THE SCOTTISH VINTAGE BUS MUSEUM -
HISTORY
The
late 1970s and early 1980s saw a build-up of vehicles for preservation in
Scotland and these were stored in farms, bus depots, etc. An initial
approach to preservationists about a combined storage/museum set-up was met
with a favourable response
- until then they had been working in small groups or on their own - and the
hunt was on for suitable premises.
Premises were found in Whitburn - mid-way between Glasgow and Edinburgh - in
the shape of a shed large enough to accommodate forty buses, and after a delay
of one year caused by a legal hitch, buses were moved in during the summer of
1986. The museum's neighbours were an expanding dairy business, and in
1994 they made an offer - which was too good to refuse - to buy the museum
site, so the hunt was on again.
Lathalmond, an ex Royal Navy stores depot came on the market and seemed an
ideal site. The museum lost out in the bidding to buy the complete site,
but was successful in buying half the site (approximately 45 acres and several
sheds) from the new owner, with entry on 1st March 1995.
Within three months the move from Whitburn was complete, and in September the
first Open Day was a great success. There are now around 160 buses housed
at the museum, the layout of which is shown below on our promotional leaflet.
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