[title]
Londoners love buses, obviously. What do they love even more than buses? Buses that served the city during the Second World War. The AEC Regent 486 bus did just that, and following a £500,000 restoration, the 91-year-old vehicle is now on display at the Transport Museum Wythall in Worcestershire.
The innovative Metro-Cammel bus model was one of the first to have a metal-framed body, and in 1931, the double-decker began transporting civilians through the streets of Birmingham. During the Blitz in World War II the bus was put to work in London, but after Birmingham lost 145 buses during November 1940, it was sent back. Although the vehicle had survived the bombs, due to wartime shortages it rapidly degenerated, and in April 1944, it was the first of its kind to be removed from service due to engine failure. In 1946 it was sold for scrap, but was quickly bought by retired Welsh miner Mr Preece, who lived in the bus for many years before enthusiasts discovered it in 1970 in a Herefordshire field and purchased it.
In 2013, after 40 years of fundraising, restoration began on the bus. The Transport Museum Wythall selected the 'proven and well respected' Ian Barrett to complete the restoration, whilst Rob Handford, leader of several other vehicle preservation projects, supervised the stressful scheme. The original estimation for the restoration cost was £300,000, but more than 160 flaws were discovered throughout the repairs. Despite this, the bus was fit for the long drive from Surrey to Wythall by December 2018, only missing some finishing touches, but before its planned 2019 reveal, the engine of the bus caught fire, with the COVID-19 pandemic further delaying its exhibition.
The bus was finally unveiled in 2021 at the NEC’s Classic Car Show to excitement and praise, and is now headlining a new exhibition on Birmingham City Transport at Wythall, even giving rides at selected events. As far as buses go, this one is Cameron Diaz making her comeback, returning brighter and better than before.
The Overground, for the first time since 2005, is getting a brand new station.
All the latest info on the London bus routes being cut.