TRIVIA: What is the bus that sums up your childhood?

[TheSel]

My local routes had the last batch of PDR [PDR 1A/1] Atlanteans [1271 to 1296] allocated to SVR depot [which were allocated to my local routes when i was growing up], the whole batch 1236 to 1296[1236 has been, & still is in preservation for years] were originally intended for Midland Red West Midlands area depots but that got cancelled after Midland Red sold the West Midlands area depots & routes to West Midlands PTE, so the batch was diverted to Merseyside PTE instead.

This is one of the batch [on one of my local routes at the time too] that could easily been in Midland Red livery rather than Merseyside Green, Cream & Brown.

MPTE 1288 BKC288K

Woodside 1984 ©Jez Smith

www.flickr.com

Sorry to quibble, but the batch of PDR 1A/1 Atlanteans finished at 1295 (BKC295K). 1296 (DKC296L) was the first AN68, and was new in the Liverpool area green livery (appropriately enough at Green Lane, if I recall correctly).

The Wirral members of this batch (1271-1295) were new in the blue and cream version of the Merseyside PTE livery. 1271 seen below in Castle Square Liverpool, on a Rail Replacement working, during the construction of the Merseyrail Loop Line; 1272 seen further below in Seaview Road garage (as you mentioned above) in company with a then-new MetroScania saloon. (Both photos my own).

 

[Swanny200]

I was fond of the Atlanteans too. A minor correction, though; these had the gearshift mounted on the right, not on the steering column.

I'm sure at least one of them had the gearshift on the left of the steering column similar to this

 

[JonathanH]

this H&C bus was the vehicle normally used on our school run morning and evening for five years or so

CYA181J - an AEC Reliance / Plaxton bus with quite a turn of speed (a later operator blanked off top gear to slow it down.......)

In its later days with Chiltern Queens CYA181J was an occasional feature of my trips to and from school as well. Not one of my favourites due to only having 47 vinyl seats, being fairly dingy inside and there being other more capacitous but equally elderly AEC Reliance coaches in the fleet. 20 year old buses and coaches don't seem quite as decrepit now as they did in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The funny thing was that almost everyone aboard these journeys respected the 'luxury' (modern) coaches more than the older vehicles.

Reading's Mark 1 Metrobuses for me though.

 

[TheSel]

... Wirral was quite dull bus scene in the 80s, PTE allocations were Atlanteans with a batch of Daimler Fleetlines & Volvo Ailsa & Leyland National for single deck, Crosville was Bristol VRTs, Leyland Olympians, & Leyland Nationals, Liverpool on the other hand was far more interesting bus scene ...

A bit harsh!

At the beginning of the 1980s, Crosville still had Seddons and Bristol REs at Wirral depots. For twelve months they hired ten of the PTE's Fleetlines, and painted them in Crosville NBC green for use at Heswall. For a while they had a couple of ex Southdown Fleetlines, chiefly used on the Ellesmere Port - Birkenhead 'Asda' contract. From deregulation (Oct 1986) they operated new minibuses. Then (again from deregulation), you had operators such as Toppings with Nationals and Fleetlines, Busman Buses, Avon Buses ...


Crosville @ West Kirby - May 1981. Left to right, Bristol RE SRG125, Seddon RU EPG703, Leyland National ENL955.


Crosville Freight Rover MSR745 in Caldy Village - January 1987



Crosville (ex Southdown) ECW bodied Fleetline HDL920 in Birkenhead (where the bus station is now situated) working the free service to Ellesmere Port (sponsored by Asda - free for all to travel to Birkenhead, free to travel back provided you had a till receipt!) - July 1984.


Merseyside PTE 3015, on long term hire to Crosville as their HDG938 - passing Birkenhead Hamilton Square station - May 1983.

All photos taken my myself, and thus my copyright.

 

[Journeyman]

London Transport Metrobuses. They began appearing in large numbers in my area when I was about five years old, and they seemed very futuristic, especially with the distinctive transmission whine. Travelled on a lot of Fulwell and Norbiton based ones.

We briefly moved to a DMS dominated area in about 1982, and they seemed very grotty and old-fashioned in comparison.

 

[Bristol LHS]

Tyne and Wear Omnibus LH (and LHS) roaring around Sunderland, often full of London Country and GreenLine ads on the inside, some with string bells to pull for your stop. Drivers just wanted to get in front of Busways’ lumbering Atlanteans and Fleetlines (Willowbrook, ECW and Alexander bodied varieties all available)

Tyne & Wear Omnibus Bristol LH OJD56R - Sunderland - 29 September 1988

Explore Kevin Smith 251's 10251 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

And then, more salubriously, Go Ahead Northern Expresslink MCW Metrobuses running fast to Newcastle with grey and neon coach seats, and carpet on the lower half of the walls inside. There were a couple of VRs in the same livery that were much less comfy inside...

3779 C779 OCN

3779, a Go Ahead Northern MCW Metrobus is seen inside the shed at Chester-Le-Street while caring Express Link livery.

www.flickr.com

 

[Bluebirdscot66]

I have a distinct memory of when I was 3 maybe 4 of racing eastern Scottish Bristol Lodekka’s on my wee blue trike as well as Early Glasgow corporation Leylands . I stayed next to the terminus , which I would Later drive past on my bus When I was old enough to do so .

 

[Roger1973]

Oh yes I loved that back seat with the arm rests. Liked the bench seat beside the fare table as well. Did the conductor put it in at the start of the shift? I don't recall ever seeing one for the wrong route. One thing I hated about the RMs was the fare table hidden under the stairs.

I am fairly sure that this would have been part of 'dressing' the bus (as in setting the route number / via blinds to the correct route) which was done by the garage 'inside staff' during the night not by the bus crew at that point in time.

I was fond of the Atlanteans too. A minor correction, though; these had the gearshift mounted on the right, not on the steering column.

I'm sure at least one of them had the gearshift on the left of the steering column similar to this

I can't recall ever meeting a bus of the Atlantean / Fleetline / VR / RE generation with the gear selector on the driver's right, although I have found an example here (photo by Steve Kirkby on Flickr) - but would say it's something of a rarity in the grand scheme of things, even if a few operators did specify this layout.

Some had the gear selector on a separate pedestal not on the steering column like so (photo on Flickr by demnac25) but also on the driver's left.

I think it was the Leyland National that was the first to be standard with the gear selector on the right, and this practice was followed by the (1970s / 80s) Titan and Olympian, before everything went on to push buttons.


In answer to the original questions, London RM routemasters mainly (RMLs were quite a novelty as they didn't get further south east than Peckham at the time.)

Have very faint memories of RTs on a few routes (although if I hadn't had an enthusiast parent who made a point of them and took photos then I may not have noticed) - never really cared for the DMSs that were also around, or the MDs that ran on a few SE London routes. Also have vague memories of occasional ventures in to the London Country patch involving RMCs on the 477 - the doors, comfier seats and luggage racks made out of knotted string were very noticeable.

In to the 80s, Titans had replaced the DMSs and I didn't think much of them either.

 

[90019]

Lothian's Olympians, mostly the Leyland ones but sometimes the Volvos would make an appearance on my local route.

 

[delt1c]

Bristol Lodekka FLF with Sounds and Motion on the upper deck

 

[Busaholic]

Oh yes I loved that back seat with the arm rests. Liked the bench seat beside the fare table as well. Did the conductor put it in at the start of the shift? I don't recall ever seeing one for the wrong route. One thing I hated about the RMs was the fare table hidden under the stairs.

I saw a few incorrect tables over the years, but given the frequency of my journeys it'd probably represent only 0.005 % or something of that nature - probably slightly higher percentage of blank space.The ones I loved were the 'in service' off route garage journeys e.g. Rye Lane garage workings on the 13 from London Bridge to Peckham via Peckham Hill Street: Dalston's multifarious workings on the 9,11,47 and 78 were other favourites of mine.

 

[farwest]

AEC Regal IV, London Transport Green RF on route 447 to Caterham valley on its route from Reigate to Woldingham the ridge. Occasionally a red one used to turn up.

 

[David Goddard]

Cambus Bristol VRs for me. Used them to travel to Ely and Cambridge in the 1990s, before the Stagecoach takeover which sadly saw the demise of these great buses.
Not my photograph - taken from Flickr and credit to markkirk85

 

[GaryMcEwan]

The thing that sums up my childhood was when I was heading to my cousin's 6th birthday party and when the Leyland Leopard from Crieff to Perth via Madderty broke down.

This was in the days when Stagecoach ran the route as service number 655.

Also growing up during the Perth Panther days in the early 90s and remembering that the brand didn't stay about for long after Strathtay were effectively forced out of Perthshire.

 

[Busaholic]

I am fairly sure that this would have been part of 'dressing' the bus (as in setting the route number / via blinds to the correct route) which was done by the garage 'inside staff' during the night not by the bus cre

I think this too - never saw a conductor do it, or have a copy of the fare table about their person.

 

[Roger1973]

I think this too - never saw a conductor do it, or have a copy of the fare table about their person.

Not sure - if it was part of the conductor / OPO driver's job to do it, then it would have happened before leaving the garage. There were a very few red bus routes where buses worked more than one route in a day, and don't know what happened (either in theory or practice) on those. By the time more flexible working was allowed in the later 80s, I think that showing fare charts had gone out of fashion.

What happened (again, theory and practice may have been different) on country area / LC routes where buses did work multiple routes, I'm not sure.

Fairly sure that A4 size fare charts were available to conductors / OPO drivers and very occasionally were consulted - quite a rarity, so perhaps only by staff who were new, or working a rest day on a route they weren't familiar with.

 

[Eyersey468]

For me it's a EYMS Bristol VR in the Yorkshire Rose livery used from 1987 to about 1997

 

[Mills444]

Got to be a More Bus Wright Eclipse Urban 1 more specifically the route 8/9 branded ones and the Afc Bournemouth Spectra, always enjoyed seeing that.

 

[meepmeep]

Mine is a ride from town up the hill to home in Berkhamsted on the London Country 353 route to Windsor. A good old Leyland National

 

[FOH]

London Country North Western I think it was called Leyland National with the doors open in summer heat and the orange illuminated sign under the windscreen saying Exact Fare Only

 

[Redmike]

There was plenty of variety growing up in Manchester in the 80s and 90s but GM standards ruled the roads plus a lot of Metrobuses. I’d have to say the GM standards overall though as even operators like Finglands, Bullocks and Walls ended up with second hand examples.

Bee Line Buzz and GM Buses Little Gem minibuses we’re also making waves at this time. I remember children being handed free badges by Bee Line drivers.

 

[PaulJ]

An East Kent Regent V was my bus of choice to get me to school in the early 70s. There was such an uproar from parents when the fare was increased by 1p! My pic, taken at Dungeness station September 2019.

 

[meepmeep]

Also remember bus rides to college on the Green Line 708 route. Duple then Plaxton bodied Leyland Tigers

 

[Zamracene749]

ECW Bristol RELH, no question. I also grew up inside United territory, with a bit of Northern General at Peterlee. If it wasn't for childhood journeys on DP Bristol RE's I probably wouldn't have become interested in buses. Nothing before or since can match the aural symphony of an RE, the Dual Purpose ones were fabulous to ride on too, being warmer and more comfortable. TARDIS please!

 

[rcro]

Dennis Sabre?

(Picture shows a smart but "disguised" Bedford YMP/Plaxton Derwent that was very difficult to identify as an 8 year old!)

UWG882Y

UWG882Y (GVJ878) Bedofrd YMP Plaxton Derwent new to the National Coal Board Seen in Hereford Country bus station with Perry of Bromyard circa 1998 with two of Yeomans for company

www.flickr.com

Whilst it was Midland Red West Lances and Mercedes 608s that initially captured my imagination - our village had a "new" school bus come sometime in 1997/98 at about the same time as I started getting more interested. It used to take us to the local swimming pool every week - and I remember always feeling a bit inferior when the school after us would turn up in a "modern" Go Whittle Paladin/Dart(!) You don't appreciate quality until it's too late!

 

[GusB]

I'm tempted to close this thread on the grounds that it's beginning to make me feel quite old...

 

[meepmeep]

I'm tempted to close this thread on the grounds that it's beginning to make me feel quite old...

It made me think back more than 40 years! How do you think I feel? Lol

 

[Nammer]

The Alexander bodied Atlanteans in maroon and white in the City of Portsmouth

 

[Busaholic]

Not sure - if it was part of the conductor / OPO driver's job to do it, then it would have happened before leaving the garage. There were a very few red bus routes where buses worked more than one route in a day, and don't know what happened (either in theory or practice) on those. By the time more flexible working was allowed in the later 80s, I think that showing fare charts had gone out of fashion.

What happened (again, theory and practice may have been different) on country area / LC routes where buses did work multiple routes, I'm not sure.

Fairly sure that A4 size fare charts were available to conductors / OPO drivers and very occasionally were consulted - quite a rarity, so perhaps only by staff who were new, or working a rest day on a route they weren't familiar with.

I can't be sure of this, but I SEEM to remember that with Upton Park buses on the 15, the fare chart for the irregular short works route 100 that was worked off the 15 was incorporated in a box towards the bottom of the chart, but that could be complete False Memory Syndrome on my part after such a passage of time. Country routes I was far less cognisant with, and I wouldn't begin to fathom a guess as to what happened.

 

[Stan Drews]

For me it would have to be a GGPTE Leyland Atlantean ...or for real thrills a Scania Metropolitan!