Transport Archives - Page 9 of 16

Autojumble Returns To Grampian Transport Museum

Aberdeenshire, Events, Information No Responses »

Sep 192014

The Grampian Transport Museum will once again be holding its Autumn Autojumble on Sunday, 28th September. With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

A wide range of automotive parts and memorabilia will be on offer as traders from across the country converge on the museum’s dedicated road circuit.

The 2013 event proved to be as busy as ever, with a variety of parts and even vehicles changing hands!

Whether it’s time to clear space in the garage or shed, or an opportunity to find a new winter project the Autojumble is the ideal opportunity.

Anyone who is looking to book a stall can still do so, priced at just £12 in advance including 2 complimentary passes to the museum. Pitches will also be available on the day, priced at £15 but without complimentary passes.

The Autumn Autojumble takes place on Sunday 28th September from 9am to 3pm. Admission to the event is open to the public from 9am, with adults £3 and children under 16 free of charge.

The museum will also be offering reduced price admission, giving visitors to the Autojumble the opportunity to have a look at the 2014 exhibition including the Great Train Robbery exhibit – featuring the actual Austin Loadstar truck which was used in ‘The Crime of the Century’. Museum admission is £6 for adults, £5 for concessions and 2 children are admitted FREE with every adult.

2000 Attend Grampian Motorcycle Convention

Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information No Responses »

Sep 122014

The 32nd annual Grampian Motorcycle Convention took place at the Grampian Transport Museum on Sunday 7th September. With thanks to Martyn Smith.

The ‘Moped Mayhem’ was introduced to the North East of Scotland in 1984

Despite atrocious weather conditions around 2,000 stalwarts descended on the outdoor arena to enjoy one of the very best motorcycle shows in Britain.
Performances from Scotland’s number one stunt rider Kevin Carmichael wowed the crowds throughout the afternoon.
Kevin’s competitive career began at the age of 7 when he took up schoolboy motocross and in 2002 Kevin was crowned World Champion in Texas.

The Convention introduced Moped Mayhem to the North East of Scotland in 1984 and this year’s Convention was no exception with a number of enthusiastic riders taking to the circuit and also to the custom built off road sections, which proved to be an interesting spectacle given the weather conditions.

Also taking place on the arena were the popular pursuits and Supermoto races, demonstrating speedway style riding skills in front of the packed grandstand.

Ever since the Convention began in 1983 there has been a vintage and classic bike parade – this year there were over thirty bikes of all ages on display and on the track. Museum Trustee, Peter Donaldson brought along his 1962 Ariel Leader which took to the circuit during the Classic Bike Parade.

Peter has been taking part in the Convention for the last 10 years and commented:

“Considering the awful weather I thought it was a fantastic day. The Grampian Motorcycle Convention really is the highlight of the year as far as the Biking calendar is concerned and I can’t wait for the 2015 Convention”

Also in attendance for the first time was Honda’s ‘My First License’ – providing youngsters with the opportunity to learn to ride in a safe and controlled environment.

The Grampian Motorcycle Convention is run by the Bon Accord Motorcycle Club and is a regular fixture in the Grampian Transport Museum’s busy outdoor calendar.

Grampian Motorcycle Convention: GTM Sunday Sept 7

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Sep 052014

With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

The 32nd Grampian Motorcycle Convention will be staged at the Grampian Transport Museum showground this Sunday 7th September.

The Convention has grown steadily from vintage and classic roots into the biggest event of the year at the venue and is recognised as one of the very best motorcycle shows in Britain.

Famously the Convention combines as many aspects of motorcycling activity as possible on the museum site, in an action packed programme.

The Convention introduced Moped Mayhem to Scotland back in 1984 and was among the first to showcase the staggering skills of the current generation of stunt riders.
2014 will see Scotland’s number one stunt master, Kevin Carmichael and his jaw-dropping routine. Kevin uses every one of the 150hp of his stunt bike for his act!

Run by the Bon Accord Motorcycle Club, the Convention line up is awesome with Supermoto Racing on the oval track, with speedway type riding skills, classic racer demos featuring the great names from the past; Norton, Triumph, AJS and pursuits where two machines attempt to catch each other.

Add to this drag racers, custom bikes and all the very latest machines at a great trade show and you start to understand why enthusiasts travel hundreds of miles for this event.

For youngsters there will be mini motos and for the first time a chance to learn to ride with the Honda ‘My First License’ riding experience.

Local Harley expert Lewis Reid is currently undertaking an epic charity ride on an 80cc step through moped – setting off from Aberdeen he will head for Lands End, before returning to Jon O’Groats and back to the convention to take part in the Moped Marathon. Lewis is undertaking this challenge to help raise awareness of Autism UK and Asperger’s Syndrome.

Further information about the charity ride can be found at facebook.com/ToughMotorworks.

Free parking with a FREE Park & Ride service, good food and an expert commentary make the Convention very special indeed.

Gates open at 10am and activities start at 11am. Family tickets are available for just £25, admission for adults is £10, children £5 and concessions £7.

AllFord At Alford: McRae Cars Added To Line Up

Aberdeenshire, Events No Responses »

Aug 292014

Grampian Transport Museum is delighted to announce a few late additions to the vehicle line up of the inaugural AllFord event at Alford this weekend. With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

A 1979 Ford Escort MK2, built to the exact specifications of the late Colin McRae, will be displayed for the first time in a number of years when it appears at AllFord this Sunday.
Now owned by the late WRC champion’s wife Alison, the vehicle was commissioned by Gordon Birtwistle of Proflex UK, on behalf of Colin.

With DJM Motorsport confirmed to undertake the special project, work began on the donor vehicle in early 2003.

The Escort was ready by July 2004 and went on to make a number of appearances during 2004 & 2005, rekindling the legendary partnership of McRae and Grist once more.

Also on display at AllFord will be the former WRC champion’s 2001 Ford Focus – Y4 FMC. This car, co-driven by Nicky Grist, was one of the Ford works vehicles which featured in the 2001 World Rally Championship, at a time when Ford was within sight of their first World Title in some 20 years. It was at the Welsh stage of the Rally of Great Britain that an accident in this very vehicle ultimately cost Colin the title.

The Focus was rebuilt and then competed in by Cumbria based Paul Benn before changing hands again and competing in the BTRDA rally, driven by Hugh Hunter. It is now locally owned by north east businessman Bob Shepherd of Station Garage, Torphins.

The final McRae vehicle on display is Colin’s father Jimmy McRae’s 1987 Sierra RS Cosworth. The vehicle was most recently driven at the Colin McRae Forest stages with Olympic Gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy co-driving alongside Jimmy himself.

The organisers of AllFord would like to pass on their sincere thanks to both Jimmy and Alison McRae for their kind support of the event.

Another late addition to the line up is a brand new 2014 registered Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. The Supercharged V8 will add a touch of Americana to the event and will prove to be a real head turner when it arrives from Inverness.

A show ‘n’ shine competition as well as an award for ‘The Choice of the People’ – the vehicle the public vote as their most popular at the event – will add an element of fun to proceedings.

AllFord at Alford takes place on Sunday 31st August from 11am – 4pm. Admission to the event is £5, with children under 16 admitted free.

AllFord at Alford: More Star Cars Confirmed.

Aberdeenshire, Events, Information No Responses »

Aug 222014

Grampian Transport Museum, Alford, is preparing to welcome Ford fans next Sunday (31st August) for the inaugural AllFord event. With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

AllFord at Alford will be a celebration of everything ‘Fordie’ from 1908 to the present day and is the museums first ever gathering of everything connected with Ford.
Over 170 vehicle entries have already been received, with everything from standard family cars to high performance rally vehicles and rare examples from the pioneering days of the motor
car.

Local businessman Sandy Dalgarno will be displaying a number of ex-works rally cars, including a 1972 Group 4 Escort Mexico rally car which competed in the Sydney to London Rally earlier this year. An unregistered MK5 Cortina, clocking up just 92 miles from new, will also be brought for display.

Another exciting addition to the event is the ‘Charles Bang’ slingshot dragster, which featured in this years SpeedFest event, will also be on show, falling under the banner of ‘Ford powered’ specials – thanks to its flathead Ford V8 Engine. Built in 1955 it went on to set the USA ‘D’ class record in 1965, running a quarter mile with an elapsed time of just over 10.3 seconds.

Recently on display at the Trinity Centre in Aberdeen the dragster will make its final appearance in the North East at AllFord. Although a static event, the dragster will be fired up to give members of the public an idea of the immense sound it produces.

Also in attendance will be a 1992 Escort Cosworth, driven by Malcolm Wilson. Wilson achieved his long-held ambition of winning the British Rally Championship in 1994 at the wheel of this very vehicle, which was subject to a complete nuts and bolts restoration in 2002. Powered by a turbocharged Cosworth engine, producing around 350bhp, the car also featured in the 1996 Scottish Rally Championship under the care of current owner George Gauld.

Commercial vehicles will also be represented, with entries including a 1976 F100 pick up, and 1970 MK1 Escort van confirmed so far. Historic vehicles including no less than 6 Model T Fords, ranging from as early as 1911 to 1926, will also be present, along with a pair of 1930 Model A examples from the Stonehaven area

Fans of the classic American TV series Starsky and Hutch will also be delighted, with a replica of the shows iconic Gran Torino – signed by Huggy Bear himself – brought by Celebrity Car Hire in Aberdeen.

Away from the vehicle displays a number of trade stands will be present, including the likes of Autoglym and RA Plates and Signs. North East Scotland College will also be on site, providing visitors with information on a range of courses including mechanical courses available.

Museum curator, Mike Ward, explains the rationale behind this new event:

“Where better than Alford to stage AllFord! Our location gave us the idea! Ever since the museum first opened in 1983 there has been a Model T in the exhibition. You simply cannot explain the history of the car to school children without one.

Henry Ford’s immense contribution to transport history with his introduction of ‘motoring for the masses’ was continued by the Ford Motor Company with successive innovative and popular cars. That legacy and the popular appeal of Ford’s family cars and competition cars, makes Ford the obvious choice for the museum’s first one marque celebration!”

AllFord at Alford takes place on Sunday 31st August from 11am – 4pm. Admission to the event is £5, with children under 16 admitted free.

Dalek Day At GTM

Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information No Responses »

Aug 222014

The Grampian Transport Museum is inviting all Whovians to the museum this coming Saturday (23rd August) to help celebrate the launch of the new Doctor Who series. With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

The award winning Alford visitor attraction will be celebrating Peter Capaldis first full outing as the Doctor by putting together a special Dalek Day from 1pm to 3pm.

Museum visitors will be able to have their photo taken alongside the museums very own blue Police box, plus a fully mobile and operational Dalek will be mingling with visitors inside the museum – again providing a great photo opportunity.

A number of special Doctor Who quizzes will be taking place, plus there will be a prize for the best Doctor Who themed fancy dress!

Finally the Banff based Deveron River Brass Band will also be performing throughout the event, playing the shows famous signature theme plus scores from the recent series and other well known sci-fi music to help keep visitors entertained.

Mike Ward, museum curator, is looking forward to the return of the TV show and to welcoming fans to the museum on Saturday:

“Doctor Who is one of the all-time sci-fi greats and has a legendary following. It seems fitting that a museum connected with the world of land transport and travel should celebrate the return of a character who has travelled so far – even if it is through time and space! Our Dalek always proves popular and this is its first outing this season so it’s a great chance for fans to meet the Doctors most infamous foe up close!”

Admission to the Dalek Day is included in the museums standard admission which is £9.50 for adults, £7.50 for concessions and 2 children are admitted free with every adult.

Exciting New Opportunities At GTM

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Aug 182014

With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum

Want to get involved with a great local institution?

Grampian Transport Museum is expanding its range of services and activities and needs to add to its teams of volunteers. GTM is an educational charity and much of the operation is already run by dedicated volunteers who give up their time either regularly or as required.

The award winning museum is now into its fourth decade is again on the development trail.

Additional volunteers are needed under the following headings:

Customer Care Assistants to assist visitors, demonstrate exhibits and add to the visitors experience during opening hours.

Exhibit demonstrators to adopt a working exhibit and demonstrate it as required.

Conservation Project Engineers to help with conservation of collections, mostly vehicles.

Market Intelligence Officer to collect and process data from visitor surveys, spot and exit surveys. To advise Marketing group.

Signs and Banners Marshal to help with temporary signage on and off site for events and activities.

Membership Coordinator to help run the museums membership scheme

Website and Social Media Officer to help GTM with SEO, web updates, Facebook, Twitter, Trip Advisor, Google Analytics, Photography, Crowd Funding etc. Objective – improved web presence. To advise Marketing group.

Events Volunteers to join our large team of events staff, marshals and helpers. Good training opportunities.

Interested? Please phone 019755 62292 or email info@gtm.org.uk for further details of the offered positions, rewards and induction process.

Great Train Robbery Exhibit Update

Aberdeenshire, Featured, History No Responses »

Aug 152014

The Land Rover and Diorama are moving on at the end of August. With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing & Events Organiser, Grampian transport Museum.

Time is running out for members of the public to catch a glimpse of history at the Grampian Transport Museum.

As part of this year’s Great Train Robbery exhibit, a Series 1 Land Rover and Austin Loadstar truck – two of the actual vehicles used in the raid – have been reunited for what is believed to be the first time since the night of the robbery.

The first serious exhibit of its kind, The Great Train Robbery provides an accurate and balanced insight into the events which took place in the early hours of 8th August 1963.

Still billed as the ‘Crime of the Century’ the temporary exhibition, produced by the British Postal Museum and Archive, is further complimented with evidence from Scotland Yard and private collectors.

To help set the scene an absolutely accurate Son et Lumiere model, showing the Bridego Railway Bridge in Ledburn, arrived at the museum in June having been kindly loaned by the Luton Model Railway Club. However at the end of this month both the scale model and Land Rover will be returning to their respective owners.

Mike Ward, museum curator, explains what having the diorama means for museum visitors:

“The robbery took place in the days before rolling news channels and social media meaning there weren’t any pictures taken at the time of the raid. However the Luton Model Railway Club has done a fantastic job of recreating such a detailed scene from the Police photography taken in hours after the event. Our Great Train Robbery exhibition is a fair and accurate account of the raid and its effects on all those involved. We’ve been very fortunate to have such a powerful and topical exhibition this season.”

The Austin Loadstar truck, along with the British Postal Museum & Archive exhibits, will remain at the museum until the end of the 2014 season.

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AllFord Heading For Alford

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Aug 142014

A brand new event celebrating Ford through the ages will be taking place at the Grampian Transport Museum later this month. With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

AllFord at Alford is the museum’s first ever gathering of everything Ford, from 1908 to the present day and will be held on Sunday 31st August.
With over 100 vehicles already confirmed, fans of the iconic Blue Oval can expect an eclectic mix of vehicles including Model T’s, Model A’s, Cortina’s, Zephyrs plus a replica of the Gran Torino from the iconic TV show Starsky and Hutch.

Ford Powered vehicles will also be represented, with a 1991 Jago Jeep and a Ford Powered Robin Hood Lotus 7 Kit Car also in attendance.

A fun addition to AllFord is the ‘Show and Shine’ competition plus a special award for ‘The Choice of the People’, where members of the public will be able to vote for the vehicle they deem the most popular at the event.

Mike Ward (pictured), museum curator, is looking forward to the first AllFord event.

“The idea of having an event called AllFord in Alford has been talked about for a number of years now. Since the museum opened 31 years ago there has been a continuous storyline about Henry Ford and the enormous contribution he made to the motoring industry and this has always been a key part of our exhibition.

“When it was launched back in 1908 the Model T made motoring for the masses a reality and there isn’t anywhere more fitting than an award winning museum in Alford for an event called AllFord to take place!”

Sentinel Returns To North East Roads

Aberdeen City, Featured, History No Responses »

Jul 312014

Grampian Transport Museum’s Marketing & Events Organiser, Martyn Smith brings news of upcoming events over the next

The oldest surviving complete and original Sentinel Steam Waggon will once again take to the roads this Sunday to commemorate the outbreak of the First World War.

Built at Polmadie in Glasgow in 1914, the Sentinel will be in attendance at a number of events around Alford, as the community reflects on the outbreak of the war.

A special service will be held at Howe Trinity Church in Alford at 9.30am after which the waggon will make its way to commemorative events, starting at the Alford War memorial at 10.50am, before moving on to Tullynessle & Forbes War memorial at 11.30am and Keig War memorial at 12noon.

A team of volunteers at the popular Alford visitor attraction have been putting the finishing touches to the waggon, to ensure it is ready to take part in such an important engagement. The Sentinel was brand new and a state of the art road haulage vehicle when the First World War broke out. It was actually working through the entire period and forms a great living link with the past.

Interestingly, the wartime austerity measures meant that trips and excursions for children were discontinued. However, the museum’s Sentinel in the hands of Sandy Runcie of Inverurie, a local carrier, began to offer trips to school groups to local picnic spots, like Bennachie, in order to boost morale and lighten the mood.

Speaking of the Sentinel as it approaches its 100th birthday, curator Mike Ward explains:

“The Grampian Transport Museum has numerous photos of the occasions, and in the centenary year intend to recreate some of the outings. The traditions continue as the Sentinel frequently offers rides both at the museum and at local events – it is an extremely sociable Sentinel!

“In fact, we will be marking the Sentinels actual birthday on the 13th August by providing rides around our circuit at our Family Fun Day event”

The summer fun continues in Alford when an interesting array of American cars will take to the circuit at the Grampian Transport Museum on Thursday 7th August for the next ‘rides’ event – American Car Rides.

The day will be a celebration of American motoring with vehicles already confirmed including a 1995 Pontiac Trans AM, a pair of American engined AC Cobras, a 1993 Dodge Ram Charger truck plus a stunning replica of the iconic A-Team van, kindly provided by Celebrity Car Hire of Aberdeen.

This unique event is an ‘added value’ extra and is available to museum visitors as part of the standard admission, which is £9.50 for adults, £7.50 for concessions and two children are admitted FREE with every adult ticket.

Following the American Car Rides event is the annual Lotus Day, which takes place on Sunday 10th August. This gives museum visitors the chance to climb aboard a number of Lotus examples as they take to the museum’s circuit.

A family fun day follows on Wednesday 13th, featuring Balloon Maker, Face Painting, Puppet Show and rides around the circuit on the museum’s fantastic Sentinel Steam Waggon. Again, these events are included in the museum’s standard admission.

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