Restoration of 1927 Thornycroft Bus
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Restoration of our 1927 wood-framed Thornycroft has commenced. The team brought the bus into the workshop ready for work to begin.
The "spare" vehicle in the southern lease compound has been stripped down to salvage any usable parts for the restoration. A big job ahead but the team is enthusiastic! |
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Busy Workshop Days
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It has been a hive of activity around the workshop lately:
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Turning Scrap into Cash
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Two of our industrious volunteers, Reg and Tom, got busy stripping copper wire from an old electrical motor. The copper wire will be sold as scrap along with other scrap metals and batteries to bring in much needed funds for our restoration projects.
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It's A Multi-Talented Team at BPSWA
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The talents of our volunteers at BPSWA are not restricted to bus restoration and driving. This enthusiastic team can turn their skills and intellect to many things. In recent weeks, a working party has commenced erecting dome shelters to protect the heritage buses stored in the southern lease compound.
Photos: C Davison and L McDiarmid |
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Tony's On A Winning Streak!
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One of BPSWA's most recent recruits, Tony, is on a winning streak. After successfully completing driver training in some of our heritage buses, Tony also completed his first solo "mission" driving the scheduled shuttle service around Whiteman Park in our 1977 Mercedes Benz O305 (MTT 171). Read more about this bus here.
Tony also knows how to pick a winning football team as evidenced by his West Coast Eagles scarf! |
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Service Inspection
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After a very successful day providing free bus services around York at the 2018 Motor Show, John Young put our 1962 Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster (MTT 452) over the pits for a thorough inspection to check for any oil or water leaks. The Worldmaster performed beautifully on the day in York but it pays to be cautious and provide the 56 year-old bus with the care and respect that it deserves.
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Some TLC for our Lion
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John Young and Graham Horton are continuing the maintenance on our 1967 Leyland Lion. The former WAGR DP90 is having a full chassis lubrication, replacement fuel filters and radiator hoses, repairs to engine and gearbox oil leaks and a general engine bay clean up.
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Making Tyres Last The Distance
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One way of getting the most out of tyres is to re-groove them and the latest addition to our workshop equipment is a tyre re-groover. Not all tyres can be re-grooved, but those that are marked "Regroovable" can be given a new lease on life. A single new tyre for a bus can cost upwards of $700, so this little machine has already earned its keep. Ron Franklin (who has extensive experience with re-grooving), Ron McDiarmid and Paul Gentelli were getting acquainted with the equipment whilst Colin Davison looks on with interest.
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1987 Mercedes Benz O303 Coach
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One of our newest volunteer members, Darren Longden, has been working on the former Westrail (M199) coach which is in the workshop for panel and paint work. The exterior paintwork has been given a face lift and is looking fresh and bright. Darren says he has more to do on the roof of this 1987 Mercedes Benz to complete the job of providing some much needed TLC.
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1950 AEC Regal MkIII (MTT 378)
Work is progressing well on the restoration of this 1950's era half cab bus. This is an example of a Western Australian Government Tramways (WAGT Bus 73) AEC Regal half cab bus that was later modernised by the MTT (MTT Bus 378). It has undergone a near complete body restoration including replacement of the floor and repair or replacement of exterior body panels. The mechanical components have been checked and repairs carried out and new tyres have been fitted. The destination rolls have been returned to original MTT display format and work is now being directed to the interior and exterior. The external panel and paint work in green and cream is looking spectacular under the skillful guidance and work of Peter Hancey and is almost complete. The next major tasks will include installation of glazing, and the internal floor covering prior to installation of the seats.
It's always a busy time at the Workshop - come join us!
Check out the recently featured article with...
About Our Workshop
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- The BPSWA Workshop is situated inside Whiteman Park along with the Bennett Brook Railway, the Perth Electric Tramways and the Park's maintenance workshops.
- Visits by the public to the 'Workshop area are welcome by arrangement - click Contact Us to request a visit. The Workshop hours are 8am to 1pm each Tuesday.
- When visiting the workshops, please consider your safety - wear close-fitting clothing and closed shoes. Children must be supervised and restrained at all times. Hi-Vis vests, safety glasses and ear plugs are available for visitors thanks to one of our generous Sponsors - Stocklands.
- Morning Tea is generally at 9.30am and lunch at 12.00pm. You would be very welcome to join our volunteers in the crib room for coffee or tea and a biscuit.
- If you would like to join our volunteer organisation and participate in preserving Western Australian history - click Join The Fun.
The Workshop
BPSWA has about 2,500 square metres of workshop and undercover storage space at our depot at Whiteman Park. Here we house about 27 buses, some of these we have restored or rebuilt; some are in undercover storage as they are rare or unique and need to be protected from the elements. Others (about 15) have been rebuilt /refurbished and operate as part of our unique collection of operating 'in service' buses and need storage undercover.
The dedicated workshop area has;
The People
Each area has a committed team of trades and trade assistants, and each project has an identified Project Leader working under the management of the workshop foreman. A 'stores' controller, manages the supplies of (largely) recovered parts from previously 'broken up' buses. Usually the 'crib room' has about 25 to 30 people enjoying the fellowship at morning tea or lunch. A small group collect batteries and metal waste from sponsors who continually donate these items to the Society. These are 'on-sold' to earn funds for the restoration activities. There is a group of administrators/archivists who prepare material for display; digitise manuals and other documents for use in the workshops; record and manage the archival material and some 20,000 items of memorabilia, books, photographs and other records.
A small group of volunteers check tyres, batteries, water, oil and fuel each week for the operational buses in the fleet. As well, these intrepid group of volunteers service these buses on a rotational basis to make sure that they are available for the weekly running on the Shuttle and Explorer services operated by the Society for Whiteman Park, each weekend. All our members are volunteers who give up their time and energy to work on a range of projects and activities such as these.
BPSWA has about 2,500 square metres of workshop and undercover storage space at our depot at Whiteman Park. Here we house about 27 buses, some of these we have restored or rebuilt; some are in undercover storage as they are rare or unique and need to be protected from the elements. Others (about 15) have been rebuilt /refurbished and operate as part of our unique collection of operating 'in service' buses and need storage undercover.
The dedicated workshop area has;
- a pit and floor space for general maintenance,
- a body shop,
- a mechanical workshop,
- a dedicated section for up to five major projects/rebuilds.
The People
Each area has a committed team of trades and trade assistants, and each project has an identified Project Leader working under the management of the workshop foreman. A 'stores' controller, manages the supplies of (largely) recovered parts from previously 'broken up' buses. Usually the 'crib room' has about 25 to 30 people enjoying the fellowship at morning tea or lunch. A small group collect batteries and metal waste from sponsors who continually donate these items to the Society. These are 'on-sold' to earn funds for the restoration activities. There is a group of administrators/archivists who prepare material for display; digitise manuals and other documents for use in the workshops; record and manage the archival material and some 20,000 items of memorabilia, books, photographs and other records.
A small group of volunteers check tyres, batteries, water, oil and fuel each week for the operational buses in the fleet. As well, these intrepid group of volunteers service these buses on a rotational basis to make sure that they are available for the weekly running on the Shuttle and Explorer services operated by the Society for Whiteman Park, each weekend. All our members are volunteers who give up their time and energy to work on a range of projects and activities such as these.
