why is it that there are loads of trailers in your depot i thought there was more there because i just see a portour cabin and a load of scrap buses and you said you had a paint shead and lifting eqepment,

kD 184 and d711 you said they were in a shead getting done up but they are outside 10 operatonal kc;s do you have the parts to put in the middel doors/

Thanks Phil for your questions.

The reason we have trailers is that last year we had €20,000 of damage by way of vandalism.

We put up a fence. The tinkers tried to steal it but we got there in time. This fence still does not stop people throwing stones and breaking the glass on the buses. hence, we came across the idea of putting used curtainside trailers all around the periphery of the depot in order to stop people throwing stones and it seems fairly effective.It in effect doubles the height of the fence.

As for the KC's we have no plans to double door them. The reason for this is (a) we have neither the time or money but (b) more important this is the way they spent most of their lives in service.

Now if you would like to take on the project of double dooring KC 169 we will be glad to fund it but right now there are no plans.

Hope this answers your questions.

Michael Grimes

OK, I still have to work this one out... Dr Grimes is obviously using a different mathematical equation than I am... here we go...

KC in service as citybus - 1983 to 2001 - 18 years
Dual door, 35 seat layout

KC in service as schoolbus - 2001-2005 - 4 years
Single front door, 45 seat layout

18 years obviously is FAR greater than 4 years, yeah?

So how do you come to the conclusion: "this is the way they spent most of their lives in service."
- I mean, what kind of a statement is that?

I accept you dont have the time or the money to do all the KC's up, that's fair enough, you dont need to say any more! But dont start quoting rubbish and distort the facts to suit yourself... just be honest about it - thinking about it now, surely it wouldn't be that hard to take the front doors out of a condemned 'KC' and put them in as the centre doors on a restoration vehicle...

Paul.

mr. grimes,

if you cut down on aquireing bus's which noboudy can relate too then you can save money and space i youre very crampt depot to do somethinh worthwehile [restore and maintain bus's which are of importance} buses like d711 kd156 m212 and othe cie bus's which if you bring to a rally somebody can say they remember them. no body remembers lealand nationls,plaxtion bodyed fords or any privaete operationers, think quaility not quantitty, having 100plus buses when are not good is not as good as having a few that are of a high standeard and importence to people. cie buses are more important. if you do that then people might take ktm seriously

The Front doors in a KC Are larger than the middle doors so this is not possible.

What is needed is original KC Doors which cannot be got unfortunately.

No they are not.

Can anyone involved in this museum get their facts right?

Also trailers, especially the boxed type, make good storage accomadation for parts to keep them safe and dry. Even he Gifford Transport Group here in Edinburgh has invested in 4 trailers for storage purposes. It free's up valuble space in the workshops and storage buildings wer the buses are kept.

Ross