East Yorkshire Motor Services 1962 AEC Bridgemaster Park Royal LD72F
Photo taken Hull bus station July 1965 or 6. The code LD denotes that it is a lowbridge vehicle but with a highbridge type seating layout.
A full list of Bridgemaster codes can be seen here.
East Yorkshire bought a large batch of both Bridgemasters and Renowns between 1960-66. It’s early Bridgemasters 1960-61 were rear door some with and some without the tapered ‘Beverley Bar’ Roof. From 1962 onwards the standard Park Royal body was with a tapered roof that appeared on both models. The last Renowns of 1966 vintage had a short EYMS life as they were swapped for Tynemouth and District Fleetlines in 1972. I believe because EYMS needed to bring in front entrance buses, this may be because the local Hull Corporation had by 1972 totally switched to one man operated Atlanteans and the city bus station stands were altered accordingly, making the EYMS fleet overrun the stand entrances. Feel free to correct if anybody else has an alternative answer to the fleet swap.
Anonymous
I think the Coach Station layout is a red herring, as the later Bridgemasters and Renowns were front entrance, but is in fact to do with EYMS introducing the ‘Farebox’ services within Kingston upon Hull services and these were to be OMO services for which the older, having a separate driving cab, were unsuitable, hence the 20 Fleetlines bought from Tynemouth.
Keith Easton
14/11/12 – 07:11
The PSV Circle, who could be said to hold the ‘copyright’ on body codes, actually abandoned the use of the code ‘LD’ decades ago, simply because it became impossible to draw a dividing line between low and normal height – once low-frame chassis were available operators could, and often did, have bodywork built to whatever height they wished. If a vehicle was 14’0″ high, would it be H or LD? Current convention would regard the above as H72F, in spite of its obvious low height.
East Yorkshire Motor Services 1961 AEC Bridgemaster Park Royal H45/28RD
I don’t think there were many rear entrance Bridgemasters built – you did not see many 30ft rear entrance buses they were usually 27ft 6in. Note the luggage rack just inside the door there would also be space under the stairs this was probably for tourists suit cases in the Bridlington area. The Bridgemaster had a low floor on the lower deck so it could have a normal seating arrangement upstairs but still be able to negotiate the Beverly Bar. The registration number is something like 1703 AT but the angle is not good to see clearly worked it out from now found fleet list reg 4703. If you look at the bus behind it is a full fronted Leyland Titan with the Beverly Bar roof.
A full list of Bridgemaster codes can be seen here.
25/11/11 – 17:03
Does anyone have photos or a list of those Bridgemasters and Renowns that carried the illuminated “It’s Best By Bus” slogans on the offside? I grew up on Longhill Estate, firmly in EYMS territory, and I can remember those signs looming out of a foggy winter evening whilst heading home after spending the afternoon being dragged around Hammonds or the Co-op.
Andrew Ottaway
26/03/12 – 14:28
Despite the design, these (nos 700 to 715) had tapered upper deck profiles for the Bar operations as did subsequent Bridgemasters, Renowns and Fleetlines 825-36/52-7/66-72. The first four Bridgemasters 696-699 did not have this.
Malcolm Wells
26/03/12 – 17:03
I lived on the West Hill Estate in Bridlington until December ’63 (aged 5-7). Buses from this batch (700-715) worked the Estate route from new – The domed roof buses (as I saw them) hardly ever appeared thereafter. When I moved to Leeds I drew pictures of green Leeds buses with a luggage rack inside the rear entrance – I just assumed all rear-entrance buses had luggage racks there, having experienced nothing else! 703 seems to be very photogenic – there’s a photo of the same vehicle in the specialist AEC Bridgemaster book! I’d love to know how many of the 16 in the batch worked out of Quay Road 61-63.
Barry Parker
27/03/12 – 15:56
Andrew, here’s a link to an EYMS Bridgemaster with a raised advertisement panel. I don’t know if it’s an illuminated one though. //www.eyms.co.uk/
John Darwent
28/03/12 – 08:29
I’m not sure about this, but I believe all the buses with raised advertisement panels were illuminated, but I think that this would have fallen into disuse at some period.
Keith Easton
28/03/12 – 11:27
Andrew – Here’s a link to the ‘It’s Best by Bus’ advert on EYMS Bridgemaster 725 //www.eyms.co.uk/
John Darwent
06/06/12 – 17:40
I found these posts very interesting as I was employed as a bus driver at Anlaby Road depot from 1963 till 1970 upon which I left for Australia. Yes I well remember driving a Bridgemaster the first time through the Beverley Bar and ducking my head !!!! another time which makes me smile, we were coming along Hessle Road into town in a saloon and when I pulled up at the bus stop my mate opened the door and said to this guy who was full as a boot ” we are full upstairs ” and he said ” ok mate I will wait for the next one so I can have a smoke” happy days.
Tony Frost
07/06/12 – 07:03
Nice anecdotes, Tony!
Chris Hebbron
06/09/12 – 07:34
Photograph of 3747 RH with the illuminated “It’s Best By Bus” slogan on the offside for Andrew 1st comment above.
John Thompson
24/02/13 – 08:14
Thanks for the replies, and particularly John’s links.
East Yorkshire Motor Services 1961 AEC Bridgemaster B3RA Park Royal H45/28RD
One of East Yorkshire’s rear entrance AEC Bridgemasters. Just shows the Bridgemaster could look good given the right sort of livery, the Beverley Bar inward profile of the upper deck also helps. Photograph taken at Goole on 22nd February 1968.
Photograph and Copy contributed by Ian Wild
You are quite right. Why didn’t Park Royal think of it? The Beverley profile would have improved many of their 1960s offerings – not just the Bridgemaster. But where are the number blinds? A strange omission for a normally very fastidious operator.
David Oldfield
I believe that East Yorkshire buses did not start showing route numbers until around 1963, although they were used internally and in the timetables. This was the reason that Hull Corporation had to renumber some of it’s routes in the 1 to 12 series in September, 1963.
Keith Easton
Yet another most nostalgic picture for me, as a lifelong admirer of EYMS, but from a different angle. Right up to my retirement in May 2001 I often worked this route from Arriva’s Selby Depot, and also from Pontefract. Despite quite an infrequent train service the confounded level crossing gates at Goole always seemed to be closed for an age, just so that the trains could enter and leave the adjacent station at walking pace !!
Chris Youhill
So was this a joint service between Arriva (presumably, formerly West Riding) and EYMS, or was it taken over from EYMS later? I don’t think EYMS operate to Selby today, do they?
Chris Barker
To be honest Chris B I’m not too sure about that as I only worked for Pontefract SYRT and the West Riding Depots from November 1987. Certainly though there was no sign of EYMS in Selby or Goole by then so presumably the 1986 De-regulation had caused that change. The intermediate destination blind on the Bridgemaster shows “Hemingbrough/Osgodby” and there was no EYMS presence on that road in my time, so this is an interesting query isn’t it ?
Chris Youhill
It was originally an EYMS service, but passed to West Riding, I believe in NBC rationalisation
Keith Easton
Thank you most sincerely for that explanation Keith – I’m somewhat embarrassed at not thinking of it as the NBC rationalisation scheme had some quite interesting effects here in West Yorkshire and nationally too. Its just another indication of how easily such dramatic changes can fade from the memory in the vast range of topics that are covered by we serious enthusiasts.
Chris Youhill
Yes, thanks for that. I’ve long thought that EYMS oozes interest, not only for its fleet but its history, operations, area of operation and not least the fact that it is still very much in business (independent business!) Long may it continue!
Chris Barker
The Hull to Selby route was numbered 4 by EYMS and was on licence BE3/15, so it must have been in operation prior to the 1930 Road Traffic Act, as it is in the original batch of licences granted to the company.
Keith Easton
28/06/11 – 06:29
Interesting comment on EYMS buses. I have just bought an EYMS bus a Yellow Peril MKH 84 for preservation need some work but will be worth it in the end.
Martin Chaplin
28/06/11 – 09:12
What a very enviable purchase Martin, and all the very best to you in your preservation work. My main memories of these magnificent vehicles is of travelling from Leeds to Bridlington in them when they were new and could be found on that route – with their fifty seats and enormous accommodation for holiday luggage. Later, when I was in the RAF at Patrington (Spurn Point) and occasionally “detached” to Bempton, one of these fine vehicles would appear on the last short journey from Bridlington to Bempton and, if memory serves, this journey operated at a different time almost every night of the week. What glorious days these were !!
Chris Youhill
29/06/11 – 07:00
Hi Martin, it will be great to see a “yellow peril” on the road again, the last time I saw one was in the late ‘seventies. I think that photos of the progress in the preservation would be most interesting and informative.
Keith Easton
13/02/12 – 07:29
I am also looking forward to seeing one of East Yorkshires most iconic vehicles in the shape of a “Yellow Peril ” back on the road. Hull born in 1952, I had the pleasure of growing up with the Titans, Regents, Bridgemasters and Renowns – travelled many times on the Yellow Perils particularly when they were used as our school buses from Hessle to Beverley Grammar School in the early 60’s. A pictorial diary of the restoration progress would be excellent. I wish Martin good luck with his project, and hope to see MKH 84 in all its glory in the near future, maybe then we can persuade OOC or EFE to produce its first Beverley Bar model.
John Eggleton
02/05/16 – 14:00
EYMS do currently run Goole to Selby on a Sunday, having won the contract from the council about 18 months ago.
Sam Eyers
23/05/16 – 07:38
I thought I would send these along to add to the EYMS archive. One sunny Saturday in September 1961, when I was 14, we had a family day out (West Yorkshire excursion) to Bridlington and I’d been lucky enough to borrow my older brother’s Zeiss camera, with which I snapped these. It seems odd that I only took two pictures, but there were only 12 shots on a film and the processing cost me four weeks’ pocket money. How different it is now with digital. The single decker was buzzing backwards and forwards all the time I was there, and what a handsome vehicle it was!
David Rhodes
29/05/16 – 05:44
Ian Wild’s excellent print of Bridgemaster 4700 AT was, of course, taken in Selby Market Place not Goole.
David A
29/05/16 – 15:52
Two lovely pictures David R and Bridlington bus station was a real gem in those days. The double decker is, of course, on the famous number 12 route from Hull via Driffield, Bridlington, Butlin’s Filey and Cayton Bay. The route survives to this day. The very celebrated single decker is one of the AEC Regals taken over with the business of Everingham Brothers of Pocklington, hence the East Riding registration as oppose to Hull, the norm for EYMS
