A veteran bus has returned to its home town after a painstaking restoration, reports Nick Larkin
A vintage bus which is almost 100 years old has returned to its native Tameside after decades dumped in a North Wales field, after which it was painstakingly restored to as-new condition in a Yorkshire shed.
Ashton Corporation bus number 8 was built in 1928 but by the 1930s it was already obsolete, so it was discarded to be used as a caravan for nearly half a century. The bus was then rescued and rebuilt to the same condition as it was on the day it left the factory, by a Yorkshire craftsman enthusiast. Now that the project is complete the bus has been returned to its home region where it’s going on permanent display at the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester.
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On Friday 30 June the bus paused in Ashton Market Place – which it must have called at nearly a century ago – to celebrate coming home, before being transported to the museum. It was met by a welcome party led by the civic mayor of Tameside and by Angela Rayner MP, who supported the fundraising campaign for the Museum to buy the bus and bring it back to the North West. Angela said “I’m proud of Ashton’s heritage, and this amazing old bus is a living piece of history. I don’t find it difficult to imagine people going to the mill or the music hall in it and I’m really pleased that it’s not only coming back to its home region, but it’ll be on display where people can see it.”
Alison Chew, TfGM’s Deputy Director of Bus, added: “We are delighted that this piece of Greater Manchester’s transport history is coming home after so many years, and I want to commend the efforts of Geoff Lumb in restoring the bus and everyone who helped raise funds to find it a permanent home at the Museum of Transport.
“The Museum of Transport connects the past with the present, and number 8’s journey is just another story that we can celebrate as part of our rich transport heritage here in Greater Manchester.”
Kelvin Platt of the Museum of Transport noted: “Number 8 fills a huge gap in our collection and we’re thrilled that it will be on public display in our museum. Our heritage isn’t just to be celebrated but to be seen, and its new home in Greater Manchester is the best place for it to be.”
Bought by Ashton Corporation Transport Department in 1928, the bus is a Karrier six-wheeler, made nearby in Huddersfield. Despite its apparent size, it still has only 32 seats. With a 5.9 litre petrol engine, the bus averages around 3mpg, and has been restored to the royal blue and white livery which was Ashton’s house colours for its buses.
