6th of July 2010

KGB 120: The Scammell is now 99% complete and is just waiting on windscreen glass and some new clevis pins before it can hit the road! We had an unveiling night when the Aberdeen Transport Society came to visit us, to which we invited the BRPS committee, both parties were very pleased and eager to see the Scammell finally back on the road.

Scammell Trailers: Bob and Myself, with help from the 'Future Jobs program recruits at Brechin, have unearthed the Scammell Trailers. This allowed Bob and myself to move the flat bed closer to the BRPS' Garage for storage, until restoration. The covered trailer has also been dug out and its missing wheel re-instated, this ill hopefully be moved through to the ATG in Montrose in the very near future so restoration can start!

XSA 620: XSA was taken to the Montrose GVTS for MOT in early June, but unfortunatly failed the test due to a brake imbalance. After a few weeks of investigation, it appears that the actuators were actuating at different times due to bad adjustment, tho this is something we have never touched we must have just been lucky in the past! We think we have now rectified the fault and will do some tests before booking another MOT. The painting of this vehicle into Burnetts colours is coming along slowly, owing to other commitments and the brakes issue.

GSO92V: Ian's latest Leopard has joined the collection and has taken up residence in Rossie Island bus garage, currently operated by Stagecoach who have kindly agreed to let us store it there for the summer. Thanks to Stagecoach we now are able to offer our popular Basin Rambler Vintage bus service knowing we have a bus avaliable. Ian has just replaced one of the batteries as it was causing some issues with starting.

Left: Scammell after unveiling, minus windscreen glass. Right: GSO92V at Borrowfield being posed for photographs.

25th of April 2010

KGB 120: Bob has been continuing to gloss the Scammell and has almost completed the maroon. The N/S sidelight has been re-attached and is in the process of being wired in. The number plate and dashboard module have both been sprayed gloss black and are now ready to have lettering highlighted in white.

MSD 408: Not strictly an ATG vehicle, the cylinder heads for this PD3 were however overhauled by Bob and Myself. This involved clearing out the water jacket as this was heavily silted up and re-grinding the valves to allow them to seat well.

XSA 620: All the panel work has been re-attached to the bus and beading strips sorted and re-fitted. Ian Laird sanded down the roof which has had the O/S half painted in a red undercoat. The frame for the rear seat has been re-instated and is in the process of the final tweaks before it is ready for the back seat. All the other seats have now been re-fitted as have the interior headlining and beading strips.

MSD 408's Cylinderhead in the process of grinding XSA 620's Roof undercoated.

25th of February 2010

XSA 620 All the woodwork of the rear end has been manufactured and just requires glued and screwed into final place. Bob has been cutting and bending the 'top hat' sections that required replacing around the boot area.

E640 BRS The windows on the Tiger have finally been finished. The Window surrouds have been screwed back on with only the trim strips to be attached. A few temporary body repairs have been done to make the vehicle roadworthy again. We have since taken her out for a few runs......the first in 9 months pictures can be seen here.

Website News: I have set up a Flickr account for the group, currently comprising of vintage pictures of the group, courtesy of Adam Hendry. Here

2nd of November 2009
KGB 120: The painting has commenced! The Scammell is nearing completion of its paintwork, we are now just fixing on the beading strips so we can apply the final coat.
XSA 620: The enitre N/S lower panels and most of the O/S lower panels have been sanded and undercoated. The front fiberglass moulding has been undercoated and glossed maroon but a few more imperfections were found so further filling and sanding is required. A start has been made sanding the roof panels ready for undercoating.
XSS 43Y: Sandy has been down, removing parts of the door surround so he can replace the rotten wood and fix the handrails back on.
Above: N/S of XSA in undercoat.		Above: XSA with Burnett maroon front
7th of October 2009
KGB 120: A few more parts of the nose have been filled and sanded, ready for painting which should commence soon. The nose has been fixed down for the last time and the whole vehicle has been given a light sanding ready for its first coat of gloss!
XSA 620: Work has been progressing apace, with all the N/S body panels sanded down and undercoated. The interior wood sections have been put in place so they can take shape, and will hopefully get fitted very soon. All the body side panels have been refitted apart from the rear skirt section and above the O/S/R wheel arch.
JSA 102V: A trip was made to buckie to re-attach the O/S engine bay opening hatch as the plastic hinge broke off last time we went up. Now a nice new, stainless steel hinge holds the panel to the bus.
XSS43Y: Jed and Sandy have applied a coat of ethching primer to the N/S panels. All the panels are now back on the vehicle, allowing them to get on with the painting.
13th of September 2009
XSS 43Y: Most of the panels are on the bus and the+ roof has almost been completly sanded, all the side windows have been taken out so a good painting job can be acheived.
E640 BRS: The Tiger received a little bit of tender loving care today and has got two shiney new panels on the O/S around the fuel tank and the exhaust tail pipe. Also the front panel is in the process of being cleaned up in preparation for painting.
New panels on E640 BRS	Folding the new panel.

3rd of August 2009

MSD 408: AD1544 has been running for the group over the past few weeks on Day out with Thomas events and also 'The Basin Rambler'. We are most gratful to his owner for allowing us to borrow him for the summer. The Demister box was leaking however so a spare was acquired and the elements have been changed over and this has stopped the leak.

XSA620: Work has been slow on this vehicle due to lack of time, but the parts of the chassis requiring welding are progressing with only one hole needing cut and re-filled. George has been working away on the wood work.

KGB 120: Again due to lack of time the Scammell has stalled but the passenger side door has been re-skinned and re-glazed. The new oil filter has been fitted and fresh oil has been put in and the vehicle is now running very well.

RRM 634X: Ian has been working away on the rear brakes and we have managed to free off the pivots after much heat and brute force! Plan now is to move the vehicle away from the door so it can be stripped down fully.

Basin Rambler: The Rambler this year has proved very popular both in the press and with the general public, although the first week was a little poor due to the weather,

8th of March 2009

KGB 120: Further sanding of the nose has been underway, most of which is now completed. This means that we can start focusing on finishing off the cab area and getting on with painting work. It is hoped to have the vehicle finished for the summer season, but this all depends on time spent on other projects.

XSA 620: After rotating the engine by hand, well barring it over, we discovered that the pistons are letting oil by the rings. So we have wear somewhere, after checking the bores with inside micrometers they seem to be ok. So we may have to remove the sump and inspect the pistons and liners outside the engine. Also we have stripped down on of the cylinder heads to its component parts.

A before and after almost of the cylinder heads left, all valves stems and springs in place and right, a fully stripped head.

Sanding of the bodywork has commenced which will speed up the process when we come to re-painting work. Bob was seen to be removing more of the metalwork from the boot area of the bus, which will make it easier to repair when the new metal has arrived. Work has been slow over the past weeks but a concentrated effort will be required to get the bus operational for the summer again.

The front O/S wheel drum and hub have been removed to change the grease. Its been a while since it was last changed and this can be seen in the quality of the grease. We have taken advanage of this to clean down and paint up the back covers and accuators, thus removing many years of brake grime that had built up upon them.

RRM 634X: Ian has removed the handpoles around the step area of RRM, for refurbishment. This will be the vehicle that will be used on our 'Easter Basin Rambler.'

E640 BRS: A concentrated effort on the tiger today, its up for MOT next week and all the niggly little jobs were completed on her.

The new headlights that were fitted last week were secured properly and checked. Sidelight function had to be added to these headlights and I must say Ian has done a marvelous job. The front marker lights had to be removed from the vehicle as we couldn't get one side to work at all, after going through the usual checks.

We als had to build up the plate that holds the front panel up with weld as the bolt was not seating fully.

An end of day shot, after fitment of the new headlights and Alexanders badge.

8th of February2009

XSA 620: Engine work commenced today with everything around the cylinder heads removed. It’s all good news the pistons, cylinder liners and piston rings all seem in good order. It has been decided to send the heads off for skimming and refurbishment.

Further stripping down of the bodywork has also commenced with all the light fittings, AEC badge and destination blind and glass removed. This has all been done in preparation for painting up into Burnetts of Mintlaw livery hopefully in March.

EWG 22L: Work has commenced on EWG, it has received XSA 620's batteries so we don't experience any troubles with them in the future. This has allowed us to start up the vehicle and start to track down the faults in the various systems. Firstly we will have to work out what’s wrong with the charging system so as to keep the batteries in good order. Also finding all of the leaks in the air system is a priority which will allow us to get the door working and check all of auxiliaries.

E640 BRS: Problems with a sticky stop solenoid have arisen but this will be investigated further when time permits. A bracket is in the process of being made to secure the new driver’s seat to the base, due to the fittings being different. Headlights have been sourced and will be purchased when they have been confirmed as the correct sizel.

24th of January 2009

KGB 120: Ian has been continuing to fill and sand the Scammell nose with this work now virtually completed. Bob has been working on the throttle linkage, having rebushed parts of it.

XSA 620: Not much progress on her just now due to other commitments but it has been noticed that the engine is leaking some oil from the exhaust which is causing us some concern. This will mean she will be off the road until all the problematic jobs and body work have been completed.

RRM 634X: Ian has been painting the exhaust pipe of RRM with high temperature engine paint to protect it.

E640 BRS: Work is progressing apace on the tiger, with many parts acquired for her prompt restoration. Almost all of the reading lights have covers and all of the bulbs that were blown have been replaced. The destination box central support has been repaired and is in the process of being repainted. We are still in the process of finding a new set of headlights to replace the current ones. The washer switch on the wipers stalk has been replaced, eradicating the need for the seperate switch on the dash board.

15th of December 2008

KGB 120: The Scammell is still progressing with most of the nose filled and sanded, tho some more is required along the bottom. Also the handbrake levers are being cleaned up and the brasswork cleaned up.

XSA 620: We took the batteries out of XSA as we were having some trouble starting the bus, this was narrowed down to a loose wire and has since been repaired. Work is still progressing on the repairs on the rear framework and chassis work. The chassis requires a bit of welding as a few holes have appeared in some of the rear boot supports.

RRM 634X: Ian has continued cleaning her and removing the masking tape that was left after its repaint.

XSS 43Y: Sanding is still progressing as and when Jed and Sandy are avaliable from work.

E640 BRS: A new addition to the fleet, she arrived on Saturday the 13th of December, driven up from Cumbernauld courtesy of Kelvin Valley Coaches. The plan for her is to exhibit her in her current strathtay livery, until we have more time to restore her into Bluebird, Northern livery of the early 1990's

14th of November 2008   

KGB 120: The Scammell is coming along slowly, but well. Most of the body side has been filled and sanded in preparation for painting.

XSA 620: Most of the rear bodywork has been stripped down to the framework. We have found that the woodwork is in good condition all round, but some of the metal straps have become quite rusty. A decision was made to fully strip out the boot for replacement of the side panels, this is due to the floor being rotten around the edges. Whilst removing some of the paneling we managed to find some authentic Burnetts maroon paint, which confirms that when XSA was painted back into Burnetts in the 80's the maroon was incorrect.

RRM 634X: RRM has been put back on its wheels and taken out for a short test run, the brakes perform well and don't heat up like they used to so all is well. No other faults have been found with the vehicle, this means that she is mobile and avaliable for service and shows.

XSS 43Y: 543 is still in the process of being sanded down and prepaired fora re-paint, virtually all of the front panel has been repaired and work is progressing on the roof.

11^th of October 2008

KGB 120: The Scammell has had a start made on re-wiring it and so far everything works, apart from the Dynamo. The unit has been partially stripped down again to finish off all the parts that were only temporary to get her mobile. Mainly cleaning and painting of components. We require to adjust the brakes to ensure they work fully with the footbrake actuator. The speedo has been connected up and registers a speed though possibly not very accurate.

XSA 620: A start has been made to dismantling XSA’s rear panel work to assess the wood work as we think she is sagging slightly at the rear.  During the first stage of stripping we have noticed that the foam rattle guards have disintegrated, these will be replaced in due course. The boot lid has been removed for some fibreglass repair work to be done. All this work is in preparation for a re-paint early next season.

RRM 634X:  Ian has built up his brakes again and also received a new slack adjuster from Jed and Sandy, as his old one wasn’t working effectively. We found out his C Spring was in good condition, the problem was just lack of lubrication to moving parts. This has now been rectified and will hopefully mean RRM will be mobile in a couple of weeks.

XSS 43Y: Jed and Sandy have been busy with their own paid jobs and have not had much time for 543, though Sandy has found the time to repair the front panel and his fibre-glassing skills are improving considerably. Further sanding of the roof will only progress when the vehicle is moved, hopefully within the next few weeks.

Workshop News: Thanks to a grant from Angus Council, the group have been able to purchase some new tools and equipment to further our restoration capabilities. So far we have received, a ten ton trolley jack, a tyre Yankee, new work bench, ten ton bench press, a vacuum cleaner, compressor and MIG welder

2nd of September 2008

KGB 120: This vehicle is now mobile again after around 15 years of inactivity. Last week we re-connected the engine and drive train. This meant on Sunday a few bits and pieces had to be connected before it would move! So we spent quite a while on Sunday driving around the yard, testing the turning circle. Also we took the opportunity to wash the vehicle because of the nice weather.

XSA 620: Was out again at the weekend providing a free bus service for the Caledonian Railway's Day out with Thomas event, she preformed faultlessly as usual.

RRM 634X: Ian has been cracking on with his front wheel and brake assemblies now only requiring to remove two set screws to replace his suspect C Spring.

Basin Rambler: Over the 4 weekends of the Rambler we had an increase of around 24% in passenger figures which can be seen from the photos below:

24th of August 2008

KGB 120: Adam came along today to replace the locking wire on the flywheel as it was incorrectly done, a start has now been made on reassembling the engine and drivetrain.

XSA 620: Bob has re-paired the clutch on the vehicle as it was causing a bit of bother, it was found to be a problem with the mounting of the holding bracket

RRM 634X Ian has been busy and has removed the brake adjuster from the front nearside of RRM for overhaul as it was only adjusting one way.

31st of July 2008

KGB 120:The Carburettor is back and has been re-attached to the vehicle. An attempt was made at starting the vehicle on the 22nd of July but a faulty HT Suppressor in the Distributor prevented a spark at the plugs. However a new one was acquired on Monday and this vehicle now runs, and sounds very good considering its years sat outside. The main focus now is to get the back axle re-attached after the flywheel has its nuts tied. This will make the vehicle mobile with a running engine for the first time since the mid 1990's

XSA 620: This vehicle is running well. She is currently out at weekends on the 'Basin Rambler' a free to the public service. A new exhaust silencer has been acquired for her but it won't be fitted until after the running season.

RRM 634X: Ian has been cracking on with RRM having re-bled his injectors it was decided to remove the old exhaust and put on the new one. Some of the bolts were being difficult but we got them out eventually! Now RRM actually sounds like a Leopard as the silencer bore is correct! Ian has also taken away the wheel stud ring from his wheel drum so he can get some new studs.

7th of July 2008

KGB 120 : The Scammell has now has its back axle fully re-built with replacement brakeshoes being fitted and the hubs cleaned out. Currently we are awaiting the return of the Carburettor so we can continue on with getting the engine started. The cab fittings are also slowly going back on the vehicle.

XSA 620: Not much progress here as we have had her up to Stonehaven for a rally and out on the Caledonian Railway's Thomas events, currenty she is running well and long may it continue.

RRM634X: Ian has re-installed his injectors and we are awaiting the completion of a rocker cover gasket before a start-up is made. Also we have removed the front N/S wheel drum so we can separate the hub and drum. This will allow us to put on the original drum which was removed due to sheered wheel studs.

5th of June 2008

KGB 120: The Scammell is once more progressing forward, Bob has been busy building up the back wheel hubs. He has also sorted the thread on the N/S stub axle that was found to be damaged. It is hoped that this job will be finished soon and this will be something else ticked off our list.

XSA 620:The N/S wheel bearing has been re-assembled. The bus is also back on the road, after a visit to Meffans of Kirriemuir we found out one reason why our engine may smoke like it does. We have since cleaned out the air intake which had depostis of oil in it. Now XSA is a cleaner vehicle exhaust wise.

RRM 634X: RRM has had a new set of injectors purchased as it was deemed the old ones are not working efficiently, tho it has been discovered that the leak off pipes are different on the new ones. These will have to wait to be fitted, tho in the mean time the current ones were cleaned up and have been put back in, they still await being bled.

XSS 43Y: 543 has had its roof sanded down further and its roof vents removed for some repairs. Ian Forbes has also been working of the fibreglass front panel which requires some repairs.

29th of April 2008

XSA 620:The N/S wheel bearing has been dismantled as the quality of the grease was found to be inferior. This will allow for a thorough strip down and re-paint of the wheel hub which will allow the removal of a good few layers of paint. It has also been decided to replace the outer bearing as it seemed to have worn a lot more than the inner.

28th of April 2008

KGB 120: Work is continuing on finishing off the welding on the cab fittings for the Scammell. Hopefully this will all be completed soon. With the Carburettor still leaking we have decided to send it off for repair, this will be done within the next few weeks and will allow for significant progress to the vehicles engine when it returns.

XSA 620: A Cash desk has been fitted to the drivers door of the vehicle, to bring the vehicle back to 'as withdrawn' condition. Also the front N/S wheel has been removed for cleaning and painting and the hub cover has been removed so a Bakelite badge can be fitted in place of the sticker that was there before.

RRM 634X: This vehicle passed its MOT last Monday and has been prepared for its running for the CRDG's annual diesel Gala see www.crdg.co.uk for more details.

14th of April 2008

KGB 120 : The Scammell, has not progressed very far since the last update, mainly due to the fact that we have discovered a leak in the carburettor. A company has been found that will sort this problem for us which should result in the vehicles start-up.

XSA 620: The headlamp bowls have been re-fabricated and now have been re-fitted to the vehicle. The engine has been re-bled and she is now running very well.

RRM 634X: The wheels were put back on yesterday and the brakes adjusted so we could take the bus out for a test run, which was successful.

XSS 43Y: Work is progressing on the body work, the front panel has been removed for repairs and the roof is in the process of being sanded.

27th of March 2008

KGB 120: Andrew Kennedy delivered most of the pieces that he had in care for the Scammell, which included the triangular headlamp shroud, the number plate and some other fittings for the vehicle. Both doors have been fitted to the vehicle in an attempt to asses the work needed to finish off the cab and its associated fittings.

XSA 620: The Compressor and fuel pump have been re-fitted to the bus again, as one of the gaskets was found to be damaged and caused a slight leak. This has allowed an assessment of the condition of the compressor to be made and it has been decided to overhaul a spare. The inserts for the headlamp bowls have been re-metalled and all that remains now is for the bowls themselves to be finished. A start has been made on cleaning up the engine and re-spraying it with Engine Aluminium. This will take a few weeks and make the engine a much cleaner piece of kit to work on.

RRM 634X: The N/S wheel bearing assembly has been treated to a brand new bearing, as the old one was thought to be of poor condition. Ian has been cleaning out the dirt and grit from between the brake shoes that has accumulated over the years of use on the farm.

15th of March 2008

XSA 620: The Headlamp bowls have been taken out for restoration. Their condition was not apparent until the headlamps were adjusted at the MOT. Also a set of cylinder heads have been put onto a work bench so restoration can start on them

10th of March 2008

KGB 120: The N/S door has had its inner panelling removed for investigation, this door however is in better condition that the O/S and will only require a clean down and re-paint.

XSA 620: It was felt that after the MOT we would finish off the work still to be done on the Fuel pump and compressor so this unit has been removed once more for work to continue. One of the side hatch supports has been re-attached to the frame of the vehicle as it had become loose. A new professionally created number plate has been fitted to the rear of the vehicle, a vast improvement on the temporary one made over a year ago! The compressor on XSA is showing signs of age, though still works it has been decided that another unit is to be stripped down and overhauled for eventual replacement of the current unit.

RRM 634X: RRM's rear hub is being cleaned up and stripped down to asses the condition of the inner bearing. Also the brake shoes have been cleaned down and all the working parts are receiving a through clean, years of being a 'berry bus' has left its deposits on this bus!

6th of March 2008

XSA 620: This vehicle successfully passed its MOT test yesterday!

2nd of March 2008

KGB 120: Filling and sanding of the nose and body has continued.

XSA 620: The fuel pump saga is nearly at an end with it all sealed up and not leaking after testing, all that remains is for all pipe work to be tightened fully and the fuel system bled, with an MOT booked this work will be completed shortly.

EWG 22L: Nothing to Report.

RRM 634X:The N/S rear wheel hub on RRM has successfully been removed today, marking a step forward in the completion of the rear axle works. A clean up of all parts and a fresh greasing should see the hubs serviceable for a number of years to come.

XSS 43Y: Nothing to Report.

17th of February 2008

KGB 120: The cab has been re-attached to the chassis after extensive work repairing the rotten plate work and the cracked body filler. The nose has also been attached  temporarily so filling and sanding can be completed. The Engine has still yet to be started though the problem is being narrowed down to the Carburettor.

XSA 620: The Handbrake has been adjusted as it was felt that it had slackened off a bit. Today we had a short run to test this and another problem came to light, a leak was found in the bottom of the joint on the fuel pump casing. This meant that the pump has been partially dismantled so a new gasket can be manufactured. Thankfully this was discovered today as there is only 2 and a half weeks till the Vehicles MOT!

EWG 22L: Nothing to Report.

RRM 634X: Ian Forbes (owner) assisted by Ian Laird continued on with the nearside of the vehicle, success, the hub now is thankfully moving and should be off within the next week!

XSS 43Y: Nothing to Report.

30th of January 2008

KGB 120: The Scammell is still progressing but throwing up a few niggles, the engine is still not starting, for reasons unknown, though it may be linked the the carburettor. The welding work in the cab is almost complete, with most of the roughest areas having been filled and sanded flush. All that remains is to re-attach the cab to the chassis, for work on the cab to be completed.

XSA 620: Further work has been done to the vehicle to keep her in good running condition, an oil leak from the gear box was sourced and hopefully cured, the vehicle has also benefited from a new tyre being fitted to ensure an MOT pass. An MOT has been booked for the vehicle, so the next month the focus will be continuing the check to ensure she will pass!

EWG 22L: Nothing to Report.

RRM 634X: Ian has completed the re-assembly of the rear hub and work continues apace to get the wheels back on. It has been decided to do the same on the near side to ensure there are no further problems.

XSS 43Y: Nothing to Report.

In other news ATG and GVVT member Andrew McCombie has bought Leyland Tiger D718 FES for preservation from Stagecoach Strathtay. His intention is to restore the vehicle to Citylink livery in the near future. It is currently kept at the GVVT in Glasgow, Good Luck Andrew!                   

14th of January 2008

KGB 120 : The Scammell has been slowly progressing along with the re-plating of the cab. This Job is nearly done and this will allow the cab to be painted and re-attached to the chassis. Cab fittings are slowly being re-assembled which will allow a quick final re-assembly.

XSA 620: A new set of front wings have been purchased for XSA and they are currently being fitted (with great difficulty). The opportunity has been taken to change the destination blind in the vehicle which will allow for some different photographs.

The brakes were also adjusted as one of our pre-MOT jobs and after a short test run, we are happy with the results.

EWG 22L: Nothing to Report.

RRM 634X : Rear hub has been re-assembled after it was established that the inner bearing had collapsed, which had caused serious problems on its last run. A new bearing has been purchased fitted and will undergo some tests within the coming Months.

XSS 43Y : Work continues apace.

27th of October 2007

At the start of the Month we had a shunt about of buses, allowing us to review a couple of Jobs.

XSS 43Y: 543 required turning so it was decided to get this done before winter work progressed, Jed and Sandy have fully stripped down the nearside paintwork down to bare metal and have removed the windows. Now their focus is onto the offside which will be prepared to the same standard.

EWG 22L: EWG was started for the first time in a couple of years and started on the second attempt (I think)! The Leyland O.600 roared into life and sounds super for a vehicle that hasn't been on the road for over ten years. The opportunity was taken to remove her cracked window in anticipation for the new one sourced for us by the GVVT, thanks to them for their help! We have found a few niggles with the running gear on this vehicle but nothing that cannot be sorted easily.

RRM 634X: RRM was taken out for a short run to check its brakes as they have been causing a bit of trouble with overheating, a full strip down of all the brakes has been proposed and work has recently started on this.

XSA 620: XSA was given a short run to ensure she was ok for her trip to Glasgow on the 14th of October. On the trip XSA preformed superbly and had quite a few people commenting on her, all supportive saying it is good to see her back on the road! XSA has done over 1000 miles since MOT and long may it continue. A programme of winter works is planned though nothing major that will see it off the road for any length of time.

Left: EWG's Window gets chipped out!                        Right: Owners and their buses, missing are G Mitchell and I Laird            Photos J Scott.

8th of September 2007

A lot has happened over the past few weeks.

The Basin Rambler has finished for another year. Loadings each week rose and the passengers were commenting on the run.

The Group were asked by the Caledonian Railway (Brechin) Limited to Provide a bus for their 'Day Out with Thomas Event' XSA 620 did the honours on Saturday and part of Sunday whilst RRM 634X started the Sunday but due to technical problems she was swapped for XSA 620. The weekend was very successful and we carried lots of delighted children of all ages!

The Scammell Scarab though neglected during the Rambler weekends has now had its chassis re-assembled. The work remaining now is to check the condition of the engine, fire it up and re-instate it. Some cab re-plating is still outstanding but this should be completed in the next couple of weeks.

XSS 43Y (543) has been sanded down to bare metal on the nearside in preparation for its re-paint, with only the offside to be completed when she gets turned round. The Engine has been re-built and successfully fired up. All going well she should be turned round within the next month.

Left: 543 Stripped for re-paint                    Right: Scammell Chassis re-assembled.                                          G Muir

31st of July 2007

The website is finally online, it has taken a few months due to technical difficulties uploading files to the server. Now this has been fixed the site will continue to be updated and grow.

The groups vintage bus service has operated successfully for two of the four weekends it operates. The service calls at The Caledonian Railway Bridge of Dun Station, National Trust for Scotland House of Dun, Montrose Mainline Railway Station, Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre, Montrose High Street and the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. The Vehicle in use is XSA 620