Ipswich Transport Museum facts for kids
The Ipswich Transport Museum is a cool place in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It's all about the history of transport and engineering. You'll find lots of old vehicles and machines that were made or used right here in the local area.
The museum's collection began in 1965 thanks to the Ipswich Transport Preservation Group. In 1988, they got their current home, which used to be the old Priory Heath trolleybus depot. The museum first opened its doors to visitors in 1995.
It has over 100 large items! These include old buses, trams, and trolleybuses from local companies like Ipswich Corporation Transport and the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company. You can also see commercial vehicles, fire engines, mobile cranes, bicycles, and even horse-drawn vehicles. The museum has many items from famous Ipswich makers like Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies and Ransomes & Rapier. They also have a good number of electric vehicles.
While the museum mainly focuses on road transport, you can learn about local trains and boats through photos and smaller displays. There's also a special area with old documents, books, costumes, and tickets. The museum is a registered charity. It's usually open on Sundays from April to November. During school holidays, you can visit on weekday afternoons too. They also host fun events, like the annual Ipswich to Felixstowe Run for vintage vehicles. This exciting event happens on the first Sunday in May.
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Discover the Collection
The museum's collection started small, with just one bus, about 50 years ago. Now, it has grown into a huge and amazing collection of objects! You can see trams, trolleybuses, motorbuses, lorries, and fire engines. There are also horse-drawn vehicles, bicycles, prams, ambulances, and even a police car. A funeral hearse is part of the collection too. Many smaller items, displays, and old papers help tell the stories of these vehicles.
The museum also features the Ipswich Engineering Collection. This part shows off many items from well-known local companies. These include Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, Ransomes and Rapier, Cranes, Reavell, and Cocksedge. You can explore cranes, forklift trucks, lawnmowers, and farming equipment.
The museum has a dedicated team that works hard to bring old vehicles back to life. Around 2018, they finished restoring a Co-op horse-drawn bread van. Other projects at that time included a 1939 Dennis Ace bus and a Scammell Scarab mechanical horse from 1965. The restoration team then started working on a Co-op battery-electric coal truck. They even received a grant of £7,000 to help restore its motor and get new batteries.
One exciting project finished in 2019 was a Cambridge horse tram. This tram was built way back in 1880! It had a long journey, being used in different cities before becoming a shed. It was found in 1988, with its lower deck being used as a cobbler's workshop. The museum saved it, and a seven-year restoration began in 2012. The team discovered clues about its past lives during the work. They even got a grant of £49,000 to help with the restoration. Recreating the tram's upper deck was a big challenge, as few details survived. The tram now looks just like Cambridge Street Tramways No. 7.
Early Vehicles (1900s - 1920s)
- Starbuck horse tram: Built in 1880 for the Cambridge Street Tramways.
- Brush tramcar: Ipswich Corporation Tramways No. 33, a double-deck tram built in 1904.
- Ransomes electric dustcart: A 3-ton electric dustcart from 1915, used by Birmingham city council.
- Railless trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 2, built in 1923. It was later used as a caravan.
- Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 9, built in 1926. It was part of a house for many years.
- Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 16, also from 1926. Only its frame remains.
- Richard Garrett & Sons trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 26, built in 1926. It was used as a summerhouse.
- Tilling-Stevens B9B bus: Eastern Counties Roadcar Company No 78, built in 1927.
Vehicles from the 1930s
- Chevrolet LQ coach: Built in 1930.
- Bedford WLB bus: Built in 1932.
- Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 46, a double-deck trolleybus from 1933. It was shown at a big vehicle show!
- Dennis Ace bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1938.
- Leyland Cub Fire Engine: Built in 1938.
- Bristol L5G bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1939.
- Dennis New World Fire Engine: Built in 1939.
Vehicles from the 1940s
- Ransomes MG Crawler tractor: Built in 1947.
- AEC Monarch tower wagon: Ipswich Corporation, built in 1948.
- Karrier W trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 105, built in 1948. It took 11 years to restore!
- Smith Electric Vehicles / Northern Coach Builders electric milk float: Ipswich Co-op E56D, built in 1948. It replaced horse-drawn milk deliveries.
- Bedford OB bus: Built in 1949.
- Bristol K6B bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1949.
- Bristol L4G bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1949.
- Landrover fire engine: Built in 1949.
Vehicles from the 1950s
- AEC Regent III bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 1, built in 1950.
- Bristol LS bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1950.
- Commer Avenger Fire Appliance: Built in 1950.
- Sunbeam F4 trolleybus: Ipswich Corporation No. 126, built in 1950. It was later used in Walsall.
- Atkinson 8-wheel lorry: Built in 1950.
- Morrison-Electrical coal lorry: Ipswich Co-op E92C, built in 1951. It delivered coal until 1983.
- AEC Regal IV bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 9, built in 1953.
- AEC Regent III bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 16, built in 1954.
- Ford E83W pickup: Built in 1954.
- Mercury Truck and Tractor Co timber tractor unit: Built in 1954. It hauled timber in the dock area.
- Dennis F12 P/E fire engine: Built in 1954.
Vehicles from the 1960s
- Bristol HA6G articulated lorry: Built in 1962.
- Bedford J emergency vehicle: Built in 1962.
- AEC Regent V bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 63, built in 1964.
- Bristol MW bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1964.
- Bristol LFS bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1965.
- Scammell Scarab 3-wheel tractor unit: Built in 1965.
- Smith electric vegetable cart: Ipswich Co-op, built in 1965. It delivered groceries door-to-door.
- AEC Regent V bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 68, built in 1966.
- Brush Pony electric van: Built in 1967 for St Helens Hospital.
Later Vehicles (1970s - 2000s)
- Commer Maxiload TS3 lorry: Built in 1970.
- AEC Swift bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 82, built in 1971.
- Karrier Bantam lorry: Built in 1974.
- Scania Super 110 lorry: Built in 1974.
- Leyland Atlantean AN68 bus: Ipswich Corporation Transport No 6, built in 1976.
- Leyland National bus: Eastern Counties, built in 1978.
- Ford Transit Ambulance: Built in 1984.
- Leyland Sherpa K2-250 electric van: Ipswich Buses, built in 1985. This was an experimental electric van.
- Landrover fire tender: Built in the 1980s. It was used at Ipswich Airport.
- Optare Spectra bodied DAF DB250 bus: Built in 2000 for Ipswich Buses.
- Vauxhall Omega police car: Built in 2000.
- Renault Master ambulance: Built in 2000.
See also
- Trolleybuses in Ipswich
