Scania Omnilink joins the fleet at Wythall. A generous donation from Arriva Midlands

Transport Museum Wythall (TMW) is pleased to announce the generous donation by Arriva Midlands of Scania Omnilink 3505/YN08 HZS.

The vehicle represents the longitudinal-engined, low-entry single decker design delivered into the new millennium, the Omnilink being a complete integral product built by Scania of Sweden. Omnilinks were built between 1998 and 2013, this example being delivered in 2008, one of nineteen purchased by Arriva Midlands to upgrade its Tamworth and Derby fleets. They were recognised for their powerful engines and excellent heating systems. 3505 clocked up almost a million miles out of Tamworth garage, the former Midland Red outpost in the town, working on Birmingham commuter services until moving to Derby in 2024.

The Omnilink will join the existing fleet of three ‘new generation’ low floor vehicles in the TMW collection, each representing a different approach to design and construction – 1998 Optare Spectra DAF DB250 4001, 1998 Volvo B6LE-53 Wright Crusader 598 and 2002 Dennis Trident ALX400 4321, all from National Express. A significant ‘knock on’ effect of this modern fleet is its ability to attract a new and younger audience of potential volunteers to the world of historic public transport preservation. TMW prides itself in recognising that history never stops and is open to additions of significant modern vehicles in the ever-developing story of public service vehicles in the UK.

It is appropriate that a Scania is now joining the c90 other vehicles in the TMW collection as the museum already has an exhibition hall dedicated to the maker – the Scania Hall, built in 1990. This new hall represented a significant moment in the history and growth of TMW, it was built with the help of Scania AB when the company approached TMW to help in the restoration of 1975 London Transport Scania Metropolitan MD1, the first to enter service in London. Rather than pay for the restoration, Scania made a financial contribution to the hall’s construction. That vehicle is now preserved in the Scania Museum in Sweden.

Seb Amos, TMW Chair of Trustees said, ‘This generous donation by Arriva is particularly poignant for two reasons. Its history transitions from one of the key historic companies that we feature in our collection, Midland Red, having run from the same premises in Tamworth. The other is that, as a modern vehicle familiar to this generation, it continues to help in our challenge to attract younger volunteers to the museum to help in restoring and maintaining our whole collection and learning new skills in the process.’

‘We are proud to have been serving the people of Tamworth for over one hundred years’ said Toby J France, Head of Commercial at Arriva Midlands. ‘The vehicles cared for by Transport Museum Wythall tell a fascinating story of our history through those years and it’s fantastic to support them in continuing to tell the ongoing story of public transport in the Midlands as we look towards a future where people choose to leave their cars at home, with less congestion on our roads and cleaner air for the next generation.’

The Omnilink made its public debut alongside museum and visiting vehicles from the low-floor generation on Saturday September 20th.