Wirral Transport Museum facts for kids
Wallasey Corporation tram No. 78 in the tramshed, with Hong Kong tram No. 69 to the rear.
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| Established | 1995 |
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| Location | Taylor Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside. CH41 1BG United Kingdom |
| Type | Transport museum |
| Collection size | Trams, buses, other vehicles, static displays, model railway |
The Wirral Transport Museum is a cool place to visit in Birkenhead, England. It's about half a mile from the Mersey Ferry at Woodside. This museum shows off old trams, buses, and other vehicles.
There's even a special tram line that connects the museum right to the ferry terminal. The museum closed its doors in April 2023.
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History of the Museum
The museum first opened in 1995. It started as the main building for the Wirral Tramway. In 2009, the Wirral Borough Council, which owned the museum, thought about letting another group take over. They wanted to make sure the museum's special role was kept safe.
By 2014, the council was talking with volunteers about managing the museum. In 2011, famous comedian Ken Dodd even visited and rode one of the trams for a BBC show.
In March 2023, the Wirral Council handed over the museum to Big Heritage. This is a non-profit company that also runs other visitor spots. The council shared that it cost about £85,000 a year to run the museum, which had about 6,000 visitors yearly. Big Heritage hopes to welcome many more visitors, aiming for 40,000 a year. The museum closed in April 2023 and is expected to reopen in the summer of 2026.
Amazing Trams on Display
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The museum's tram collection was put together with help from volunteers. The Wirral Tramway started running in April 1995. It used trams that looked like those from Hong Kong in 1948.
One special tram is Hong Kong tramcar 69. It is named George Francis Train & Phileas Fogg. Another is Hong Kong tramcar 70, named Thomas Brassey. This one is painted in a special 'Birkenhead Blue' color.
Liverpool 245, a Baby Grand tram, was brought back to working order by volunteers. This was possible thanks to a £50,000 grant in 2010. Its restoration was finished in 2014.
Other trams that used to run at the museum included Birkenhead 20 and Wallasey 78. Liverpool 762 was moved to Crich Tramway Village in 2025. Lisbon 730 was moved to Beamish Museum transport collection in 2024. A horse-drawn tram, Liverpool 43, was moved to Hooton Park Hangars in November 2023.
Cool Buses to See
The museum has many interesting buses. It used to be able to use its buses for hire, but this stopped in January 2014.
Birkenhead Corporation Buses
- BG 8557: A 1943 Guy Arab bus. It was rebuilt in 1953 and has been restored.
- BG 9225: A 1946 Leyland Titan bus. It was restored with help from Ovaltine.
- RCM 493: A 1964 Leyland Leopard bus. This one was restored by the museum.
- GCM 152E: A 1967 Leyland Titan bus. It was also restored with special funding.
Wallasey Corporation Buses
- AHF 850: A 1951 Leyland Titan bus. It was preserved by Cedric Greenwood in 1973.
- CHF 565: A 1954 Leyland Titan bus. This bus was restored with funding from the New Wallasey project.
Crosville Motor Services Buses
- 319 PFM: A 1960 Bristol Lodekka bus. It has been at the museum since 2007.
- DVG 487: A 1981 Bristol VR bus. This Crosville bus has been at the museum since 2010.
- B200 DTU: A 1985 Leyland Olympian bus.
Other Bus Projects
- Crosville MS18: A 1949 Bedford Beagle that was turned into a mobile office.
- HKF 820: A 1949 AEC Regent III from Liverpool. It came to the museum in 2006.
Buses That Used to Be Here
Some buses that were once displayed at the museum have moved on:
- 101 CLT: A London AEC Routemaster bus. It was bought in 1994 and restored. It left the museum in 2009 and is now used for ghost tours in London.
- THM 692M: A London Transport Daimler Fleetline bus. It was used as a mobile classroom. It left the museum in 2009 and is now a mobile church.
- OFM 957K: A Daimler Fleetline open-top bus from Chester City. It was sold in 2009.
- F362 WSC: A Leyland Olympian bus. It was re-registered as 101 CLT for a while. In 2012, it went to a preservation group in Yorkshire.
Other Cool Exhibits
The museum also has many other interesting things to see. You can find a model of a crane that used to be at Bidston Dock. There are also model buses and trams. You can even see a model of the old Mersey ferry SS Thurstaston.
There is a large OO gauge model railway layout, which is about 26 feet long. You can also explore a recreated 1930s garage and a old-fashioned shop scene.
The museum's collection includes several vintage cars. These include a 1970 Austin 1800, an Austin 7, a Morris Minor Traveller, and a Triumph Dolomite 1300. There's even a 1946 Wolseley police car.
You can also see various old motorcycles. These include a BSA Bantam, a Douglas, a 1956 BSA C10L, a 1938 Norton 16H, and a 1964 Honda CB92. For mopeds, there's a Yamaha QT50 and a 1967 Honda P50.
See Also
- Wirral Tramway
- Birkenhead Transport
- Birkenhead Dock Branch
