Bus refurbishment specialist and Go-Ahead Group subsidiary Hants and Dorset Trim has worked with the National Motor Museum to retrim the seats within a former London Transport RT-class AEC Regent III double-decker.
The bus dates from 1950 and carries a Park Royal body. It came to the attention of Hants and Dorset Trim after manager Dave Clack (pictured, second from left) and colleagues visited the museum at Beaulieu and noticed that the previous upholstery was in need of attention.
“We volunteered to completely refurbish the seats in the correct material for the vehicle, and the National Motor Museum was delighted to take us up on our offer,” says Mr Clack.
“I am very pleased with the result. The bus looks fantastic. I am fortunate enough to work with some highly skilled individuals – some of the very best in the country – and I would like to congratulate all those involved in this excellent project.”
National Motor Museum Trust Curator for Vehicles and Research Patrick Collins has thanked Mr Clack and Hants and Dorset Trim for the work carried out on the RT, with the new upholstery complementing its highly polished seat framing.
“I am so impressed by just how fantastic the moquette looks now,” he says. “It is almost as if it had just emerged from an overhaul in Aldenham bus works. I am extremely grateful for such great support from these highly respected bus refurbishment specialists.”
The bus in question enjoyed a 26-year service life in London and joined the National Motor Museum collection during the mid-1980s.
