For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[mark374]

45156's post reminded me of my only trip to the Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust  running day on 24/5/15

 

So heres some Ribble NBC vehicles

 

Ribble Leyland PD1

Ribble Leyland Atlantean at Carnforth

 

Line up of Ribble buses

 

Leyland Olympian

Leyland Domiant

Leyland National Mkll

Leyland Atlantean

Ribble Leyland National Mkll & Cumberland Mkl 'Country Cousin'

 

Cumberland Mkl 'Country Cousin'  at workington in the morning before travelling down to Morecambe

 

 

Mark

Edited September 4, 2017 by mark374

[John M Upton]

The 'Leyland Dominant' is in fact a Leyland Tiger chassis (more commonly used for coaches but there were a few bus versions) with Duple Dominant bus bodywork.

 

The Cumberland National Mk1 is a 'Series B' which was a slightly lighter cut price version sans bells and whistles or to be more precise, minus roof pod, cheaper interior (bare ceiling lights vice diffusers, black headlight surrounds and only available in short single door format) although it seems to be missing its little grilles in the centre panel between the headlights for some reason. 

[Gwiwer]

The 'Leyland Dominant' is in fact a Leyland Tiger chassis (more commonly used for coaches but there were a few bus versions) with Duple Dominant bus bodywork.

 

The Cumberland National Mk1 is a 'Series B' which was a slightly lighter cut price version sans bells and whistles or to be more precise, minus roof pod, cheaper interior (bare ceiling lights vice diffusers, black headlight surrounds and only available in short single door format) although it seems to be missing its little grilles in the centre panel between the headlights for some reason. 

 

1.  Some others carried the equally stylish Plaxton Derwent bus body.

2.  As I understand history the Series B was offered when sales to NBC of the large fuel-guzzling and noisy 11.3m standard vehicle began to nose-dive.  Many NBC subsidiaries had taken their fill and simply didn't have a need for any more full size saloons.  They wanted something cheaper and slightly smaller which could be used on lightly-trafficked rural routes for which the only NBC standard option at the time was the dreadful Bristol LH / LHS.  Anyone of a certain age trying to mount the steps to enter one of those with a shopping trolley or young child (sometimes both) will tell you just how unsuitable they were.

 

It is an arguable point since passenger levels were falling in most areas anyway but there is some support for the idea that the Leyland National - technically good as it was - effectively killed off many a "thin" rural route or marginal urban operation.  They were simply too expensive to run against the level of receipts and in some ways were the last bus operators needed.  Though they were also a much-needed step-change forward in many ways.

[Legend]

I know nothing about the economics of a National. I just remember seeing them for the first time in Chester Le Street in 1974. They were Northern red ones . I just remember thinking how stylish they looked . Living in Scotland we were used to Alexander "Y" bodies . Try getting a shopping trolley, child and pay for your fare on one of them . A National with its lower platform would have been luxury.

[mark374]

Im not sure when CHH 210T lost its small grill front panel, as ive seen photos of 210 in NBC  with it fitted and white bumper,  hopefully oneday it'll be fitted with one oneday

 

 

Mark

[laurenceb]

After Market Analysis Project Swad garage parked up there Nationals at weekends because they were to expensive to run. 

[mark374]

Following on from my last post,  reminded me of this one, 

 

Now preserved Leyland olly  DBV 134Y   which finshed its days at Smiths of mapel,  the hope is to return it back to its Ribble NBC colours oneday soon

 

 

Apolagies for the unclear shots as not been able to get some clear shots of it as of yet, 

 

 

But in the mean time heres some more from the RVPT running day in 2015

 

Ribble  Bristol REL 

 

Blackpool Transport Corp,  Leyland titan

 

Ribble leyland tiger cub

 

midland red leyland coach (not sure what body)

 

Wigan Corp  Leyland Tiger

 

West Yorkshire tow bus  Bristol K type

 

Leyland tiger opentop

 

 

Mark

 

 

[Gwiwer]

midland red leyland coach (not sure what body)

Plaxton Supreme with "grant doors" of a style which became a popular choice for some years because it was part-funded by central government.  

 

Bus Grant was available if new coaches were fitted with "bus" doors rather than coach-style swing doors.  This led to the supply to NBC subsidiaries of a large number of Leyland Leopard coach chassis fitted with this "bus" (in reality dual-purpose) body.  The Leyland National and Bristol VR had effectively renewed the bus fleets so this was a means to renew coach stock at a reduced cost.  The deal was the vehicles had to be used on local bus work for at least a minimum proportion of their time (30% IIRC).

 

The "grant door" body was also fitted to Bristol LH chassis of which the Western National group of companies took a large number.  Some of those were to the unusually narrow width of 7' 4" for work through the narrow lanes and stone-parapet bridges in their operating area, notably on Dartmoor, where an 8' 0" vehicle was not permitted.  The LH was a pain to drive at the best of times and uncomfortable for passengers.  When they were faced with four steep and narrowing steps at the entrance to a coach - which in the south-west was almost always used as a bus - some simply abandoned public transport altogether.  On the other hand I recall one trip on a second-hand vehicle by then with Prout of Port Isaac upon which the driver was happy to accept goats for transport to market.  Provided they could climb the steps unaided!!!

 

Southdown bought a large number of Leopard grant coaches with the Supreme body and used them mostly on London - South Coast runs which had formerly been marketed as "Express".  They became "SussexLink" with drivers having ticket machines and accepting cash fares instead of the one-time pre-booked services managed by the chart room in Brighton.  That qualified as "local bus" use.   Across NBC many such vehicles were given striped liveries based upon the standard leaf-green or poppy-red.  Southdown applied black and gold bands as well and used two shades of green.  Others were given standard NBC dual-purpose livery of red or green below the windows and white around and above.  A few of Southdown's were in National coach allover white livery and two (1299 and 1300) briefly in a special contract for a JetLink shuttle between Brighton railway station and the Marina during the very short time when this was used as a cross-channel port in connection with a high-speed vessel.

 

London Country purchased a large number of grant-door coaches to renew the Green Line fleet.  Most had AEC Reliance chassis in a late boost for than manufacturer's fortunes with roughly half each having Plaxton (RS-class) or Duple (RB-class) bodies.  A handful of later ones had Leopard chassis as the Reliance was no longer available and with Duple bodies ran as the DL-class or Plaxtons as the PL-class.  Green Line was effectively a cross-London network of limited stop bus services making these vehicles a reasonable replacement for the tired RF-type AEC Regals and unreliable RP-class Park Royal-bodied Reliances which should have seen off the RFs ten years previously.  At this time Green Line also withdrew many of the traditional cross-London routes and launched a network of commuter routes and longer-distance services such as Brighton to Southend (795), Stevenage (765) and Reading (762).  These ran jointly with other operators who also used grant-door coaches.  Airport express services from Victoria Coach Station also made use of these vehicles with Southdown and Green Line using near-identical Plaxton-body vehicles on the 777 non-stop to Gatwick Airport though the Green Line ones were AEC and the Southdown ones Leyland underneath.

 

Grant doors also appeared with many other operators and were offered by Duple on the Dominant body as competitor to Plaxton's Supreme.  Local coach operators who held school contracts found the Bedford or Ford lighweight chassis with a Duple grant-door body was an affordable new vehicle.  Some went to local council operators after coach deregulation; Southend ran some on their famous X1 to London and Reading which seemed to require more vehilces every week and Maidstone Borough Council ran a handful on the highly unlikely and unsuccessful Dover - Blackpool run they instigated jointly with Blackpool buses.

 

An interesting episode in history and another, like the Leyland National, which did few favours other than helping to renew ageing coach fleets in a marketplace which, soon afterwards, would cease to support the local coach altogether. 

Edited September 5, 2017 by Gwiwer

[John M Upton]

Midland Red coach is a Plaxton Supreme on a Leyland Leopard chassis.

[MinZaPint]

My contribution I believe a Plaxton Leyland Tiger,

 

 

owned by a local enthusiast and being put to good use taking us to Bath for a "Cultural Tour"!

 

 

 

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I've got the details wrong.

[37114]

My contribution I believe a Plaxton Leyland Tiger,

 

IMGP3052.JPG

 

owned by a local enthusiast and being put to good use taking us to Bath for a "Cultural Tour"!

 

IMGP3046.JPG

 

IMGP3047.JPG

 

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I've got the details wrong.

Correct, original paintwork as well, it used to live near Bath ironically

[Gwiwer]

And from that generation of vehicles which had the small steering wheel, Olympian-style and sometimes referred to as the "Olympian wheel", which many drivers loathed.  It was felt to be too small for the job requiring more effort than a larger wheel.  Which from my understanding of very basic physics would be the case all other things being equal.  Certainly when driving the Olympians with those wheels I felt like I had done two days-worth of work in one.  The smaller cross-section also didn't help with keeping a good grip when things (wheel, hands) got sweaty or greasy either.  

[Rugd1022]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Cracking shot of the old boy!  Passing it off as a bus picture because RM1769 is in the background is excusable

[mark374]

All being well  this old girl will be out and about in Workington tomorrow on shuttles,  which i shall be travelling on 

 

Barrow Corp Mkll Natty  CEO 720W 'Barrow 20'

 

Also  Mkl's 

 

GRM 353L in Cumberland poppy red

CHH 210T in Cumberland NBC

WHH 556S  in REV-01 test colours

 

Mark

 

[John M Upton]

The Goodwood Revival weekend usually sees an eclectic selection of older through to vintage vehicles on a shuttle service from Chichester Railway Station.

 

Nice to see a Bristol VR at work in the City once again:

Stagecoach West 19950 (JOU 160P) Chichester 8/9/17 by John Upton, on Flickr

 

Also:

Stagecoach South East 19946 (MFN 946F) Chichester 8/9/17 by John Upton, on Flickr

Unknown Operator RMA11 (NMY 648E) Chichester 8/9/17 by John Upton, on Flickr

 

There were others including Lodekka's, a Bedford OB and more Routemasters but unfortunately the weather on Friday deteriorated alarmingly but they should all be around both today (Saturday) and Sunday if anyone is in the area.

[great central]

Walking around Norwich riverside a couple of days ago while waiting for the 37s back to Great Yarmouth I noticed this parked on the other side. No idea what it is, front entrance obviously

 

[russ p]

Where is this?

What happened to the AEC regent that was in the scrapyard near netherfield jct? I think someone lived in it

[mark374]

Looks like some form of Bristol  or AEC

[great central]

Where is this?

What happened to the AEC regent that was in the scrapyard near netherfield jct? I think someone lived in it

If you walk along the riverside past the sea cadet boat and the floating restaurant, it's on the opposite bank between a couple of buildings. Sorry I can't be more precise I was just ambling along.

The AEC Renown near Netherfield junction is still there, the only surviving ex NCT Renown since the other was destroyed by arsonists at Ruddington, still being lived in. I understand people have offered serious money to buy it for restoration but the owner won't give up his home.

 

Edit, just remembered I made a note of the reg number, I think it's PFN 872

 

Further edit: re ex NCT Renowns, having done a search looking for info on the one at Colwick, it appears there is another one now in the custody of the Nottingham Heritage Vehicles group. There's a picture of it on their home page but no further info

Edited September 9, 2017 by great central

[PhilJ W]

Its impossible to tell what make it is but its certainly not a Bristol as its a normal chassis not a low height one. The body has the appearance of an East Lancs product but other bodybuilders are similar. The best clues are the sliding entrance door which is quite rare and the rear destination layout with the separate number blind.

 

Walking around Norwich riverside a couple of days ago while waiting for the 37s back to Great Yarmouth I noticed this parked on the other side. No idea what it is, front entrance obviously

IMG_20170905_161235485_HDR.jpg

[PhilJ W]

If you walk along the riverside past the sea cadet boat and the floating restaurant, it's on the opposite bank between a couple of buildings. Sorry I can't be more precise I was just ambling along.

The AEC Renown near Netherfield junction is still there, the only surviving ex NCT Renown since the other was destroyed by arsonists at Ruddington, still being lived in. I understand people have offered serious money to buy it for restoration but the owner won't give up his home.

 

Edit, just remembered I made a note of the reg number, I think it's PFN 872

Thats an ex East Kent AEC Regent V.

[russ p]

If you walk along the riverside past the sea cadet boat and the floating restaurant, it's on the opposite bank between a couple of buildings. Sorry I can't be more precise I was just ambling along.

The AEC Renown near Netherfield junction is still there, the only surviving ex NCT Renown since the other was destroyed by arsonists at Ruddington, still being lived in. I understand people have offered serious money to buy it for restoration but the owner won't give up his home.

Edit, just remembered I made a note of the reg number, I think it's PFN 872

I was over there the other day can't believe I've never noticed it

Has the netherfield one moved? I used to see it every day as it was close to the railway, mind the way they have let vegetation grow in that area is ridiculous

[great central]

I was over there the other day can't believe I've never noticed it

Has the netherfield one moved? I used to see it every day as it was close to the railway, mind the way they have let vegetation grow in that area is ridiculous

 

Still there, but well screened by the vegitation, quite a few photos of it if you put the reg number in google (DAU372C)

[PhilJ W]

Back to the East Kent Regent V's, someone has just posted some pictures of some preserved examples on the Early Risers thread.