Sign of the times on retro buses at Aldridge Transport Museum

Buses at a transport museum have enjoyed a vintage makeover ahead of reopening to the public.

The buses at Aldridge Transport Museum have had nostalgic adverts put on them by a local sign writer, using adverts taken from the archives held by the museum.

Chairman of the trustee’s Martin Fisher said: “The two vehicles in the museum are privately owned and the owner was interested in having some period adverts put on it.

“We have a file, which is the file that Birmingham City transport used during the 1960s as anyone who wanted to advertise on a bus, whether it’s on the outside or the inside, had to get permission to do so.

“The advert had to be approved to make sure that it met the standards of the city council imposed, so they all had to supply small drawings or facsimiles of the advert.

“We’ve been looking through these archives and come up with some quite interesting ones and the signwriter Steve Evans has been working to get the job done.”

Mr Fisher said it might be an interesting project for anyone looking at the social history of buses and the industry in the West Midlands. The buses will be a big part of the exhibitions on offer when the museum is able to reopen, with Martin saying the museum hoped to do so in August.

He said: “We’re looking forward to being able to reopen and welcome people back into the museum as we’ve missed having them around.

“We haven’t got a date set yet, because obviously we’re working through all the necessary precautions such as hand sanitiser stations and measures to ensure social distancing.

“We will also have to stop people getting into the vehicles, which they could normally do.”

Steve Evans
Traditional Signwriter
Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands
07977 946982

To find out more about the museum: www.amrtm.org