The Leyland Nationals. Much MUCH missed buses!
Nodding Pig has some interesting stuff on his flickr site
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/15701726621/in/dateposted/ shows one of the relatively rare Bristol FSFs at Bog Island in Bath (for the uninitiated, a FSF is basically a short version of the FLF).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/10842771196/in/dateposted/ shows an FLF on the 339 on diversion in his home town of Salford.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/10211820866/in/dateposted/ depicts a FSF on the 339 - I'm pretty sure that this was a one-off as whenever I saw the 339, it was the preserve of FLFs. Six workings from each of Marlborough Street and Bath depots.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/10176455275/in/dateposted/. We now migrate to a 1970s Bristol City Centre and once of Lawrence Hill's early FLFs.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/10174412325/in/dateposted/ Ah, the G prefixes for the Gloucester City fleet (the dedicated Bristol City fleet had C prefixes). I certainly remember the two tone fleetnumber plates with C and G prefixes but not the black ones with the two letter depot code .
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/9921582193/in/dateposted/. Now that's a proper livery for a FLF!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/9101013413/in/dateposted/. If all RE's had been painted this colour. I was brought up on REs and there was only one place to sit - immediately above the rear axle!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/9079732024/in/dateposted/. Equally pretty!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/8122762073/in/dateposted/ Ah, the days when nearly all Bristol City services were either RE or FLF worked - there were a few Leyland Nasties, particularly the troublesome JHU-L batch, which seemed to mainly work out of Staple Hill and Muller Road.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/8122738133/in/dateposted/ Staple Hill allocation plates were comparatively rare as Muller Road was the parent depot and allocations were shared.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/6930351200/in/dateposted/. And so to Bath and one of the former Western National FLFs that came when Bristol took over WN's Trowbridge depot. Ironically, a few year's earlier. BOC had sold some FSFs to WN and a few came back with Trowbridge depot!
Now a poser for you Bristol bus historians - in the 1970s, my local routes were mainly part of the Hanham local services (383, 387 & 388). Is anyone aware of photos of these three routes out there. The 383 would have been REs while the 387 & 388 were the preserve of FLFs (they had to be crew operated because of the turn on the 388 at Bitton village). Once Hanham closed, the routes were modified and became the 58 and 59 with the 383 disappearing (I think). This is the only one that I have seen
Now a poser for you Bristol bus historians - in the 1970s, my local routes were mainly part of the Hanham local services (383, 387 & 388). Is anyone aware of photos of these three routes out there. The 383 would have been REs while the 387 & 388 were the preserve of FLFs (they had to be crew operated because of the turn on the 388 at Bitton village). Once Hanham closed, the routes were modified and became the 58 and 59 with the 383 disappearing (I think). This is the only one that I have seen
Nodding Pig has some interesting stuff on his flickr site
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/8122738133/in/dateposted/ Staple Hill allocation plates were comparatively rare as Muller Road was the parent depot and allocations were shared.
The allocation plate always refered to the depot the vehicle was maintained at. Avonmouth and Staple Hill had no heavy maintenance facilities so didnt have a proper allocation. This suddenly changed for Staple Hill when new facilities were built in the depot and the SH codes appeared. This was about two years before the depot closed however!
Avonmouth was AV but nothing carried it because it had no facilities. The codes, and the blue colour for the training fleets, were both introduced by a new General Manager who'd come from Eastern National and the other depots were closed before codes were use. I believe the codes were out of use by the time the darts were introduced and somebody at Hengrove has added them on recently.I seem to recall from one of Fray's excellent captions that the yard at Staple Hill was resurfaced not long before closure was announced. Such profligate spending wasn't unknown in NBC times!
Makes me chuckle when I see First Bristol 42711 still displaying its old number and WE code. Think the codes used were
GR - Gloucester **
SD - Stroud
CM - Cheltenham **
SN - Swindon **
DS - Devizes (Think it had a code)
TE - Trowbridge
BH - Bath
WM - Weston
WS - Wells **
SH - Staple Hill $
WE - Winterstoke Road
MR - Muller Road $
LH - Lawrence Hill **
MH - Marlborough Street
HN - Hanham $
Don't think Avonmouth $, Wotton under Edge, Highbridge or Cirencester $ had codes? Other depots (Eastville $, Brislington $, Westbury $) are a bit before my time so don't know about them - any further info??
As an aside, depots still in use ** and still standing in other guises $, and I see that Stagecoach will be replacing the old Swindon depot with a new facility
Avonmouth was AV but nothing carried it because it had no facilities. The codes, and the blue colour for the training fleets, were both introduced by a new General Manager who'd come from Eastern National and the other depots were closed before codes were use. I believe the codes were out of use by the time the darts were introduced and somebody at Hengrove has added them on recently.
The codes above were engineering codes, the traffic department also used two letter codes but some were different Winterstoke was WS for example and all duty and bus details refered to this. Devizes didnt have an engineering code, however it would have had a traffic code. Brislington is still involved with bus MOTs as several local owners take preserved ones there for the class V test!
Don't think Avonmouth $, Wotton under Edge, Highbridge or Cirencester $ had codes? Other depots (Eastville $, Brislington $, Westbury $) are a bit before my time so don't know about them - any further info??
Kingswood had KD. Only 24 plates were made initially for the M reg mercs. Some transferred to the N plates when they came (tacho fitted). l Have 5 of them !
Oh, and C33, that's not a Volvo Olympian. It's a Citybus but one of the three that began life with Western National and were then allocated to MH, rather than the native ones that were based at WM.
Re Kingswood. This belonged to zkingswood Queen ( Feltham's) and was originally hard standing. By 1956, a single storey building and 2 ex aircraft hangers were on site. Upon takeover by Wessex on z61, the building had another storey added. Around 74, the front hanger was demolished and a smaller fuelling shed erected. The site closed after the 83 summer season when Wessex, by now National Travel West moved to LH. BOC moved in in 86 until 95. When sold, it became a wood distribution yard as it is today still untouched structurally. The building has been slightly altered and o think owned by social services. Photos on Flickr can be found by doing the relevant searches etc. including my stream. The site in St. Phillips is seperate from Turners and used after privatisation until takeover by First.
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Correction, Badgerline Holdongs !
Moved 2007 so only visit now but belive a transport firm ??
Some more photo memories again. And we're back in Bristol again.....
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/24098831980/
Colston Avenue, The Centre. Back in 1981. A Bristol Lodekka on an 88 to Southmead. Behind it on the other bus stop is a much new bus, a Leyland Olympian in the original City Clipper livery about to work an X67 to North Common.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/24098830360/
The old Bristol Bus Station back in 1984. A few Bristol RE's in view here. Not sure exactly what the coach is there, a Leyland Leopard?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52971760@N05/24416598345/
The Haymarket/Rupert Street. 20th August 1984. And a flat fronted Bristol VR on a 71 to Hartcliffe Wills!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28431353@N02/23579739986/
Sea Mills Square. 25th September 1971. And a Bristol KSW on a 23 to Lockleaze.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40511259@N03/22656530553/
The junction of Pen Park Road and Southmead Road here. Back in 1983. And a Bristol Lodekka on a 77 to Hartcliffe.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55286387@N05/22821896103/
Baldwin Street. Just outside out the old Gaumont Cinema, a Leyland National on a 53 to Blackhorse!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8821741@N04/18686632041/#
Rupert Street. February 1981. And a Bristol Lodekka on a 75 to Little Stoke.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8821741@N04/18061661644/
And in the same location, probably on the same day. A flat fronted Bristol VR on a 74 to Patchway Estate.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aptisman/22869601703/
And finally, for the time being. The Centre. Sometime back in the late 1980's or very early 1990's. And a smashing shot here of a Leyland Olympian in the later City Clipper livery, on an X65 just arrived on it's service from Cribbs Causeway. I absolutely love this livery! In my opinion the best bus livery I've ever seen!
A short update for you...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmoth3106/5556451133/in/pool-1553414@N22/
This scene of a Bristol FLF Lodekka at the Henbury Tomarton Crescent terminus looks as though it could be the 1970's or early 1980's. But in fact it's from September 1993! It has 0 as the service number blind and blank on the destination blind. But it would have just worked a service 1 Broomhill-Henbury. Presumably it was just about to run back to the depot.
After four or five years of these Lodekka's being taken out of service in Bristol, I was amazed one day in November 1989 when waiting for a 1 bus to travel back home from work on the Bath Road to Henbury, when one of these turned up on the 1. I could not believe it! One of these old fashioned buses in service back then in old fashioned green livery(very different compared to the yellow, red, and blue City Line livery!), complete with a conductor taking fares with those old fashioned ticket machines and issueing those old fashioned yellow tickets! Plus the old fashioned dim yellow lighting inside too. Incredible! Even back then I found this amazing and very nostalgic! It was the very late 1980's, but being onboard this bus I felt like I was back in the 1970's or early 1980's! For some reason City Line brought this Lodekka back into service from either 1988 or 1989 through to sometime in late 1993. I remember getting on this near enough every weekday from work for a couple of months, untill I left that job in February 1990! I then didn't end up getting on this bus again untill about mid 1991. Got in a handful of times after that during 1991 and early 1992, but sadly not after that before it was withdrawn from service in late 1993.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmoth3106/5610214966/in/pool-1553414@N22/
Another photo of this bus in the same location from October 4th 1993.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmoth3106/5557035452/in/pool-1553414@N22/
And on the very same day, here's a photo of it at Broomhill's Whitmore Avenue terminus. About to depart on a 2 to Southmead.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmoth3106/5556450827/in/pool-1553414@N22/
And again on the same day, here it is at the Polytechnic. It's got 000 as the service number on the rear blind, and obviously we can't see what the service number and destination are on the front blinds. But I would imagine that the only service this could be back then, would have been the 70 Centre-Polytechnic service.
Bristol Lodekka's. Very much missed buses!