This year will probably see the last of the annual Open Day held at the traditional location in Redhill Road, Cobham as the Museum and the vehicles are soon to be housed in a brand new purpose built building in nearby Brooklands. Housed adjacent to Mercedes-Benz on the site of the former famous motor racing circuit, this new structure will no doubt be able to show off all the Museum and Trust's memorabilia in a far more open aspect, but will it maintain the atmosphere of the old historical surroundings? That remains to be seen.

The current Museum has been housed in a former Ministry building that was put over to the construction of aircraft during the 2nd World War, one of many such factories that were operated in the area. Of course that is all behind us now and the structure has been put to peacetime use ever since. For some of us who have grown up with the Museum, this will be something of a sadness to leave the 'old' and move into the 'new', but I am sure it will hopefully mean the continuation of bus preservation for many years.

The annual Open Day in April has been on the calendar stretching back to the very early 1970s, and some of us may well remember attending the event all those many years ago. For some Cobham signals the opening of the rallying season and as such has drawn visitors from far and wide, including Transpire members, their families and friends, who for several years have taken a variety of vehicles down the M1 Motorway and the western half of the M25 to attend the event. Over the years the event has grown and indeed outgrown the usual sites to display the many vehicles both from the Museum, the Trust and from far and wide that attend. Thus for some time the main site to get sight of the most of the bus, coaches and ancillary vehicles has been a disused wartime airfield at nearby Wisley. This of course has meant that there is fine opportunity to sample the delights of travel on some quite interesting vehicles of varying vintages. Included of course is the ubiquitous Routemaster and as such the first and last examples (RM 1 and RML 2760), have provided sterling service over the years.

This year also sees the 80th anniversary of Green Line and as such will feature prominently in the programme of events.

Below are several images. Some fine examples to be found at the museum, others that are generally on display at Wisley and of course what one can see and use on the network of bus services between the Museum and the Wisley site.

And finally, where's the connection with Chesterfield other than going to visit the Museum? Indeed there is a tenuous one in the shape of three former London Transport RW-class AEC Reliance with dual-door 42-seater Willowbrook bodies, that were operated by Chesterfield Corporation during the mid-1960s. One RW 2, was later preserved and in the late 1970s appeared on the shuttle service between the Museum and Weybridge Station (bottom photograph). All three operated in the the green Country area livery when with LT and obviously in the green and cream of Chesterfield when subsequently acquired.

(UMP 227) AEC Regal IV / Park Royal B40F
The forerunner of the 700-strong RF-class

C 94 Leyland Cub / Weymann B20F

T 31 AEC Regal / LGOC B30R
Q 83 AEC Q / BRCW B35C a side-engined vehicle

RTW 185 Leyland Titan PD2 / Leyland H30/26R
RTL 326 Leyland Titan / Park Royal H30/26R
RT 2177 AEC Regent III / Park Royal H30/26R
Three members of the RT ‘family’ 500 RTWs, 1631 RTLs and 4825 RTs

ST 922 AEC Regent / Tilling H27/25R
G 351 Guy Arab II / Park Royal UH30/26R
The only remaining wartime ‘utility’ London bus

STL 2377 AEC Regent / LPTB H30/26R
RT 2043 AEC Regent / Park Royal H30/26R

RM 1 AEC Routemaster / Park Royal & LTE H36/28R

RML 2760 AEC Routemaster / Park Royal H40/32R

T 504 AEC Regal / LPTB C30F
Green Line coach that was commandeered as an ambulance during the 2nd World War,
returned later to become a Central area red bus

RMC 4 (originally designated as CRL 4) AEC Routemaster / ECW H57RD
This was the prototype Green Line coach and the only Routemaster bodied by ECW

This AEC Reliance RW2 (496 ALH), new to London Transport for operations in the green
country area, operated with two similar vehicles in Chesterfield in the mid-1960's.
It is pictured here in April 1979 at Weybridge Station operating a shuttle to the Museum.

(C) Tony Wilson. These photographs are the property of Tony Wilson and must not be copied without permission.