Museum/ Exhibition/ GallerySouth Yorkshire Transport Museum

[micksheff, 09.07.2007] The South Yorkshire Transport Museum can be found at Aldwarke, near Rotherham in South Yorkshire. Until recently this transport museum was located in the former Tinsley tram sheds between Sheffield and Rotherham. I visited here about 4 years ago and it was then called the Sheffield Bus Museum. Now it has relocated, it has been given a new name, the South Yorkshire Transport Museum.

The former Sheffield Bus Museum first opened its doors to the public ten years ago, in 1997. In December 2006 this museum closed, re-opening at its present location a few weeks ago, in the Spring of 2007.

This museum has a collection of trams and buses that were once in use in Sheffield and the surrounding area. All of these have been fully restored and are in pristine condition. Almost all of them are also in full working order and when the weather is fine during the Summer months some of them are driven around the grounds, enabling the visitor to see these in a working situation.

On a few Sundays throughout the year the museum has special open days. On these days the vehicles are driven outside and joined by other vintage pieces of transport from similar museums around the Country. Likewise the South Yorkshire Transport Museum also sometimes loans out some of its own vehicles for shows and exhibitions elsewhere.

From the outside the location is far from attractive. The transport museum is located on an industrial estate and the building itself is little more than a big tin shed, but I suppose that it serves its purpose. The museum is large and spacious, as you would expect for something that houses almost thirty different buses and trams. The majority of these buses are double-decker so the building is also tall enough to accommodate these.

The oldest vehicle that can be found here dates from 1926. This is a tram car, and is a fairly typical example of the sort of trams that were running in Sheffield from the 1920s right up to the outbreak of the Second World War. The more modern vehicles held here date from the late 1970s and early 1980s. These include mainly double-decker Buses.

It is somewhat alarming to realise that some of these later exhibits are the type of buses that I was familiar with when I was a child. These are the type of bus with an entry at the back of the bus, where a conductor would stand, collecting the fare. These are similar to the London buses that still operate today.

I must confess that I am not a transport enthusiast. I came here with a friend who does get a buzz out of vintage cars and similar things and so I came along with him for the day out. Having said that I did have an enjoyable day out and the old buses and trams genuinely fascinated me. The majority of these vehicles were unlocked and it was possible to board them, climb the stairs and sit down in their seats.

The crowd was an interesting mix of people and ranged from older people right down to young kids. It really does seem to be the sort of attraction that appeals to all ages. The staff that run this museum are very friendly and it is evident that they are very passionate about their vehicles. They are of course here to answer any questions that you may have and they are more than willing to do so.

There is an admission charge to enter this Museum, which is currently £3 (4.5 Euros) for adults and £1.50 (2.75 Euros) for children and concessions. There is also a family ticket that can be purchased for £6 (9 Euros), which will allow entry for two adults and two children.