Museum Stories:

Maurice Shevlin – Our Story

In 1980, I had just sold my converted Bedford SB coach, JTS 213, when a small television clip changed everything. Tyne Tees Television aired a short piece about a former Hartlepool Corporation bus, FEF 375. Once used as an Easington and District play bus, it was now surplus to requirements and, remarkably, free to anyone interested.

That very evening, after a conversation with my brother John, the idea took shape. The Aycliffe and District Bus Preservation Society was born, and a letter was quickly sent to Tyne Tees Television expressing our interest in restoring and preserving FEF 375.

In the weeks that followed, we secured a stall in Newton Aycliffe town centre at a promotional event titled “What Has Newton Aycliffe Got to Offer?”. We displayed our model bus collection and, thanks to a local clothing store, even had a “dummy” third man dressed as a bus conductor, complete with uniform and ticket machine. Despite the effort, we attracted just two new members that day, Mike Clayton from Spennymoor and Gordon Ruth from Newton Aycliffe.

Our first rally appearance came soon after at the Crook Vintage Tractor and Engine Rally, attended using a Bristol FLF kindly borrowed from Central Coaches of Newton Aycliffe.

Around six weeks after the original television broadcast, Tyne Tees Television announced live on air that the Aycliffe and District Bus Preservation Society had been given the play bus. FEF 375 was collected and initially stored at McCarrons Road Transport on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate. To begin restoration work, more secure storage was later found at a farm in Croft, just south of Darlington.

Membership growth was slow and remained in single figures. Most of the restoration work was carried out by John and me, with invaluable help from a very proactive Gordon. Believing the storage location was limiting progress, we approached the Aycliffe Development Corporation for help, as many factory units stood empty at the time. Unfortunately, the response was negative, and we continued as best we could.

In 1981, I became aware of a Darlington bus that had been purchased by a group of London bus drivers to raise funds for a kidney machine. The bus was due to be auctioned at the end of a rally at North Weald Aerodrome. Through London Transport, I contacted the group and an agreement was reached. If we could raise £600 before the rally date, we could purchase the bus outright. Otherwise, it would go to auction on the day.

Initial support came through promises of advertising. McCarron Road Transport contributed £100, and the Newton News added £150. Further appeals locally and in Darlington brought no success, and as the rally date approached, time was running out. An agreement was then reached with Mr Adams of Beechtree Nurseries in Shildon. He provided £400 in return for a long-term advertising banner, support at local promotional events, and a small share in the bus’s ownership for the first five years. This was to cover the possibility that the Society might not survive.

The bus, AHN 451B, was secured. Its final fundraising act for the London bus drivers was a memorable rope pull. Two teams of eight raced to haul a Cadbury’s liveried London Transport RT double decker bus down the former runway.

Once back in the North East, the bus was again stored thanks to McCarron Road Transport. Interest in the Society began to grow, and membership increased to around fifteen.

Not long after, I was approached by Mr Wiggett of the Development Corporation, who was planning an “Aycliffe on Wheels” event to promote the New Town’s industrial estate. In return for our involvement, the Society was granted access to a brand new empty unit, on the condition that tarpaulins were laid to protect the concrete floors.

At last, the Society’s two buses were brought together under one roof. A third double decker, GHN 189, would soon follow, but that is another story.

Aycliffe on Wheels proved to be a huge success, and by popular demand, it returned the following year, firmly establishing the Society as part of the town’s heritage.