The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft

About the museum

The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft was founded in 1969, when several groups of enthusiasts who had been saving trolleybuses came together. By the end of the 1960s only three working British trolleybus systems remained, and the groups needed a place to keep the vehicles and hoped to run a working museum where the public could experience them. With a gift from the mother of Mike Dare, a young teacher from Reading, the original four-acre site at Sandtoft was bought, and the first trolleybus, Reading 193, arrived in November 1969.

Over the next three years the last British systems closed and much equipment was salvaged, so that a running circuit with overhead wires could be built by volunteers. The museum added land in 2008 and 2017, and with a bequest it acquired a further strip in 2018, more than doubling the site. Today the collection numbers more than 55 trolleybuses, a dozen or more motorbuses and several other vehicles, which the museum describes as the largest collection of preserved trolleybuses in the world.

The museum has no paid staff and is run entirely by volunteers. It opens on selected weekends and Bank Holidays between April and November, plus three school holiday weeks. Visitors can ride trolleybuses and vintage motorbuses, and there are also a cycle shop museum, a toy and model museum, a 1950s prefab home, a cinema, a nature trail and, new in 2026, a 7.25-inch gauge miniature railway.

Highlights

• Preserved trolleybuses from Britain and abroad that run on open days
• Vintage motorbus tours of the Isle of Axholme
• Sandtoft & District Railway, a 7.25-inch gauge line new in 2026
• Cycle shop museum, toy and model museum and a 1950s prefab home
• Trolleybus driving experience days
• Children's playground and Tea Trolley cafe

Permanent exhibitions

• The trolleybus collection – More than 55 preserved trolleybuses, a dozen or more motorbuses and other vehicles from British and foreign systems; many are restored and run on open days.
• Cycle shop museum, toy and model museum and prefab home – A recreated cycle shop, a collection of toys and models from the last 100 years in a relocated prefab building, and a furnished 1950s prefab home.
• Sandtoft & District Railway – A 7.25-inch gauge railway built by volunteers, with three locomotives and three passenger carriages; with an official opening planned for 17 October 2026.

Founded

1969

Admission & discounts

The prices above are for standard open days, which are most days; events marked as premium open days cost more. Prices include a Gift Aid donation. A ticket allows free re-admission within 12 months on standard open days but not on premium days. Pre-booking is offered only for the busiest events, otherwise visitors can pay on the door by card or cash. Membership gives unlimited admission to open days.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The site is step-free with level access to all buildings and ramped kerbs at crossings, although parts of the main depot building have uneven floors and visitors are not allowed in those areas. Most historic trolleybuses and buses cannot take wheelchair users, but a single-deck trolleybus adapted with a portable lift runs on events marked with a wheelchair symbol or described as an Accessible Weekend, and portable steps are available on other days. Reserved disabled parking is near reception on a compounded gravel surface. Wheelchairs can be borrowed, mobility scooters are welcome in low-speed mode, and there is seating. The disabled toilet has a changing bench; the nearest Changing Places toilet is about 5 miles away at Epworth Leisure Centre. Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

There is a playground for younger visitors, more games in the Tram Shelter and a family room, and a parent and baby room. The Regal cinema can show a selection of short children's films. Children can ride the trolleybuses and, on open days, take a tour on a vintage motorbus.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Belton Road in Sandtoft on the Isle of Axholme, within reach of York, Doncaster, Leeds and Lincoln. Sat nav postcode DN8 5SX. From the east, leave the M180 at junction 2 and take the A161 south to Belton, then follow the road about 2.5 miles to Sandtoft; from other directions leave the M18 at junction 5 towards Scunthorpe and take the A18 towards Crowle. The museum's buses are historic vehicles with steps, and the free bus services are open to everyone.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

The Tea Trolley cafe is run by volunteers and serves hot and cold drinks, cakes and freshly prepared food, and can warm baby bottles. The museum shop sells confectionery, cold drinks, ice cream, toys, gifts, books, models and DVDs. There is a picnic area. Dogs on a short lead are welcome in most buildings, but only assistance dogs are allowed in the cafe and on the buses.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit