A couple of Bedford adverts from 1957.
Click on pages once or twice.
Deleted
Ribble Leyland PD3 1722 has just come down Skelhorne Street in Liverpool and is about
to enter the Ribble Bus Station. When these PD3s were in good fettle, they were good to drive.
Ray Smyth.
DEANB:
A couple of Bedford adverts from 1957.Click on pages once or twice.
1
0
Were petrol engined buses & coaches still common in Britain in the late 1950s? I dont think they were still produced in France.
Froggy55:
DEANB:
A couple of Bedford adverts from 1957.Click on pages once or twice.
1
0
Were petrol engined buses & coaches still common in Britain in the late 1950s? I dont think they were still produced in France.
Most definitely yes. Lehane Coaches of Westbere near Canterbury were still running Petrol SB Bedfords with Duple Vega bodies and IIRC similar Ford Thames in the sixties early 1970s. By then they were relegated to school runs and trips for the colliery, but they could certainly fly.
Similar vehicle:
google.com/search?q=Lehane+ ⌠UwlMxWtjOM:
SB on the move, these were quality bodies:
Ray Smyth:
Ribble Leyland PD3 1772 has just come down Skelhorne Street in Liverpool and is about
to enter the Ribble Bus Station. When these PD3s were in good fettle, they were good to drive.
Ray Smyth.
Ray
The photo is of 1722 (PCK363).
1706 - 1755 were new in 1961 and had PCK registrations.
1756 - 1800 were new in 1962 and had RCK registrations.
cav551:
Froggy55:
DEANB:
A couple of Bedford adverts from 1957.Click on pages once or twice.
1
0
Were petrol engined buses & coaches still common in Britain in the late 1950s? I dont think they were still produced in France.
Most definitely yes. Lehane Coaches of Westbere near Canterbury were still running Petrol SB Bedfords with Duple Vega bodies and IIRC similar Ford Thames in the sixties early 1970s. By then they were relegated to school runs and trips for the colliery, but they could certainly fly.
Similar vehicle:
google.com/search?q=Lehane+ ⌠UwlMxWtjOM:
SB on the move, these were quality bodies:
Thanks! Very lively atmosphere on board 675 OCV!
Applied for a job at North Western Matlock depot in 68. Sent on a fortnights course to Stockport and passed my PSV in Nov. The job was fine but the repetitive nature of the work and the split shifts and the lure of the lorries ie.,your own vehicle pulled me back. Still have a big interest in the buses though,especially pre 80s. Always interested in anything T Tilling and BET,buses or lorries,good thread. Hereâs an interesting book with a cover picture of a Reliance coach demoted to bus duties in Matlocks old bus station on a service I new well as a driver and passenger. Mike. 
The Paris Renault buses were as well known if not more so than their British equivalents:
Leyland had some really evocative names for its single deckers, e.g. Lion, Leopard, and Royal Tiger.
So why on earth did they name their chinese six single decker the " Gnu " ?
Thinking about it though, maybe they realised that what ever body was built on it, it would look awkward and ugly, a bit like aâŚgnu !
Regards John.
ERF-NGC-European:
Ray Smyth:
ERF-NGC-European:
As an HGV Class 1 driver, I wasnât qualified to drive buses with fare-paying passengers but I did drive the odd bus, including a Bedford coach on driver assessment; a London RTL double-decker round an airfield(!); an ex-Southdown PD3 âQueen Maryâ the owner of which I taught to drive it; and the Leyland PD2/27A double-decker with Northern Counties bodywork pictured below. I bought this bus straight out of service from Stevensons of Uttoxeter. It began life with Burnley & Pendle. I converted it into a motor-home and lived in it from 1990 to 1992. During that time I travelled with it between work, including trips to Brittany and Belgium. It was a delight to drive!Cheers, Robert
Robert, Thank you for the Leyland PD2 pictures. These Leylands were a great machine to drive, particularly if you were
at the wheel of one that was in good nick, same remarks for the Leyland PD3 30 footers that I drove. Your Leyland would
have been fairly close to me here at Wigan in its early days, the Leyland chassis built just 11 miles up the road in Leyland,
the bodywork built 3 miles from me at Northern Counties when their factory was near the town centre, and its early life in
Burnley from new with its original owner. In 1967, Northern Counties bought Massey Bros, another major bus bodybuilder
and moved into the Massey factory in Enfield Street, the factory is still there, just 400 yards from where I am sat typing
this script. Kind Regards, Ray.My pleasure! Yes, it was in good nick: it had a yearâs PSV ticket on it when I bought it fresh out of service with the previous dayâs tickets still under the seats! If youâre perplexed by the registration plate, itâs because Stephensons re-registered it just before sale in order to keep the âcherishedâ earlier plate. This can be seen on the picture below. By sheer and utter coincidence the PD3 next to it was the one I drove later in its life when I picked it up for someone (empty of course). Mine was registered in Jan 1964 so it would have been built in late '63. Robert
Page 1. 2.
TruckNetUK. BUSES MOTORCOACHES LORRIES ,Page 8. VALKYRIE . Monday,17th September,2018.
Details of some of the vehicles from page 1 
New to Burnley,Colne & Nelson - Burnley & Pendle - as No.246 in January 1964,sold to Stevensons,Uttoxeter,in October 1976 and was numbered 9.
Re-numbered 29 in January 1981,and was sold out of service in 1990 and converted in to a Motorhome,and used as such,by ERF-NGC-European.
It eventually became a Playbus-Partybus,named Sid,QV second photograph.
Itâs original PCW 646 registration was transferred on to Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen,Roe,Motorcoach,ex-A655 EMY,ex-London Country,No.655,later No.
DTL 655,QV third photograph,and became No.14 in Stevensons motorcoach and bus fleet in February 1990
Leyland Titan PD2/27,St.Helens Front/Northern Counties H37/27F,64-Seat Double Decker Bus,Chassis No.LO1545,Body No.5871,PCW 946,later re-registered RFP 687B,Stevensons,No.29.Eventually became a Playbus. Phil Trotter.3#
1.
Leyland Titan PD2,27,Chassis No.LO1545,PCW 946,now registered RFP 687B,SID,ex-Burnley & Pendle,ex-Stevensons,an ex-motorhome.Is now a Partybus,SID,based in Liverpool. Garrietta.3#
2.
The Leyland Titan PD2/27 Playbus-Partybus,RFP 687B worked in Harrogate and the Yorkshire-North,East,West Yorkshire area,but is currently
based in Aintree,Liverpool. Contact details:-
Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen,Roe Doyen,C47FT Motorcoach,Chassis No.B54-63,Body No.GO4591,A655 EMY,became PCW 946.National Travel-London Country,No.655,then DTL655.Became Stevensons,No.14. 1#
NOTE: PCW 946 passed on to a blue Volvo motorcoach in January 1989,but has been out of circulation since February 2008.
3.
TonyJ105 What was the registration of the Bedford OB,Duple Vista Motorcoach of Sheltons in Woollaston ? Please.
4.
Foden PVSC6,Bellhouse Hartwell C33F Motorcoach,Chassis No.27746,FBU 235,Oldham,March 1949.New to Shearing,Oldham.Jackson.TonyJ105.1#
Bedford SB8,Leyland O.350 Diesel-Engined,Burlingham Seagull 59 C41F Motorcoach,Chassis No.67920,Body No.6770,VHO 443,Southampton,February 1959.New to Finchley Motorcoaches,W.T.Trebilcock,London N12. 1#
NOTE:Passed on to V.B.Scrivener,London E10,via Luton Commercial Motors,then later operated by Bere Regis & District Motor Services from April 1968 to July 1971.
Five Stevensons motorcoaches:-
6.
Maudslay SF40,Burlingham DP40F Single Decker Motorcoach-Bus,Chassis No.5254,CRE 13,Stafford,July 1935,J.Stevenson.Converted to DP38F in 1946.Model named Magna in 1937. Stevensons-Tim Jeffcoat.3#
Bedford WTB,Duple C25F Motorcoach,Chassis No.111562,Body No.8956,EVT 422,Stoke-on-Trent,June 1937,J.Stevenson -Yellow Bus. . Stevensons-Tim Jeffcoat.1#
Leyland Tiger PS1,1,Barnard C35F Motorcoach,Chassis No.472482,LLNo.1576,PRE 608,Stafford,June 1948,Stevenson,No.20,Uttoxeter. Colin White.1#
Leyland Royal Tiger PSU1,15,Burlingham Seagull Mk1 C39C Motorcoach,Chassis No.510212,LLNo.279,Body No.4885,VRF 139,Stafford,June 1951,Stevenson,No.16,Uttoxeter. Keith Moody. 1#
Leyland Tiger TS3,Cowieson C26 Motorcoach,Chassis No.61367,WG 37,Stirlingshire,March 1931,Walter Alexander & Sons,No.667,then P83. Became Stevenson,No.10,6-1944.Renovated by Lawton as B30F bus. Stevensons-Tim Jeffcoat.1#
VALKYRIE
oiltreader:
Various.
Oily
Any idea from which country is the bus on railway trollies? Maybe eastern Europe?
old 67:
Leyland had some really evocative names for its single deckers, e.g. Lion, Leopard, and Royal Tiger.
So why on earth did they name their chinese six single decker the " Gnu " ?
Thinking about it though, maybe they realised that what ever body was built on it, it would look awkward and ugly, a bit like aâŚgnu !
0
Regards John.
I had alwys thoughth the VAL was the only twin-steer bus/coach! I canât really see the purpose of fitting a third axle, steered or not, on what looks a standard-sized bus! Apart, of course, to bring useless complication in the maintenance and extra kerb!
A little bit about the Leyland GNU and some reference to the Leyland X7 twin steer trolleybus as well as the Midland red and Northern buses I referred to in another post.
As the second link points out the three axle bus was the means of providing maximum seating capacity while getting around the problem of legal restrictions upon overall length, and gross and axle weights imposed by the traffic commissioners and the Police. Remarkably, at the time of these developments even the provision of a driverâs windscreen was banned. The twin steer concept came about in PSV as an attempt to improve tyre life by eliminating the tyre scrub associated with a rear bogie.
countrybus.org/LT/LT.html#intro
As mentioned in the first link there is some footage of the X7 twin steer trolleybus in this clip. It appears at arond 2 minutes into the film.
gingerfold:
Didnât LUT have a couple of Atkinson single deckers Chris?
's one:
Yes they did have some, Graham - hereâs one:
LUT OTD534 by Chris Stanley, on Flickr
Bewick:
240 Gardner:
Bewick:
Hi Chris,
You mentioned Venture Transport which rung a bell in my old brain cell ! I can claim a family connection to this Bus firm via my Great Aunt Dora ( ne Bewick) whoâs married name was Harrison and her Husband uncle Tommy Harrison was related to the Family who ran The Venture as they used to refer to the firm. I know Iâm a bit vague but there was definitely a connection. My Great Uncle Tommy was a printer all his working life on The Newcastle Journal. Cheers Dennis.Youâve a finger in every pie, eh, Dennis??
Here are two of the aforementioned Atkis:
Venture RUP436 by Chris Stanley, on Flickr
Well Chris just think yourself lucky I had no antecedents resident in East Lancs otherwise I may well have been related to Russ Conwayâs Son !!
Cheers Dennis.
Well, fortunately, Iâm a native of Preston so Iâd have been safe! And your distant relations seemed to have the same buying sense as yourself, as they apparently had 24 Atkinsons on the Venture Transport fleet
VALKYRIE:
ERF-NGC-European:
Ray Smyth:
ERF-NGC-European:
As an HGV Class 1 driver, I wasnât qualified to drive buses with fare-paying passengers but I did drive the odd bus, including a Bedford coach on driver assessment; a London RTL double-decker round an airfield(!); an ex-Southdown PD3 âQueen Maryâ the owner of which I taught to drive it; and the Leyland PD2/27A double-decker with Northern Counties bodywork pictured below. I bought this bus straight out of service from Stevensons of Uttoxeter. It began life with Burnley & Pendle. I converted it into a motor-home and lived in it from 1990 to 1992. During that time I travelled with it between work, including trips to Brittany and Belgium. It was a delight to drive!Cheers, Robert
21
Robert, Thank you for the Leyland PD2 pictures. These Leylands were a great machine to drive, particularly if you were
at the wheel of one that was in good nick, same remarks for the Leyland PD3 30 footers that I drove. Your Leyland would
have been fairly close to me here at Wigan in its early days, the Leyland chassis built just 11 miles up the road in Leyland,
the bodywork built 3 miles from me at Northern Counties when their factory was near the town centre, and its early life in
Burnley from new with its original owner. In 1967, Northern Counties bought Massey Bros, another major bus bodybuilder
and moved into the Massey factory in Enfield Street, the factory is still there, just 400 yards from where I am sat typing
this script. Kind Regards, Ray.My pleasure! Yes, it was in good nick: it had a yearâs PSV ticket on it when I bought it fresh out of service with the previous dayâs tickets still under the seats! If youâre perplexed by the registration plate, itâs because Stephensons re-registered it just before sale in order to keep the âcherishedâ earlier plate. This can be seen on the picture below. By sheer and utter coincidence the PD3 next to it was the one I drove later in its life when I picked it up for someone (empty of course). Mine was registered in Jan 1964 so it would have been built in late '63. Robert
0
Page 1. 2.
TruckNetUK. BUSES MOTORCOACHES LORRIES ,Page 8. VALKYRIE . Monday,17th September,2018.
Details of some of the vehicles from page 1
New to Burnley,Colne & Nelson - Burnley & Pendle - as No.246 in January 1964,sold to Stevensons,Uttoxeter,in October 1976 and was numbered 9.
Re-numbered 29 in January 1981,and was sold out of service in 1990 and converted in to a Motorhome,and used as such,by ERF-NGC-European.
It eventually became a Playbus-Partybus,named Sid,QV second photograph.Itâs original PCW 646 registration was transferred on to Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen,Roe,Motorcoach,ex-A655 EMY,ex-London Country,No.655,later No.
DTL 655,QV third photograph,and became No.14 in Stevensons motorcoach and bus fleet in February 1990Leyland Titan PD2/27,St.Helens Front/Northern Counties H37/27F,64-Seat Double Decker Bus,Chassis No.LO1545,Body No.5871,PCW 946,later re-registered RFP 687B,Stevensons,No.29.Eventually became a Playbus. Phil Trotter.3#
1.
9Leyland Titan PD2,27,Chassis No.LO1545,PCW 946,now registered RFP 687B,SID,ex-Burnley & Pendle,ex-Stevensons,an ex-motorhome.Is now a Partybus,SID,based in Liverpool. Garrietta.3#
2.
8The Leyland Titan PD2/27 Playbus-Partybus,RFP 687B worked in Harrogate and the Yorkshire-North,East,West Yorkshire area,but is currently
based in Aintree,Liverpool. Contact details:-Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen,Roe Doyen,C47FT Motorcoach,Chassis No.B54-63,Body No.GO4591,A655 EMY,became PCW 946.National Travel-London Country,No.655,then DTL655.Became Stevensons,No.14. 1#
NOTE: PCW 946 passed on to a blue Volvo motorcoach in January 1989,but has been out of circulation since February 2008.
3.
7
TonyJ105
4.
Foden PVSC6,Bellhouse Hartwell C33F Motorcoach,Chassis No.27746,FBU 235,Oldham,March 1949.New to Shearing,Oldham.Jackson.TonyJ105.1#
6
Bedford SB8,Leyland O.350 Diesel-Engined,Burlingham Seagull 59 C41F Motorcoach,Chassis No.67920,Body No.6770,VHO 443,Southampton,February 1959.New to Finchley Motorcoaches,W.T.Trebilcock,London N12. 1#
NOTE:Passed on to V.B.Scrivener,London E10,via Luton Commercial Motors,then later operated by Bere Regis & District Motor Services from April 1968 to July 1971.
5Five Stevensons motorcoaches:-
6.
Maudslay SF40,Burlingham DP40F Single Decker Motorcoach-Bus,Chassis No.5254,CRE 13,Stafford,July 1935,J.Stevenson.Converted to DP38F in 1946.Model named Magna in 1937. Stevensons-Tim Jeffcoat.3#
4
Bedford WTB,Duple C25F Motorcoach,Chassis No.111562,Body No.8956,EVT 422,Stoke-on-Trent,June 1937,J.Stevenson -Yellow Bus. . Stevensons-Tim Jeffcoat.1#
3
Leyland Tiger PS1,1,Barnard C35F Motorcoach,Chassis No.472482,LLNo.1576,PRE 608,Stafford,June 1948,Stevenson,No.20,Uttoxeter. Colin White.1#
0
Leyland Royal Tiger PSU1,15,Burlingham Seagull Mk1 C39C Motorcoach,Chassis No.510212,LLNo.279,Body No.4885,VRF 139,Stafford,June 1951,Stevenson,No.16,Uttoxeter. Keith Moody. 1#
2
Leyland Tiger TS3,Cowieson C26 Motorcoach,Chassis No.61367,WG 37,Stirlingshire,March 1931,Walter Alexander & Sons,No.667,then P83. Became Stevenson,No.10,6-1944.Renovated by Lawton as B30F bus. Stevensons-Tim Jeffcoat.1#
1VALKYRIE
Iâm amazed that the old girl is still on the road, Valkyrie! Thanks for posting all that! Cheers, Robert
Another oddity not yet covered, is the AEC Q:
The East Lancs Big A Team delivered a surviving example to the Museum at Gaydon in 1993, whlst having a day off from Atkinson restoration:
ARA 475 by Gardner 8LXB, on Flickr
ARA 475 by Gardner 8LXB, on Flickr
We were delivering it on behalf of the BCVM at Leyland, and who had it in dry storage. Somewhere along the line, possession of it had become very political 
and it was demanded that they relinquish it. When we delivered it to Gaydon (a car museum, after all), they clearly didnât want it and it was left outside.
I understand that itâs now safely under restoration somewhere - lots more info at this link: flickr.com/photos/1cliffie1 ⌠kLH-rW2JCK
Finally, here it is in its heyday: although the Q is usually associated with London Transport, this one spent all its life in the Peak District with Silver Service.
Silver Service ARA475 fleet No10. by alan farrow, on Flickr
TROOPER 8011:
SHMD Joint Board - Atkinson/Northern Counties - (VTU76):0
Photographed at Heaton Park, Manchester. 02.09.18.
Except thatâ's not the Atkinson, sorry!
Although its body is similar to the sole Atkinson double-decker, this is a Daimler CVG6