Ex Chiltern Queens MUD 975

At the request of admin I've kicked off this little homage to MUD 975, Which I bought from Chiltern Queens in 1981, as a means of moving heavy tools and people cheaply to and from Woodham's yard, in Barry, South Wales.

This is my registration document for the famous MUD mobile.

 

Found this.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24467251@N02/16382635206/
Also a glimpse whilst in service.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24467251@N02/7186598358/

 

I'll stick up my photo again then

 

It's really beginning to get to me. That was at Barry trip in 1981. When I bought the bus, she had no MOT, and needed a couple of tyres. I paid, I think £200, and the guys at Chiltern Queens fixed me up with a couple of part worn tyres, topped up the diesel, so I could drive home. We took MUD to Guildford MOT station, and with a few minor, easy to fix on site problems, she passed, and was ready for railway service. We only did 3 or 4 runs to Barry, before 44123 was moved to the MHR, and MUD no longer had a use. Gearbox problems and batteries which would not hold a charge, made using MUD a problem, and with the falling out with JB, we had nowhere to keep her. She was towed to a friends yard in Woolwich. In the end the land where the yard was, was bought to build the Millennium Stadium

 

The location looks very familiar, Watlington St. Reading?

 

looks very like it Bus

 

Seems like only yesterday that we were discussing the latest purchase in the Cobbett. "John's bought a what!!??..." Despite trying very hard we never managed to get dad to dip his hand in his pocket to become a part owner of 44123. David and I were both skint students so there was no hope there either.. You really are taking me back to my youth. If only things had gone another way. I can remember the plans for Medstead being spread all over our lounge floor.

 

This is the picture found on Ebay, and which I bought.

 

I'd say you were too much of a threat...alternative motive power provider, and the rest is history.

 

When your living it, things happen, and you react. Only history proves, if it was a good one or not. At the time the railway was fragmented, and all the power was with one man. if we had rolled over, we, like the S15 group, would still be there, MUD might still be around and probably restored. Who knows. I'm feeling very upset over something which happened 28 years ago, and I had no power over. At the time, there only seemed one course open to us. Nobody came to me, to try and change my mind about going, thing just took their course. So, I partly blame all the people who stood aside and quietly let us go, without putting up a fight for us to stay.

 

and if your experience was like ours, all the people who believed the lies and mis-information put out!

 

I've just found these papers, and I only paid £150 for MUD.

 

Hello,
I was going to purchase the ebay photo and send it to you......!
So it goes

Many thanks

Nick

 

The MHR were poorer for the LMSociety leaving, I believe this to be a fact borne out of the situation today, JB's gone, the old empire has folded and left with its tail between its legs, the railway seems, by all reports and such to be a better, happier and more progressive place to be now.

I assume that if the options were to stay and be controlled or leave and be crafter of your own destiny then, if I were in your shoes I would have done the same as you did.

Now things may not have succeeded as you may have wished but if you stayed then things may have ended up being the same today, but they would have been the fault of others and not because of your best efforts.

The MHR looks to have changed now, and that change started the day you and the LMS lads said no and moved on. Many on the MHR should be thanking you for perhaps starting the ball of revolution going!

 

A very poignant post OldChap. I lost interest in the MHR after John and Co moved on and it was probably 5 -10 years before I even went back for a visit. Anyway nice to see MUD and only £150, cheaper than my first year of insurance of my clapped out old Fiesta when I was 18. Car £95, insurance £160.

 

someone said that the body of MUD still exists, is that so, they do look to be very attractive coaches, are there any other similar coaches that survived its a shame things happened as they did, especially with the bus museum at Medstead

 

Found this and thought it might be of interest


Keith

 

I've seen that pic before, on a different site. Someone said she could be in Thornton Heath, but I've not seen any mention of MUD 975 on the web. I have some more pictures of the MUD mobile somewhere, but I can't find them. I did have a pic of Steamer diving it to Barry.

 

Just saw this picture on a Facebook....

https://www.facebook.com/2922155341...2215534176633/793988440666004/?type=1&theater

i hope that links..... Its a picture of Barry....

 

Hi i did a google search on mud and on one bus preservation forum it talked about it being Lizzies coach ? And a very special coach , several members had said it was last seen in a garden/allotment in the Thornton heath area but as yet no one has managed to locate it