1980s buses are a part of history that’s often neglected, but the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester will add one more to the ranks of restored beauties, thanks to the generosity of its friends at Stagecoach Yorkshire.
The museum has owned Greater Manchester Transport 5083, a 1981 MCW Metrobus, for many years but hadn’t found the time to restore it. Step in Jack Abbott, Engineering Director of Stagecoach Yorkshire and based in Chesterfield, who saw 5083 looking sorry for itself when he attended the launch of Stagecoach Manchester 612, the 1999 Alexander ALX400 Dennis Trident restored by colleagues at Stagecoach Manchester. “These Metrobuses were everywhere in the 1980s, and our industry’s heritage should value buses from the 1980s and 1990s just as much as older ones. We’re happy to work on this bus for our friends in Manchester, and our team here will be very happy to help keep the heritage alive,” said Jack.
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Museum Chairman Dennis Talbot thanked the team at Stagecoach Yorkshire for their help. “We have many friends in the bus industry, and we’re constantly grateful to everything our partners do for us. This bus fills a gap in our collection but it would have been many years before it could be worked on, until the kind offer came from Jack and his colleagues. Metrobuses were a big part of the old Yorkshire Traction fleet that became Stagecoach Yorkshire, so we have to trust Jack that it won’t come back to Manchester in a different colour to the one we expect!”
The work in Chesterfield is expected to take several months, and will be done as and when time is available after the needs of the current fleet are met. On return to Manchester the Museum’s own volunteers will complete final mechanical work and MOT preparation before the bus is seen back on the streets of Greater Manchester.
When in service, 5083 was allocated to the city’s Queens Road depot, located adjacent to the Museum of Transport. It was donated to the Museum after withdrawal by First Manchester. It departed Manchester on 15 April and is expected to spend several months in Chesterfield as Stagecoach staff spend spare time on its overhaul.
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