A MUSEUM searching for a long-lost classic 1950s bus says the trail has gone cold in the Malton area.

The Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum said that its hunt is “like a murder enquiry”, and is hoping that by publicising the search, someone with information on the bus’s whereabouts might come forward.

The museum is looking for a 1956 Bristol LS5G bus with the registration plate OFU 432.

According to the DVLA website, the bus is currently not taxed for on-road use, so museum staff suspect it is being kept off the road on private premises.

Mike Gallagher, vice-chairman of the Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum near Lincoln, said that their current research indicated that after its years of service on bus routes in Lincolnshire, the vehicle was converted to a clothing store in 1972.

In June 1978, it was sold to the now-defunct Lincolnshire Preservation Trust, and then in 1982 it was sold again to “Jolly’s Circus”. It was used as the circus’s booking office, and for a time was kept at Appleton Roebuck near York.

Mr Gallagher said: “In 1985 it was sold to someone in the Malton area. It would have been in good condition at the time. It’s like a murder enquiry. What we are trying to establish is whether anyone has seen it in the Malton area. If it’s been cut up we should like to close the file. If it’s still alive we’d like to photograph it - possibly with the intention of buying it and restoring it. This is a piece of Lincolnshire history.”

Mr Gallagher said that the vehicle still appears on the DVLA website and so it is possible the bus is being utilised for storage or similar on someone’s farm.

He added that searches for other classic Lincolnshire buses have been successful. “We found one in Belgium,” he said. “We never give up.”

Originally painted green, the 1956 Bristol LS5G diesel bus was first registered in September 1956.

The Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society is one of the oldest vehicle preservation societies in the UK. Their collection of restored vehicles includes buses, coaches, cars, vans, fire appliances and motorcycles.

If anyone has information on the bus phone Mr Gallagher on 01522 722705 or 07776 041076. For more information on the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society, go to lvvs.org.uk