Deputy Lord Lieutenant makes a scheduled stop at the South Yorkshire Transport Museum

Deputy Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Lady Rowena Montagu Stuart Wortley DL made a scheduled stop at the South Yorkshire Transport Museum to find out more how the attraction is gearing up to deliver a busy timetable of activities throughout 2024.

During her visit, Lady Rowena explored some of the 15,000 transport-related artefacts on display, climbed the stairs to enjoy a top deck view from a heritage bus and met some of the volunteers who are carefully preserving much of South Yorkshire’s transport heritage.

Over the next few months, volunteers at the South Yorkshire Transport museum are planning to host a number of special open days, with special events planned to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the launch of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive; a special emergency services themed event;  as well as hosting a special day dedicated to all things steampunk.

Lady Rowena was also given a sneak preview of some of the museum’s future development plans, which will include the launch a new dedicated motorcycle gallery, set to open later this year, as well as learning more about the history of one of the museum’s newest additions, Hector – the preserved cab of an electric locomotive which spent its working life transporting passengers and heavy goods between Sheffield and Manchester on the Woodhead railway line.

 Hector, a class 76 electric locomotive, became a permanent exhibit at the Aldwarke-based museum in 2023. Since its arrival, the 6.5 ton cab has formed the centrepiece of a special display exploring the Woodhead railway line. Today Hector sits in his own purpose-built replica of the Woodhead-Dunford Bridge tunnel.

The electric powered locomotive has enjoyed strong connections with South Yorkshire throughout its working life. The unusual design, created to cope with the steep gradients on the Woodhead Line was first developed in Doncaster in 1941. 58 Class 76 vehicles were built in the early 1950s, however, Hector’s cab is a rare survivor – just one complete class 76 locomotive exists today, with some finishing their working lives operating in Tinsley and Wath, before being scrapped in Rotherham.

Hector’s cab was preserved by the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and is now a permanent addition to the South Yorkshire Transport Museum.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Lady Rowena Montagu Stuart Wortley DL said:

“The South Yorkshire Transport Museum is a great example of an organisation which is working tirelessly to preserve the past to ensure it can be enjoyed by the generations of tomorrow. I was fascinated to gain an insight into some of the preservation work which is being undertaken by the museum’s volunteers, and to learn about some of the challenges they have faced when restoring historic vehicles to their former glory.

The museum is a wonderful asset for South Yorkshire and I hope that this unique resource will not only play a vital part in preserving some of the region’s unique transport heritage, but in doing so, it will help to inspire the engineers and innovators of the future. It’s very clear that the museum has some very exciting plans for the future and I applaud the efforts of all the volunteers who have played their part in shaping this unique attraction.”

David Tummon, Chair, South Yorkshire Transport Museum said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome the Deputy Lieutenant to give her a chance to find out more about some of the work we undertake in the museum. In recent years, we’ve successfully increased the size of the museum to provide room for additional preservation work to be undertaken, as well as to house our growing collection of transport-related artefacts.

Unlike many organisations, we don’t employ paid staff, we’re reliant entirely upon a team of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who have devoted many hours towards preserving South Yorkshire’s transport heritage. I was delighted that Lady Rowena had the chance to meet some of our volunteers who play such a vital role in shaping the work of the museum.

Last year we saw a record number of visitors come to the museum, through our open days and outreach work with schools and I hope that through the work we’ve undertaken, coupled with the planned launch of our new attractions that there is lots to look forward to during the coming months. Of course we’d love to do much more: The museum is entirely self-funded and we would love to hear from businesses across the region who may be able to contribute financially towards the work we undertake”

Since relocating to its current site in 2007 the South Yorkshire Transport museum is home to 50 major exhibits ranging from historical cars, buses and coaches to bicycles, motorbikes, lorries and even milk floats.

The museum is open to the public on every second Sunday. Its next open day will take place on 14^th April and will feature a range of emergency services vehicles on display.  Volunteers at the museum are also gearing up to host a special modeller’s weekend which will take place between 11th-12th May.

New members – especially those who want to be involved as volunteers in running the Museum – are welcomed. More details can be found at: https://sytm.co.uk/