Coventry Running Day & Transport Fair

This must have been the "WMPTE" bus that you saw going up the Leamington Road, as I was on it and standing on its platform to show its driver (who was from Birmingham) the outbound route to go, from the Coventry Rugby Club (via Whitley and Toll Bar End) up to the Aircraft Museum in Baginton. We did go down the Leamington Road and Warwick Road on our way back to the Rugby Club and my photo of the bus here, is seen standing in Rowley Road outside the Aircraft Museum! Edited by member, 2nd Jan 2018 8:25 pm

I think the aircraft museum is in Rowley Road

"THANK YOU" for that Matchle55, as it's much appreciated and I've just this second now edited my above post!

I have to say a big "THANK YOU" to "Presbus Publishing" and especially to "Busman" (Roger Burdett) for yet another brilliant Coventry Buses Running Day and Transport Fair at Coventry Rugby Club yesterday, as it appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed a lot by all who attended! The sales stalls and cafe area inside the Rugby Club were absolutely packed out with people at one point and from around midday onwards, every bus that went out on a trip looked to be virtually fully loaded, which is always great to see! My attached photo here shows the 1940 Coventry Transport Daimler COG5, seen standing in Millenium Place. I did three round trips on just this bus alone and although there were plenty of other lovely old buses and coaches there in attendance to ride on, it's this particular bus that just happens to be a personal favourite of mine! If it wasn't for Busman Roger, then it's very very doubtful that this lovely old bus would have ever been fully restored and made roadworthy again and so he'll never be able to be thanked enough for doing that!!!

I recall that at the gliding club at Husbands Bosworth a bus of this type (ex Coventry) was used as a glider tug and had the rear body removed and a winch mounted. It then disappeared and, I'm told, was going to be restored - is this the same bus? Roger Burdett, is he a local historian with interests other than buses? Reason I ask is I met a man at Newark tractor show 2 years ago of the same name and had a knowledge of the Ota tractor which was built in what was the Radenite battery factory on Foleshill Rd.

The bus at Husbands Bosworth has been under restoration for many years by an acquaintance of mine. Bus restoration can be a long process unless you can afford to employ labour as a thorough restoration takes around 5,000 man hours which, say at 8 hours per week, = 625 weeks or 13 years. I have just finished Coventry Transport oldest surviving double-decker (1945) so look out for that around Coventry during 2018. I am not a local historian and although living in Coventry during my childhood only came back as there was a suitable building to store and restore my bus fleet. So matchle55 the person you met at Newark was not me.

When I worked in Birmingham I was told that if I got lost getting around the outskirts of the city then I should follow a number 11 bus until I came to somewhere that was familiar. All Brummies know the number 11 is the Outer Circle route. I was warned not to follow it for too long or I would end up back where I had started. I have just noticed that the WMPTE double decker in the post above was showing a number 11 route in Leamington Road so I hope there were not any lost Brummies following it.