We have been castigated for not doing this and to doing that recently and the following is our response and I would welcome views of readers to the group.

MY ARTICLE WAS:

I apologise for not replying to some of the comments but I was working a thousand miles away and often am working eleven thousand miles awaywhere computers are few and far between. And when the post is shall we say not very nice it gets sent to the bottom of the list. But let me make a few points to give the museums perspective. It seems like everyone wants an instant answer and when they do not get one then they get narky and even nasty.

20,000 euro of vandalism this summer have forced us to rethink our entire strategy in regard to acquisitions and spares not to mention our strategy in terms of collection. Everything in life is a matter of priorities and after the vandal raids our top priority meant that putting up a security fence -(cost 32,000 euro) was top priority. All collections had to wait. Once our depot was known and known to be a target there was no point continuing with collections only to have them in pieces the day after they arrived. Those readers who preserve vehicles will know exactly what I mean.

We have therefore had to concentrate - literally on an emergency basis - on vehicles with glass or spares to replace the vandalised vehicles and this had to be done before winter so that the good vandalised vehciles could have their holes sealed up. Where we are most vulnerable is in glass and consequently we are now accepting vehicles of a type which we already have but which have full glass. It is deadly expensive and sometime impossible to source glass for older vehicles. Two cases in particular come to mind, the Plaxton Supreme body and the Van Hool. A windscreen on a Van Hool costs about 2,000 euro by the time it is fitted and to fit a side glass about 800 euro.


We had our beautiful Royal Tiger vandalised and to replace those windows we estimated at about 4,000 euro whereas we received a generous donation of a similar vehicle with useless mechanicals but full glass and to change the broken windows will now cost only labour - about 500 euro.We have had twenty vehicles vandalised so perhaps you can understand why we have drafted in these vehicles to provide the glass. Hopefully our new security fence will put a stop to the vandalism but what do you do about people who come with guns to shoot at your vehicles?

Just look at our website www.kellstransportmuseum.com to see what we are up against.


Rightly or wrongly we have commenced a policy of storing glass to make sure that in fifty years time there will be a reasonable amount of spares to keep the fleet operational and put collecting on hold except for necessary vehicles which is not he same thing as vehicles worthy of preservation. Obviously, one cannot predict what one will need, but one can be certainly sure that if one does nothing then one will have a problem, both a big one and an expensive one. We have 20 acres so have no storage problem and if one is offered spares on ones own doorstep in my book it is prudent to take them rather than go up to Belfast to get a vehicle. One cannot save the world.


I need hardly add that apart from the glass we get seats, engines, gearboxes, wheels, tyres, you name it from these vehicles headed for scrap. Everything has a use and because of our large fleet of various models we can use them. We have 20 Atlanteans, maybe forty Leopards etc. With 40 Leopards 1571 then does not become a top priority in the light of the chanegd circumstanecs since she was acquired.


What may escape readers is the size of our operation - at the moment 200 buses with 400 planned for next year and that needs a lot of spares. That is bigger than say Cork garage in Bus Eireann and larger than any private operator. The cost of doing up these vehicles to original condition is astronomical and therefore the more we can save the more we can do. You are talking big money in hundreds of thousands of euro.


We are accused of not doing this and not doing that and recently have been criticised for not concentrating on Southern Ireland vehicles rather than building our collection of Northern Ireland vehicles. You simply cannot win. I agree that we should protect Ireland's transport heritage but to me that means the whole island and I do not distinguish. We are accused for example of not getting Bombardiers and instead going after Northern Ireland Leopards. I can say very little right now except readers might be very surprised if he knew how we were doing exactly that. They need not worry. Our large fleet policy applies to all Bus Eireann models and vehicles and again all I can say is that we are well satisfied with our progress and especially with our Bombardier Fleet acquisitions none of which we would admit to having in the first place, of course due to Southern Irish politics.

I agree that anybody that has any knowledge of preservation will understand the difficulties such preservationists fall upon during such projects.It's a problem firstly to aquire good stuff,get storage and working facilities,source parts and then find the money to finish the project.As a private preservationist I am sickened by the appauling and SLANDEROUS email which was circulated by John O' Connor during the last few days.Firstly I'd like to ask "Who is this Jerk?.What has he preserved to date and what does he know about preservation?Such muppets do not even deserve a reply on any forum with their negative penny's worth all the time.
If I was Mr Grimes It's a solicitors letter i'd be sending O'Connor and not such a lengthy reply to his bull**** comments.It's actually a pity that a post of such information was posted as I for one would hate to be educating the likes of O Connor.

Regards Kevin Donnell.