Old bus restored by Walsall volunteers finds fame in TV series
An old London transport bus restored by volunteers is now appearing on TV as part of a spy drama series.
The London Routemaster RM506 received a transformation from the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum in Aldridge.
It is now being shown on The Game, a British Cold War spy thriller which is now being shown on BBC Two on Thursday evenings.
It was given a makeover by volunteers at the museum a number of years ago to make the vehicle roadworthy.
The programme centres around a team of MI5 officers and it is the latest vehicle to be used by TV producers.
Other vehicles used on TV from the museum include a 1936 Guy Wolf ambulance has featured in the Miss Marple series. It has also had vehicles used in the BBC show WPC 56 show.
Museum director Alan Bishop said there was great satisfaction to see the London Routemaster on people's screens after the work which was carried out on it.
The cast in the drama include Tom Hughes and Brian Cox.
He said: "We feel chuffed when we see it on the TV.
"People who are enthusiasts will know what vehicle it is.
"We think it is great, it is the prestige we have been able to restore this vehicle so they can be used.
"It took several years to restore, we only had a small team of restoration people then.
"It came to use from the probation service, it was a derelict bus, the windows were broken, it was heavily vandalised."
The transport museum's collection also includes a tram from the 1920s, a van from around 1928 and a taxi from the 1970s, along with an old Royal Mail bicycle, bus stops and an old fuel pump.
The museum was originally based in Birmingham but had to move after a row with the city council over rent.
It set up in Beecham Business Park, in Northgate, Aldridge, before Christmas 2011 but was then informed that it needed to relocate again within a year.
It has been based at it current home in Shenstone Drive, Northgate since then.
They restore a number of old vehicles including the Guy Wolf ambulance which used to belong to the factory in Fallings Park.
The volunteers were recently handed a book of archives about Guy Motors which operated from the museum's base in Fallings Park from 1914 to 1982.
It includes press cuttings and advert files about the vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses.
It holds a number of open days every year.
