MIKE'S BUS PAGES

ODDS & ENDS

 

Well, there's bound to be some things now and again that don't quite fit into any of the other pages and here's the place for them. Heaven knows what might end up here, but I hope to be able to include much that is not actually buses. The new page 'AFTERLIVES' caters for vehicles in 'retirement' roles  Take a look at the selection that follows this little bit of opening nonsense. If you have anything you can tell about the subject matter please use the guestbook and record it................

 

 here's something a bit different to kick this page off

 

 

PRETTIEST BUS SHELTER!

 

 

Not something that one usually associates with any semblence of beauty or attractiveness, but I spotted this in summer 2007 on the A39 in North Devon between Bideford and Clovelly at a place called Fairy Cross. Apparently built as a form of memorial to the Manager of a nearby farm, it is served by only a handful of buses each day so I couldn't wait for one to come along.

 I don't think they come any nicer than this (let's hope the vandals leave it be) but do you know better. Get in touch via the guest book to discuss if you are aware of anything to trump it.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps this is a close runner - thankfully now preserved at Carlton Colville, a true art-deco masterpiece from Lowestoft. It apparently weighs about 130 tons and was removed in one piece, apart from the roof which was skillfully rebuilt on site

 

 

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I found this photo in my files recently and got to thinking - What would we London Bus enthusiasts be doing today if it had not been for the foresight over 180 years ago of the gent whose mortal remains lie here?

I took the photo in an Essex churchyard in the 1970s - I do hope that his memorial is being looked after by someone

 

 

.......and it gets even more odd!

 

 

Well, In addition to being his office and his workshop, the bicycle is also his personal transport. I haven't seen one of these for decades in the UK - Knifegrinder at work in Lisbon 1984

 

 

 

. Don't think I've got any more shots of these but if any turn up this is where I'll put them

 

 

 

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IS THIS THE FUTURE - A BUS NOT DEPENDENT ON FOSSIL FUELS?

 

 

Mercedes Citaro Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus on view at the Cobham Open Day a couple of years ago

 

 

Seddon  was for many years a minor player in the British bus market. In the demonstration park at the Commercial Motor Show in , I believe, 1972 was their 'Inter

Urban' model. I don't think many were sold. 

 

...........and in 1968 there were some interesting exhibits there too

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Northampton Corporation 190 was retained as a trainer until about 1981 but sold off just for the engine and scrapped!

 

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.............................and here's a couple more

 

 

Saw this in deepest Devon about 1972 on our way to visit the Colin Shears Collection. It's an early GreenLine T. Sadly, although it looks eminently saveable by todays standards and a lot of the useful bits of the engine are still in situ nothing was done at the time and I heard that it was shortly afterwards destroyed by fire.

 

NB See updated information from Seb Marshall in guestbook re: above

 

 

............and here's one that, sadly, definitely did not make it.  'Tunnel' bodied STL1871 (1937) was the subject of a brave preservation attempt by a private individual who acquired it from Mulleys Motorways in the early to mid 1960s. I personally got involved regularly for a while in helping to maintain this and, looking back without the inexperience of youth, it is possible to recall just why it became a losing battle. Resources of the owner were limited, undercover accommodation very difficult to find and mostly impossible to afford and the bodywork, despite its appearance here, was in an appalling state -  the ride was sometimes a worrying experience. There was considerable movement in its ash frame which had lost much of its integrity and the whole thing needed a total rebuild, perhaps unsurprisingly, for it was then already getting on for three times as old as its designed lifespan. Coupled with significant mechanical shortcomings all this led to its eventual demise. Today, of course it would be safeguarded and funds to restore it, though considerable, would eventually be found.

 

 

 

On the outskirts of Dublin in 1966. Was it a Dublin City tram? The last of those ran in 1949  I believe. It looked rescuable so was it eventually preserved? It shows fleet number 112.

 

 

.....and here's one that was eventually saved - thanks to the efforts of the late Prince Marshall this ex-Tilling ST of 1930 was rescued in 1965 from its resting place in a Hitchin Scrapyard, where it is seen the previous year. Its history over the past 35 years is well known - today it is owned by the London Bus Preservation Trust and resides at Cobham

 

 

...........and on her first day in  London Vintage Bus service in March 1972

 

 

 

 

 

 

Braving the atrocious weather of 1st January 1962 this  London Transport Stores Lorry is at rest at Stonebridge on its penultimate day as a trolleybus depot. Presumably it has delivered stores and equipment associated with the changeover to diesel bus operation that will take place after traffic on the next day. It was a conversion using the AEC Regal  chassis of a former 'T' class GreenLine Coach from the early 1930s

 

 

 

 

SCHOOL BUSES

 

One has to be a mite careful nowadays when photographing these which is a shame because there are some interesting vehicles about including a whole generation of purpose built 'yellow perils' hailing from such places as Turkey - local ones to me are BMC's. To start this off here's one I saw in Stratford-upon-Avon a few years ago. I think it was an ex-Greenline vehicle

 

 

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FUNICULARS, CLIFF RAILWAYS ETC

These are far more popular and numerous on mainland Europe - there are not many in the UK. I thought it best to keep them separate from the Railways page so this is where they will end up.

 

Undoubtedly the best, and not for the faint hearted, this 500+ foot riser has connected the North Devon towns of Lynton and Lynmouth since late Victorian times. 57 years ago, when the latter was devastated by floods it kept on working and made a major contribution to the rescue efforts. It even enabled HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to visit the scene of the disaster and be taken away safely afterwards It has an unblemished safety record going back well over a hundred years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUST NEEDS WRAPPING

A dull day look at the exterior area of the Eastern Coachworks factory - September 1962. In these pre VR and RE days production was apparently heavily into bodying the new FLF's as can be seen here. I think this may have been a Saturday as there did not appear to be a lot of activity, although some light work was underway on one or two of the vehicles shown. It is interesting to note that I simply walked through the factory gates wielding my camera and wandered around the area in front of the building. Nowadays there would be high barbed wire topped fences, CCTV and a security presence at the gate at least!

 

 

At the head of this line-up EOO587 is awaiting its time to take up its identity as Eastern National 2745. It was a 6B version

 

 

242MNN was destined for Midland General and is presumably in their non-standard blue/cream colours although I cannot remember

 

Thanks to 'John' for his  Guestbook message and to Paul Chambers via e-mail stating that 242MNN was delivered to Mansfield & District not Midland General and would therefore have been in that operators green/cream colours

 

 

Showing the fleet number DX150 identifies this as awaiting registration 274 BWU for West Yorkshire Road Car Co. Although it looks like an FLF this is an FS6B. Unlike the others depicted here it is of conventional rear platform entrance configuration.

 

 

510 OHU is destined for a life pounding the streets of Avon for  the Bristol Omnibus Company. Both this and WYRC DX150 above have the Cave-Brown-Cave heating and ventilation system fitted

 

 

542 BBL was Thames Valley Traction Co 874, another FLF6B

 

Late in 1961 I was told about a film by Kodak called Tri-X. At 400 ASA is was fast for irs time and was my saviour when flash photographing the last rites of London's trolleybuses at stages 13/14. However in terms of grain and defintion it was then truly abominable, at least as developed by my local chemist and I should not have used it for anything in daylight thereafter. These pictures are not therefore as well defined as I would have wished.