Bussy day…..

One of my very long term projects is writing a history of West Coast Motors of Campbeltown.  It's been on my 'must-do' list for a number of years and for the last couple it has received quite a bit of attention.  I have some excellent contacts who are assisting with details and photographs to support my own collections and knowledge.  I'm not the first to attempt this, in 2013 an English publisher produced an anniversary book about the Company but it fell short in a couple of important areas, not least the lists of vehicles owned.  I intend to remedy that massive omission.

I can understand why they chose to omit the fleets lists - they are a nightmare to research!  For many years now West Coast Motors have given their vehicles 'cherished numbers' instead of fleet numbers.  So you get instances of a new vehicle receiving it's Argyll and Bute 'SB' registration number, then it receives a WCMxxx registration.  Upon being sold it gets its old number back or an appropriate 'age related' registration.  That WCM number then goes onto another vehicle.  Some vehicles have carried three or four different numbers in their 12-15 year life and some WCM registrations have been on 2 or 3 different vehicles.  Are you still with me?

Today I read/researched some more of my 60 years of bus listings in magazines, books etc.  I'm back to 1994.  The Company was founded in 1923.  Nearly there.