Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum
Encyclopedia
The Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum, also referred to as The Isle of Wight Bus Museum, was founded in 1997 in Newport
on the Isle of Wight
in the United Kingdom
. The museum is a registered charity and run completely by volunteers. The vehicle collection is housed in a former grain warehouse on Newport Quay.
Most of the vehicles the museum houses date back to around the 1910's onwards, many having formerly operated on the Isle of Wight. The oldest vehicle housed is a Ryde Pier Tram dating back to the 1889. The first floor of the museum features a photographic archive of island buses together with other memorabilia. This looks out over vehicles below on the ground floor of the museum. There is also a small shop, named 'Just the Ticket' stocking memorabilia such as photos, old timetables, books and videos.
The museum hosts two running days. The October event features many buses from around the country. There is another event in May, which is an 'ex-Island Buses Only' running day.
By the end of 2010, the museum is planning to relocate and construct a new purpose built unit to house an Island Road Transport Museum. The move is necessary due to the building it currently uses being demolished as part of revelopment of Newport Quay. Currently, the plan is to purchase a two and a half acre area of farmland adjoining Havenstreet Railway
, with the new site covering twice the floor area that the current base offers. The plans would require £120,000 to be raised to fund the move. Supporters are being invited to purchase £250 shares in the project with monies being returned if the plan fails. However in addition to funding issues, the field currently forms part of the Isle of Wight AONB
, which could lead to a battle for planning consent over redevelopment.
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The museum is a registered charity and run completely by volunteers. The vehicle collection is housed in a former grain warehouse on Newport Quay.
Most of the vehicles the museum houses date back to around the 1910's onwards, many having formerly operated on the Isle of Wight. The oldest vehicle housed is a Ryde Pier Tram dating back to the 1889. The first floor of the museum features a photographic archive of island buses together with other memorabilia. This looks out over vehicles below on the ground floor of the museum. There is also a small shop, named 'Just the Ticket' stocking memorabilia such as photos, old timetables, books and videos.
The museum hosts two running days. The October event features many buses from around the country. There is another event in May, which is an 'ex-Island Buses Only' running day.
Current Vehicles which are on display
The following vehicles are owned or loaned to the Museum. Some are privately owned and on display.- The Tram - The leading carriage, currently owned by the Isle of Wight Council on loan to the museum
- DL 5084 No. 11 - A Daimler CK with Dodson B26R bodywork. It was new to The Vectis Bus Co. in 1927. This vehicle is privately owned and awaiting restoration.
- DDL 50 No.703 - A Bristol K5G with ECWEastern Coach WorksEastern Coach Works Ltd was a bus and railbus body building company based in Lowestoft, England.-History:The company can trace its roots back to 1912, when United Automobile Services was founded in the town to run bus services. United began a coach building business at the Lowestoft site in 1920...
bodywork. It was new to Southern VectisSouthern VectisThe Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
in 1940. - GDL 764 - A Leyland PD2 with Leyland bodywork. It was new to Seaview ServicesSeaview ServicesSeaview Services is a coach and tour operator operating on the Isle of Wight, England. The company formally was a bus operator on the Isle of Wight, operating a route between Ryde and Seaview, however in 1992 sold its bus business to Southern Vectis....
in May 1950. Owned Privately. - TDL 564K 864 - A Bristol RELL6GBristol REThe Bristol RE was a rear-engined single-deck bus chassis built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles from 1962 until 1982. It is widely considered the most successful of the first generation of rear-engined single-deckers....
with ECW bodywork. It is commonly known as 'Shanklin's Pony'. It was new to Southern Vectis in 1971 and converted to open-top in 1986. - CDL 479C 611 - A Bristol FLFBristol LodekkaThe Bristol Lodekka was a low-height double-decker bus built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles in England.Bristol manufactured over 5,200 Lodekkas from 1949 to 1968, as a standard double-deck vehicle for the UK state-owned bus sector. With all examples bodied by Eastern Coach Works in Lowestoft, they...
new to Southern Vectis in 1965. - FDL 927D - Ex Southern Vectis 806. It was owned by Southern Vectis between 1958 and 1966, before being bought back for use in the 'Heritage Fleet'. When the fleet was disbanded it was loaned to the museum, before being donated in 2001. It is painted in the brown and cream livery of the Enterprise Bus Company, Enterprise being the name of the Museum's newsletter.
- FDL 676 1950 Bedford OBBedford OBThe Bedford OB model was a bus or coach chassis introduced in 1939.The OB has a wheelbase of , and is a semi-forward control model, designed to carry 26 to 29-passenger bodywork....
- Previously owned by Southern Vectis. This vehicle is on loan to the Museum. - FLJ 538 908 - A 1940 Bristol K5G. Repatriated from Holland by David Daniels in 2009 and donated to the museum. Restoration work is now well underway.
- ODL 400 A Bedford SBBedford SBThe Bedford SB was a front-engined bus chassis built by Bedford Vehicles in the United Kingdom. It was launched at the 1950 Commercial Motor Show as the replacement for the Bedford OB....
new to Moss Motor ToursMoss Motor ToursMoss Motor Tours Ltd. was a bus and coach company that operated on the Isle of Wight between 1923 and 1994. The company sold its assets in 1994 to various bus and coach providers on the Island and off...
. This vehicle is privately owned. - ADL 459B A Bedford SB new to Pauls Tours. Under restoration.
- SDL 268 563 - A Bristol LodekkaBristol LodekkaThe Bristol Lodekka was a low-height double-decker bus built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles in England.Bristol manufactured over 5,200 Lodekkas from 1949 to 1968, as a standard double-deck vehicle for the UK state-owned bus sector. With all examples bodied by Eastern Coach Works in Lowestoft, they...
new to Southern Vectis. This vehicle is privately owned. - KDL 885F 301 - A Bristol RESH6GBristol REThe Bristol RE was a rear-engined single-deck bus chassis built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles from 1962 until 1982. It is widely considered the most successful of the first generation of rear-engined single-deckers....
with Duple (Northern) ECW body. - EDL 657 721 - A Bristol K5G with Eastern Coach WorksEastern Coach WorksEastern Coach Works Ltd was a bus and railbus body building company based in Lowestoft, England.-History:The company can trace its roots back to 1912, when United Automobile Services was founded in the town to run bus services. United began a coach building business at the Lowestoft site in 1920...
body. Privately owned.
Vehicles currently stored off site
- UDL 673S 5066/673 - A Bristol VRBristol VRThe Bristol VR was Bristol's rear-engined bus chassis, designed as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline.-Development:...
new to Southern Vectis. It was donated to the Museum in May 2009 having been last operated with Damory Coaches. This vehicle is stored off site. - VDL 264K 264 - A Bedford YRQ with PlaxtonPlaxtonPlaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
body. - A700 DDL 700 - A Leyland OlympianLeyland OlympianThe Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
with Eastern Coach WorksEastern Coach WorksEastern Coach Works Ltd was a bus and railbus body building company based in Lowestoft, England.-History:The company can trace its roots back to 1912, when United Automobile Services was founded in the town to run bus services. United began a coach building business at the Lowestoft site in 1920...
body. Donated to the Museum in 2005 after withdrawal from Wilts & Dorset. - GXX 785 004 - An AEC MatadorAEC MatadorThe AEC Matador was an artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War.AEC had already built a 4 x 2 lorry, also known as the Matador ....
converted for use as a wrecker by Southern VectisSouthern VectisThe Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches... - SDL 638J 628 - A 1971 Bristol VRT - Eastern Coach Works, new in 1971. This vehicle is privately owned and not on display in 2010 or 2011. Currently stored off site.
- PDL 519 - After service with Southern Vectis, the bus was sold to Topdeck TravelTopdeckTopdeck Travel is a tour operator providing trips for passengers aged 18 to 30s throughout Europe, Africa and Egypt. The company was founded in 1973 by Graham "Skroo" Turner, who later went on to found Flight Centre in Australia.-Early Days:...
and made 20 trips to Nepal & Tibet. In July 2007, after being in the museum for 10 years, the bus was started and successfully put through an MOT and later driven to Dublin and back. Currently with Top-Deck Travel doing reenactment work.
Relocation
Havenstreet railway station
Haven Street railway station opened in 1875 and was an intermediate stop on the Ryde and Newport Railway, Isle of Wight Central Railway, Southern Railway and British Rail-being renamed Havenstreet in 1958...
, with the new site covering twice the floor area that the current base offers. The plans would require £120,000 to be raised to fund the move. Supporters are being invited to purchase £250 shares in the project with monies being returned if the plan fails. However in addition to funding issues, the field currently forms part of the Isle of Wight AONB
Isle of Wight AONB
The Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Isle of Wight, England's largest offshore island....
, which could lead to a battle for planning consent over redevelopment.