When 30,000 Glaswegians turned up to celebrate the city's buses and trams

The Larkfield Bus Works Open Day in April 1978 was a huge event, and John Wright - who was the man in charge at the time - remembers it very well.

“It was a marvellous day,” he smiles.

“People of all ages came to see what went on behind the scenes, the BBC filmed it, and top brass from the transport world, local councillors and dignitaries, turned up too.

“I still have all the programmes and newspaper clippings from the day – including an Evening Times article that told you all about it. It was a big day for the city.”

Our breezy headline – ‘All the fun of the fare’ - summed up the anticipation felt by Glaswegians keen to get a glimpse into the world of city buses.

The article said the Open Day ‘takes the wraps off a service that covers 5000 square miles, costs £100m a year to operate, involves 1000 buses, 17 busy railway lines, a fleet of ferries and a £30m Underground service, which will be among the most modern in the world.”

It added, honestly: “We may not always love it, but by golly, we can’t ignore it.”

John Wright started work at Larkfield when he was 15 years old. From completing his apprenticeship to working his way up through the ranks to engineering manager in charge of the fleet and superintendent of the works, he is proud of his association with the depot.

“This place is a home from home for me,” he told the Evening Times reporter in 1978.

“I’m proud to show people behind the scenes. I don’t think the public realises the half of what goes on here.”

At the time, the depot in Govanhill - which closed in 2014, relocating to a purpose built facility in nearby Cathcart Road - employed 400 staff across 17 departments and all were open to the public on the day, giving visitors the chance to see under the bonnets and in every nook and cranny of the operation.

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More than 50 vehicles took part in a parade through the city from Kelvin Way, with hundreds of flag-waving children cheering them on, to kick things off.

The oldest vehicle on display was a horse-drawn carriage; the newest were the Titan TN15 from Leyland and the MCW Metrobus 2, described grandly by their makers as ‘the buses of the 80s.’

Other highlights included a 1912 Dennis postvan and a vintage Albion bus, an exotic-sounding open-topped French Michelin bus, a tram on loan from the Transport Museum, and even an Underground coach, resplendent on its very own low-loader.

Visitors could also see an Aberdeen Daimler double decker, lovingly preserved; a Caledonian MacBrayne float, a Highland bus and a Hippo recovery truck.

Described as a ‘paradise for dads and their little boys’, readers were told not to worry, the mums would still be entertained because a cinema would be showing films including ‘Coasts of the Clyde’ and one about the Glasgow Underground.

Different times.

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There were “stalls selling snazzy souvenirs” and plenty of entertainment, including music, DJs and folk singers – the Laggan Folk Four, in fact, “who have recently sung in London, Germany and Chile.”

One of the singers, Arthur Johnston actually worked at Larkfield when he was not on tour.

Even the famous Radio Clyde roadshow, featuring Dave Marshall, pitched up to play some tunes from (where else?) the top deck of a bus.

John, who is now 86 and lives in Toryglen, says he remembers being taken aback by the volume of visitors.

“We didn’t expect so many people to turn up, but it was amazing,” he smiles. “I was even interviewed by the BBC, which was a bit nerve-wracking.

“I loved working at the depot. I remember doing my apprenticeship, working on MOTs and overhauling the older buses, doing the paint works and the engines.

“The open day gave the public a chance to see all the work that went on.”

John was born in the Gorbals, the son of a bus driver, who instilled in him a love of transport.

“I remember the city moving from trams to trolley buses to buses – the No 7, which ran from the Gorbals, was yellow, and we called it the banana boat,” he smiles.

“The blue car ran from Partick all the way to Rutherglen – we’d get off there and go walking up in the Cathkin Braes.

“Happy, happy memories.”