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Trent MT buses - early 1950s


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I am building a layout of a small urban goods station set somewhere in the Mansfield (Notts) area in the early 1950s. I would like to include a Trent Motor Traction bus, and I wonder if anyone could assist me in the following:

 

1. I have had difficulty in identifying a kit or RTR model of the right era and ownership. Many retailers and manufacturers appear to assume that the model buyer knows the maker's name for the bus that they are after. I'm sure that this is not unreasonable, but as a bus tyro, I am struggling somewhat, so any help with identifying a model/kit, or pointing me towards assistance from the right quarter, would be most appreciated.

 

2. And now I'm really pushing my luck...does anyone know what an early 1950s Trent bus stop sign looked like? I assume it would have been red, but otherwise have no idea.  

 

I would be grateful for any help that anyone may be able to offer.

 

Thank you,

 

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Firstly, many thanks to all for these replies - and indeed, the two sites appear to be the same, albeit with different routes to get there. There is a single-decker Trent model that I like the look of, so I'll see if that is available anywhere at a (highly subjective) reasonable price. I was unaware of the Mansfield District or Midland General companies, as - inevitably - this is a piece of nostalgia on my part, and my memories date from the later '50s and early '60s when perhaps Trent predominated (or the other companies simply made no impression on me). So I will also pursue that possibility.

 

Thanks again,

 

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The Trent bus stops that I recall (admittedly from the 1960's) had a red background with the words "TRENT BUS STOP" in raised white lettering,  the whole sign being cast. The Trent name had the large T's with the "REN" underlined (slightly smaller) as on the EFE single decker. The words BUS and STOP (in capitals) were underneath with the word STOP underneath BUS. These two words were in larger letters than the Trent name. I can't be sure they were the same in earlier decades but it seems likely.

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Les

 

That is very helpful indeed, and much more than I had hoped I might get - thank you very much. I will now apply myself to the PC keyboard - the singledecker bus is affordable and a bit of street furniture will add nicely to the scene.

 

Thanks again to all.

 

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EFE also produced an East Midland Leyland PD1 (double decker ) in the original chocolate and biscuit livery of the early 50s. I will stick my neck out here  and be prepared to be corrected and suggest that East Midland buses were to be seen more than Trent in the Mansfield area.

 

Pete

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@DSCAs you have probably noticed EFE 26305 fits your period and already carries a Mansfield destination. EFE 26305DL is a more detailed bus with an Alfreton destination. Both are in Midland General blue which was still around in the late 1960s/early 1970s when I lived in Nottingham.

Edited by Mike Harvey
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Again, thanks for all comments. cb900F - I suspect that you may very well be right about the incidence of bus companies...my family lived in Hertfordshire but my mother was Mansfield-born and I used often to visit relatives there from the late '50s to mid '60s. Two transport memories lodged in my ten-year-old head and are still there: the sound of the deep hooters of the ex-LMS (Stanier?) tanks on the Nottingham trains, drifting up the hill to my aunt's house, and the Trent buses that ran on Sutton Road near the Sir John Cockle pub. I have no idea why Trent has stuck with me but it may be because I was once nearly flattened by one of their vehicles; my fault entirely. So I am taking a pretty impressionistic stab, I will admit, at early 1950s reality. 

 

I've decided on a single-decker because the scenic part of the layout is quite small at about 3' 6"x2', and I have kept to the generally low profile of older Mansfieldesque 2-storey brick houses, end-terrace pubs and nonconformist chapels not merely because it is relatively easy to model, but also as it is fairly prototypical. I am a bit nervous that a doubledecker might overshadow or seem out of proportion to the scene as I have built it, and also because I rather like the shape of the Windover bus. So historical accuracy can go hang for a a nice bit of streamlining.

 

Thanks for drawing my attention to the Worksop event. Living near Huddersfield, it's not that far and I may well take a drive down.

 

All the best,

 

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I know you have settled on a Trent single decker but just to say that EFE also produce an East Midland single decker. Incidently the E M double decker (ref no 15803 ) has by sheer fluke a " Mansfield " destination blind.

A fair number of Windovers on e bay at present.

 

Pete

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Dug through the bookshelf and found the following on Trent and their services to Mansfield

By 1924 they were serving Mansfield from the south west (Sutton-In-Ashfield) and it looks like either Alfreton or Nottingham would have been the ultimate destination

By 1963 they were also entering Mansfield from the north west (Pleasley-Heath-Chesterfield) and the south-east (Redhill-Nottingham)presumably the joint Nottingham-Chesterfield service with East Midland who were based at Chesterfield

A quick google shows East Midland also provided services from Mansfield  to Clipstone, Ollerton, Shirebrook, Worksop

Mansfield District aside from running the local services operated to Sutton-in-Ashfield, Huthwaite, Woodhouse, Pleasley, Langwith, Ollerton, Rainworth, Blidworth and Newark via Southwell.

Midland General were based at Langley Mill and operated to Mansfield from that direction.

Moving forward in time the National Bus Company merged Midland General into Trent and Mansfield District into East Midland and those two operators exist today as TrentBarton (based at Langley Mill) and Stagecoach in Chesterfield and the Chesterfield-Nottingham service is still jointly operated.

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Butler H.:

 

Thank you very much - that is not only very interesting in itself but clears my conscience, as I was mildly troubled by a concern that I was imagining a Trent presence in 1950s Mansfield - and even better, very likely on Sutton Road! I had noticed the rather clumsy TrentBarton name in my own web investigations, and wondered what its provenance was. 

 

Thanks to all respondents and to RMWeb from a very satisfied participant.

 

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18 hours ago, DSC said:

 I had noticed the rather clumsy TrentBarton name in my own web investigations, and wondered what its provenance was. 

 

The Barton was Barton Transport which was the ultimately the countries biggest independent operator based at Chilwell to the west of Nottingham and whose express services extended all across the country. Unfortunately Barton completely misunderstood the implications of the 1986 Buses Act and registered all their services , bar some tendered ones which immediately passed to other operators, commercially continuing to cross subsidise services and rapidly became the target of competing operators ultimately leading to major reductions including the closure of the depots at Stamford and Melton Mowbray, the hiring in of vehicles to maintain services and their sale in 1989 to the owners of Trent.

Edited by Butler Henderson
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5 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

The Barton was Barton Transport which was the ultimately the countries biggest independent operator based at Chilwell to the east of Nottingham and whose express services extended all across the country.

 

Chilwell is west of Nottingham, towards Long Eaton. I used Barton's to commute to Nottingham for a couple of years and, depending on the service, could pass the depot in Chilwell.

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10 hours ago, pH said:

 

Chilwell is west of Nottingham, towards Long Eaton. I used Barton's to commute to Nottingham for a couple of years and, depending on the service, could pass the depot in Chilwell.

Apologies, obviously caught my former bosses problem in getting east and west mixed up. Have corrected the posting.  The Chilwell depot was always interesting to pass with the rows of presumably withdrawn vehicles literally put out to pasture, similarly just how many villages had a Barton depot on its main street.

Edited by Butler Henderson
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WIndover temporarily installed. Now all I have to do is mucky it up a bit - well, that and finish the rest of the layout, especially toning down the house-painting...got a bit carried away there.76E21821-DC03-4978-899F-3640B0FD26D7_1_105_c.jpeg.cee83550d48d209cc6045e4bb345a19e.jpeg

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I like that idea, as I actually want to have a lamp-post-attached bus stop. Don't know why, I just do. The coach has a 'Nottingham' destination display, so it's credible as a stand-in, but it doesn't have a service number display presumably because of its 'coach' status. Perhaps I could print out a couple of two or three-digit service number notices and glue them into front/rear windows to make it a more credible 'stand-in'. Incidentally the factory I mention is real, in more than one sense. It is taking shape as Whiteley Electrical, which was one of Mansfield's main employers until (I think) the 1990s, and had a private siding just south of Mansfield (MR) station. One of my uncles worked at Whiteleys in the 1950s/60s. I'm modelling the factory yard, weighbridge, loading bay and a couple of short sidings, with the rest indicated by a low-relief back scene. I've put the contemporary Whiteley logo on the factory gates, but am not trying to copy the original. 

 

What I like most about railway modelling is all this - imagining the context and doing the research on the details to realise it. Love it. I'm not really all that bothered about trains actually running. 

 

Anyway, that's more than enough. All the best and thanks for your help and knowledge.

 

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