that had been bought for the opening of the system and another six that had been acquired a year later, although many had been fitted with new bodywork at the Mill Lane depot in the 1920s. In 1931 a Tramways (Future Policy) Subcommittee was created, to consider what should be done when replacement of the tramcars became necessary. Formal visits were made to see several trolleybus systems, and the committee proposed a trolleybus network as the solution. As they were already promoting a Bill in Parliament to authorise the supply of electricity, the initial plan to obtain powers to convert the Caversham Bridge to Whitley Wood route became a more general request to cover the conversion of all the tram routes, and these powers were enshrined in the Reading Corporation Act (1935).
Trams on the route along Erleigh Road had been withdrawn on 7 August 1932, to be replaced by motorbuses, The overhead wiring on part of the route was altered for trolleybuses, and a Sunbeam demonstrator was obtained in May 1936 to allow driver training to take place. The vehicle was fitted with a skate to allow it to run under the tramway wires between the depot and the test track, and although there was never a public trolleybus service on the Erleigh Road route, passengers were often carried free of charge during this period to provide a taster for the new mode of transport. Trams were withdrawn from the Caversham to Whitley Street route on 15 July 1936, to be temporarily replaced by motor buses while the conversion of the overhead wiring was completed. A formal opening took place on 18 July, with the Mayor driving the Sunbeam demonstrator, now No.1 in the corporation's fleet. The other five vehicles obtained to provide the service were an eclectic mix, with one each from Associated Equipment Company (AEC) of Southall, Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Leyland Motors of Leyland, Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies of Ipswich, and another Sunbeam. All had lowbridge bodywork by Park Royal Vehicles, with 50 seats on the demonstrator and 52 seats on the rest.