Pictures Of Old Lowestoft

Deborah Halverson's Blog » Blog Archive » Our Last Hurrah

No.14, from its use as a summerhouse in nearby Gunton. From this grew the idea of forming a transport museum that would show the development of mechanical transport for the better part of a century, and thus the East Anglia Tranport Museum was born. By recruiting volunteers, the EATM society transformed a disused meadow in the Carlton Colville region of Lowestoft into a museum with depots, stores, workshops, a diner, roads, tram tracks, overhead wiring for trams and trolleybuses, track for a light railway, and, most importantly, On any given day, visitors can ride restored trams, trolleybuses, buses, and a miniature train through a period street scene of houses and shops complete with authentic street furniture of bygone days. The East Anglian Transport Museum is Mecca to my three four-year-old sons. And today, just eight days before we begin our long trek home to San Diego, California, the EATM held a Bus Day. It might as well have been named the Halverson Boys’ Farewell Bus Extravaganza.

After weeks of anticipation, my trio jumped into the day with both feet. They donned their bus driver uniforms—blue shirts, blue pants, and yellow safety vests—and climbed in every bus, tram, and trolleybus with an open door. We rode a green double-decker bus (a Routemaster, I think) to the EATM from the Lowestoft bus station in Town Centre, allowing us to cruise this stunning relic through modern streets. Another green bus, called the “Mystery Tour”, almost inspired the boys to commit their first hijacking, as the driver foolishly explained to them the difference between the gas pedal and the break pedal…and then let the boys try them out.

Another highlight was the rescued First Bus single decker, which has various chunks missing as it awaits renovation. It’s funny to think that if the boys decided to travel back to Lowestoft some day with their kids, they’d probably ride this restored First Bus around the EATM just as we ride the First Buses around town several times a day now.

I’ve blogged often about the boys’ love for buses. For them, England will always be associated with these workhorses of public transportation. The freedom my boys feel in the seatbeltless vehicles cannot be matched in a regular car, where their parents strap them down good and tight. They feel important on the buses, as if they are driving the buses themselves, studying each bus stop and predicting who is going to push the bell to stop the bus and how the waiting passengers will fill in the open seats. As my sons sit in their ‘favorite seats,’ they mimic the bus noises—the revving as the bus speeds up, the air brakes as it slows down, the long exhale as the bus ‘kneels’ to let moms with strollers or ‘pensioners’ with canes alight safely. At home, when the boys push their miniature versions around the house, these sounds fill the house, along with the ‘talk’ between them and their imaginary passengers. And the boys have adopted the names of their favorite drivers. When they are in uniform or pushing their buses, I cannot address them by the names I gave them at birth. And I’m happy not to. It is gratifying to me to see how their imaginations have been sparked by the buses here in England, and how the drivers welcomed my boys, greeting the boys warmly every time they climbed aboard like three ducklings, saying “Good morning” no matter the time of day. The drivers always wished them good day as the boys traipsed off at the end of the ride, saying “Thank you, bye-bye…thank you, bye bye…thank you, bye bye.” There was mutual respect between these drivers and these little trainees, and actual adulation in from my boys. In fact, my boys invited some drivers to come over and play, but each one very tactfully explained that they work during the day and so coming over to play would be challenging. Consider it a rain check … as my boys all plan to be bus drivers in England when they grow up, so the boys will be working with their idols eventually.

Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, a handbook for visitors and residents; with chapters on the archaeology, natural history, &c., of the district; a history, with statistics, of the east coast herring fishery, and an etymological and comparative glossary of the dialect of East Anglia

The Athenæum, a journal of literature, science, the fine arts, music, and the drama

The Photographic news for amateur photographers ...

The Connoisseur, an illustrated magazine for collectors

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