Dundee Model Railway Club launch their new website

One of Dundee Museum of Transport's contributors, Dundee Model Railway Club, has officially launched their new website.

With full exhibition details, layout plans, photographs and much more the site can now be found by clicking here (external link).

  

Museum welcomes another new virtual exhibit

Keith Richardson has kindly contacted Dundee Museum of Transport to share with us some information and photographs of the former 1961 Angus Area / Tayside Fire Brigade Turntable Ladder.

MTS279 is preserved, under restoration and hopefully will become part of Tayside's transport heritage on display in our Transport Museum.

Find out more on our Exhibits and Collections page in the Gallery section of our website.

  

Museum of Transport wins £6000 RBS CommunityForce grant

Dundee Museum of Transport registered with RBS CommunityForce, an initiative which sees them working with local communities to support the people, projects and charities making a real difference where you live.

Voting was open for four weeks from 26 September 2011 and in the Dundee area we received 765 votes making us the regional winner.

Our grant of £6000 will be used for our feasibility study, equipment for a mobile exhibition stand for educational purposes and the production of brochures and stationery to help us actively seek volunteers and raise awareness of the project.

None of this would have been possible without the help and support of everyone who got involved in our campaign, including The Rotary Club of Abertay, Dundee Civic Trust, Dundee Historic Environment Trust, The McManus Art Gallery and Museum, Dundee Central Library, Taybus Vintage Vehicle Society, Dundee Partnership, Maryfield Community Forum, Clark Thomson, Dingbro Auto Parts, Nortruck, Airport Travel Dundee, Autorent Self Drive, Claverhouse Group and Joe FitzPatrick, Shona Robison, Gregor and all at the Dundee SNP office.

Many congratulations also to the two runners up in the region who each also received an RBS CommunityForce grant - Angus Riding for the Disabled (755 votes) and Brae Riding for the Disabled (640 votes).
 

An original Tayway bus survivor

On Saturday 29 October 2011 Stagecoach Strathtay ran a Routemaster bus on the Tayway service to mark the 25th Anniversary of their involvement with this service.

This Routemaster, formerly RM560 with London Transport, has been painted into Alexander Midland livery but never actually operated on the Tayway service.

The Tayway service as such actually started in November 1980 and was run jointly by Tayside Regional Council, Northern Scottish and British Rail. An integrated timetable with standardised fares was produced for the route between Carnoustie, Monifieth, Broughty Ferry and Dundee. So, if you wanted to travel from Monifieth to Dundee the fare would be the same no matter which bus or train operator you chose to travel with. For many years "Corporation" buses generally operated within Dundee and Alexander (Northern) outwith the boundary leaving them unable to pick up passengers when travelling in to the city.

Despite an Ailsa bus being used in the promotional photograph Tayside Region actually operated Daimler Fleetline buses on the Tayway route. New in December 1972 the 26 buses purchased were the first dual-door double deck buses bought by Dundee Corporation and originally operated the 1A/1B route to St. Mary's. They would also become the first buses to operate outwith the city boundary and into Monifieth. 

The Tayside Region buses actually did have "Carnoustie" on their destination blinds but never operated there when with Tayside Regional Council. However a vehicle shortage did lead Northern Scottish to hire some Tayside buses and operate them as far as Arbroath.

PYJ461 (number 161) is photographed in Dundee High Street with full Tayway branding and may be the only surviving "original" Tayway bus. It is now in the care of Taybus Vintage Vehicle Society but requires a huge amount of work and TLC to get it back on the road. Stripped of its seats and with some of the bodywork already cut in a local scrapyard this bus very nearly didn't make it into possible preservation.

The shared Tayway service continued until bus deregulation in 1986 when Strathtay Scottish (established in 1985) took over sole control the route. 

Later Stagecoach did try to operate a rival Tayway service in competition with Strathtay. Apparently the buses were supposed to be branded "Tay Tigers" to echo their successful "Perth Panthers" service until it was pointed out there was an Ice Hockey team in the city of the same name. However the travelling public remained loyal to Strathtay and Stagecoach withdrew from the route after a short time - only to return many years later having taken over the Strathtay company.

Can you help?

We are looking for the following items in relation to PYJ461L, its history and the Tayway service. Please get in touch if you can help.

- an original copy of the Tayway publicity photograph with coach, bus and train;

- a copy of the stylised coach, bus and train graphic as used on the large side advert on the bus;

- any colour photographs of PYJ461L in service and especially in the green Corporation livery.

  

Cast your vote now for Dundee Museum of Transport

Voting on the RBS CommunityForce website (external link) is now open until 23 October 2011. Please tell as many people as you can and make sure they place their vote for us!

If we receive enough support the Museum could receive a grant of £6000 so every vote counts.

  

Get ready to vote for Dundee Museum of Transport

Dundee Museum of Transport has registered with RBS CommunityForce. This is an initiative which sees them working with local communities to support the people, projects and charities making a real difference where you live.

If we receive enough support the Museum could receive a grant of £6000. Part of the grant would go towards our feasibility study which relates directly to the regeneration and re-use of the former Maryfield tram depot. It would also help contribute towards equipment for a mobile exhibition stand for educational purposes within the community. In addition the grant would help with the production of brochures and stationery to assist Dundee Museum of Transport to actively seek volunteers and raise awareness of the project.

Voting starts on Monday 26 September 2011 so please tell as many people as you can and make sure they place their vote for us!

Click here to view our RBS CommunityForce page (external link).

  

The Dundee Channel interviews Museum chairman

Online news and entertainment TV station The Dundee Channel (external link) interviewed Dundee Museum of Transport chairman Jimmy McDonell at the Baxter Park Gala Day on 7 August 2010.

We are grateful to the Channel for providing us with a copy of this interview for our website and YouTube channel (external link).