SERVICES
OTA provides two major services: as a repository for collections of still and film images of transport subjects, and providing images from its collections to publishers, authors, researchers and film producers, to enable the collections to be enjoyed by as many people as possible
Crossville Wales Optare Delta, DAF SB220, SDD701 (F701ECC) is seen in Barmouth ready to depart on service 94 to Wrecsam. This route was effectively the replacement for the Ruabon-Barmouth railway line which closed in January 1965. The red front on the bus was a short-lived requirement for buses operated under contract to Gwynedd County Council. Photo by Roland Williams
A HOME FOR YOUR COLLECTION
Enthusiasts spend many hours and a large sum of money recording the transport scene through photography. This great cost not only consists of film, but also transport, accommodation and tickets—if we all sat down and worked out how much we had invested over the years we would have quite a shock!
Inevitably we cannot keep hold of our collections forever, and it is a sad fact that priceless collections of historical material have been lost over the years as people pass away and their images are disposed of in one way or another.
OTA exists to ensure that this does not happen, providing a safe and secure home for collections in perpetuity. The board as transport enthusiasts and historians themselves recognise the investment and lifetime commitment that has gone into creating collections and in fact, some members of the board have already given or have willed their own collections to OTA for safekeeping. We are committed to making sure that the collections in our care are both safe and accessible, to be enjoyed by a wider audience and their original creators recognised and acknowledged.
If you have a collection which you believe would be right for OTA, please consider contacting us to discuss what we can do for you, or if you have a friend or relative with such a collection, consider discussing the collection’s future with them. You can learn more about the current board of trustees to whom you would be entrusting your collection to.
Birkenhead 314 (BG7736), a Leyland TD5c (later converted to clutch and gearbox) with Massey body, new in October 1939. In set is photographer Tom Turner, a leading expert on Birkenhead Corporation Transport who passed away in 2025, whose collection is part of OTA.
USING OTA COLLECTIONS
With over 2,000,000 still images and over 4000 hours of film footage, OTA has a huge collection of material just waiting for use in print or on screen. We are constantly working to catalogue, digitise and manage the collection and have many hundreds of thousands of rare and unseen images. Do we have what you’re looking for?
We have extensive collections relating to:
Rail
Light rail (tramway systems and similar)
Buses
Trolleybuses
Canals and waterways
Maritime views
Aviation
Haulage
These collections are mainly of British scenes but we also have wide collections of images from the European continent, North America and further afield. We are constantly working with publishers, authors, researchers and film producers to share these images widely to ensure that they are enjoyed, their educational value exploited and their original creators’ acknowledged.
Please contact us to discuss using the archive’s collection in your own research projects, publications or films
A Class 120 Swindon-built DMU at Accrington Station in February 1985, with a train heading in the Burnley direction. Photo by John Locke