FRANK COLLINGWOOD describes some of the highlights in the collection of vehicles and artefacts at the Oxford Bus Museum which began 54 years ago with the rescue of a much treasured AEC Regal semi-coach and continues with a rich and varied assortment
At the unveiling of its magnificently restored 1881 horse-drawn tram, John Harwood, the vice lord-lieutenant of Oxfordshire, praised the skill and perseverance of the volunteers who had brought it back to life. The Oxford Bus Museum, he said, was ‘a little known gem’, ‘a bit quirky’. Quirky or not, we understand what he means and regard it as a compliment.
The museum has always been run by dedicated volunteers; there have never been any employees. Most are bus enthusiasts interested in the restoration of old buses. Our workshop can accommodate six buses and there is a separate woodworking shop. For those who work there, it is a joy and labour of love.
The horse-drawn tram is the latest vehicle to emerge from the workshop. It took five years to restore, starting from a basic shell of a floor, sides and roof. It was built to a 4ft gauge by Starbuck of Birkenhead and is one of only eight known to survive out of the thousand or so built by Starbuck, so is of n…
