GKE 68
FoCT Stewardship
- how the bus came into our care.
The story began in 2002 when Richard Bourne learnt from the "Classic Buses" website that a Chatham Traction bus was still in existence. Efforts to track down the bus began, largely for nostalgic reasons. Some e-mail dialogue with the BBPG revealed that the vehicle was at that time still in the Hull storage facility, inaccessible, but awaiting full restoration. Roger Burdett had taken ownership of the bus with the intention of restoring it during 2003.
 |
Contact with Roger underlined the size of the task to get GKE back into shape. The bodywork needed serious attention after so many years of neglect. However, the bus was complete, still retaining all its detail items - light fittings, handrails and so on. Roger generously agreed to an offer of help and the possibility of the bus returning home again sometime was discussed. Eventually, in early January 2004, Richard's gained first sight of the bus. |
The lower deck. January 2004.
|
|
However ownership was soon to change once more. Roger advised that as a result of having to work abroad he was now unlikely to make a start on GKE for around 2 years. He would therefore seek a new owner with the resources to restore the bus to the sort of standards he would set himself. As an opportunity to gauge the scale of support down in Kent the overall reaction didn't bode well. There had been no response from that quarter to the advertisement placed in Bus & Coach Preservation magazine at the time (April 2004), and some interest shown by a restoration group working in Chatham Dockyard came to nought. This was a disappointment, but later proved not to be a reflection of the latent level of interest. |
|
|
In May 2004, GKE passed to Paul Winter at Barnsley. After establishing contact a visit was made to Paul's premises one Sunday morning in the September to make his acquaintance. Paul was similarly generous in accommodating the interest of others in progress on the bus, and was pleased to learn of a growth of interest down in Medway.
Paul Winter had begun an assessment of the body structure to arrive at a method of work |
 |
The nearside upper deck panels have been removed in this view.
|
 |
Paul's wife Susan had become involved too. She had scraped off Mountain Transport's red paint from the interior trim, revealing the original Chatham Traction green. The glass shades from the lamp fittings had been removed, washed and set safely aside
|
 |
Some of the red remains on the front bulkhead...
|
 |
In parallel with this activity arrangements for the Chatham Traction double anniversary in October 2005 were coming together. Paul Winter and his family came down to the event, and were introduced to Brian Smith, the original saviour of GKE. Back at Barnsley, Paul had decided to move premises to a more modern building with a much larger yard. This had advantages for Paul's business, although a by-product was that GKE was now in the open, as the new garage itself was smaller. |
In the open again but secure nonetheless. January 2006
|
| Changes in Paul's circumstances some time later meant that further work on the bus was unlikely in the foreseeable future. This led him to make it known in August 2006 that he was prepared to pass the bus on if anyone down in Chatham wanted to take on its restoration. The decision in late December 2006 to form the Friends gave a basis from which to plan a restoration effort. Encouraged by identified potential for controlled use of the restored bus to help raise awareness of local history and heritage, the group began a search for somewhere to house the bus. |  |
Back home in Kent. November 2007.
|
|
| The issue was forced by Paul's need to vacate his premises by the end of November 2007. An accommodating bus operator came to the rescue and offered to house the vehicle until somewhere suitable for work to take place could be found.
|
|
