Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.
Home Past Times

A fine vintage: Early archive photos of Grampian Transport Museum in Alford

Grampian Transport Museum has become a haven for transport enthusiasts of all ages, and has provided a sanctuary in Alford for vintage vehicles. Our gallery of archive photos looks back at the early years.

1988: Transport museum curator Mike Ward, centre left, took delivery of Grampian Fire Brigade's faithful old 1955 Dennis turntable-ladder engine from Councillor James McPherson.
1988: Transport museum curator Mike Ward, centre left, took delivery of Grampian Fire Brigade's faithful old 1955 Dennis turntable-ladder engine from Councillor James McPherson.
By Kirstie Waterston

Grampian Transport Museum’s year of celebration draws to a close after marking 40 years of bringing transport from the past, present and future to life.

The Alford attraction has been beloved by generations in the north-east since it opened in 1983.

But its very existence is thanks to the foresight of vintage car lovers in the 1970s who saw an appetite for vehicle preservation in Aberdeenshire.

The Grampian Transport Museum Association was founded in 1978 and sought about finding a permanent home for exhibits.

A site adjacent to the former Alford Railway Station was chosen and the old carriage shed was restored.

1980: A steam locomotive from South Africa, a car and a lorry owned by Robert Gordon, Alford – were to be included in the Grampian Transport Museum. The vehicles stand at the door of the former carriage shed was to be part of the museum, which was still in planning. Also in the picture are, back left, Robert Gordon, treasurer of the Grampian Transport Association, and, back centre, Robert Emslie, with a group of Alford Academy pupils. Image: DC Thomson

Work on the ambitious exhibition hall we know and love today began in 1981 after the association received grants from the council and European Economic Community.

Since then, the Grampian Transport Museum has continued to go from strength to strength.

A racing circuit opened in 1990, allowing large-scale and exciting events to be held in the grounds.

And the museum building itself has been extended to house new collections and a tearoom.

Mack the snow plough at Grampian Transport Museum, Alford. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Grampian Transport Museum has become a haven for transport enthusiasts, and has provided a sanctuary for rare vehicles including one of Aberdeen’s only surviving trams.

And let’s be honest, did you really grow up in Aberdeenshire if you didn’t get your photo taken next to Mack the gigantic snow plough?

After a busy 40th anniversary season, the museum closes today until next year, but will reopen for special santa events during the festive season.

Take a journey back in time with us and our archive photos of the transport museum.

Gallery: Grampian Transport Museum in the 1980s and ’90s

1980: James P Smith, at the wheel of his 1907 Silver Ghost Rolls Royce, affectionately known as “the old lady”, which he was to lend to the Grampian Transport Museum. Image: DC Thomson
1980: Holding some of the old garage signs to be exhibited at Grampian Transport Museum are Kim Gerrie, Gilbert Forbes, Michael Strachan, Patricia Duncan and Michelle Thorpe. Image: DC Thomson
1981: Curator Douglas Murray was absolutely dumbfounded by this exhibit at Alford Transport Museum. Douglas, a retired grocer from Alford, thought it may have been a farm implement and hoped the public could shed some light on the mystery. It was handed into the museum by Bill Nichol, a contractor from Kintore. Image: DC Thomson
1981: All aboard for the opening of the Grampian Transport Museum at Alford. In the driving seat is James P Smith of Kildrummy, with north-east Euro-MP James Provan shaking his hand. On the left are museum chairman James Gordon and council vice-convener Councillor Harry Sim. Image: DC Thomson
1982: Work on the massive hanger-like structure to house Alford’s motor museum began in spring 1982. Image: DC Thomson
1986: Museum assistant Alfie Taylor polishes up a bubble car, one of the exhibits in the 9th Alford Cavalcade. Image: DC Thomson
1986: The portable steam engine Birkhall, on the display outside Grampian Transport Museum, Alford is a rare survivor of its type, mainly used for driving farm machinery on the Balmoral Estate. Museum assistant Alf Taylor, right, shows the engine to visitors Kathleen Archibald and her husband George, and Zygmunt Hrehorow and his wife June. An appeal has now been launched to restore the Birkhall to its former glory. The engine was donated to the museum by the late Duke of Edinburgh. Image: DC Thomson
1987: Admiring glances for a 1966 MGB GT – one of the lots up for sale at Alford Auction and Autojumble – at the Grampian Transport Museum. Pictured from left, Walter Mathers, Norman Simpson, Tony Davies, Alan McCombie and Pauline Munro. Image: DC Thomson
1987: Little has changed about the exterior of the museum in the last 36 years, but the exhibits inside change every season. Image: DC Thomson
1988: Transport museum curator Mike Ward, centre left, took delivery of Grampian Fire Brigade’s faithful old 1955 Dennis turntable-ladder engine from Councillor James McPherson. The grand old lady of many an Aberdeen fire drama went into retirement at the Grampian Transport Museum. Image: DC Thomson
1988: Alford Transport Museum enjoyed a stylish opening to their season with a special Jaguar Day. The event – the first for Jaguar drivers at Alford – was a resounding success, with more than 500 people attending. The award for the best car went to Steve Foster, standing back left, with his E-Type, seen showing it to Diarmaid Campbell, standing back right, and brothers Tony and Davie Cunningham kneeling at the front. Image: DC Thomson
1989: Grampian Transport Museum helped celebrate Museums Year 1989 – a UK-wide initiative to mark the centenary of the Museums Association. To mark the event, the museum had a variety of exhibits on loan from the Museum of British Road Transport, Coventry; the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu; the Glasgow Museum of Transport, and the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh. Two interesting items on loan were the 1884 Cheylesmore tricycle, with museum assistant Diane Gilbert in the driving seat, and an 1896 Bollee motor tricycle, Amanda Ward on board. Image: DC Thomson
1990: The marketing officer for Grampian Transport Museum, Hamish McLeod, looks happy with the progress being made with the £250,000 new race-track. Image: DC Thomson
1990: Little Michael Stewart, 2, was at the opening of the new tarmac circuit at Grampian Transport Museum. His namesake Paul Stewart, the son of former world champion racing driver Jackie Stewart, performed the official opening. The two are pictured together, Mike in a go-kart and Paul in a 1938 Rolls-Royce sports car. Image: DC Thomson
1990: Jim Silver from Cults on his sidecar takes a tight corner during the inaugural Star UK Classic sprint meeting at the Grampian Transport Museum. Image: DC Thomson

Conversation