Preservation Stop Press - At about 2 pm on Sunday 29th August Huddersfield 541 will return to service at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft, following 17 years of restoration work. Members are invited to attend the ceremony. There will also be a working party at Sandtoft on Saturday 28th August in order to clean and prepare 541 and any member who might be prepared to help should contact Robin Symons (0118 978 1821 / 07764 677923 / RDHSymons@gmail.com)
The Story of 541	Huddersfield 541, a Sunbeam MS2 of 1947 with a body by Park Royal, seen in service in the 1960's at Longwood. She was the first privately preserved trolleybus in the UK to operate on another trolleybus system when in 1966 she toured the Wolverhampton system. She operated the only tour by a preserved trolleybus in Huddersfield, on the last day of the system in 1968. H Luff
	Following a very generous donation from member David Beach, the restoration of 541 was started by Brian Maguire, at Sandtoft, in 1994. Here, in 2000, 541 makes a rare appearance outside the depot. Much of the work to date has been on the vehicle's nearside and in the course of the restoration every panel has to be removed and any rotten woodwork made good. Brian Maguire
	The rear end solidly reconstructed and in primer, but the whole of the offside has still to be tackled. Brian Maguire
	A year later and the front and much of the off-side has been attended to, but there is still a long way to go. Brian Maguire
	Here is a good example of Brian Maguire's joinery skills, during the extensive rebuild of the cab. Most of the woodwork had to be replaced, using the original as a pattern. Brian Maguire
	Another year passes and more panels have been replaced, and undercoated, and some new paint applied to the rear bogie wheels, which implies rapid progress. However, the real time-consuming work is now hidden, probably never to be revealed again. Brian Maguire
	The panels are back on and undercoated giving the impression that the job nears completion, but there is still a huge amount of work still to be done on : the interior of the bodywork; reupholstering the seats; rewiring , both low tension and traction wiring; and overhauling the chassis and electrical components. Brian Maguire
	2008, at the Trolleybus Museum Company's Annual General Meeting, held at Sandtoft on 31st May, 541 looks resplendent in gloss paint, with transfers applied. The bodywork has been completed, except for some minor tasks. The vehicle has been rewired, with one fault still to be traced. The brakes and chassis have been checked, during which a broken rear spring was discovered and which still has to be rectified. But we're getting there ! Ashley Bruce return