Author: admin
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From Heaton Moor to Ashton under Lyne 1956
Phil Blinkhorn In early 1955 my father started work as a rep for a London based electronics components company, covering the whole of the UK and Ireland except the Home Counties – though visits to London were frequent. During school holidays I used to travel the country with him and was able to see a…
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Stockport Corporation Transport Fleet 1958-1969
Phil Blinkhorn At the start of 1958 Stockport Corporation’s transport undertaking was in a relatively healthy state. Unlike its large neighbour, Manchester, it had not suffered too greatly from public ire at the ever rising cost of fares as it had been able to keep fares relatively stable (apart from a halfpenny increase on all…
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North Western Road Car Company 1958-1974 – Part Four
Phil Blinkhorn Not seen this the start of this article Click Here The next batch of vehicles certainly kept up the level of interest in the goings on at Charles St. The Bristol single deck fleet was all but retired. Advantages of the design were a low height compared to the underfloor engined single deckers…
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North Western Road Car Company 1958-1974 – Part Three
Phil Blinkhorn Not seen the start of this article Click Here North Western then turned to the single deck bus fleet and ordered twenty 36 foot long AEC Reliance chassis. Since the first Royal Tiger deliveries all single deck buses, apart from the Burlingham Reliances, had conformed to BET body standards and it was the…
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North Western Road Car Company 1958 -1974 – Part Two
Phil Blinkhorn Not seen Part One Click Here As the new decade dawned, North Western was again at odds with BET policy. Double deckers were a necessary part of the fleet, not only in the part of the operating area that fell within what was to become Greater Manchester but also in Macclesfield and Northwich.…
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North Western Road Car Company 1958-1974 – Part One
Phil Blinkhorn In 1958 North Western Road Car Company Ltd was part of British Electric Traction a company with roots in electric tramway systems (the last tram it owned ran in Gateshead in 1951) which owned many of the non-municipal and non-nationalised bus companies in the UK between 1948 and 1969. At the time BET…
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Samuel Ledgard – Some Truly Amazing Revivals
Chris Youhill When vehicles were withdrawn from service it was almost invariably a permanent situation brought about by age, condition, or some very serious and expensive defect for which the repairs would not be economically acceptable. In very rare cases this misfortune occurred far earlier than would normally be expected and usually meant the premature…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part Two
Phil Blinkhorn Not seen the start of this article Click Here One of the problems of driving a large vehicle in a city is having to constantly change gear. Add frequent stops for passengers, having to steer eight tons without powered steering when sitting next to a hot and noisy diesel engine, not to mention…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part Three
Phil Blinkhorn Not seen the start of this article Click Here The evolution of the British double deck bus began with the stagecoach lines of the 18th century. The “engine” (horses) was at the front, the driver sat at the front of the vehicle with a clear view of the road, passengers sat inside and…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part Four
Phil Blinkhorn Not seen the start of this article Click Here Ralph Bennett didn’t have far to travel for his interview. As General Manager at Bolton he had been at the forefront of turning the ugly duckling Atlantean if not into a swan, at least into something that looked pleasing – and a great deal…