- A new exhibition ‘The New Look’ reflecting on the design legacy of the 1950s
- Eleven themed event days across the year including:
Bristol Owners Gathering
Bedford OB Owners Gathering
Route 150 Running Day
London Comes To Wythall Goes Green
Blues and Twos - emergency services vehicle day
A tribute to West Midlands Municipals
Back To The 1980s – buses, cars and commercials
· Wythall BusFest@Gaydon with Barton Gathering
· 18 buses in the running fleet for 2025 including new faces
· Museum open from 15 February to 23 March on a winter schedule
The 2025 season is just weeks away and as a result of requests from many of its faithful visitors, Transport Museum Wythall will open its doors earlier in 2025 – from 15 February when prices from £6 for an adult will apply until the end of March. Please see the website for full details of prices and opening dates in this period.
This year will see eleven themed event days including the second Bedford OB Owners Gathering, a green bus theme for London Comes To Wythall, a tribute to the West Midlands Municipals and their superb liveries prior to WMPTE days, plus a dive into the 1980s and a Midland Red Route 150 running day – and much, much more.
New Exhibition from April 2025 – ‘The New Look’
The Museum is creating a new exhibition for the 2025 season looking at the design legacy of the 1950s – The New Look. It’s not often that the worlds of Parisian haute couture and the British bus industry coincide!
In 1947 Christian Dior presented his new fashion collection in Paris. The designs left behind wartime austerity and introduced light jackets with small waists and long voluminous skirts. The deliberately glamorous style chimed with the times and became famous as The New Look.
Soon the phrase The New Look was applied to anything that was radically styled or restyled – even buses. Midland Red and Foden had already introduced radiators concealed behind voluminous skirt panels but it was in 1950, when traditionally conservative Birmingham City Transport launched its restyled buses, that the bus industry really took notice when BCT called them The New Look.
New fronts were not the only development in bus design around 1950. Recovering from World War Two, everything was being reconsidered and the best ideas would set the pattern for the years ahead. This exhibition takes a ‘New Look’ at the changes that occurred 75 years ago through words, pictures and the buses on display. It will open in April, watch the website for more details.
2024 visitor numbers held up in another fiscally challenging year
2025 follows another successful year for Transport Museum Wythall, maintaining its visitor numbers at circa 18,000 in an ongoing period of cost of living challenges. Visitors continue to be vocal on Facebook and Trip Advisor about the value for money that the museum offers, particularly to families when two adults and two children can visit from just £20, with free bus rides included. 30% of the Museum’s visitors now have one or more children with them.
Never a dull moment in 2025 with plenty to interest in a variety of themed events
2025 sees a strong mix of themed Event Days alongside normal running days, in both cases free bus rides are included. Main Event days also see a number of visiting vehicles, the majority allied to the event theme itself. This year includes the return of the now well-established Bristol Owners Gathering (Sunday/Monday, 20/21 April) when the Museum’s Bristol buses will mix with visiting examples, presenting the wide range of buses supplied by this well-known company, many of whose chassis were bodied by Eastern Coachworks. The Bedford OB Owners Gathering (Saturday/Sunday, 17/18 May) is back this year, now established as a regular event. The Route 150 Running Day (Monday 26 May) brings back museum trips to Henley in Arden following the 150 Midland Red service from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon for part of its route. London Comes to Wythall (Saturday 14 June) goes green for 2025 and more local enthusiasts are well catered for with West Midlands Municipals and a Visit To The 1980s. The sounds of fire engines, police cars and ambulances will ring out on the Emergency Services Day and of course, the year will end with Twilight Running Day (Sunday 26 October). The traditional end of October rally brings an end to the running day season with a chance to ride on buses into the twilight now that the clocks have gone back. The Museum is open until 6.00pm with last bus rides at 5.30pm.
Main running events for 2025 in more detail
Route 150 Running day to Henley in Arden – Monday 26 May
Frequent services running will be from the Museum to Henley-in-Arden on part of the old Midland Red 150 route from Birmingham to Stratford. This is a great springtime trip through the Shakespeare countryside and an opportunity to drop off at the famous Henley ice cream shop or the newly restored and re-purposed Henley in Arden Great Western Railway station with its onsite microbrewery and lounge. There is nowhere better to sample a pint of real ale after a classic bus ride! Buses in use that day will include the newly restored Leyland PS2 Stratford Blue double decker.
London Comes To Wythall Goes Green – Saturday 14 June
For 2025 our theme is London’s Green buses from the Green Line and London Country fleets. The Museum’s green Routemaster RCL is celebrating its 60th birthday this year and we hope to be joined by several of its sisters that are also in preservation plus other green examples of Routemasters long and short and other bus types, the majority of which operated exclusively on country services for most of their lives.
Wythall BusFest@Gaydon with Barton theme - Saturday 5 July
2025 sees the fourth event at Gaydon as it now gains a firm footing in the annual bus rally calendar. All buses from all eras are welcome.
For the 2025 event Wythall’s Barton Leyland PD1 will make a welcome return following a lengthy restoration. Its quirky Duple body, with side gangway in the upper saloon permitting a height reduction, features vacuum operated double doors and liberal use of polished, fluted mouldings around the bodywork. Its distinctive appearance and superb red, maroon and cream livery has been hand finished by the volunteer team, including all advertising, Barton logos and legal lettering.
Transport Museum Wythall welcomes all Barton PSVs and Barton Transport commercial vehicles to this special Barton gathering.
Blues And Twos Vehicle Day – Sunday 10 August
An opportunity for the blue light vehicle enthusiasts to see a gathering of police, fire and ambulance vehicles and possibly an Air Ambulance. Owners of classic blue light vehicles are welcome to display, free of charge to the driver.
Back To The 80s (1980-1989) – Saturday/Sunday, 6/7 September
An opportunity for wheeled vehicles from the era of big hair and bomber jackets to gather and share reminiscences. On the bus front we will concentrate on vehicles such as the Metrobus, Leyland Olympian and the Leyland National but all 1980s bus types are welcome. Alongside let’s see the cars and commercial vehicles from the same era – and how about a tank or two? Don’t forget, only 1980-1989. Classic car and commercial vehicle drivers enter free of charge.
A Tribute To West Midlands Municipals – Sunday 5 October
Before 1969, the councils of Birmingham, Walsall, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton all ran their own bus fleets. All were subsequently subsumed into the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE or Wumpty), later Coventry also succumbed to this mighty establishment. Come back with us to those halcyon days of proud and colourful liveries when we will see examples from all five municipals running on TMW’s now iconic ‘happy hour’ service.
Wythall Miniature Railway Gala on 28/29 July
In addition to bus themed events, the Wythall Miniature Railway, a main feature of the museum site for children, is running a gala weekend with visiting locomotives and an intensive service of both passenger and freight trains. The railway has seen some significant updates for 2025 so don’t miss the ride. Visit www.wythallsteamrail.com for more information.
Buses returning to the operational fleet in 2025
In the past few years, a significant amount of work has been undertaken in the restoration workshop and a selection of the fruits of this this working group of volunteers will be back on the road in 2025.
Stratford Blue JUE 349, Leyland PS2, has already made static appearances at the Classic Car Show and Euro Bus Expo 2024, both at the NEC, so it will join the running fleet for 2025.
Another significant restoration is that of Barton Transport JRR 404 Leyland PD1 which has received significant timber frame reconstruction and repanelling, new moquette and a full hand finished repaint. It will make its debut at Wythall BusFest@Gaydon on Saturday 5 June when all Barton buses are welcome to join plus commercial vehicles from Barton International Transport.
List of operational vehicles for 2025 –
Please watch the website for running day bus lists as all are dependent on vehicle availability at the time.
OV 4486 – Birmingham City Transport AEC Regent
FFY 402 – Southport Corporation Leyland Titan PD2/3
XHA 482 – Midland Red D7 (NEW in October, following full restoration)
JUE 349 – Stratford Blue Leyland Tiger PS2/3
JRR 404 – Barton Transport Leyland Titan PD1 (NEW in July, following full restoration)
3016 HA – Midland Red D9 London Transport (TBD, following mechanical overhaul)
6545 HA – Midland Red S16
JOJ 707 – Birmingham City Transport Daimler CVD6
JOJ 533 – Birmingham City Transport Guy Arab IV (March, following mechanical overhaul)
248 NEA - West Bromwich Corporation Daimler CVG6/30
BON 472C – Birmingham City Transport Daimler Fleetline CRG6 single decker (April)
BHA 399C – Midland Red D9
EHA 767D – Midland Red S17
KHW 306E – Cheltenham District Bristol RELL6L
KON 311P – West Midlands PTE Leyland Fleetline FE30ALR (August, following mechanical overhaul)
XDH 516G – Walsall Corporation Daimler Fleetline CRG6 (following repaint)
BX02 ASV – Travel West Midlands Dennis Trident 2/ALX 400
R1 NEG – Travel West Midlands DAF DB250LF/Optare Spectra
Classic Car Meetings and Club meets
Transport Museum Wythall has been growing as a classic car and motor club venue, particularly with the introduction of Cars and Coffee@Wythall in partnership with Classic Car Weekly – CCW at CCW!
Meetings will be held on Sunday 27 April, which includes Drive-It Day, and then on the third Sunday of each month from 18 May to 19 October inclusive. The event is open from 09.00 to 11.00 for pre-2000 classic cars. Entry for drivers is free with passengers paying £5. Non-classics pay normal admission prices. The Museum is open and hot and cold refreshments are available.
All motor clubs are invited to consider Transport Museum Wythall as a club meet venue – more information via an email to: motorclubs@wythall.org.uk
For further information including the full schedule, opening times and prices (including the February and March opening times and prices) go to www.wythall.org.uk