Buses, coaches, & lorries

Wigan town centre in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The 3 Wigan Corporation buses are Leyland PD2,
two of them have bodywork by Massey Bros, and 1 with Northern Counties bodywork. The Ribble bus
heading this way is an Albion Lowlander with bodywork by Alexander of Falkirk. NMP.

Ray I believe this is Wigan Corporation Leyland Panther No 20 DJP 468E along with former Doncaster Corporation Tiger Cub 434 MDT which I photographed circa 1983 at the Malta Department of Education depot at Pembroke. Some of this information has been confirmed by Maltese Flickr members.
Cheers, Leyland 600.

Wigan No 20.JPG

Wigan Leyland Panther 20  DJP 468E.JPG

This Bristol RE bus of Lancashire United Transport is seen leaving Hope Street bus station in Wigan,
departing on route 557 to Leigh, about 7 miles away. On the left is the Ribble Motor Services office
and travel agency. NMP>

Arrive double decker bus arriving in Wigan town centre on route 375 from Southport
earlier this month. I think it is a Volvo, but I am not certain. Ray Smyth.

Ribble fleet number 510, a Leyland Leopard is on route X99 to Barrow.
I am not certain of its location, but I think it could be Lancaster. NMP.

Ribble fleet number 679, a Leyland Leopard on route 74 to Penrith. NMP

Ribble 679.jpg

Ray Smyth:
Arrive double decker bus arriving in Wigan town centre on route 375 from Southport
earlier this month. I think it is a Volvo, but I am not certain. Ray Smyth.

Alexander Dennis E400

Ray, Route 74 was a joint operation with ■■■■■■■■■■ Motor Services from Keswick to Penrith. This photo location is Keswick bus station in front of the garage.
Cheers, Leyland 600

Dennis Javelin:

Ray Smyth:
Arrive double decker bus arriving in Wigan town centre on route 375 from Southport
earlier this month. I think it is a Volvo, but I am not certain. Ray Smyth.

Alexander Dennis E400

Dennis, Thank you for the info, a lot of buses are difficult to identify unless you are close by. Cheers, Ray.

Leyland600:
Ray, Route 74 was a joint operation with ■■■■■■■■■■ Motor Services from Keswick to Penrith. This photo location is Keswick bus station in front of the garage.
Cheers, Leyland 600

Gerald, Thank you for the route 74 info, what a lovely journey that is, some amazing scenery,
I would have done that journey for free. :smiley: Cheers, Ray.

Ray Smyth:

Dennis Javelin:

Ray Smyth:
Arrive double decker bus arriving in Wigan town centre on route 375 from Southport
earlier this month. I think it is a Volvo, but I am not certain. Ray Smyth.

Alexander Dennis E400

Dennis, Thank you for the info, a lot of buses are difficult to identify unless you are close by. Cheers, Ray.

Compounded by the fact that the same chassis could have been bodied by a dozen different bodybuilders. Although the bus in the pic is called an ADL E400 that doesn’t necessarily mean that all buses like this have an ADL chassis as this kind of bodywork is also used on Scania and Volvo deckers. Confusingly though the chassis is also described as an E400 by ADL.

In the late 1940s, Liverpool Corporation purchased 100 Daimler bus chassis. The first 50 received
bodywork by Northern Counties at Wigan, and the remaining 50 were fitted with body framework
by Weymann at Addlestone in Surrey, and were completed at the Corporations massive bodyshop
at Edge Lane in Liverpool. This Daimler, fleet number D587 was one that had Weymann framework,
and is seen on route 81, a cross city journey from Speke to Bootle. It looks like it was a warm day.
the driver has its windscreen open. NMP.

Former Ribble bus, fleet number 1329, a Leyland Atlantean, is seen in Miry Lane, Wigan, now in the colours
of North Western, soon after De-regulation in the late 1980s. To the right of the picture is the back entrance
of what was the Wigan depot of Ribble, and behind the wall to the left was my transport depot from 1985
until 1990. NMP.

Ribble fleet number 892, a Leyland Leopard with Dual Purpose bodywork by Marshalls of Cambridge. NMP.

When did they first start fitting cab heaters to buses , not the passenger compartment just the cab ?

ramone:
When did they first start fitting cab heaters to buses , not the passenger compartment just the cab ?

When i joined Birmingham City Transport in 1957, the buses in service then had a cab heater of sorts.
It was a bit like a miniature radiator attached to the front panel in front of the steering column,
a double S shaped copper pipe with a on/off tap. In a small half cab with the engine along side i guess it
was reasonably efficient.

Daft question some may think.
How much would a 60s short Duple coach weigh ?
I have a lottery win project fantasy of converting one to a motor home with modern running gear underneath
Something that would look the part at Classics Race meetings .
Must come to under 7.5t as I have lost my entitlement to grp 2 licences

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

Ribble fleet number 595 was a Leyland Leopard from 1965, and I drove it many times during
my 2 years with Ribble at Wigan depot, early 1968 until early 1970. It was a normal 3 pedal
machine, and was fitted with a towing eye at the rear of the bodywork. The depot staff used
it as a towbus as required, the nearest proper Ribble breakdown buses being at Liverpool or Preston.
The above picture shows 595 in the ownership of Bleanchs, a company I have not heard of before,
maybe someone on here know where they are from. There is a towing eye on the front of 595. NMP

Ray,the location of your photo of 892 is on the A69 running alonside the railway between Haltwhisle and Greenhead near Blenkinsop Castle road end. I traveled on the Carlisle to Newcastle service number 34 when it was operated by United many times in the late 1940s to mid 50s riding on Willowbrook ECW lookalike Leyland PS1s then the first ECW bodied Royal Tigers which was a diverted order from ■■■■■■■■■■ MS. Occasionaly Bristol L5Gs and later LS’ s were used. The entire journey took 3 hours but it left the A69 at Low Row through Nether Denton and Gilsland before rejoining the main road again at Greenhead…
Cheers, Leyland 600.

Leyland600:
Ray,the location of your photo of 892 is on the A69 running alonside the railway between Haltwhisle and Greenhead near Blenkinsop Castle road end. I traveled on the Carlisle to Newcastle service number 34 when it was operated by United many times in the late 1940s to mid 50s riding on Willowbrook ECW lookalike Leyland PS1s then the first ECW bodied Royal Tigers which was a diverted order from ■■■■■■■■■■ MS. Occasionaly Bristol L5Gs and later LS’ s were used. The entire journey took 3 hours but it left the A69 at Low Row through Nether Denton and Gilsland before rejoining the main road again at Greenhead…
Cheers, Leyland 600.

Gerald, Thank you for your comments. Did route 685 go all the way to Newcastle like the route 34 that you mentioned ?
Its a long journey for a stage carriage service, some express coach routes are not this long. At least these Leyland Leopards
were ideal for long routes, In my opinion, they were a great machine to drive. Best regards, Ray.