Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester

Old vehicles rally round

31 August 2008

The sights of the roads of yesteryear will be back - for just one day - next week. Over 200 vintage vehicles will pass through the north of Greater Manchester on Sunday (7 September) in one of the biggest regular gatherings of its type in the north.

The Trans-Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally will start at the Museum of Transport, Boyle Street, Cheetham at 11.00 am. Then the procession of old cars, buses, lorries, fire engines and military vehicles will trundle around Blackley, Middleton, Castleton, Heywood and Rhodes before arriving at Manchester's Heaton Park from about midday. Then these shiny relics will be on display for the afternoon until about 4.30 pm.

Museum chairman Dennis Talbot will be there on the day: "the whole event is run by volunteers, who put in a lot of hours to make everything work. The first ones to arrive will start at about 6.00 am and we won't finish until nine o'clock in the evening. There's more to it than polishing old cars!"

Vehicles come from as far as Scotland and Kent to the rally, and members of the public will be able to browse through the rows of relics of a bygone age of motoring, while their owners apply a bit of spit and polish. There’ll also be stalls on site, selling all sorts of collectibles from books to brake drums and caps to chrome. Dennis paid tribute to the hard work put in to bring old wrecks back to tip-top condition: “The lengths some owners go to is amazing. I've seen people scrubbing tyres - on the inner side! The attention to detail on the parts that you can't see as well as the ones you can is marvellous. I think some of the vehicles that will be at the rally will be in better condition than they were when they were new.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

The rally has excellent photo opportunities for proud owners with vehicles, members of the public from your area looking at the exhibits etc. You are welcome to send a reporter or photographer and the Museum volunteers will help with facilities in any way possible.

The Trans-Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally will depart from the Museum in Cheetham at 11.00. Then it will travel through Collyhurst (11.05), Blackley (11.10), Middleton (11.15), Slattocks (11.20), Castleton (11.25), Sudden (11.30), Heywood (11.40), Bowlee (11.45) and Rhodes (11.50) before arriving at the Park from about noon. Entry to the show by the boating at Heaton Park lake is completely free.

The Museum of Transport is in Boyle Street, Cheetham, Manchester and is open to the public every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday. An admission charge applies. The Museum is a partnership between the volunteers and the Greater Manchester Transport Society and GMPTE, the public body which supports and co-ordinates public transport in Greater Manchester. Telephone 0161 205 2122 or visit www.gmts.co.uk.