Museum of Transport in Manchester

The Museum of Transport, Manchester is a museum that aims to preserve and promote the public transport heritage of the County of Greater Manchester.

About the Museum

The museum holds a sizeable collection, one of the largest of its kind in the UK. Due to the size of the building, some vehicles have to be kept off-site, with exhibits changed around every so often. In addition, vehicles often attend events around the country during the summer months.

The museum itself is owned by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, having been established at the Boyle Street site, Cheetham, in 1979. The museum was set up to actively promote interest in the history and heritage of Greater Manchester's local passenger transport system. The day-to-day running of the museum is carried out by volunteers from the Greater Manchester Transport Society.

The museum collection is constantly developing and restoration work can be often be seen by visitors giving the display a lively, working atmosphere. In the future, the collection of vehicles and other artefacts relating to the roads of Greater Manchester will continue to grow, with the Museum further developing its facilities as well as restoring items which have already been received but which remain in derelict condition. With GMPTE's continuing assistance, it is hoped the museum will continue to be a focal point and a major attraction of its type.

The museum became a Registered Museum in May 2003, with the GMTS having become a Registered Charity back in 1980.

Collections

The museum is home to around 100 buses, of which 70 or so are kept on the site. The remaining vehicles are kept elsewhere to allow for restoration work to be carried out and so other vehicles can be exhibited.

Also in the collection are two trolleybuses from Manchester and Ashton-under-Lyne corporations, the prototype Manchester Metrolink tram, and a Manchester Corporation tram from 1901. There is also a host of other related exhibits, from old signs to uniforms - and several items used by Warner Bros. during filming of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (Stan the conductor's equipment).

There is also an extensive archive collection, featuring old timetables, maps, books, posters, manuals and plans - visitors to the archive need to notify the museum in advance.

Events

The museum holds a number of regular events throughout the year.

*March: Spring Transport Festival - Market day for specialist retailers and booksellers.
*April: London Bus Day - Preserved London buses on display.
*May: Themed event.
*September: Trans-Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally - The start point of a 15 mile run to Heaton Park via north Manchester. The event is staged on the first Sunday in September.
*October: Themed event.
*December: The Christmas Cracker - Market day for specialist retailers and booksellers.

During most of these events a heritage bus service from Manchester Victoria Station to the museum runs every 20 minutes between 09:50 and 17:00.

Location

The Museum of Transport is located approximately two miles north of Manchester City Centre, close to the junction of the A665 (Cheetham Hill Road) and the A6010 (Queens Road). It is at the north end of Boyle Street, adjoining the First Manchester bus garage. Main bus services 53, 59, 88/89, 151 and 135 stop nearby.

The museum is signposted when you approach the Manchester Fort shopping centre

The Museum is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays (except at Christmas and New Year). Opening hours in summer are 10am to 5pm, a closing time of 4pm is in effect from November to February.

On the day of the Trans-Lancs Rally, the museum opens from 8am to 12pm.

The Future

As the museum continues to expand, it has been identified that additional space will be required. This has meant that GMPTE, GMTS and Manchester City Council are currently looking at the option of moving the museum to a larger, more modern facility in the coming years.

External links

* [http://www.gmts.co.uk/ Official website]