Scottish Bus Rally

**cessna152towser** · 19th August 07, 10:52 AM

During my three day visit to Glasgow, on Saturday I took part in the first day of the Scottish Bus Rally, a two day event.

Ready to depart from Glasgow on Saturday morning.

My transport from Glasgow to the rally headquarters in Fife was a 1985 MCW Metrobus.

We followed the old Kelvin Scottish route through the suburbs, towns and villages to Cumbernauld new town about 12 miles from Glasgow where we paused for a photo at the bus station beneath the shopping mall before heading onto the motorway towards Kincardine Bridge.

After crossing the Firth of Forth by the Kincardine Bridge we made a rendezvous with some other participants.

The rally headquarters were at a transport museum based in a former military stores depot at Lathalmond in Fife.

It was a huge site and there were a very large number of buses to be seen during the day.

Edinburgh was well represented by these modern buses from the city's Lothian Buses fleet.
More to follow shortly.

**cessna152towser** · 19th August 07, 11:02 AM

X-markers who have visited Edinburgh may have travelled on the Airport Link Bus - note the small horizontal wheels for use on the guided bus track in the west end of Edinburgh.

A group of older Edinburgh buses.

A group of MacBraynes buses.

MacBraynes was once the dominant bus operator in the West Highlands. Today many of the west coast shipping services still operate as Caledonian MacBrayne.

An impressive group of fire engines.

There were also lots of old lorries on display.

Stirling Pipe Band used this 1974 Ford as the band's transport to events but it is currently offered for sale. I was disappointed by the lack of pipe bands and kilts this year and indeed I only spotted one other guy in a kilt at rally HQ - the wet and windy weather no doubt to blame as sitting around on wet pleats on buses isn't recommended.

This is a demonstrator bus built for the export market with an English chassis built by Dennis and Scottish bodywork by Walter Alexander of Stirling.
More to follow in a few minutes.

**cessna152towser** · 19th August 07, 11:09 AM

There is also a railway running at the Lathalmond site.

Buses departed from the rally headquarters for a variety of destinations and I opted to visit Dunfermline by this World War II vintage Austerity bus.
Note the "tartan" open top bus in the background.

Built in a time of shortage, the wartime bus doesn't provide much in the way of creature comfort, with iron leaf springing and wooden slatted seats. This top deck view was taken as I left the rally for Dunfermline.

**Archangel** · 19th August 07, 11:56 AM

Thanks for the pic of the little shunter.

**pipesndrumsnun** · 19th August 07, 12:05 PM

Oh, how I wish I could visit Scotland!
Thanks for the great pictures!

**A_Hay!** · 19th August 07, 12:06 PM

Thanks Alex for another great picture travelogue.
I've had a chance to visit the German National Transportation Museum in Nuremburg. It has the first locomotive to run in Germany, the Adler, which ran about 9 kilometers from Nuremburg to Furth.

Another Transportation Museum I've visited is in St. Louis, Missouri. Lot of locomotives and cars, including some big ones that pulled loads over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Range in California.

I always enjoy your adventures.

Tom

**McClef** · 19th August 07, 12:06 PM

Amazing bus pictures Alex, some of them recalling a past era that even I can remember!

**demobud** · 19th August 07, 04:11 PM

Super pics! Thanks for sharing!

**JRB** · 19th August 07, 04:22 PM

Wow, cool pics. I never realized just how boring our busses are in the states.

The only thing missing is one of these

**Frank McGrath** · 19th August 07, 04:24 PM

Great Pictures! I just love it when old trucks (And Buses) are restored and taken care of. If I had the space, I'd have a vintage fire engine. Thanks for the pictures.