The Barry heritage bus group held their first Twilight Event running heritage buses every 20 minutes last Saturday (28th October). It was also the first time the volunteers decided to open the Depot to visitors with free rides on a Saturday afternoon.
The Twilight Event not only allowed people to travel on heritage buses dating from 1952 it also targeted photographers, as buses with their lights on look quite different to operating in the summer sunshine. The afternoon stared well even though rain was forecast throughout the event, and yes there were moments when the heavens opened. All the buses ran full and there was evidence of enthusiasm by local families. Including some that had walked a marathon Halloween trail in the morning!
Whilst several photographers declared they really liked the idea it was not always possible to do the photo-stops planned on every trip due to the rain but most stayed until the very end gone 6pm.
The weather forecast was rain throughout our event, whilst there some periods of downpours, there were dry spells and it was quite mild. All our heritage buses ran, these dated from 1952 to 1988. Some were ones we have not run in a while – two we have not operated for several years and missed since the pandemic, the Caerphilly Leyland Tiger, the oldest, and also our 1964 Western Welsh AEC Reliance, although it did not get to Carmarthen and Newcastle Emlyn as it said on the destination blind! There were many young children and parents about and I know we had a few visitors from afar – Nottingham and London, at least. I am also very grateful for additional support from Cardiff Bus who not only brought along a brand new bus on test, one of only two in the UK, to look at, but their Summer Penarth route open top bus came along and quite surprisingly people wanted a ride in the open in the rain! So three or four extra runs were offered on their bus on a
Mike Taylor – Group Chairman
different route to ours.
