Day Trip - London Transport Museum Depot
Mar 16 2021
At the recent Annual General Meeting it was suggested that the focus of the Club event programme for the remainder of the year should be on smaller scale gatherings that did not require elaborate arrangements involving hotel accommodation, where there will be ongoing constraints.
Andrew Howe-Davies has suggested that some members might be interested in a visit to the London Transport Museum Depot, situated in Acton. The main London Transport museum is in Covent Garden, but the Depot has 320,000 exhibits, including a substantial collection of buses, early horse-drawn carriages, underground carriages, the best transport poster collection in the world, signs, models, photographs, all the editions of the tube maps, engineering drawings, and Edward Johnston’s typeface that was created under the instruction of Frank Pick specifically for London Transport.
If this isn’t quite enough to stir interest, there is also an example of the chassis and 30hp engine from an early De Dion Bouton bus. The London General Omnibus Co. purchased 110 of the 34-seater buses from Puteaux in 1905, and they were delivered over the following 18 months.
There is too much to see in the course of a single visit and the Depot routinely offers a series of guided visits to specific parts of the collection. Andrew has suggested that we might be able to arrange for a guided tour, designed to meet our interests. Generally, the Depot is open for three weekends a year and for pre-booked tours, so this is an opportunity not to be missed.
As a first step, it would be of use to understand whether this proposed visit has appeal, and the numbers of likely attendees. The Depot is currently closed, but the expectation is that a mid-May visit might be possible. We could arrange a picnic on site or a visit to a local pizza restaurant. There is space on site to park vehicles – old or modern.
If interested, respond to the Club’s email address Click here, stating number of places required.
Michael