‘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’ at the Buses Festival 2021 Shades of Green 1 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

The annual ‘Buses Festival’ in 2021 was held at the ‘East of England Showground’ which is near Peterborough.

 

OKP 980 ‘Maidstone & District’ No. CO252.

Leyland TD4 / Beadle

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

 

In the years following the end of World War Two, new buses were difficult to come by.

 

One way was to use pre-war chassis or running units under new bodies. This ‘new’ integral coach appearing in 1952.

 

At the time this practice was regarded as a temporary measure until ‘things got back to normal’. (I knew I had heard that phrase before!!)

 

Purchased by ‘Thornes’. In 1960 and eventually restored.

 

Now 70 years old. 

 

Not bad for a ‘temporary measure’.

 

 

 

 

OAE 954M ‘BRISTOL COUNTRY BUS’ No MH 1332.

Bristol RELL6L / Eastern Coach Works

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

 

New to ‘Bristol Omnibus Company’.

 

 

 

NLE 539 ‘London Transport’ No. RF539.

AEC Regal IV / Metro-Cammell

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

 

New in 1952.

 

 

 

 

 HTA 844N ‘WESTERN NATIONAL No. 2813.

Leyland National

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

 

 

 

 

YVL 837S ‘LINCOLNSHIRE ROAD CAR CO. LTD. No. 1063.

Bristol LH6L / Eastern Coach Works

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

 

 

‘Scene’ in the Sunshine at Showbus 2016 part 1 on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

On what is my last blog of 2016, I would like to wish that all my readers have a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2017.

 

I have done some forward planning for next year which at this stage includes Leicestershire, Devon, Hampshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire together with a trip to Holland.

 

No doubt Derby will again figure large with ‘trentbarton’s new Enviro 200MMC’s on my local ‘the nines’ route being due in the next few weeks.

 

Meanwhile ‘Nottingham City Transport’ will be taking delivery of new gas powered double deckers.

 

Plenty to look forward to then.

 

I would also like to finish the year on a bright note and take my readers back to a day where the sun shone and it was pleasantly warm. 

 

Where there were buses a plenty and all seemed well with the world.

 

Where better than ‘Showbus 2016’ at Donington Park.

 

 

HDK 835 ‘Rochdale Corporation Transport’ No. 835 AEC Regent 3 / East Lancs

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

New to ‘London Transport’ as LS 432 was.

BYW 432V ‘Pennine Motor Services’ of Gargrave’ No. LN19 Leyland National

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

Wearing what I think is the old ‘Wolverhampton Corporation Transport’ livery. ‘WCT’ being part of what became ‘TWM’.

 

E989 VUK  ‘Travel West Midlands’ (TWM) No. 2989 MCW Metrobus Mk. 2

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

CDK 172L ‘Yelloway’ AEC Reliance / Plaxton Panorama Elite 3

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

One of the all time great coach body designs is.

PUJ 781 ‘Whittle’s Coaches’ Leyland Tiger Cub / Burlingham Seagull

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

Formerly 22728 having been with both ‘Stagecoach North East’ and ‘Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire’.

 

Now preserved.

 

T728 OEF ‘Stagecoach Kingston Upon Hull’ No. 728 MAN 18.220 / Alexander ALX 300

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

FDB 334C ‘Stockport Corporation’ No. 34 Leyland PD2/40 / East Lancs

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

Seen in ‘National Bus Company’ livery. It later worked for ‘Cumberland Motor Services’.

 

TRN 481V ‘Ribble Motor Services’ No. 1481 Leyland Atlantean AN68/1 / Eastern Coach Works

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

Dating from 1950.

 

JOJ 489 ‘Birmingham City Transport’ No. 2489 Crossley DD42 / Crossley (to BCT design).

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

Seen in ‘National Bus Company’ ‘Dual Purpose’ livery. Originally delivered in overall NBC white coach livery.

TFM 267K ‘Crosville Motor Services’ No. ERL 267 Bristol RELH6L / Eastern Coach Works

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

New to ‘National Express West Midlands’.

 

R2 NEG ‘midland classic’ DAF DB250LF / Optare Spectra

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

An early integral bus where the vehicle was chassisless but incorporated the running units from pre war Leyland TD4 buses.

 

 

OKP 980 ‘Maidstone & District’ No. CO 252 Leyland TD4 / Beadle

on ‘Dennis Basfords railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’