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+--- Thread: Brooklands Museum: Spring Gathering 2026 (/showthread.php?tid=4740)
Brooklands Museum: Spring Gathering 2026 - Malarkey - 20 Apr 2026
Brooklands Bus Museum Spring Gathering Review
The Brooklands Bus Museum Spring Gathering was another very enjoyable event, helped enormously by clear skies, sunshine and surprisingly warm weather for the time of year, which made for an excellent day for both visitors and photography.
A major highlight was the presence of Reading Buses celebrating its 125th Anniversary, with Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV “4” (RG04 ZEB) appearing in its striking anniversary livery. It was a real standout vehicle and attracted plenty of attention throughout the day.
Another major theme of the event was the celebration of Green Line and its anniversary year, with a strong variety of vehicles carrying Green Line livery in attendance. Particularly notable was Arriva Kent & Surrey’s 4106 (SN17 MKE), presented in heritage Green Line livery for the 724 service to Heathrow Airport, which was a fitting tribute and one of the standout modern vehicles on display.
Stagecoach London once again delivered a strong and varied showing, bringing not only the regular Selkent special liveried vehicles that have become a feature of these events, but an especially impressive selection this year, including Ambassador (12345), Diplomat (11066), Envoy (11011), East London Ambassador (12400), Spirit of London Remembering 7/7 (11377), and Wright Electroliner (82112) in Macmillan Cancer Support livery. Together they created one of the strongest operator-presence displays of the event.
Another strong feature was the excellent showing from Arriva Kent & Surrey overall, who brought a very good mix of modern and preserved vehicles, adding both variety and depth to the line-up.
Other notable mentions go to Go-Coach for bringing the interesting WrightBus Rightech RB6 electric minibus, which attracted plenty of attention as a less commonly seen vehicle type.
One of the true stars of the event, however, was THM 515M, the remarkable Daimler Fleetline-MCW rebuilt in 1991 for the “Supercar” One Day Travelcard promotional advert. With its Fleetline front end, London Underground tube carriage centre section, and Network SouthEast train front end at the rear, it remains one of the most unique road vehicles in preservation. It garnered huge attention throughout the day and, as a result, required a good deal of patience to photograph properly — though it was well worth the effort.
The North East also had a welcome, if small, presence at the event, which added a personal point of interest. Former Garnetts Coaches Volvo B7TL Wright Gemini (LX05 FBL) was a pleasing sight, alongside former Go-Ahead London WVL172 and former Go North East 6942 (LX54 HAA), itself formerly Go-Ahead London PVL390, both now preserved. It was particularly good to see North East-linked vehicles represented among such a nationally diverse line-up.
With over 140 buses in attendance, the scale of the event was impressive. What made this year especially interesting was that more than 50% of the vehicles present had not attended either of the previous two events I’ve been to. That made the line-up feel much fresher and more engaging, and rewarded repeat visitors with plenty that was new to see and photograph.
Beyond the display itself, the event offered much more than static exhibits. The free shuttle network was a real asset, with free Service 462 linking Weybridge Station and Library with the museum using both heritage and modern accessible buses, alongside new-for-this-year free heritage links to Cobham and West Byfleet. The additional feeder service operated by First Bus London added even more connectivity for visitors.
The wider event programme was also a major strength. The bus tours using the museum’s beautifully restored 1925 Dennis 4-ton and 1930 AEC Regent added a unique historical dimension, while heritage trips beyond the museum site, taxi rides in the historic London Beardmore cab, and behind-the-scenes workshop tours all added to the depth of the day. For families, the Children’s Area, balloon modelling and the ever-unpredictable Professor Crump helped ensure there was something for all ages, making the event feel much broader than a traditional enthusiast gathering.
That said, there were some recurring frustrations. Bus parking was again too cramped, with vehicles positioned very close together, which impacted photography and, in some cases, limited appreciation of the vehicles themselves. Stewarding was also an issue at times, with repeated obstruction of photographers, which detracted from the experience and is something that would benefit from review at future events.
Overall though, despite those criticisms, this was a very strong Spring Gathering with an excellent turnout, some exceptional visiting vehicles, a much-improved variety of exhibits, an extensive supporting programme beyond the displays, and ideal weather conditions. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and would recommend it to anyone in the North East enthusiast community considering making the trip in future. The Spring Gathering is, in my view, the event to aim for, as the Summer and Autumn events are generally not as well attended. An overnight stay is advisable, and I tend to stay in Weybridge town centre, which works well as a base for the event. For anyone considering going in future, it is well worth the journey.
RE: Brooklands Museum: Spring Gathering 2026 - Adrian - 20 Apr 2026
Is this the birth of MalarkeyGPT?