'Miraculous' Birmingham double-decker bus restoration team pick up award

Image source, Transport Museum Wythall

Image caption, The bus would have been in regular use on routes around Birmingham

Volunteers that carried out a "miraculous" restoration of a Birmingham double-decker bus have been recognised for their work.

The 1931 AEC Regent 486 was restored at Transport Museum Wythall, in Worcestershire.

The team picked up the prestigious restoration award at the Royal Automobile Club's Historic Awards.

They were congratulated for their "tenacity".

Image source, Transport Museum Wythall

Image caption, The abandoned bus was discovered by enthusiasts in a field at Sollers Hope, Herefordshire

Image source, Transport Museum Wythall

Image caption, The restoration, which was only completed this year, began in 2013

The bus started life on the roads of Birmingham in 1931.

It was sent to London during World War Two, returned to Birmingham after the city lost 145 buses in an air raid at Hockley, sold for scrap in 1946, and discovered abandoned in a Herefordshire field in 1970.

The Β£500,000 restoration, which was only completed this year, began in 2013 and was beset by technical problems.

Image source, Transport Museum Wythall

Image caption, The restoration was estimated to have cost Β£500,000

The body of the iconic vehicle was one of the first built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and possibly the oldest metal-frame double-deck body in existence, said the museum.

The vehicle was chosen for its survival against the odds, its importance in British transport and social history, the remarkable attention to detail and quality of its restoration, said the judges.

Its story was "akin to a miracle" they added.

Image source, Transport Museum Wythall

Image caption, The 486 is one of the first examples of a metal-framed body built by Metro Cammell, at Washwood Heath, in Birmingham

Image source, Transport Museum Wythall

Image caption, Mike Doran, asset and leasing manager at Bicester Heritage, Rob Handford, transport manager of Transport Museum Wythall and Denis Chick, a museum trustee picked up the award

"Even its reappearance and challenging recovery is a story of its own in a period when bus restoration was uncommon and facilities in which to carry out such work was virtually non-existent, unless you enjoyed toiling in the open air or draughty farm buildings," they said.

The award, handed out at a ceremony in London on Thursday, was dedicated to the team of people "who made this reincarnation possible".

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