Arriva has been praised for its offer of help to a group restoring a 1939 Bristol K5G double-decker as an educational resource.
Weymann-bodied GKE68 was new to Chatham & District Traction and is one of few double-deckers from its era to retain its original bodywork. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Arriva has invited owners of the vehicle, the Friends of Chatham Traction to base the bus at Gillingham depot once restoration, currently being carried out by South East Coachworks, is completed.
This is expected to be in time for the Bristol to celebrate its 80th birthday next year.
As well as offering to publicise the project, Arriva is inviting apprentices and retired employees to get involved.
Arriva Kent and Surrey Managing Director Oliver Monahan has been a big supporter of this and other heritage initiatives. “We want people to know that we are conscious and proud of our heritage,” he said.
GKE68 has been in preservation since 1960, but fell into disrepair and narrowly escaped the cutter’s torch on at least two occasions, one when it ended up being abandoned in a Suffolk garden.
The Friends of Chatham Traction was formed in March 2007 to restore the only complete bus from the operator, which served the Medway towns before being incorporated into Maidstone & District in 1955.
Chairman of the ‘Friends’ Richard Bourne said: “These opportunities are welcome and we are very grateful to Arriva for all its support for this project. It will be a big help for us to have the bus based at Gillingham.”
As well as general fundraising, funds for the project have come from the National Lottery and a substantial donation from Len Randall, who was involved with the bus back in 1960. Sadly Len died earlier this year.
When the present restoration is complete, GKE68 will be promoted as the Medway Heritage Bus, a project benefiting ‘educational and social bodies as an aid to learning and to provide a focus for study of the Medway towns’ development during the mid-20th century.’
Further details on the Friends of Chatham Traction via www.chathamtraction.org.uk
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