BUSES, COACHES, & LORRIES.

[Leyland600]

Ray this PD 2 is in Lonsdale St Carlisle operating the Town Hall to Botcherby Estate service which just just recently been taken over by Ribble from United Automobile Services Carlisle depot operations circa 1965-6. They acquired all the Bristol single deckers but did not want the 3 Bristol KSW double deckers thus bring back MCW Orion bodied PD2s a type once very familiar with city services 1401 - 1425 open platform buses. new in 1955. The square looking building on the left of the bus with WESTERN sign board is the former Caledonian Omnibus Co bus station and garage now converted to a small shopping complex in the mid 1980s. All the WSMT services to Dumfries Langholm etc departed from the joint Ribble -Cumberland Lowther St bus station
the entrance/ exit hidden dehind the nearside rear corner of the PD2.
Cheers, Leyland 600

[Leyland600]

Ray if a number display like this one had been shown on a Carlisle depot bus you would have heard the chief inspector bawling the crew out down in Wigan !!! May be some kids had been fiddling with the winding handle and track selector which was behind the top deck front panel and accessible by opening two turnbuckles.
Cheers Leyland 600.

[Froggy55]

Surely some of you will idetify the single-decker on this picture taken at Parkend, Gloucestershire...
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/09/29/p ... t-of-dean/

[Leyland600]

Hi Froggy, This bus in a Red & White Co of Cheptow Bristol MW with Eastern Coachworks 45 seat body probably fitted with a Gardner 5 or 6 HLW engine.
Cheers, Leyland 600.

[Froggy55]

Thanks! I love the scene, so British with the bus, Bedford TK, locomotive and typically British level crossing barriers!

[Ray Smyth]

Ribble Leyland PD3, Fleet No. 1974 was new to Scout Motor Services of Preston.
It is seen here beside Lime Street Station in Skelhorne Street, Liverpool, where
it was not very popular with the bus crews of whatever Ribble Liverpool depot
that it now belonged to.
Ray Smyth.

[Ray Smyth]

Ray if a number display like this one had been shown on a Carlisle depot bus you would have heard the chief inspector bawling the crew out down in Wigan !!! May be some kids had been fiddling with the winding handle and track selector which was behind the top deck front panel and accessible by opening two turnbuckles.
Cheers Leyland 600.

Gerald...Yes, occasionally, schoolkids would mess about with the destination blinds and numbers.
During my time with Ribble, these older PD2 61 seaters were mainly used for works and school
journeys between 7 a.m, and 9 a.m. and later in the day between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and if there
was a problem with the destination blinds, they were not fixed for many days, unfortunately, some
bus crews were not particularly bothered what was showing on the front of the bus. I used to check
what my blinds were showing by checking the reflection in the rear window of a car or van ahead
of me in crawling traffic. Regards, Ray.

[cav551]

Why is it that in so many pictures of Leyland PD2s &3s they are leaning backwards? Other makes and models don't seem to exhibit this to such an extent. They can't all be carrying four Rugby teams. I thought that it was only the PD1s which had rubber suspension bushes.

[240 Gardner]

Ribble Leyland PD3, Fleet No. 1974 was new to Scout Motor Services of Preston.
It is seen here beside Lime Street Station in Skelhorne Street, Liverpool, where
it was not very popular with the bus crews of whatever Ribble Liverpool depot
that it now belonged to.
Ray Smyth.

I wonder why it ended up in Liverpool! Although it later came back to Frenchwood in its latter years

As you say, it started life with Scout Motors of Preston:

Scout 21 [LRN62] by maljoe, on Flickr

When Scout was acquired (I think around 1962) the fleet received Ribble livery, but still with Scout names and numbers:

RIB LRN62 by Brian Bennett, on Flickr

Like many Scout vehicles, it survived long enough to suffer the indignity of NBC livery, and then ended up with an independent in Cornwall - must have been a long old delivery drive!!

Here's the link to it, but the post doesn't allow the image to be previewed on here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30794964@ ... sFy-u5EeL9

[Ray Smyth]

I don't know which of the 3 Liverpool depots that Leyland PD3 1974 was from, Aintree, Bootle,
or Skelhorne Street. It wasn't a popular machine because it was a Halfcab, which prevents
the driver being able to chat to his conductor and passengers.

In 1964 & 1965, Ribble Wigan depot received 5 new Albion Lowlanders, 1851,1852,1853.1854,& 1861.
During the 1970s, several more Albions of the original 16 were transferred to Wigan, and also Fleet No.
1968, the Albion Motors demonstrator from the early 1960s, which was a Halfcab, and just like 1974,
it was not popular with most buscrews.

An advantage of the full width cabs, PD3s, Atlanteans, and Albions, the conductor could pass the driver
a cup of coffee from his flask whilst on the move.

Ray Smyth.

[240 Gardner]

I don't know which of the 3 Liverpool depots that Leyland PD3 1974 was from, Aintree, Bootle,
or Skelhorne Street. It wasn't a popular machine because it was a Halfcab, which prevents
the driver being able to chat to his conductor and passengers.

In 1964 & 1965, Ribble Wigan depot received 5 new Albion Lowlanders, 1851,1852,1853.1854,& 1861.
During the 1970s, several more Albions of the original 16 were transferred to Wigan, and also Fleet No.
1968, the Albion Motors demonstrator from the early 1960s, which was a Halfcab, and just like 1974,
it was not popular with most buscrews.

An advantage of the full width cabs, PD3s, Atlanteans, and Albions, the conductor could pass the driver
a cup of coffee from his flask whilst on the move.

Ray Smyth.

And here it is:

Lowlander Vs Fuel Tanker by jim_bbms, on Flickr
BBMS No 6 on A6 Bamber Bridge by jim_bbms, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Roberts, on Flickr

[oiltreader]

Various
Oily

[pyewacket947v]

I don't know which of the 3 Liverpool depots that Leyland PD3 1974 was from, Aintree, Bootle,
or Skelhorne Street. It wasn't a popular machine because it was a Halfcab, which prevents
the driver being able to chat to his conductor and passengers.

In 1964 & 1965, Ribble Wigan depot received 5 new Albion Lowlanders, 1851,1852,1853.1854,& 1861.
During the 1970s, several more Albions of the original 16 were transferred to Wigan, and also Fleet No.
1968, the Albion Motors demonstrator from the early 1960s, which was a Halfcab, and just like 1974,
it was not popular with most buscrews.

An advantage of the full width cabs, PD3s, Atlanteans, and Albions, the conductor could pass the driver
a cup of coffee from his flask whilst on the move.

Ray Smyth.

Funnily enough, i do not remember half cabs ever being particularly disliked with Birmingham crews. True a number of drivers at Selly Oak liked the Leyland Olympics ,i suspect as it gave them a chance to 'chat up' the customers,as they would be called these days.
Though a fan of the Birmingham standard, i must admit that the Albion Lowlander as a rugged purposeful look about it.

[Paul John]

Looking at the Wrights Travel coaches, is ORR a Duple bodied Leopard? NAU, fitted with a B10M would be a flyer, and my choice to take up the road. Looks as if its fitted with a Plaxton body? Over to you Ray!

[ParkRoyal2100]

Looking at the Wrights Travel coaches, is ORR a Duple bodied Leopard? !

Computer says "no", it's a Bedford YNT

[ParkRoyal2100]

Burlingham made some fabulous coachwork designs.

[Ray Smyth]

Looking at the Wrights Travel coaches, is ORR a Duple bodied Leopard? NAU, fitted with a B10M would be a flyer, and my choice to take up the road. Looks as if its fitted with a Plaxton body? Over to you Ray!

Yes, Paul John, It looks like a Plaxton Panorama Elite. Ray.

[Ray Smyth]

The Arriva bus with Wrights bodywork is possibly a Volvo, difficult to tell nowadays.
It has just left King Street, Wigan, from the right, and is about to enter King Street West,
on the left, to travel the last 400 yards to the new bus station. Route number 360 is
the journey from Warrington to Wigan.

Ray Smyth.

[ParkRoyal2100]

Some years ago (31 years ago, to be precise) I - a fairly newly-arrived backpacking Pommie in Oz on a short "working holiday" visa - got a job with a removals mob in Mascot (a southern suburb of Sydney, not a suitcase throw from Kingsford-Smith airport aka Sydney International). I regularly took either the 309 or the 310 service from Central Stn on a UTA (later STA) on one of these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecobfR98Pco

Being a Pom, the noise it made was instantly familiar (an 0.600 Leyland) even if its coachwork looked... odd.

Footnote: at the time (1988) I had no reason to suspect that Sydney's UTA (Urban Transit Authority, later STA, succeeded by Sydney Buses) had been one of Leyland (Truck & Bus) biggest overseas clients, having ordered north of 700 Leopard bus chassis. That Sydney UTA was, at the time, phasing in M-B O305s on almost every route is testament to Leyland's obstinacy in offering only the O.500 engined National to its hitherto reliable export markets.

[Ray Smyth]

An ex Ribble Leyland Lion being taken to an apprentice school for re-build on
a Lancashire Fire Service Ford Cargo step frame artic, and a De-Icing machine
of British Airways, one of 7 from Manchester Airport, on a BRS Leyland DAF artic.
These operations were part of the varied work that the engineering department
of Ribble Motor Services carried out in the 1980s. Pictures by Ron Hopkins.

Ray Smyth.

[Paul John]

Looking at the Wrights Travel coaches, is ORR a Duple bodied Leopard? !

Computer says "no", it's a Bedford YNT [/quote.
Hi ParkRoyal, would that be a 466 or 500. It probably would of been to early on a W reg for the later 8.3l turbo,or the Perkins Phaser engines. The Bedfords were slow compared to the Leyland 680, Fords turbo and defenitely the Volvo.
Thanks for the info.

Paul

[Walton man]

The BBMS takes me back a bit. I recall their garage was at the bottom of Club St when independant.
The old Bamber Bridge and Walton le Dale people always gave their trade to BBMS. "Let t'Ribble buz pass and we'll get wir own buz". Was quite a struggle climbing up London road hill sometimes.

The picture of the old coach station in Preston also awoke the brain. Used to catch buses regularly from the old bus station and on a Wednesday morning caught a White Lady through to Blackburn. What was the reason for the White Lady bus? I never found out.

Thanks for the memories.

[Ray Smyth]

The BBMS takes me back a bit. I recall their garage was at the bottom of Club St when independant.
The old Bamber Bridge and Walton le Dale people always gave their trade to BBMS. "Let t'Ribble buz pass and we'll get wir own buz". Was quite a struggle climbing up London road hill sometimes.

The picture of the old coach station in Preston also awoke the brain. Used to catch buses regularly from the old bus station and on a Wednesday morning caught a White Lady through to Blackburn. What was the reason for the White Lady bus? I never found out.

Thanks for the memories.

Hi Walton Man, The Ribble "White Lady" buses were a double deck coach, fitted with coach type seats,
and luggage space, and were mainly used on "Express" journeys, for example, Manchester to Blackpool,
Liverpool to Skipton etc. The early "White Lady" coaches were 2 batches of PD Leylands, and the
later ones were Leyland Atlantean. The Standerwick double deck coaches also on Leyland Atlantean
chassis were known officially as "Gay Hostess", as well as coach seats and luggage space, they had a
small kitchen servery, and a hostess who served the passengers with hot snacks and drinks.
These vehicles were mainly used on the Lancashire to London journeys. I don't think that they would
be called a "Gay Hostess" today. Regards, Ray Smyth.

[Ray Smyth]

Ribble "White Lady"

[Ray Smyth]

Ribble "White Lady" Atlantean.
Click on picture for full image.

[Ray Smyth]

Standerwick "Gay Hostess" Leyland Atlantean.

[gazzer]

I don't very often go by bus these days but last week, to save my daughter collecting me from Fareham railways station, I caught the bus to Gosport.
This single decker of 2016 vintage was horrendously noisy, not only from the engine/hydraulic gearbox but the clunking etc of the chassis.
How do bus builders get away with it? Surely better sound insulation from the rear mounted drivetrain would be possible?
I reckon my 1980 F12 was quieter by far!
The gearbox was the producer of most of the noise!

[John West]

Some years ago (31 years ago, to be precise) I - a fairly newly-arrived backpacking Pommie in Oz on a short "working holiday" visa - got a job with a removals mob in Mascot (a southern suburb of Sydney, not a suitcase throw from Kingsford-Smith airport aka Sydney International). I regularly took either the 309 or the 310 service from Central Stn on a UTA (later STA) on one of these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecobfR98Pco

Being a Pom, the noise it made was instantly familiar (an 0.600 Leyland) even if its coachwork looked... odd.

Footnote: at the time (1988) I had no reason to suspect that Sydney's UTA (Urban Transit Authority, later STA, succeeded by Sydney Buses) had been one of Leyland (Truck & Bus) biggest overseas clients, having ordered north of 700 Leopard bus chassis. That Sydney UTA was, at the time, phasing in M-B O305s on almost every route is testament to Leyland's obstinacy in offering only the O.500 engined National to its hitherto reliable export markets.

Obstinacy was not confined to the Brits. On a flight home via Riyadh in about 1982, I sat next to an American guy who worked for the newly formed Riyadh bus company (I'm sure it wasn't called that, but that's what it was.) he said that they needed several hundred new buses to provide services in the rapidly expanding city.

He said that a Dutch company (I think it was Van Hool, but I could be wrong, it's a long time ago) shipped out several single deckers and gave them to the company to trial for a month. Leyland had shipped one single decker (I wasn't really into buses, but I'm sure it was one of those that they built in Workington, whose name I can't remember.) they parked it in Riyadh near the hotel where the representatives were staying and invited the bus company people to come and look at it. I put my head in my hands and said 'oh no!'

'Ah, that's not the worst. What the Americans did was send the bus company brochures for the yellow school buses that you see all over the States, and asked how many we wanted to order.'

Not only did the Dutch company win the Riyadh order, but we soon started seeing their buses in Dammam.

I may be slightly wrong on detail, it is nearly 40 years ago, but careless marketing led to Britain losing a lot of business in traditional markets.

John.

[Retired Old Fart]

I don't very often go by bus these days but last week, to save my daughter collecting me from Fareham railways station, I caught the bus to Gosport.
This single decker of 2016 vintage was horrendously noisy, not only from the engine/hydraulic gearbox but the clunking etc of the chassis.
How do bus builders get away with it? Surely better sound insulation from the rear mounted drivetrain would be possible?
I reckon my 1980 F12 was quieter by far!
The gearbox was the producer of most of the noise!

I. too, am a rare customer of local bus services, but usually find myself hopping on one of Arriva's puddle=jumpers when I'm feeling a bit lazy. Although the things are reasonably new (compared to the 20-year old Bristols that served in my youth) they are so noisy and uncomfortable that you'd be forgiven for presuming that they are pre war. Rear suspension is non-existent, the gearbox and/or the final drive shreaks like a banshee and the drivers, to a man, sorry, PERSON, are apparently trained not to even acknowledge the passengers, let alone speak to them.
Come back, oily, your country needs you!

[Walton man]

Thank you Ray.

Am I off target or was there a White Lady with the door set between the axles as in central entry.

Long time ago and a lot of water under the bridge since.

Cheers, Peter