The Aberdeen and District Transport Preservation Trust with The Gordon Mills MBE Bus Collection at Alford will hold its annual open day in the grounds of the Grampian Transport Museum in the Aberdeenshire village on Sunday 5 July between 1100-1600hrs.
It follows a highly successful event in 2025, where almost 1,000 visitors attended. Trustee and former First Bus Aberdeen Managing Director George Mair says that the Trust has set itself the challenge of repeating that in 2026 and has invited all interested parties to come along.
Entrance to the open day will be free, with sales stalls and more present. The main attraction is an opportunity to view what Mr Mair says is the largest and best-presented collection of vintage coaches and buses north of Central Scotland.
Also in the Trust’s collection is what may be the last surviving former Aberdeen tramcar. It will not be on display at the open day, as it was recently transported to a location in Northumberland for rebuild.
The Trust has its own extensive facilities on the Alford site to store, maintain, repair and refurbish vehicles. It plans to have as many of those on show as possible alongside others belonging to the FirstGroup Heritage Trust and visiting examples to give free rides during the open day within the museum grounds and around Alford village.
Subject to availability, vehicles available to view and/or give free rides could include an Albion bus from 1930; examples of Leyland Atlantean, Leopard, National, Olympian and Tiger models; and a privately preserved Volvo B10BLE with Wrightbus bodywork, with other visitors to be confirmed.
Those will sit alongside the well-known and unique Mercedes-Benz O405G articulated bus with Alexander Cityranger bodywork. It was delivered to Grampian Regional Transport in 1992 and later became part of the First Bus fleet. It joined the Trust in 2009.
The Grampian Transport Museum will be open on the same day and offering discounted entry.
