New Enthusiast, collecting models

[AlexM12093]

Hi All,

I took a trip to the GCR last weekend for a day out on the trains and was suprised to see a whole host of old buses parked up at Quorn and Woodhouse station - normally not something I would be intrested in, but I got off and had a look around and also managed to take a ride on one of the free services into loughborough and back. Thinking about it now, I wish I'd spent more time looking at what was on display so if anyone has any recommendations for other events to attend, please let me know!

As a souvenir, I picked up a model of what I now know is a London Transport Country area AEC STL from EFE. I had no idea that LT once ran services so far out of the capital andvassume the STLs were one of the earlier types operated on these services? I would like to add a few more models so I can have a small collection of the buses used on these routes over time and would much appriciate if anyone can provide some insight into the vehicles that were used over the years.

 

[theblackwatch]

This listing of events may be useful:
https://www.classicbuses.co.uk/++Events-diary.html

 

[hexagon789]

Hi All,

I took a trip to the GCR last weekend for a day out on the trains and was suprised to see a whole host of old buses parked up at Quorn and Woodhouse station - normally not something I would be intrested in, but I got off and had a look around and also managed to take a ride on one of the free services into loughborough and back. Thinking about it now, I wish I'd spent more time looking at what was on display so if anyone has any recommendations for other events to attend, please let me know!

As a souvenir, I picked up a model of what I now know is a London Transport Country area AEC STL from EFE. I had no idea that LT once ran services so far out of the capital andvassume the STLs were one of the earlier types operated on these services? I would like to add a few more models so I can have a small collection of the buses used on these routes over time and would much appriciate if anyone can provide some insight into the vehicles that were used over the years.

A fair few of the heritage lines have vintage vehicle events or shuttles at certain times of year.

The Epping - Ongar certainly used to organise vintage bus shuttles for their galas, linking to nearby towns.

Most preservation groups will also do a few events a year.

My local one, the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust has depot visits, weekend rides around various parts of the city and has also provided free shuttles for Model Rail Scotland for many years.

I think a list of events can be found on the Classic Buses website, they certainly used to keep one.

Edit: I see @theblackwatch has helpfully linked it

 

[AlexM12093]

Thanks guys, I've bookmarked the events list

 

[Wyrleybart]

Sometimes see preserved / heritage buses used to connect a a show to a railway station or depot.
Examples are Statfold Barn railway and the Stafford Model Railway shows. Statfold often sees buses from the Wythall collection and prtivate operators. Stafford often sees the preserved ex Staffordshire operators.

The Wythall museum is especially noteworthy and has several halls of buses, as well as milk floats etc. An especial part of the Wythall show is the "football extra" programme where several buses are loaded up one and the other and run out for a trip down to the Maypole island and back. A couple of use ago there was a memorable contingent of BCT fleetlines - if that is your bag. Also at Wythall, there is a morning service from Birmingham to Wythall using a preserved vehicie, and a return service in the afternoon, but also a Midland Red S18 running to the North Warks stations.

 

[Roger1973]

Not quite sure where to start - the websites of the London Transport Museum (owned by Transport for London) and London Bus Museum (independent) have some broad brush history as well as the specifics for their vehicles. There's probably almost too many books on London Transport to know where to start...

In answer to the specifics, yes, London Transport's 'Country Bus' area got out to places like (in the north west corner) Aylesbury, Watford, Luton. The country bus division - the bit outside (broadly) the Greater London Council / Authority area - was hived off to a new London Country company in 1970, and split up when buses outside London were deregulated / privatised in the late 80s - most of the bits ended up with Arriva (and in some cases got merged in to the next operator out) although Arriva have backed off from a lot of it in more recent years. (this is a broad generalisation of course.)

STLs were introduced in the early 1930s, and while there was quite a lot of variety, they were in production until about 1938/9, the prototype of the next generation of buses (RT) appeared in 1939 but only a small (by London standards) number were built before the war stopped production, which didn't resume until 1947. Saying STL's were 'early' is a bit wide of the mark, as motor buses were running well before the 1914 war. The Routemaster (a specific make / model, not a generic term for any bus with an engine at the front and a platform at the back, if that's not stating the obvious) first appeared in 1954, although production didn't get going until 1959, as an unexpected falling off in passenger numbers after the post-war boom meant London Transport had more buses than they needed for a few years in the mid 50s.

The website 'Ian's Bus Stop' has a lot on the individual classes of London bus from the 1920s onwards, although it may be a bit much to digest in one go.

Milton Keynes isn't really my patch, but I'm not aware of many events or preservation groups that close to you, but the Northampton Transport Heritage Group have a collection of vehicles which they quite often get out on to the streets, and there's a bus museum just the other side of Oxford.

 

[Teds]

There is a big preserved bus event quite near Milton Keynes on 13 June https://www.showbus.com/subind1/hilites2025.htm It is at the Quainton Road site of Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. It should be possible to get there by public transport if you need to. There are bus connectionsto the site from Aylesbury and Bicester.

Model bus production has slowed considerable over the last few years. Most of the manufacturers went bust. There is a lot of information about model buses on this website http://www.britishmodelbuses.com/ including information about all the model buses produced since about 1980. London Country and London Transport (red and green) are very popular operators so there are lots of models. Models of RT, RF, GS, RM, RML, RMC, RCL. They come in various versions of the livery with differing routes and destinations. Most model are '00' scale with some lovely (and generally expensive) models of RMs, RMCs and RTs in a much larger scale by Sunstar - usually prices starting around £150. There are also models of the post deregulation buses on routes in the former London Country area.

There are a lot of second hand models about. They were never toys so most are in good condition in their original boxes with prices starting from around £8. Some in demand models are significantly more expensive. There will be some dealers at most bus rallies and certainly several at Showbus.

There are still some new models being produced and they will typically cost £50+

 

[Dstock7080]

There is a big preserved bus event quite near Milton Keynes on 13 June https://www.showbus.com/subind1/hilites2025.htm It is at the Quainton Road site of Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. It should be possible to get there by public transport if you need to. There are bus connectionsto the site from Aylesbury and Bicester.

Showbus on 13 July is now CANCELLED

SHOWBUS displays

Look here to find out all you need to know about the world's biggest bus display - SHOWBUS international

www.showbus.com