Ten years of major restoration work at the Dewsbury Bus Museum concluded on October 30 with the return to operation of one of the only two surviving roadworthy Guy Wulfrunians.
The restoration work on Roe-bodied West Riding 970 (WHL 970) was completed under the custodianship of Colin Poole with support from the late Stuart Goldthorpe. The interior refurbishment was completed first, followed by chassis cleaning and a full overhaul of the air pipework. The outstanding panel work and glazing was completed in early 2015 and 970 is back in its original red and cream livery — as applied to buses on routes that replaced trams — having been rubbed down to bare metal before repainting.
The lowheight Wulfrunian, with a frontmounted Gardner engine and door forward chassis layout, was a potential rival to the contemporary rear-engined Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline, and was technically advanced with air suspension (independent at the front), disc brakes and a Cave-Brown-Cave heating and ventilation system.
Only 137 were built between 1959 and 1965, of which the then independent West Riding company bought 126 new and six secondhand when nearly new. Suspension and other problems led it to sell them soon …
