For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[Busmansholiday]

12 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

Sheffield Transport Department had an Outer Circle route # 2 or 3, and an Inner Circle route # 8 or 9 depending on direction.

Unlike the Prince of Wales Circular which just showed 71 irrespective of the direction.

 

 

 

Weymann bodied lowbridge Regent V 1285 with a Lincolnshire RCC MW to the left on the Gainsborough (85) service and a Rotherham Bridgemaster behind. Sheffield CBS, 1970 ish.

[Metr0Land]

A couple of Dennis evaluation vehicles in London a decade apart.  In July 1977 LT had this Leeds Daimler CVG6 whih was trialling Dennis-Voith transmission (too technical for me).  It also saw use with other operators.  For its time with LT it was painted LT red and had special blinds.  It was based at Turnham Green (V) and used on the 27.  I doubt it strayed onto other routes as the route numbers were pasted onto the screens.  All 3 shots at Richmond July 1977. 

 

Nearly a decade later a Dennis Domino was trialled on the C11 route, seen at Brent Cross March 1986.

 

 

[Johann Marsbar]

I'd completely forgotten about the Dennis Domino!

 

They used to be used on the Manchester Piccadilly-Victoria Centreline bus link in the mid 80-s and replaced the rather boxy Seddons that used to be on it....

 

 

[ColinK]

There is a famous occasion where one of the Centreline Seddons was turned out for a peak period working on the 192, complete with driver and conductor. It may have looked daft, but it was the only bus available, better to have 20 seats than none.

[leopardml2341]

SYPTE also had some Dennis Dominoes (CnnnHDT - iirc); branded 'City Nipper' as opposed to the more substantial and by then generally articulated 'City Clipper' buses.

Edited January 4, 2021 by leopardml2341

[laurenceb]

When SVPTE withdrew them the were sold to Stevensons of Uttoxeter, a strange move as the first thing Stevos did when they took over East Staffs was to get rid of their Dennis Dominators. Practicly the same bus

[Johann Marsbar]

As the place is somewhat in the news at the moment........

 

 

Washington DC Metrobus GM single decker taken in August 1987.  These were the only ones I ever saw which had a variation on the normal "Fishbowl" style windscreen arrangement.

[alastairq]

10 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

These were the only ones I ever saw which had a variation on the normal "Fishbowl" style windscreen arrangement.

Cheaper to replace when cracked, perhaps?

[J. S. Bach]

6 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said:

Washington DC Metrobus GM single decker taken in August 1987.  These were the only ones I ever saw which had a variation on the normal "Fishbowl" style windscreen arrangement.

Built by Flexible, not GM.

 

A Baltimore one passing a "rescued" Pullman-Standard trackless trolley on its way to the Baltimore Streetcar Mausoleum, er Museum;

 

The trackless was being towed from its used car lot storage shed life to the museum's storage at the local transit agency:

 

In case you might wonder what the front of the trackless looks like:

 

Notes:

I took those pictures (two 36-exposure rolls to be exact, most have not been scanned yet; there is a front view of the Flex passing the trackless, just not scanned) on the way at the photo stops that were made. We followed the old trackless routes as much as possible with the correct (for the time in 1959, the year that the trackless operations ceased) destinations displayed.

 

I was riding the trackless to keep the front doors from flying open, it turned out not to be necessary so I rode as a passenger. That made me the last person to ride a trackless on the streets of Baltimore! The fact that it was being towed; well, I do not talk about! 

 

The roll sign was mine and came out of 2076 which was right next to 2078 in the car lot. I had gotten the sign years before by asking the lot owner if I could get it and he generously said "Yes.". 2076 was easier to access than 2078 at that time and 2078 may not have had a sign.

 

 

 

 

[Johann Marsbar]

6 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Built by Flexible, not GM.

 

 

 

Thanks, that would explain the differences in the design, as I note the rear end of the bus looks slightly different to the GM version as well.

 

The one vehicle owned by the Baltimore Museum that I have never seen a photo of is the body that they aquired from #4802, one of the original 1922 Brill Trackless Trolleys. It's not stored at the Museum and none of the Members I have spoken to on the various visits there have actually seen it themselves either!

Was hoping it would be detailed in the "Early History of the BSM" book that I bought there a couple of years ago, but the 1980 cut-off for the main part of the story is before they aquired it....

 

Have seen historic photos of it in service, but am curious to see what sort of state the body is in now in comparison with what the 1923 Railless trolleybus in our local museum was like before restoration started, though that came complete with its solid tyred chassis!

[Johann Marsbar]

Leicester, 10.1.1981...

 

 

[ColinK]

Excellent pic of Leicester, all three type of LCT bus I remember from when I lived there.

[Two_sugars]

Humberstone Gate . . John Lewis on the left . . New Haymarket Centre on the Right . . . about 1973? . . .or later . . . .

[Johann Marsbar]

13 minutes ago, Two_sugars said:

Humberstone Gate . . John Lewis on the left . . New Haymarket Centre on the Right . . . about 1973? . . .or later . . . .

10th January 1981, so 40 years ago, though it was a Saturday not a Sunday.  On the Original slide, which this was cropped from, it was noticeable that C&A and BHS shop fronts were visible - two major traders that have since vanished from UK high streets, though C&A are still going in Europe.

 

Another one I took that day is worth it for the general streetscene.....

Edited January 10, 2021 by Johann Marsbar

[Metr0Land]

I found my other 2 pics of Bournemouth Daimler Roadliners on hire to LCBS Staines (ST) garage. I believe these lasted until about April 1976.  The Bournemouth Atlanteans were around somewhat longer but it was difficult for me to get to them so I only have 2 pics.

 

NRU61G at Slough station Dec75 and then in Staines the same month on routes 460 and 466.

CRU103C at West Croydon on 470 and CRU195C in Epsom on Derby day on 468, both June 1977.  In those days the Derby was run on a Wednesday. (The lad on the bike will be in his 50's now)

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Not any old bike either, that looks like a Chopper to me.

[J. S. Bach]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Not any old bike either, that looks like a Chopper to me.

Or at least one with fake "ape hangers".

[Metr0Land]

I didn't normally phot Maidstone and District buses, but one day on a wet outing to Hastings I spied this AEC Reliance which looked like it might not survive for long, and took a couple of grab shots.  The NBC green doesn't compare with the smart livery of dark green and cream these used to have.

[PhilJ W]

14 minutes ago, Metr0Land said:

I didn't normally phot Maidstone and District buses, but one day on a wet outing to Hastings I spied this AEC Reliance which looked like it might not survive for long, and took a couple of grab shots.  The NBC green doesn't compare with the smart livery of dark green and cream these used to have.

Its actually St. Leonards not Hastings, in the background of the second picture is Marine Court, a listed Art Deco apartment block who's design was based on the Cunard Queens.

My grandparents used to live in Norman Road, St. Leonards which is the road going uphill in the background of the first picture, in fact the bus is turning out of Norman Road. My grandparents house was (is) at the very top of the hill out of sight on the right. The bus in the background is climbing London Road which was and is a stiff climb. 

[RANGERS]

On 10/01/2021 at 15:29, Johann Marsbar said:

10th January 1981, so 40 years ago, though it was a Saturday not a Sunday.  On the Original slide, which this was cropped from, it was noticeable that C&A and BHS shop fronts were visible - two major traders that have since vanished from UK high streets, though C&A are still going in Europe.

 

Another one I took that day is worth it for the general streetscene.....

That was in the twilight years of Midland Red, just ahead of the company being dissected ahead of privatisation and sadly just over a year after the legendary D9s had last graced the streets of Leicester. Two buildings of note there for me are the Abbey Motor Hotel at the far end where my brother was an apprentice chef in the early 1970s, and at the far end of the parade of shops on the left is Apex Craft, one of the two model shops in the city centre at the time that were "must do's" on any spotting trip to Leicester. The other was in Braunstone Gate on the opposite side of the city centre but I can't remember what that one was called.

 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Metr0Land said:

Maidstone and District buses..... AEC Reliance which looked like it might not survive for long

M&D seemed to get the maximum life out of their buses.  They had a number of elderly saloons of various marques which lasted well into NBC days and long after their contemporaries had vanished from other major fleets.  They also had a good number of early Daimler Fleetlines and Leyland Atlanteans which, while they contributed to a demise of AEC Regent and Leyland PD2 types perhaps a little earlier than might otherwise have been the case, in their turn lasted to a goodly age.  

 

Those rear-engined deckers were not necessarily a move to one-man conversion either since that was not permitted on double-deck vehicles when they arrived; they began life as crew-operated buses and many continued thus for much of their lives including after transfer to neighbour (and later NBC partner) East Kent.  

 

Among routes which retained crew operation for some years after it had become the exception generally were Gravesend - Chatham - Gillingham (26, later 326) and Chatham - Sittingbourne - Canterbury (3, later 333) and several local routes around Hastings.  

[J. S. Bach]

On 07/01/2021 at 12:41, J. S. Bach said:

Built by Flexible, not GM.

 

A Baltimore one passing a "rescued" Pullman-Standard trackless trolley on its way to the Baltimore Streetcar Mausoleum, er Museum;

 

 

 

I just realized that the red and white "Snow Emergency" sign on the pole; well, I have one in my collection (but not that one ):

 

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

8 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

I just realized that the red and white "Snow Emergency" sign on the pole; well, I have one in my collection (but not that one ):

 

 

 

 

Seeing as there is a lot of low lying countryside subject to flooding hereabouts we have evacuation routes marked out. They consist of double red lines painted kerbside just like yellow no parking lines. Problem is that very few people understand what they are there for.

[J. S. Bach]

That Snow Emergency sign came from the same signpost as this bus stop sign. I believe that this sign had more routes on it than any other sign in the Baltimore system !

 

[Metr0Land]

In Sept 1978 I had a business trip to Hong kong.  Very little time to myself.  I was aware there were still a handfull of ex London Atlantean there but no other details.  I managed to get one grab shot of XA39 and two of XA44 but unfotunately that was the sum total.  Still, it was better than nothing, and a good memory.