Next stop, Maryfield Tram Depot!

Dundee Museum of Transport has acquired its first artefact for its new premises at Maryfield Tram Depot.

Purchased with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions, the vintage AEC Regent III double-decker bus will take centre stage in a nostalgic street scene depicting life in Dundee in the 1950s.

The number 137 bus is the sole survivor of a batch of seven buses delivered to Dundee Corporation in 1953, which served the city until 1975.

Museum Executive Director, Dr Paul Jennings, said “We are very grateful to the Lydiate family for their approach over bus CYJ 252, a vehicle which John Lydiate lovingly restored over many years of ownership. Already on display to visitors at Market Mews, this important acquisition will take pride of place at the new Maryfield museum.

“While a number of Dundee buses from the 1950s survive, we are fortunate to take ownership of one in such a beautiful condition, looking like it has just completed its last shift.”

John’s widow Fay and daughter Michelle, said, “Although it is in sad circumstances that we have had to sell CYJ 252, we are pleased that it has gone back home to the city of Dundee where it served for many years. We hope that the bus will give the museum and its visitors as much pleasure and joy as it gave John while he owned it.”

The museum expects to relocate to Maryfield Tram Depot in early 2027. Over the past year, over £3.25 million has been raised towards the ambitious £8 million redevelopment project, with generous support from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, Community Regeneration Partnership (formerly Levelling Up), Garfield Weston Foundation, Wolfson Foundation, Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

With a goal of raising a further £2m over the coming year, the museum will realise its ambition of restoring the Grade B listed Victorian tram depot and completing the development of its new exhibitions.

At this point, the 137 bus will return to its former home which was used as a bus depot from 1957 to the mid 1970s.

Until then, visitors can hop aboard the Number 137 bus at the museum’s current premises at Market Mews, where they can see a display of other Dundee Corporation artefacts, including ticket machines, uniforms and badges.

Dundee Museum of Transport is open seven days a week, from 10am until 4.30pm, at Market Mews. 

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The National Fund for Acquisitions, administered with Scottish Government funding by National Museums Scotland, contributes towards the acquisition of objects for the collections of museums, galleries, libraries and archives throughout Scotland. Find out more about the work of the National Fund for Acquisitions on the National Museums Scotland website: www.nms.ac.uk/nfa

Maryfield Tram Depot is located in the heart of Stobswell between Stobsmuir Park and Morgan Academy on Forfar Road. With assistance from Dundee City Council, the museum purchased the tram depot and surrounding two acres of grounds in 2015. The now dilapidated 120m long building has been on the ‘Buildings at Risk’ register since 2010 and is Grade B listed. Innovative designs from local architect Andrew Black and his team will give Dundee a world-class transport museum housed in an iconic building.