Wolverhampton Guy Arab SUK 3 Restoration Appeal
Published: 12/06/2023
The Transport Museum Wythall, near Birmingham, has launched an appeal to fully restore Wolverhampton Guy Arab registration SUK 3.
A Guy Arab, with a difference, this bus has an early MCW Orion body but as far as its engine is concerned, it’s rather different, a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Arabs were built at Fallings Park, Wolverhampton, so it was not surprising that the local Corporation chose to buy them.
The standard Arab engine was a Gardner in either 5LW 7 litre or 6LW 8.4 litre form.
However the bigger units available in the AEC Regent and Leyland Titan PD2 had not gone unnoticed at Guy. So what could they do to provide more oomph! Next door to Guy was the Meadows engine factory while, over the road, was one of the depots of Wolverhampton Corporation Transport (WCT). Constructive talks between the two resulted in the development of the Meadows 6DC, a powerful 10.35 litre engine of compact proportions.
It was something of a surprise when 12 Guy Arabs purchased by Wolverhampton Corporation as late as 1957 not only had the preselector gearboxes it normally specified but also these Meadows engines, derated to 112 bhp – a rare combination indeed.
Its lightweight MCW Orion body was built with a Birmingham-style straight staircase and carried a modified livery, largely overall green with a yellow band used by WCT on its post 1957 buses.
No 3 was retired in 1972, never carrying WMPTE colours. Despite its rare engine it became a playbus with the Social Services department. Luckily, the bus was saved for Wythall in September 1981 but shortage of undercover space meant years of open storage. Winter 2002 saw the bus come inside to be cosmetically restored for display as a static exhibit.
Now is the time for a proper restoration to begin thanks to the kindness of Malcolm Keeley, Wythall member and former Trustee and writer of many books on transport in the West Midlands.
Malcolm has kick-started the restoration with a significant contribution. This will not, however, fund the complete the restoration so public help we hope to get this done within a reasonable period.
It requires a lot of structural work to replace the effects of the dreaded tin worm on the body frame, staircase, platform and both floors. Work on the structure has already started at Trailways, appropriately in the Black Country. This work is being done under contract to save time. Mechanical work will also be required as, although it runs, this unique engine requires a full overhaul, which will be completed by the Wythall team.
So if you would like to help bring this uniquely sounding vehicle back to the road and eventually take a ride, please visit our website for an easy way to make a contribution: wythall.org.uk/donatesuk3
