Category: Articles
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North Western Road Car Company 1958 -1974 – Part Two
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. With low…
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North Western Road Car Company 1958-1974 – Part One
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 also owned…
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Samuel Ledgard – Some Truly Amazing Revivals
When vehicles were withdrawn from service it was almost invariably a permanent situation brought about by age, condition, or some very serious and expensive defect for which the repairs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 end of…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part Two
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 having to…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part Three
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 on top…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part Four
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 more advanced…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Tailpiece
All the articles published over the last few months were originally written between 2006 and 2009 for a Manchester Forum dealing basically with local history. They have been updated and corrected with new or better information that has come to light in the meantime. Re-writing these articles has been both a trip down memory lane…
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Manchester Buses – A Retrospective – Part One
In 1958 MCTD was working closely with MCW, its “preferred” body supplier, to overcome its objections to and problems with MCW’s Orion body. Albert Neal, General Manager, whilst always looking to keep costs down, could not do with the Orion in its original and early forms and the “improved” bodies he had taken into stock…
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Durham District Services Ltd – Darlington
Durham District Services was formed on the 1st August 1950, (the first day of DDS operations under its own name was 12th November 1950). It was not as sometimes thought a subsidiary of United Automobile Services Ltd. (UAS), but was wholly owned by the British Transport Commission (BTC) and placed under United for management purposes.…
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The First PTEs – Part Four – Salford City Transport
Not read from the beginning, click here In 1946, Salford Corporation Transport was in a mess. John Blakemore, who had started with the Department as a Points Boy was about to retire and his operation was a testament to his lax management style and lack of organisation. A reasonably modern bus fleet was in a…