On Sunday 11th September visitors were drawn to the Classic Car, Bus & Coach Wales 2016 event at Merthyr Tydfil, many for a new book launch on Cardiff buses. The rally event organised by the heritage bus group based at Barry, the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group has several former Cardiff buses in their care. It was fitting that one of their oldest buses, a 1964 Guy Arab V with a Neepsend open top body was used quite literally, as the platform for the launch. The publishers standing on the rear bus platform introduced author Andrew Wiltshire to say a few words on why he prepared his new book “Cardiff Municipal Buses”. It had been a hobby from his schooldays because he noticed some looked different from others. His work contains many photographs but also detail histories relating to the fleet from the end of the Second World War to today. This was followed by a few words by former bus manager Glyn Bowen who started work in the bus industry as a clerk, eventually working his way up and subsequently became Traffic Manager of Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council Transport Department. Mike Taylor, the organising groups Chairman said “Our Classic car, Bus & Coach Wales 2016 event was a great successful helped by the sunshine and the number of visitors. Our rallies have become a good choice to launch new books on public transport. Last year we had a new book “Remembering Rhondda -the bus company that helped win a war” launched by a different publisher now it’s the turn of Coastal Shipping with one of their new titles. Author Andrew Wiltshire has been a member of our restoration group for many years and we are only too happy to help with the launch of his new book”. NEWS RELEASE CARDIFF 12th September 2016
The publishers Coastal Shipping of Bristol, they felt that a big bus rally such as the one held yesterday in Merthyr Tydfil on Sunday 11th September, was a good venue to launch the book. The rally had around 200 visiting vehicles, classic cars and heritage buses from former city and valleys fleets, but some came from Bristol, Kidderminster, Swindon, Essex and Kent, whilst two buses, 50 and 58 years old were from the former Wigan Corporation fleet. Coastal Shipping normally produces titles about container ships, tankers, ferries, trawlers and tug boats as their name suggests, but had decided to expand with other subjects and few bus titles in their portfolio. This is their first road public transport history reference book.
The photos below show Andrew Wiltshire and Glyn Bowen launching the new book, Peter Owen’s fantastic shot of 434 and 434 again with 267 outside the Leisure centre one loading and the other unloading and finally 792 and 360 unloading passengers
