Alastair Fitton is the founder of the Bus Stop Model Motor Museum, which celebrated its 10 year anniversary during 2023, in the northwest English village of Wardle. Today he shares some nostalgia and his passion for Transport.
Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be!
As curator of a modest museum, dedicated to transport in miniature – and angled towards the motorcar – I have a lot of experience chatting to my visitors about their car experiences of the past.
Diecast models have been present in my life since I was a toddler – about 18 months old.
Indeed, one of my displays features a black and white photo taken by my dad in the house I was born in, of me clutching two Matchbox models that still form part of my museum.
Can you identify the two Matchbox models??
Like our first amorous relationships – they can be a beacon to reflect back on in later life!
I often give after dinner speeches on the subject of my museum – and regularly am “taken to task” for disturbing long slumbering memories of Austins, Vauxhalls and Humbers long since consigned to the scrap heap.
These days, those old British stalwarts are joined by Datsuns, Citroens, ALFA Romeos and Audis! As the world moves on, so do the subjects of our dreams and memories!
Those revisited memories are often accompanied with gently wet eyes – our cars can bring back the people we enjoyed them with.
So a diecast model can precipitate a flood of emotion as we are taken back to glorious days of the open road at the wheel of our cars of yesteryear.
My museum occupies a couple of rooms of my terraced house here in rural Lancashire – a living, breathing space – and sanctuary for those of us with a passion for Transport. As well as models – some 4,000 in all, I collect motoring literature – books, brochures.
I specialise in “timelines” – following the history of key models through their various iterations – Mk 1s, 2s, 3s or Series As, Bs and Cs – history coming alive!
To pair up a model with its brochure is a delight and pleasure.
What a great museum idea! K-7 Refuse Truck (garbage truck) is the easy one to ID! The other looks like the old #72 yellow Jeep with its windshield broken off (just like my childhood example!). Both are in hobbyDB!
Hi there Karl! Spot on. Glad you enjoyed my post! It’s much appreciated when my efforts are enjoyed by the like-minded!
Thanks! It takes a lot of work to turn a collection into a museum! I looked at my parent’s old photos – no toy cars, oh well…. It’s great you have that one!
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