Vehicle collection

Greater Manchester’s public road transport heritage

The Museum’s focus is the history of road passenger transport in Greater Manchester and there are over seventy buses and other vehicles on display. It is a ‘working’ museum, with as many vehicles as possible maintained in full working order. This helps give the Museum the atmosphere of a bus garage of bygone years, lending a realistic setting to the vehicles themselves. Maintenance and restoration is undertaken by the Museum’s volunteers.

You can look inside several vehicles but some are fragile, so unfortunately we can't open them all. Please ask staff if you would like to see inside a particular vehicle. Vehicles often move around and many are on the road, so not all of our collection will be on public display when you visit.

Vehicles are detailed below by type and operator. Some of the vehicles described may not be present at the Museum, being on display elsewhere, or in storage. Our vehicles are often used on free heritage bus services to and from the Museum – please see our events page for details.

Horse buses

L2 - Manchester Carriage & Tramways Company - Horse bus, from 1890

Tramways and light rail

65 - Brush - Tram, from 1906

1000 - Officine Casertane Caserta (Italy) - T68 Light rail vehicle (LRV) body (prototype), from 1990

Motor buses

Modern bus services in Greater Manchester were originally provided by the transport departments of local authorities (then known as 'corporations'), with additional services operated by private companies.

Corporation transport departments (council run bus services)

44 - PTE 944C - Leyland Titan PD2/37 - Double deck bus, from 1965

77 - JBN 153 - Leyland Titan PD2/13 - Double deck bus, from 1956

177 - BEN 177 - AEC Regent III 9613A - Double deck bus, from1952
116 - REN 116 - Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 - Double deck bus, from 1963

84 - FTB 11 - Leyland Titan TD7 - Double deck bus, from 1941
15 - PTC 114C - AEC Renown 3B3RA - Double deck bus, from 1965

28 - VR 5742 - Leyland Tiger TS2 - Single deck bus, from 1930
436 - ANB 851 - Crossley Mancunian - Double deck bus, from 1934
526 (chassis only) - AXJ 857 - Leyland Titan TD3 - Chassis, from 1934
2150 - JND 791 - Crossley DD42/8S - Double deck bus, from 1949
3166 - JNA 467 - Leyland Titan PD1/3 - Double deck bus, from 1949
3245 - JND 646 - Leyland Titan PD2/3 - Double deck bus, from 1951
25 - NNB 125 - Leyland Royal Tiger PSU1/13 - Single deck bus, from 1953
3460 - PND 460 - Leyland Titan PD2/12 - Double deck bus, from 1956
3496 - TNA 496 - Leyland Titan PD2/40 - Double deck bus, from 1958
3520 - TNA 520 - Leyland Titan PD2/34 - Double deck bus, from 1958
3629 - UNB 629 - Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 - Double deck bus, from 1960
55 - 3655 NE - Leyland Tiger Cub PSUC1/12 - Single deck bus, from 1962
4632 - 4632 VM - Daimler CVG6K - Double deck bus, from 1963
RM1414 (demonstrator from London Transport) - 414 CLT - AEC Routemaster 2R2RH - Double deck bus, from 1963
74 - BND 874C Leyland Panther Cub - Single deck bus, from - 1965
1001 - HVM 901F - Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 - Double deck bus, from 1968

246 - DBU 246 - Leyland Titan PD1/3 - Double deck bus, from 1947
368 - FBU 827 - Crossley DD42/8 - Double deck bus, from 1950
394 - NBU 494 - Leyland Titan PD2/20 - Double deck bus, from 1957

17 - HTB 656 - Leyland Tiger PS1 - Single deck bus, from 1946
11 - TTD 386H - Leyland Titan PD3/4 - Double deck bus, from 1969

235 - HDK 835 - AEC Regent III - Double deck bus, from 1951
280 - NDK 980 - AEC Regent V D2RA6G - Double deck bus, from 1956

235 - BBA 560 - AEC Regent I O661 - Double deck bus, from 1939
112 - TRJ 112 - Daimler CVG6 - Double deck bus, from 1962
214 - DBA 214C - Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 - Double deck bus, from 1965
254 - FRJ 254D - Leyland Titan PD2/40 - Double deck bus, from 1966

70 - UMA 370 - Atkinson PD746 - Double deck bus, from 1955

185 - JA 7585 - Leyland Tiger TS7 - Single deck bus, from 1935
308 - EDB 562 - Leyland Titan PD2/1 - Double deck bus, from 1951
321 - EDB 575 - Crossley DD42/7 - Double deck bus, from 1951
91 - MJA 891G - Leyland Titan PD3/14 - Double deck bus, from 1969
97 - MJA 897G - Leyland Titan PD3/14 - Double deck bus, from 1969

57 - HEK 705 - Leyland Titan PD3A/2 - Double deck bus, from 1961

Privately owned bus operators

8860 VR - AEC Regent V 2D3RA - Double deck bus, from 1964

27 - 122 JTD - Guy Arab IV - Double deck bus, from 1959
97 - 561 TD - Daimler Fleetline - Double deck bus, from 1962

432 - AJA 152 - Bristol K5G - Double deck bus, from 1939
270 - BJA 425 - Bristol L5G - Single deck bus, from 1946
224 - CDB 224 - Leyland Titan PD2/1 - Double deck bus, from 1947
174 - DDB 174C - Daimler Fleetline CRG6LX - Double deck bus, from 1965

C295 - CK 3825 - Leyland Lion PLSC1 - Single deck bus, from 1927
VY 957 - Leyland Lion PLSC3 - Single deck bus, from 1929

In 1968 the Government decided to reorganise bus services in the metropolitan counties such as Greater Manchester. Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) were created to provide local bus services instead of local authorities. Known as SELNEC (South East Lancashire and North East Cheshire), the PTE took over bus services on 1 November 1969. Eventually most of North Western and LUT were integrated with the PTE, whilst A Mayne & Son and Ribble remained separate.

Passenger Transport Executive

1205 - SRJ 328H - Leyland Atlantean PDR2/1 - Double deck bus, from 1970
7001 - VNB 101L - Leyland Atlantean AN68/1R - Double deck bus, from 1972
EX30 - TXJ 507K - Leyland National 1151/2R/0202 - Single deck bus, from 1972

On 1 April 1974 the area covered by the Passenger Transport Executive changed, with Wigan now being included, due to the creation of the new Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester. SELNEC therefore became Greater Manchester Transport which now incorporated Wigan Corporation Transport.

5871 - KJA 871F - Leyland Titan PD3/14 - Double deck bus, from 1968
1722 - XVU 352M - Seddon Pennine IV-236 - Midibus, from 1974
5083 - ORJ 83W - MCW Metrobus DR102/21 - Double deck bus, from 1981
3065 - B65 PJA - Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1R - Double deck bus, from 1984
5208 - C208 FVU - MCW Metrobus DR132/8 - Double deck bus, from 1986

Deregulation on 26 October 1986 meant that Greater Manchester Transport’s bus operations had been transferred to a separate company, Greater Manchester Buses Limited. Trading as GM Buses, the company was eventually split into two and privatised, after both parts spent a brief period in employee ownership. GM Buses North (GMN) became First Manchester and GM Buses South (GMS Buses) became Stagecoach Manchester. Other operators were free to start operating bus services after Deregulation and these included Bee Line.

4706 - A706 LNC - Leyland Atlantean AN68D/1R - Double deck bus, from 1984
1676 - D676 NNE - MCW Metrorider MF151/3 - Minibus, from 1987

63 - D63 NOF - Freight Rover Sherpa 350 - Minibus, from 1986

Coaches

LMA 284 - Foden PVSC6 - Single deck coach, from 1949

SDK 442 - Leyland Worldmaster RT3/2 - Single deck coach, from 1958

HTF 586 - Bedford OB - Single deck coach, from 1947

YDK 590 - AEC Reliance 2MU3RA - Single deck coach, from 1961
HVU 244N - AEC Reliance 6U3ZR - Single deck coach, from 1975

PA164 - CWG 206 - Leyland PS1 - Single deck coach, from 1950

Trolleybuses

80 - LTC 774 - Crossley Empire TDD42/2 - Trolleybus, from 1950

1250 - JVU 755 - Crossley Dominion TDD64/1 - Trolleybus, from 1951

Electric buses

EX62 - GNC 276N - Seddon / Lucas - Midibus, from 1975

Ancillary vehicles

2 - CWH 717 - Leyland Titan PD2/4 - Tower wagon, from 1948

LSU 282 - AEC Matador 0853 - Recovery vehicle, from 1943

A118 - HVM 93 - Thornycroft Sturdy - Tower wagon, from 1947

106 - YM 9410 - Karrier - Recovery vehicle, from 1926

AEC Matador 0853 - Recovery vehicle, from 1941

Municipal services

256 - JNA 156 - Lacre - Road Sweeper, from 1948

BRJ 333 - Leyland TL - Turntable Escape Fire engine, from 1941

Accessible transport

W4 - M939 XKA - Mercedes-Benz 609D - Minibus, from 1994

Commercial vehicles

6 - AHL 622 - Leyland Beaver 12IB - Brewery Lorry, from 1946

Keep in touch

Museum of Transport,
Boyle Street, Cheetham,
Manchester M8 8UW
 0161-205 2122
 email(at)gmts.co.uk

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