Found an Abandoned Bus Graveyard: 100s of Vehicles Left

In this video, we come across an abandoned transport museum in Ireland! Unfortunately, the site has begun to be scrapped, but there are still hundreds of retro buses and fire engines to see, some in decaying conditions.
SUBTITLES AVAILABLE
Help support the channel -
/ urbandoned
www.urbandonedteam.com/store
paypal.me/urbandoneddonate
Other links -
www.urbandonedteam.com/
/ urbandoned_
urbandoned_?lang=...
/ discord
/ urbandoned
/ @urbandoned
Our urbex library -
• Exploring an Abandoned...
abandoned urbandoned derelict urbex explore exploring uk england ue ireland republic northern cork dublin belfast bus buses fire engines transport vehicle car museum scrapyard collection private secret field hundreds apocalyptic nature decay irish documentary walkthrough video

[@MOSSFEEN]

This is near my Hometown of Cork, It was called The Kells Transport Museum and had over over 400 buses back in 2010ish It is owned by Dr Michael Grimes ( bit of a Nutter). The oldest bus was from the 1940s. It was the largest collection of unrestored buses in Europe claimed the owner. There was a Big fire there back in 2011 and now the place looks more like a Scrap yard than a Museum. He has had several run ins with Cork County Council over his so called Museum

[@CIeaner23]

was owned*

[@Squareheed]

Why would so many busses from Northern Ireland be so far over the border? lmao

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

​@@Squareheed They need to get a scrap claw machine in there and pull the the lot to pieces and put it all through the shredder.

[@Squareheed]

@@PreservationEnthusiast Not really my point but alright

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@Squareheed OK to answer your point, the collector was obsessed and had more money than sense. He even brought vehicles from England. At least the ones from NI did not need to go on the ferry. They were easy by comparison!

[@PhoneVidoes]

Cant believe you boys have never EVER seen a library bus before 🤣

[@alastairward2774]

I remember they used to call out to our school in the countryside up north. We would take a bundle of books out and a new bundle of books back in. The older you were, the more say you had in what books came back in. By P7 I was hauling in as many Doctor Who novels as I could 😂

[@jaygo4746]

The fire engines shown in the video are nearly all entirely Ex UK appliances exported after service, With Vehicles from Greater Manchester, Isle of Wight, Merseyside and Nottinghamshire, Two of the Box-y ones are Dennis RS Models wherehas the one to the right of the White appliance is a later Dennis SS, The interesting White appliance is a former Isle of Wight Bedford CSV, (Crew Safety vehicle) From 1978

[@fox8269]

The white with blue buses are known as Ulsterbus, for outside of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The white with red were known as city bus. And generally were only run in Belfast. Translink is the name of the overall company in charge of transport in Northern Ireland. Translink is still the main company in N Ireland and runs all trains and most buses. The rest of the buses are a mixture of northern and southern Irish coach companies. And also southern Irish and Dublin local buses 👍🏼 7:45

[@telhadaway3833]

Indeed my dad god bless his soul drove for Ulster bus Craigavon,sad to see them in this condition 😢

[@roberthewer2268]

💯

[@roberthewer2268]

Quite a few still.preserved m8 an old city bus past me on the rd recently couldn't keep up with it 😂😂😂 took.them for granted 30 years ago great to see them still running❤❤❤

[@deanwgaf9130]

🎉

[@caranook]

That converted bus was a library bus! You still see them today, they would come around to my school back in the 90s and 00s and we got like a class of just reading.

[@vigilonsystemtests4993]

Translink operate public transport services in Northern Ireland (Ulsterbus, Metro and Northern Ireland). Two vehicles have been saved from here for future preservation. A lot of the blue and white buses are Leyland Tiger bodied Alexander N / Q types. A significant type of vehicle which operated in Northern Ireland until around 2014. Several still survive to this day. The red and cream buses are from Citybus Belfast (part of translink) and operated in service until 2012.

[@ExInferis.]

"I've never seen a stop button like this before". Bloody hell, how old are you boys, 12?! Those were all we had back in the 80's! That's the second thing I've seen on YT tonight that's made me feel ancient! Joking aside, this is a really sad sight. I'm not a bus-spotter or anything, but there's something about an old bus that kind of resonates with me. My Mum didn't drive so if we went anywhere it was by bus, which really didn't happen that often, so it was something special. In today's society where most households have several cars that probably sounds weird, but that's how it was back in the 80's; you were lucky if you had one car! Seeing all these busses decay is very sad. Aside from nostalgia, imagine how many homeless people you could get on all of those busses? Had they retrofitted them before they got to this state they could have housed hundreds of people who were on the streets. It's such a shameful waste! People like this "owner" are so bloody selfish it makes my blood boil! Anyway, thanks for brining this last look to us lads.

[@TheGreatOneMike]

When you say you have never seen a stop button like this before you make me feel very old and I’m less than 40!

[@LKD70]

I'm 25 and I've seen those. Boggles the mind

[@insitetoursirelandltd.5795]

Anyone who grew up in Northern Ireland in the 1980s would be familiar with those blue and white Translink buses. They were used as rural transport and on interurban runs between towns and cities, but also in most areas of Northern Ireland would have been used on the school run. They were a common feature on our roads here in the North well into the 2000s. All public transport then was rudimentary and really uncomfortable, given that public service transport was often subject to hijacking and burning out by rioters and paramilitaries - so all these vehicles were utilitarian. When the 'Troubles' ended in 1998, there was a huge investment in new transport stock including on the intercity bus fleet, where you got a proper seat with some padding and fabric, aircon etc. But the old blue and white buses are still held in the memory of schoolchildren of the 80s and 90s.

[@farr64]

Why is it that idiots have to smash all the glass..When anything is abandoned it always gets wrecked or sprayed with there so called art ..Great video hope some are rescued...

[@Jeff-uj8xi]

Lots of sick people out there. Lots of vandals and thieves too.

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

The smashed windows would hasten the deterioration by allowing the ingress of rain and wind. It's a shame that people consider destruction of property to be a source of 'fun'. There is still much of value on these buses. Even those interior advertisments could be framed and sold.

[@frasermathers2287]

Thanks lads for a great insight into this transport related but sad piece of history! I have worked in many different professions and industries over the years and spent about 10 years in the Bus & Coach industry in the 80s. Seeing this did make me a little sad and I have to say very skeptical of why the original owner had these vehicles all on this site. My feeling is that the use of "Museum" was just a means of operating a scrap yard without the necessary planning consents, licencing and environmental controls that would be required. Although many of these vehicles are of a great age, there is a massive market that makes up the classic & preserved bus & coach scene. This may well have been where some of the parts were destined, but I think this guy was just out to make as much money as he could for as little cost as he could. Buying an redundant out of service vehicle costs very little, but selling the parts from one is very lucrative indeed. Thanks for all your efforts.

[@John_Wood_]

Brings back memories of going to school on the Ulsterbus (possibly even some of them in this field!)

[@scalereality4840]

The converted bus was a library bus, these were common in rural areas

[@chewu]

I remember it coming to my school every once in a while.

[@DEAD-DROP]

An interesting collection. Always a shame to see so much damage, but good you guys could capture what's left before it's gone.

[@stephaniemcquillan1930]

Hi guys. Very interesting to see all of these old buses, some from the recent past, but it’s also sad to see as well. Newer buses may be more accessible to everyone, but there’s just something about older vehicles. They are iconic and, personally, remind me of simpler and better times 😂

[@roydonaldson3946]

I drove for Ulsterbus for 24 years and I could well have driven some of those sitting in the fields. A Google Leyland Tiger was a great bus to drive. This film brings back lots of memories not all good.

[@FenderTele]

This takes me back to the 1980s when I was finishing off homework in the back of an Ulsterbus on a Monday morning!!

[@JoeStudd96]

From left to right, the fire engines are a Dennis RS, a Bedford TKG, a Dennis SS, another RS, then 2 Dodge 100 Commando's and a Dennis D series nearest the buses.

[@pauldanks9878]

The open top double decker that you went on is a Leyland Fleetline and was new to the West Midlands before it must have been exported to Dublin.

[@Buffalo31]

Good on this guy for wanting to save some history.

[@Fcutdlady]

A lot of this was clearered out by a scrapman a couple of years ago . Surprised to see any buses there

[@resolve_media21]

Translink is Northern Irelands Bus and Rail service so it is still running. The collector must of bought it from the north in an auction (I'm from Northern Ireland)

[@johntaylor6517]

Terrific video guys ... hauntingly beautiful.

[@MG4_Trophy]

Used to ride these Ulsterbuses to school in Lisburn. Called the seats the tooth chippers. God I’m old 😂

[@helenstone9711]

New to your channel and as if the 1st video we choose to watch is this one! My hubby is a bus/coach driver of 30+ years so he really enjoyed this!!!

[@TheGiantKillers]

Ulsterbus introduced the Leyland Tiger to it's fleet in 1981 in the blue/white livery in use since the late 1960s. The buses formed the majority of the Ulsterbus fleet, which provided inter town services in Northern Ireland throughout the 1980s/90s. As newer buses came into service in the 90s and 00s, the old Leylands gradually were used in more rural town services. The buses in the video have been given the Translink makeover, which happened when Ulsterbus/Citybus/NIRailways were all brought under one name in 1995. They look fitted out to the late 00s. City [the red and white ones] operated only in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. I would imagine them to be from the same era. Thankfully [for transport enthusiasts] the entire history of the Ulster/Northern Irish public transport livery is perfectly preserved at the Ulster Transport museum in Cultra [between Bangor and Belfast] which includes a Leyland Tiger in Ulsterbus livery exactly as it was when it went into service in 1981.

[@Tina210.]

Please do more uploads like this because it’s interesting 😊

[@johnmuff1348]

Thanks for showing this

[@cian87]

Civil Defence fire tenders are generally ones which have already been retired from council fire service usage so would usually be very old at retirement. The bulk of the buses that were there - when you visited, and when it was at its peak - were from Northern Ireland and the buses you IDed as being Dublin were actually from Belfast.

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

A lot of the Civil Defence units where meant to be used to boost what was left of the fire service if nuclear war ever happened. However they were deployed when strikes happened as well.

[@jonmilling703]

Used to go to school on those blue and white buses in the early 90s (ulsterbus). They’d also connect rural towns and villages to the main cities like Belfast. From there you would take the red and white bus (citybus) to get somewhere in the city and surrounding parts - i’d use these to visit my gran & grandad who lived in east belfast. Good memories.

[@alanscott1824]

From what I can see there is nothing left only the Framework of these vehicles should be crushed and the land cleaned up

[@Batlampjim]

It's quite haunting thinking of how many people these buses would have carried in their working lives to be left abandoned to rot away, they've done their job and served their purpose.... Sad to see tho.

[@jacklane6076]

Such a shame the vandals got to them, no respect for the historic value of these old faithful servants to the public.

[@christopherprice721]

Great video guys Shame about the buses I hope someone rescued one for a museum before the scrapping started .

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

Thanks for the video guys. Would love to see another aviation graveyard like the one you did before 😊👍

[@TheAnonyy]

Wrightbus/Bamford of Ireland still make busses today. Some companies make a whole bus others either do a chassis or a body arriva buy from several companies including wrightbus and Alexander Dennis.

[@MetroTitanD78]

The Library Bus is a Leyland National new to London Transport in the mid 70s and at 15:15 I'm certain is a Leyland Lynx also from the London area but new to Countybus and Coach (Townlink) for London route 66 (Romford to Leytonstone).

[@bobbythomas200420032]

Hi guys another fantastic video and very interesting seeing all different types of Buses and Coaches left to all decay. The site is huge you explored.

[@Tina210.]

This brings back many memories we travelled on the town city buses back in the 90s and Translink is still operating to this day 👍😁

[@DJRandolf12]

Fantastic video. Glad yous got to see them before there all dismantled for scrap. They will all be gone in a few months time

[@tux4tosh]

@5:48 Yes, the company Translink is still going. They are the transport network operator in Northern Ireland, operating bus and train services throughout the province.

[@russellpetrie119]

its good to see the site being cleared before nature takes it over hopefuly going to a new home

[@Dublinireland5]

The buses clearly need to come off the land but the good thing is the land is not green belt land those buses has allowed ie had planning permission to be put on the land over a long period of time many years I think the land would be very good as a residential mobile home park the council could not really refuse planning application because they've allowed the coaches to be there for so long this would provide cheap housing for local people which is so desperately in need of in Ireland

[@michaelgreen2522]

These buses have got so many memories of over the years of of over the years of giving people lifts to and from their destinations and from their destinations it's so sad to see them late add to see them like this these buses and coaches are these buses and coaches are crying inside

[@daniellowry]

I remember riding one of those red buses in the early 2000s in Belfast. They were used as part of Translink citybus services in Belfast (now called Metro). The blue ones are Ulster buses which operate around Nothern Ireland for everywhere outside Belfast but also coming into Belfast from outside towns and cities. Translink is still operating today. They operate all of Northern Ireland's bus and rail services and I'm pretty sure they are publicly owned. Sad to see these buses in such as state of disrepair!

[@Batlampjim]

The 4th bus as you say Welcome aboard is A Leyland Tiger ,I passed m th PSV in one of these about 20 years ago for First Manchester

[@Batlampjim]

The Leyland Tiger was used as a Training Bus at First Manchester in Bolton, They wouldn't let us anywhere near the new Scania buses then or the New Optares

[@grahamsilverlock8125]

I find it sad to see all these buses just left there to rot away when they could have been saved and sold to people that could have turned them into mobile home what a wast. Thank you for showing us are this amazing site of old buses.

[@987jasy]

Hi, when I seen the thumbnail of your video I couldn't not watch it, the company Translink is still in operation and is N.I's transport company, I remember watching the collection of Ulster busses driving around my town, Newry, when I was growing up!

[@reneastle8447]

Let's create a fundraising campaign to restore all these buses to working mint condition and have them brought back into public service.

[@alastairward2774]

I remember those seats on the blue buses, before Translink sorted the express routes they'd put surplus passengers on the town service buses, two hours sitting on those benches 🙄

[@michailokeefeMooMoo]

Great location guys great video keep up the fantastic work

[@DS-fo4ed]

Quite unique the Paxton paramount with the rear emergency exit

[@FrostyGaming8394]

Hi Alistair how are you doing mate? Another amazing video you have uploaded as always its ashame that these old buses have been abandoned and left behind and unfortunately got vandalised like this if all these vehicles were moved several years ago they would have been moved to a vintage transport museum in Ireland hope your having a good day Alistair and keep up the good content there amazing 👍

[@typhoon5445]

Great guys always enjoy your stuff 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

[@Direwolf2k20]

There are some amazing vintage vehicles, should be rescued from the scrap.

[@MiNameIsNash]

I saw Neoplan buses in Mexico around 23 years ago.

[@journeymenforlife]

This is seriously incredible

[@barrypritchard5027]

Brilliant very interesting 👏 👍

[@Ulsterbusman129]

A lot of these buses are ex ulsterbus and citybus leyland tigers, leopards and Bristol RE’s

[@exploringwithsj6847]

Good Find some classic buses there.

[@BONNARSKI]

I'll have the red Citroën ax for the start of the video but I'd guess the sight will be probably totally cleared now as scrap valve was up to around £250 a tonne afew weeks ago

[@Dazzy84]

Translink are still in operation in Northern Ireland, i remember going into belfast in one of those leyland buses. Proper nostalgic. 👍

[@stevesutherland8247]

Some of the blue and white buses look like they might have been Leyland Tigers, similar to the ones Shearings of Wigan ran in the mid 80's to early 90's

[@glennmoreland6457]

A few Leyland National's in there by the looks of it... ☹🇬🇧

[@carlwalker4808]

I do the Alexander Belfast N type bus all the buses are in a very sad state l think they are unsalvageable now because they have been left derelict for years.

[@johnmuff1348]

Those city bus were great to travel on in the 80s such great times getting a night bus from belfast at 2 in the morning after getting on them to go back to lisburn when you were drunk i miss all thst😅

[@davidnm21]

Most interesting yet at the same time very sad. It’s a great shame they were allowed to get like the condition you found them.

[@jamesclark1852]

I went to school on the ulsterbus during the 90's

[@jordanmcclure6960]

Crazy to think most of those buses probably drove before they were parked.

[@elmorientez3787]

I believe most if not all drove in... There used to be a much bigger lineup of open toppers, some of them very rare, but yeah, guy had the idea to try and preserve buses in an open field with them exposed to the elements where they just rotted away. This place is a prime reason as to why undercover storage is so sought after in bus preservation, almost all of those buses were as withdrawn when they arrived.

[@morrisminor4252]

Wish more buses were saved or repaired and maybe sent to the museum in belfast

[@mattayres5238]

Depressing!! 😢😢😢😢

[@mattayres5238]

Bloody hell...!! 😮

[@stephenh4965]

5:50 Translink runs all public transport in Northern Ireland

[@WS-1]

The first coach entered looked like a Plaxton Paramount . The mobile library ( converted bus ) looked like a Leyland National MK1 (ex UK) .

[@daviestewart2510]

Most of the service buses look like they were Leyland Tigers with most of them having Alexander N Type bodywork, although I did notice a couple of Alexander Q Types, these would have been built in N Ireland, There was one oddity which was a Leyland Leopard with Alexander Y Type body (built in Scotland). In the second part of the site I noticed a few Leyland Lynxs, the newest buses there, the last ones were produced around 1990. Leyland buses were taken over by Volvo in 1997.

[@markthomas9568]

Needs somebody with money to turn them into a camp site. Could use the fire trucks as burger vans or gift shops.

[@tr_nt.]

10:54 that bus on the right there is an Alexander Q type bodied Leyland Tiger. They were used in Northern Ireland a lot until there retirement. Some made it to the mainland UK and are still in use as school buses, after over 30 years of service. This just proves how sturdy they can be if in the right hands... Clearly that one hasnt been!

[@Revup1]

Translink is the NORTHERN Ireland Bus service. The blue buses were the intercity and rural service (formerly 'Ulster Bus') and the red buses we the Belfast city service (formerly 'City Bus'). While there are a number of buses from the Republic of Ireland the vast majority seem to be Translink. I used to travel to and from school on the red and blue buses. In the 70's and 80's it was common for these buses to have broken windows, as the school runs were regularily 'bricked' by the 'opposing' Catholic or Protestant school kids....'riot practice' we called it! Of course when it came to the actual riots the buses made great burning barricades (as demonstrated by the burn't out wreck). Many many buses were hijacked and set alight and would litter the streets of Belfast for weeks afterwards, until they were dragged away by army buldozers....once the insurance claim was settled of course. It was often said that City and Ulster bus (later Translink) survived the 'Troubles' on the insurance claims for their burn't out fleet......they had 'no resistence' policy for Hijacking which made the buses easy targets! I have fond memories of that time....NOT!

[@charlesd3a]

I would believe that you are in county Donegal which was the home of the Londonderry Lough Swilly railway co. with buses from Northern Ireland and Fire trucks from the County fire Brigade, the company closed in 2014. most of these bus would have been used in the past ten to twenty years ago.

[@fToo]

@10:40 when the signs are only in english it means that they were NOT used in Dublin or elsewhere in the Republic. Some of the adverts look like Northern Irish government departments.

[@Batlampjim]

All them buses between them would have carried millions of passengers over th their working lives and will have millions of stories to tell

[@groover5524]

Shame the vandals got to them ! Lots of Ulsterbus and Citybus there .

[@michaelgreen2522]

It's sad the way they let people waste things and let things go yest things and let things go to wreck and ruin we need the old things for history old is gold old is gold new is not So good

[@chrislynn1152]

Translink is still in operation in my home city of Belfast Northern Ireland

[@johnshooter4763]

When did they have hard plastic slidy seats removed?

[@samensor-smith1062]

the fire engines look like they come from various counties in Ireland. Two of the fire engines (the civil defense one and the one next to it) are made by a company called Dodge which specialised in the making of fire engines and rigid trucks in the 1980s and 1990s. The three identical-looking fire appliances are Dennis fire engines ranging from the RS model to the SS model (I think). The types of Dennis fire engines shown on this were very popular in the UK and Ireland and used as primary vehicles in fire services from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and in some cases the mid-2000s. Dennis stopped manufacturing fire appliances in 2007 with their last model being the Dennis Sabre (which was also a very popular design) Some fire services still use them to this day. Dodge merged with Renault in the 1980s and went on to make the Renault Dodge Commando series 100 which could be built as a fire appliance or a rigid truck, Dodge fire appliances were not as successful/popular as Dennis fire appliances as many services would find problems with air leaks and drive issues. in the 1990s both Dennis and Dodge fire appliance sales decreased as bigger truck brands like Scania and Volvo started to produce fire appliances which became very popular with fire services in Europe and are widely used today. The white fire engine in the middle was produced in the 1980s? by Bedford and was widely unpopular due to its design.

[@michaelcullen4990]

U know your stuff about them 👌

[@damienhill6383]

I think the boxy cabs on the fire engines were designed by Ogle for Hestair Dennis ..

[@Batlampjim]

Them four City buses at 7.58 are all 40 foot Leyland Tigers a Massive vehicle

[@MerlinKernow75]

Library bus was a Leyland National. And some of the others looked like Leyland tigers. Another Leyland National and a couple of Leyland Lynx's in the lower area. Most of them look like they are from the 70's and 80's

[@dennisphoenix1]

If you Google Michael grimes he has 136 business registered at companies house , most are dissolved but the bus museum is still active. The registered address for lots of them is Prescot, Merseyside. A few miles from where I live . Having that many businesses makes it look like he's a scam artist or tax fiddler etc

[@johnshooter4763]

Can u get access to palace barracks holywood, a lot of abandoned houses in there!

[@andrewackers5470]

4 of the fire engines are Dennis models. The technical name of them where. DENNIS WATER LADDER ESCAPE PUMPS. Popular in the 1980's

[@telhadaway3833]

Yes Ulster bus now named TransLink still going strong it's northern Ireland main transportation it's government owned

[@supergranfadiytvlange618]

Watching here in Philippines..

[@kkrispy2009P]

Love a good bus graveyard

[@telhadaway3833]

Old Ulster bus northern Ireland and city bus Belfast branch of Ulster bus very sad to see them in this condition 😢, my dad god bless his soul used to drive for Ulster bus

[@roberthewer2268]

Great video guys buses all electric eco these days open top leyland atlantean still doing tours around belfast

[@uridium69]

It would make more sense to scrap them all, there is a lot of materials like sheet, glas who can be used again for building other things.

[@RHauto]

I live closeby to this place, only finding its existence from the news articles relating to the arson in 2011. The guy was definitly not liked by alot of people! Its a shame so much history was lost because of his greediness as most of them would have been restored in the right hands. Anyhow, glad to see this pop up in my subscriptions as I remember a couple of these growing up in the late 90s, and being on the library bus! Haha

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

I disagree with you. I think they would all have been scrapped 20 years ago with maybe one or two exceptions.

[@-r-495]

entropy. that’s what I thought of..

[@gamerunner9632]

The buses of Ulster bus city buses run up to 98 or 99 and Translink is still running