Please note: The dynamic gallery slide show is currently not available, since the image files were actually stored on a remote server, and the connection was lost when the original version of the OBP site went “offline”. I will make further efforts to try to find a source of those images, but if anybody does already have a copy and wishes to share them, please let me know via the contact form. Thank you, Nigel.
This collection of Venture Transport photos was given to me by my father they were taken by my brother Les who was employed by Northern General in the early 70’s as a diesel fitter, he used them for some college work. I do hope you enjoy seeing them.
Colin Scott
02/2012
Just click on the photo below to launch the gallery then click the play button it is a bit slow to start but it will, by the way putting your mouse pointer over the show area will pause the show.
17/02/12 – 13:41
Interesting pictures Colin, especially the one with the conductress changing the destinations on the CVD6. I can’t help noticing, from a driver’s point of view, what appalling blind spots the Albion Aberdonian XUP 396 must have had. The body pillars are really wide and the windscreens seem tiny. Did Willowbrook really build it that way, or had it been modified ?”
John Stringer
18/02/12 – 07:26
We had quite a number of Willowbrook bodied single deckers contemporary to XUP396 including 15 on Albion Aberdonian chassis. All my photos are three quarter offside but they all appear to have the wide nearside corner pillar commented on by John Stringer. This must have been a Willowbrook standard. The offside corner pillar is much slimmer. I don’t recall any adverse comments by drivers about lack of visibility. In the background of the XUP396 shot is a Willowbrook coach bodied Leyland Tiger Cub which also had an identical contemporary in the PMT fleet – PMT C858 (136 EVT) was acquired with the business of Dawson of Ash Bank.
The Daimler CVD6 saloons are stunning!!
Ian Wild
19/02/12 – 07:51
The corner pillars which John refers to are certainly original although, as delivered, this batch had a split windscreen on the driver’s side. This wasn’t the only member of the batch to be altered in this way but I can’t tell you whether this was the result of accident damage, an attempt to improve the driver’s visibility or some other reason. They were beautiful buses and, when new, considered the height of luxury! My father used to hire a Venture bus to take groups of students from Durham on an eight-lakes day tour of the Lake District and on more than one occasion a member of this batch was requested. The 1957 batch of Willowbrook bodied Atkinson Alphas had bodywork with similar corner pillars so I presume that drivers didn’t find their visibility restricted or, presumably, the company would have specified a different style of bodywork for the Albions.
Alan Hall
05/03/12 – 17:14
Venture Albion Aberdonians – I drove these buses for many years and can say as a driver, there was never any problem with blind spots on them, some of these were fitted with a 6 speed gearbox, and could really motor on at over 60 mph, once they got the speed built up.
Ron Hirst
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