Buseum Puts Two More Buses Back Into Action

Bev Fitzpatrick's obsession with old buses is beginning to bring home some dividends for his "Buseum."

The Commonwealth Coach & Trolley Museum at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke--which is Bev's museum--has announced the restoration of two of the most significant coaches in its fleet. They are buses with extensive years of service in Blacksburg, Richmond, and Northern Virginia. The Buseum, as it is also known, is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official transit museum.

The newly restored buses are a 1962 GMC New Look coach from the AB&W (Alexandria, Barcroft & Washington) Bus Company and a 1966 GMC New Look coach from the Virginia Transit Company in Richmond. Each coach has been restored to its original livery (design and paint scheme) and original coach number when bought new. The inside of each bus remains as it did when purchased.

The Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum, Inc. was formed in 1999 when the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke de-accessed its fleet of transit coaches, school buses, and trolleys.

“It’s so important to us that people not only see, but truly experience these historic coaches,” says Bev, who is also director of the transportation museum. “Riding one of these buses brings back memories for many people, gives younger riders a view into history, demonstrates the safety, convenience, and ease of public transportation, and provides an unusual public service to the community.”