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Sydney Bus Museum raising money to buy rare double-decker Dion's bus
restored to immaculate condition
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* **In short:** A 1948 Leyland OPD2 double decker bus has been resto
* Mr Mantle bought the bus in 1983 and had to restore nearly all par
* **What's next?** The Sydney Bus Museum is raising funds to purcha
For nearly 40 years, retired Wauchope mechanic Brian Mantle has been
working on his opus — a 1948 Leyland OPD2 double-decker bus that had
to be completely stripped back to its frame and rebuilt.
He bought the bus from Dion's Bus Service in Wollongong in 1983 after
it had finished its life transporting hundreds of migrants to the Port
Kembla steelworks each day, as well working on a popular suburban
route.
Mr Mantle kept the bus inside a large shed on his property while he
worked on it for decades.(Supplied: Steven Mantle)
"Everybody who knows buses seems to know this bus and a lot of people
are glad to see it preserved as it should have been," Mr Mantle said.
"I'd heard about the bus and when I was working with the NRMA, I was
in Wollongong and had a look at it and I thought, 'My goodness, that
thing has to be preserved'."
And so began the laborious process of sourcing parts and materials
from around the world to rebuild the double-decker bus to a
roadworthy, immaculate condition.
"I had to completely strip it down to a bare frame — it was virtually
worn out and rusted so it was a complete repair of the frame, new
panels, a lot of chrome work and everything refabricated," Mr Mantle
said.
He even took a night course in motor vehicle upholstery so he could
repair the seats himself.
Sydney Bus Museum manager Bob Gioia wants a bus from the Illawarra
region in the museum's collection.(Supplied: Bob Gioia)
## Sydney Bus Museum wants to fill gap in collection
The Sydney Bus Museum has begun a fundraising drive to raise money to
purchase the 1948 Leyland OPD2.
Museum manager Bob Gioia said there had been 21 double-decker buses of
this model built for private companies, but this one was the only
survivor.
"It's a gap in our collection because we don't have a private double-
decker," he said.
"We also don't have a bus from the Wollongong Illawara region and we
see it as an important part of the history of buses in New South
Wales.
Mr Gioia says the bus has been so well restored, it is ready-made for
a museum.(Supplied: Steven Mantle)
"That bus would have carried hundreds of workers every day to the
steelworks, and it was an important part of the social and cultural
history of Wollongong during those years.
"A lot of migrants came into the area and relied on buses like this to
get them to and from work."
Mr Gioia said the restoration job was immaculate.
"It's taken 40 years to finish restoring it, but it's museum quality
and it's so good I have doubts we would want to drive it on the road
because I'd be scared someone might damage it," he said.
Dion's Bus Service owner Les Dion says his family would be thrilled to
see the bus in the Sydney Bus Museum.(ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)
## Dion family 'over the moon'
The Dion name is synonymous with public transport in Wollongong.
The family were Chinese migrants who started their bus company in 1923
and last year celebrated 100 years of operation.
The Dions bought the 1948 Leyland OPD2 and ran it from 1948-1962.
"Back in those days, you had a lot more people travelling on public
transport, so we needed buses with capacity," Dion's Bus Service owner
Les Dion said.
"There was a move to go to double-decker because you can fit a lot
more people on there.
"I knew Brian [Mantle] was working on it, but my God he has done an
absolutely fantastic job.
"The fact he has brought it back to original condition and sourced
parts to make sure it's [identical to the] original takes a lot of
dedication — myself and every member of my family is over the moon
about this one."
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