Brighton Trolleybuses

Andrew Henbest

ISBN 1-904474-34-9 - 169mm x 234mm - 96 pages - Softback
Illustrated in monochrome
Published by Middleton Press in 2005

Trolleybus Memories Brighton

Glyn Kraemer-Johnson and John Bishop

ISBN (13)978 0-7110-3199-9 - 213mm x 282mm - 80 pages - Softback
Illustrated in colour and monochrome
Published by Ian Allan Publishing in 2007

You wait for years and, then, two come along in relatively quick succession!

No, I am not talking about London buses but rather books on the subject of the Brighton trolleybus system.

Andrew Henbest’s book was published in 2005. That from Glyn Kraemer- Johnson and John Bishop, in 2007. Both have been welcomed with open arms by this Brighton born lad old enough to recall the days when the system operated in its full glory from the immediate post war years to the end in 1961 and when the trolleys were a regular means of transport in the Elm Grove area of the town until 1959.

There is little point in seeking to compare and contrast the two publications. Indeed, it is perhaps best to regard them as complementary. Both cover the full extend of the 22 years of the system from the pre-system experimental days through to final closure in 1961. And, both go beyond closure of the system with reference to the after-lives of the Corporation and Company AECs and BUTs that ‘escaped’ to other pastures and the remainder that had humiliating ends in scrapyards where some remained for longer than they had served on the streets of Brighton!

There is some, limited, duplication of photographs and some use of images previously published elsewhere but I can live with that. Both cover the full extent of the routes in the system and both focus upon the Corporation and Company vehicles including their differences. Andrew Henbest’s book is better, perhaps, with the photographic coverage of the Company trolleys but that is off-set in the Kraemer-Johnson – Bishop volume by the inclusion  of many colour views especially in the later days of the system, and of trolleys in their after-lives.

For the trolleybus enthusiast with a wide area of interest, both would make a valuable addition to their collections. For those who knew the system well and still mourn its passing, both are an absolute must and will, I feel sure, bring many an un-ashamed tear to the eye.

And, for those who like to compare diecast models with the real things, there is plenty to amuse as you tease out the errors or the oversights in the two Corgi/OOC representations of the still much lamented Brighton trolleys!

TBK