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Eastern National in Essex in the Fifties. Routes 264 and 251

trisonic

By trisonic
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trisonic

trisonic

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I used to catch the 264 (or 251) from Shenfield Station to Hutton in the mid fifties. Anyone know what bus was used on this service? Was double decker with open entry/exit deck at rear (damn, I've even forgotten the name of that!) I was only between 8 and 11 years old wasn't very interested in buses at the time..........

 

Thanks, Pete.

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trisonic

trisonic

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Small world isn't it?

I was at Brookfield School. I preferred the 264 from Shenfield 'cos it turned right onto Hanging Hill Lane and meant I didn't have to cross the main road (no freaking crossing guards then)!

 

Best, Pete.

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PhilJ W

PhilJ W

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Small world isn't it?

I was at Brookfield School. I preferred the 264 from Shenfield 'cos it turned right onto Hanging Hill Lane and meant I didn't have to cross the main road (no freaking crossing guards then)!

 

Best, Pete.

IIRC the bus crews at one time refused to pick up Brookfield School pupils because of rowdyism. This was only settled when the school agreed to a teacher being present to control them.

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PhilJ W

PhilJ W

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The eldest would only have been 11 - it Brookfield was a primary school.

Sure they didn't mean St. Martin's Secondary further along Hanging Hill Lane (and now one of the most sought after schools in Mid - Essex)?

 

Best, Pete.

Possibly, I'm pretty sure it was on one of those two routes.

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trisonic

trisonic

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Possibly, I'm pretty sure it was on one of those two routes.

Phil,

Probably is more like it - St. Martin's pupils would have been disgusted with themselves if Brookfield was to blame, after all they had a riot there when the school leaving age was raised to 16........I kid you not.

I'd have liked to have met your Dad! Plenty of questions he could have answered about the general area with his knowledge.........

 

Best, Pete.

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  • 3 years later...
tangofoxtrotcharlie

tangofoxtrotcharlie

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Greetings,Pete, 

not, I think VNO 859 which was I think was allocated to Braintree for the ex-Hicks route from there in to London

The 251 was the 'flagship route' and usually got the best and newest machines. I was brought up at Gants Hill so saw them regularly.  

The 251 Southend to Wood Green was originally a 'City' route and was operated by them using lowbridge Leyland or Roberts bodied PD1s & PD2s, some of which finished up open top on Southend and Clacton seafronts.  They were originally in City brown and cream, then in Tilling green with City fleetnames, then finally in Tilling Green with Eastern National fleetnames. They didn't carry route numbers though.  City was taken over in 1952.

Their replacements would have been the early LD Lodekkas, front engine, rear entrance and a central gangway upstairs introduced from 1953.  In the heyday of public transport, they carried full 3-piece destination displays.  Size limits grew and buses got longer and the ones I remember most were the front entrance 30ft Bristol FLF's with a T display at the front.  Apparently it took 20 buses to maintain the 15 minute headway at peak times. I don't remember ever seeing a K-type on the 251.

 

Can't help with the other route, though, I'm afraid.

 

Cheers

tangofoxtrotcharlie

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mezzoman253

mezzoman253

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Here's a link to some pictures you may find interesting. https://www.flickr.com/photos/46986413@N07/sets/72157629565768196/ and here's a history from 1927 to 2000.  http://www.sct61.org.uk/route251.htm  All courtesy of Google.

 

I used to see these going through Romford Market before it was by-passed by the ring road.

 

Rob

 

Edit: To make 2nd link work

Edited by mezzoman253
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runs as required

runs as required

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Nice pics of those Eastern National buses.

I do remember how those ECW coaches always looked miserably unhappy with their droopy windscreens around the tapering Bristol rad. They still remind me of wet seaside holidays at Clacton / Jaywick.

Somehow, the smart red and black Midland Red 'charas' one could glimpse at seriously wet resorts like Llandudno always looked jollier.

:offtopic:      dhig

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trisonic

trisonic

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You didn't miss much.

 

Stewart

My grandmother use to take the 251 to Southend from Shenfield just to have lunch at a Fish and Chip shop near Southend Central. This was the woman who used to dangle me off a bridge near Seven Sister’s Road to watch Mallard go past when I was a baby. I asked her why she went by bus - because she liked the views from the top deck - plus it went through the the various town centres.

 

Best, Pete.

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PhilJ W

PhilJ W

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As a kid living in rural central Essex during the 50's, and 60's, all I can remember is that double-deckers were mainly Bristol Lodekka's, - well mainly at Chelmsford, and Maldon. 

http://www.sct61.org.uk/ennumb.htm

I have the stamped aluminum fleet number plate from Eastern National Bristol/ECW RELH coach number 408. This is also the very coach that EFE chose to replicate in 00 scale. These coaches were not in the fleet for long before they were transferred to the Tilling fleet when the Tilling group of companies, of which Eastern National was a part, was reorganised. My late father was an Inspector for EN at the time and a vacancy came up for controller at Kings Cross coach station for which he applied and obtained, a considerable promotion.

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Les Bird

Les Bird

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Slightly off the original post topic, it's not widely known that on certain bank holidays, when Eastern National buses were off the road, the 251 was operated by Southend Corporation buses which were fitted with appropriate blinds for the occasion.

Edited by Les Bird
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  • 4 years later...
cravensdmufan

cravensdmufan

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On 19/05/2015 at 17:08, trisonic said:

My grandmother use to take the 251 to Southend from Shenfield just to have lunch at a Fish and Chip shop near Southend Central. This was the woman who used to dangle me off a bridge near Seven Sister’s Road to watch Mallard go past when I was a baby. I asked her why she went by bus - because she liked the views from the top deck - plus it went through the the various town centres.

 

Best, Pete.

Just come across this thread - aaah, the memories!

 

I liked your story of your grandmother taking the 251 to Southend for fish and chips!  Great stuff!

 

As well as a passion for railways I loved buses as well.  Born and lived Brentwood, I went to school in Romford so used to commute by bus.

 

Eastern National 151, 251 or 351 were Bristol FLFs and the order of the day in the late 60's/early 70's;  for a bit of luxury sometimes I caught a Green Line 721 RCL but I seem to remember the fare was 1d more!  They were much more powerful than the Eastern National buses, but nevertheless there was a bit of competition, and the FLF drivers used to give the Green Lines a good run for their money!  Drivers liked the challenge and passed them when they could!  Often in hot summers the Eastern National FLFs would arrive in Brentwood High Street with steam gushing out of the engine!  After the long slog from Wood Green the final push up Brook Street hill just outside the town was the final straw! 

 

Sometimes for a change I'd get a red London Transport 247 which used to go a longer way round, over Upminster Common IIRC.  It was 3d cheaper for a longer run - value for money I thought! And I liked riding on an RT. 

 

I hated school football so often bunked off on a Wednesday afternoon and ride the 251 all the way to Southend and back to kill time!  And my parents never found out!

 

Happy memories.

 

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cravensdmufan

cravensdmufan

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On 11/09/2011 at 00:23, trisonic said:

Small world isn't it?

I was at Brookfield School. I preferred the 264 from Shenfield 'cos it turned right onto Hanging Hill Lane and meant I didn't have to cross the main road (no freaking crossing guards then)!

 

Best, Pete.

Small world indeed.

 

I lived just off Hanging Hill Lane from 1957 for 30 years!  Our local route was the 252.  Shenfield Station to Woodman Road, Warley via Brentwood High Street.  I just remember the Bristol Ks with their bench seats and sunken side gangway upstairs.  I also just remember the Bristol single deckers with the rear sliding door.  But my main memory from the 60s were Bristol LDs and FLFs (supplemented by single deck MWs or LDs during school times).

 

I used to like riding around on those buses.

Edited by cravensdmufan
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