Kells Transport Museum in Cork

BrianD3

Does anyone here know anything about this museum. It is basically a huge collection of old buses, calling it a museum may be a bit misleading. They have a website and bill themselves as "Ireland's Operating Bus Museum" However the website is a shambles and its hard to know what the story is with them. http://www.kellstransportmuseum.com/

From reading the site i've learned that:
-a guy called Michael Grimes is the founder/owner of the museum
-They have a large number of buses mainly 20-30 years old ones. Many are unroadworthy and in poor condition and are stored outside. The museum has been accused of being a "scrapyard waiting to happen"
-They have had major problems with vandalism of the buses
-They seem to have had run ins with lots of parties including the County Council

Who here has heard of this museum or knows anything about it. Do they get any visitors/tourists. Is it anyway well organised.

Personally I support the idea of a bus museum and would pay to visit it. But if it's just like a glorified scrapyard then I probably wouldn't bother making the trip down to Cork.

John R

I don't know much about the place and have never been there but I do know that they have been furiously collecting practically everything that comes under the category of bus for the last few years, both from Ireland, the UK and some vehicles from mainland Europe also.

They have a massive collection of buses (around 200), many in scrap condition. I believe their rationale behind collecting buses only fit for scrap is that they are a source of parts for the vehicles that are to be restored, certain items that even scrap vehicles usually have intact such as windscreens are very expensive to replace and some parts need to be re-engineered as spares are no longer available so scrap buses are valuable as donors to buses being restored.

I do know that they have a large number of buses in working condition as well though, their policy seems to be to restore vehicles to full working order rather than as static displays which would explain the need for so many spare parts.


There is already an "official" transport museum out in Howth.

murphaph

I have seen that website before, it's a horrible monster to navigate but fair play to the team down there for doing something they believe in. Michael Grimes has always been very outspoken in his criticism of IE in many areas and he's often spot on, being particularly critical of filthy stations and poor on-board train service which are often a direct result of staff bone-idle laziness. He's been banned from IRN (like myself) a few times but always seems to reappear under a new guise. Anyway, best of luck to him and his museum.

BrianD3

Yeah fair play to them. Hopefully they get a little publicity from this thread.

Just looking at what they're doing it's obvious that they've taken on a mammoth task. They've got around 200 buses and are aiming for 400 in the near future :eek: I know about the spares situation and collecting donor vehicles but still, surely they have bitten off far more than they can chew. Still, good luck to them. But they'll need a lot more than luck to turn this into a viable museum IMO.

SeanW

I used to think the guy was crackers, but it seems now he makes a lot of sense.

I agree though his site needs a major redesign >_<

The Crazy Horse

He is crackers!

Stay away from him, like a lot of groups out there. Only getting you into trouble.

Victor

Is this the guy banned from Irish Rail for holding up a train?

Is this the Mr. Grimes who has had numerous run-ins with Dublin City Council on planning enforcement?

MarkoP11

I can't confirm what has happened or other incidents but what I can prove is one Michael Grimes represented the family of an individual caught up in the Cherryville rail accident in 1983 at the public inquiry which investigated the accident

To comment further may be unwise, but any person who wants to go after IE for quite blatant safety issues should be heard and the sooner IE face the wrath of the Rail Safety Bill the better

On the bus front, fair play but clearly a better storage location is needed

playbus

The Kells Transport Museum is just like all other bus museums in the Republic of Ireland, a collection of rusty scrap. It's the same with the North Midlands Transport Collection located at Kilmakenny in Leitrim, all vehicles now best described as being of scrap value only.

Del.Monte

Thread is 11 years old - is this a zombie record?

aujopimur

It burned down a few years ago.

Del.Monte

Website seems a bit out of date too.

http://www.kellstransportmuseum.com

whisky_galore

playbus wrote: »

The Kells Transport Museum is just like all other bus museums in the Republic of Ireland, a collection of rusty scrap. It's the same with the North Midlands Transport Collection located at Kilmakenny in Leitrim, all vehicles now best described as being of scrap value only.

Not so much a 'museum' which implies a place open to the public, as a collection of buses locked up in a shed or sheds.

I see your point, in the same county I see this on a regular basis, getting more and more decrepit each time I pass.

https://postimg.cc/image/cl4p3hu3l/

Del.Monte

Preservation (26 county + Derry) style.

playbus

In an ideal world, Bus Eireann would obtain a purpose built new garage and Broadstone would become available to be converted into a proper National Public Transport Museum display gallery and workshop hub, under State funding and control....

whisky_galore

playbus wrote: »

In an ideal world, Bus Eireann would obtain a purpose built new garage and Broadstone would become available to be converted into a proper National Public Transport Museum display gallery and workshop hub, under State funding and control....

Nice idea. But property and property prices being at a premium and altruism not really a thing here unless a buck can be made from it, I very much doubt it.

playbus

CIE were supposed to be planning their own museum, but I gather the guy in charge is not very popular.......??

Anyhow, as CIE will almost certainly be sold off altogether over the coming years, don't suppose that idea would last long....

Del.Monte

A big chunk of Inchicore Works would be better - won't happen though.