London Bus Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
London Bus Museum

Cobham Hall building at Brooklands
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Established	1 August 2011 (2011-08-01)
Location	Brooklands
Type	Transport museum
Key holdings	London Buses
Owner	London Bus Preservation Trust

The London Bus Museum is a special museum all about buses! It's located in Weybridge, England, at a place called Brooklands. You can visit it every day. When you buy a ticket, it also lets you into the Brooklands Museum.

This museum is run by a group called the London Bus Preservation Trust. They show off about 35 amazing London buses. Their whole collection has over 40 vehicles! These buses, coaches, and other vehicles show how buses in London have changed over 100 years.

You can see really old horse-buses from the Victorian-era. There are also open-top buses from the 1920s. You'll find sleek designs from the 1930s and buses used during World War II. The museum also has the famous AEC Routemaster buses from the 1960s. Later buses from the 1970s are there too.

The collection includes special buses like the AEC Regent III RT and the AEC Routemaster prototypes. These were the very first versions of those buses! They also have the only "utility" bus from World War II that ran in London. Volunteers have worked hard to restore many of these unique vehicles. The buses are set up in order, showing how they developed over time.

The Museum's Story

The idea for the London Bus Museum started in 1966. A group of people who owned old London buses decided to work together. They formed the London Bus Preservation Group (LBPG). Some members had tried to save old buses as early as 1952.

Their first big success was in 1956. They bought a 1929 AEC Regal single-decker bus. This bus was originally from the London General Omnibus Company. Many people say this was the first bus saved by private owners in the UK.

In 1972, the LBPG got an old aircraft factory near Cobham, Surrey. This factory is now gone. They set up the Cobham Bus Museum there, named after the town.

Over time, the museum became a registered charity. It also became a registered museum. But by the early 2000s, the old building was getting old. It was hard to get permission to open it to the public every day. This put the museum's special status at risk.

Finally, the museum's leaders found a solution. They made a deal with the nearby Brooklands Museum Trust. They got a large piece of land at the old Brooklands racing track. A new building was planned for this new spot. This meant the museum would have a safe home. It could then open to the public every day. The new museum opened on August 1, 2011. That's when it officially became the London Bus Museum.

Buses You Can See

A horse-driven bus at the museum

A classic AEC Routemaster bus

The museum has many different types of buses. Here are some of the cool vehicles you might see:

• A Knifeboard Horse-Bus built in 1875.
• Three Light Garden-Seat Horse-Bus built in 1890.
• Four-Light Garden-Seat Horse-Bus built in 1890.
• AEC NS-type bus – NS174 - XO 1048 - from 1923.
• Leyland LB5 – "Chocolate Express" - XU 7498 - from 1924.
• Dennis 4-ton bus – D142 - XX 4591 - from 1925.
• AEC Regal I bus – T31 - UU 6646 - from 1929.
• AEC Regent I bus – ST922 - GJ 2098 - from 1930.
• AEC Regal I coach – T357 - GN 8242 - from 1931.
• AEC Renown bus – LT1059 - GO 5170 - from 1931.
• AEC Regent I Breakdown Tender – 738J - AGX 520 - from 1933.
• AEC Regent I bus - STL441 - AXM 693 - from 1934.
• AEC Q-type coach – Q83 - CGJ 188 - from 1935.
• AEC Regal I coach – T448 - CXX 171 - from 1936.
• AEC Regent I bus – STL2093 - DLU 92 - from 1937.
• AEC Regent I bus – STL2377 - EGO 426 - from 1937.
• AEC Regal I coach – T504 - ELP 228 - from 1938.
• AEC Regent III prototype bus – RT1 - EYK 396 - from 1939.
• Guy Arab II bus – G351 - HGC 130 - from 1945.
• AEC Regent III bus – RT2657 - LYR 641 - from 1948.
• Bedford O Canteen Unit – 702B - from 1948.
• AEC Regal IV prototype bus – UMP 227 - from 1949.
• Leyland 7RT bus – RTL139 - KGK 803 - from 1949.
• AEC Regal IV Sightseeing Coach – RF19 - LUC 219 - from 1951.
• AEC Regal IV sightseeing coach – RFW6 - LUC 381 - from 1951.
• AEC Regal IV coach – RF226 - MLL 763 - from 1952.
• AEC Regal IV bus – RF395 - MXX 283 - from 1952.
• AEC Regent III bus – RT2775 - LYR 826 - from 1952.
• AEC Regent III bus – RT3491 - LYR 910 - from 1952.
• AEC Regent III low-height bus – RLH48 - MXX 248 - from 1952.
• AEC Regal IV – BEA Coach 4RF4 - MLL 740 - from 1953.
• Guy Special country bus – GS34 - MXX 334 - from 1953.
• AEC Routemaster prototype bus – RML3 - SLT 58 - from 1957.
• Ford 300E Van – 1096F - from 1959.
• AEC Routemaster bus – RM140 - VLT 140 - from 1959.
• AEC Routemaster coach – RMC1461 - 461 CLT - from 1962.
• Daimler Fleetline bus - XF3 - CUV 53C - from 1965.
• AEC Routemaster bus – RML2760 - SMK 760F - from 1968.
• Bedford CAL Ambulance – 1492B - from 1968.
• AEC Swift bus – SMS369 - EGN 369J - from 1971.
• AEC Reliance coach – RP90 - JPA 190K - from 1972.
• MCW Metrobus – M6 - WYW 6T - from 1978.
• Leyland Titan bus – T23 - WYV 23T - from 1979.
• Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TL - London General WVL1 - LG02 KGP - from 2002.
• Scania OmniCity - London United SP1 - YN56 FCA - from 2006.

See also

• London Transport Museum