‘Scene’ at the ‘Great Central Railway’, Leicestershire “What sort of bus was it? It was a red one” /1 on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

It is two years since friend Peter Rose and I last visited the GCR.

 

A good selection of trains both steam and diesel were running. 

 

However, our main purpose, now as then, was to see and photograph the entrants in the bus rally held at Quorn & Woodhouse station.

 

At one time ‘trentbarton’s red arrow service from Chesterfield to Nottingham via Derby was worked by at least three different types of coach and during the course of a day, any of them could turn up.

 

The subtitle was a comment from another friend who didn’t know much about buses.

 

One day when he returned home from a trip to Derby, I asked him what type of bus he had travelled on and that was his answer.

 

AHE 163 ‘Yorkshire Traction’ No. 725.

Leyland PD1 / Roe /1

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

To anyone connected with public transport in South Yorkshire, ‘YT’ was always, ‘the tracky’ .

 

New in 1946.

 

 

 

 

AHE 163 ‘Yorkshire Traction’ No. 725.

Leyland PD1 / Roe /2

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

EPW 516K ‘Eastern Counties’ No. RL516.

Bristol RELL6G / Eastern Coach Works

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

BRM 596 ‘Cumberland Motor Services’ No. 596.

Leyland TD4 / Eastern Coach Works

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

The chassis dates from 1934, whilst its original Massey body was replaced with this elegant lowbridge ECW body in 1950.

 

I think the body sits very well on the Leyland chassis because the radiator is set at a slight angle and not vertical.

 

I saw the bus drive onto the site and from the style of the body I thought it was built on a Bristol K5G chassis. 

 

It was only sometime later that I saw the radiator and realised it was a Leyland.

 

Superbly preserved.

 

 

 

 

E647 DAU ‘Barton Transport’ No. 647.

DAF  MB230 / Plaxton Paramount 4

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New in 1988.

 

I have seen this coach several times over the years and I am always struck by how modern the body looks.

 

Take the numberplate away and you would never guess that it is 35 years old. 

 

It would not look out of place in any modern fleet.

 

 

 

 

KGU 284 ‘Barton Transport’ No. 1049.

Leyland 7RT / Park Royal

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New to ‘London Transport’ No. RTL326.

 

 

‘Scene’ In The Sunshine 5 (hopefully) on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

The recent spell of warm, sunny weather set me in mind of open top buses which are traditionally used to enjoy this rare spectacle in British skies.

 

Some of these images have appeared before, but not for a long time, so enjoy them now that the good weather has broken.

 

Nothing lasts for ever so it’s time to put away the open toppers for another year.

 

While there is seemingly an inexhaustible supply of open/part open top double deckers, the same cannot be said for the single deck equivalent.

 

Over many years, I have only come across a handful and here are three of them.

 

M800 WCM ‘West Coast Motors’ No.19702.

Volvo B10M / Alexander PS /1

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

Pictured in Oban, Scotland.

 

New registered R928 XVM to ‘Stagecoach Manchester South’.

 

 

 

 

M800 WCM ‘West Coast Motors’ No.19702.

Volvo B10M / Alexander PS /2

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

M800 WCM ‘West Coast Motors’ No.19702.

Volvo B10M / Alexander PS /3

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

TDL 564K ‘Midland Vectis’.

Bristol RELL6G / Eastern Coach Works

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New to ‘Southern Vectis’ No. 864, Isle of Wight.

 

Rebuilt to part open top by ‘SV’ in 1986 where it worked on the IoW branded as the ‘Shanklin Pony’ for many years.

 

The last time I saw it was in the IoW bus museum at Newport where I presumed it would stay.

 

How it comes to be this far North I don’t know.

 

Pictured at Rowsley, the home of Peak Rail, Derbyshire at the inaugural rally of the Nottingham Heritage Vehicles Charity in June 2023.

 

 

 

 

HKL 836 ‘LONDON VINTAGE BUS HIRE LIMITED’.

AEC Regal / Beadle /1

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New to ’Maidstone & District’ No. SO26 in 1947.

 

Converted to open top by ‘M&D’ in 1958 as No. OR3.

 

Pictured at ‘SHOWBUS 2022’.

 

 

 

 

HKL 836 ‘LONDON VINTAGE BUS HIRE LIMITED’.

AEC Regal / Beadle /2

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

HKL 836 ‘LONDON VINTAGE BUS HIRE LIMITED’.

AEC Regal / Beadle /3

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

‘Scene’ at Transpire’s Peak Park Bus Gathering 2022 /4 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

For some years now, this event has been held at the ‘Peak Rail’ site at Rowsley in Derbyshire.

 

There was plenty of room for the 35 or so buses the event attracted together with the added bonus of the trains provided by ‘Peak Rail’.

 

This year being steam only.

 

A return to the traditional June date was welcome because last year the event was held in August due to the problems caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.

 

NH18 GGH ‘Caledonian Travel’.

Mercedes-Benz Tourismo

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New in 2018 to ‘National Holidays’ which at the time were associated with the ‘Shearings’ group who were early casualties of the Covid 19 Pandemic going out of business in early 2020.

 

 

 

 

CYD 724C ‘Hutchings & Cornelius’. 

AEC Reliance / Harrington Crusader

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Together with its stablemate, the Grenadier, Harrington’s produced some of the most stylish coaches of the 1960s.

 

 

 

 

S659 JSE ‘Go Green Peak Explorer’.

Volvo B10M / Jonkheere Modulo

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New in 1998 to ‘Stagecoach Bluebird’ as No. 659.

 

 

 

 

BXI 2599 ‘ULSTERBUS’ No. 2599.

Bristol RELL6G / Alexander (Belfast)

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

 

BXI 2565 ‘Citybus (NI)’ No. 2565.

Bristol RELL6G / Alexander (Belfast)

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

CHA 460K ‘Midland Red’ No. 6460.

Leyland Leopard / Plaxton Panorama Elite

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

JMA 413L ‘North Western Road Car Co’. No. 413.

Bristol RELH6L / Eastern Coach Works

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

‘Scene’ in Chatsworth Park, Derbyshire 2 Preserved Buses on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

There cannot be many readers / viewers of my blog who are unaware that 2021 marks the 100th. anniversary of the founding of ‘Hulleys of Baslow’.

 

It had been intended to mount a bus rally in Chatsworth nearer to the original anniversary date but this was set back to September 26th. 2021 because of the Covid-19 crisis.

 

The buses I saw on the day split nicely into, 

 

Those owned by ‘Hulleys’, preserved buses and those that were visiting or passing through.

 

I do not claim that those pictured were the only buses on display because there were others that were out visiting elsewhere that I would have missed.

 

NNN 7M ‘Mansfield District’ No.7, Bristol RELH6L / Eastern Coach Works /1

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

NNN 7M ‘Mansfield District’ No. 7, Bristol RELH6L / Eastern Coach Works /2

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

 N409 HVT ‘PMT’ (Potteries) No. MMM409. Mercedes-Benz MB709D / Plaxton

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

NNU 447J ‘Mansfield District Midland General’ No. 148 .  Bristol RELL6G / Eastern Coach Works 

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Delivered to ‘Midland General’ but pictured in the joint livery adopted after the merger with ‘Mansfield District’.

 

This particular merger was prior to ‘Midland General’ being merged with ‘Trent’ as part of the series of mergers leading to the formation of the ‘National Bus Company’.

 

 

 

TFA 987 ‘Burton Corporation’ No. 87. Daimler CC5GDD / Massey

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New in 1964.

 

 

 

 

WLT 467 ‘London Transport’ No. RM 467. AEC Routemaster / Park Royal

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New in 1960.

 

‘Scene’ at ‘Transpire’s 2018 annual gathering at Rowsley 4 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

‘Transpire’ being the Chesterfield Bus Society.

 

TT57 BLU ‘hulleys of Baslow’. Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) Dart / MCV Evolution

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

For Parts 1, 2 and 3 see blogs posted 03/04/2019, 22/04/2019 and 23/04/2019

 

An uncomfortable mixture of lower case and capital letters in the operators title.

 

Used as a control vehicle on the day.

 

New to ‘Dunstan’, ((Bluebird), Middleton as its No. 94. 

 

Then having had spells with ‘Stagecoach Manchester’ as its No. 33872 who took over ‘Bluebird’ and then ‘Compass Bus’ (Worthing).

 

 

 

 

R897 XVM ‘Harpur’s Coaches’, Derby. Volvo B10M / Alexander PS

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New to ‘Greater Manchester South’ as it No. 897.

 

 

 

 

AXI 2541 ‘Citybus’, Belfast No. 2451. Bristol RELL6G / Alexander (Belfast)

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

The advertisement boards are an unusual feature.

 

 

 

 

YXI 5500 ‘Ulsterbus’, Leyland Tiger / Wright

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

‘Scene’ at Showbus 2017. ‘Eastern Coach Works (ECW)’ on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

The history of the British bus industry is littered with companies that like shooting stars shone for a while and then fell to Earth.

 

Unfortunately, ’ECW’ was one of them.

 

Based in Lowestoft, ’ECW’s history goes back as far as 1912 when ‘United Automobile Services’ was formed with the intention of running bus services in the town. 

 

Coach bodybuilding followed in 1920. 

 

Nationalised postwar the company built many bodies on Bristol chassis for the state owned ‘Transport Holding Company’.

 

Partially privatised in 1965, the company closed in 1987.

 

YRC 125M ‘Midland General’ No. 780 Bristol VRT/SL6G / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

New to ‘Trent’ in 1974.

 

 

 

EDV 505D ‘Western National’ No 1423 Bristol MW6G / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

MWG 941X ‘Yorkshire Traction’ No. 941 Bristol VRT/SL3 ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

OAX 9F ‘Red & White’ No. RC968. Bristol RELH6L / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

WKH 526X ‘East Yorksire Motor Services No. 526 Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

AFM 103G ‘Crosville’ No. CRG 103 Bristol RELH6G / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

GFM 104X ‘Crosville’ No. DOG 104 Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1R / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

FRB 208H ‘Trent’ No. 356 Bristol RELL6G / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New to ‘Midland General’ as its No. 146.

 

 

 

 

 C537 DAT ‘East Yorksire Motor Services’ No. 537 Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1RH / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

TCH 274L ‘Trent’ No. 274 Bristol RELH6G / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New to ‘Midland General’ as its No. 274.

 

 

 

 B521 UWW ‘Yorkshire Coastliner’ No. 421 Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1R / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

New to ‘West Yorkshire’ as its No.1853.

 

 

 

 

EEH 902Y ‘Midland Red North’ No 1902 ‘Mercian’ Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1R / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

NNN 7M ‘Mansfield District’ No. 7 Bristol RELH6L / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

YVL 837S ‘Lincolnshire’ No. 1063 Bristol LH6L / ECW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’