RM 2023 known as Izzy’s Bus, at the sea front Worthing bus rally in 2013? about to pick up a full load of holidaymakers etc for a run out to Littlehampton and back IIRC. Self driving. The bus was purchased from a sympathetic Holloway garage some 10+ years earlier by a couple of very young enthusiasts.
AEC Mercury Recovery Vehicle. (Q389UHB).
The ‘workshop area’ behind the cab is made from part of the rear section (the rearmost 3 bays) of the body of a Leyland National bus.
Thanks for having started this most interesting new thread! It’s amazing to see how British coaches and buses, even single deckers, were so different from thier continental “cousins”!
Bonjour Froggy55, Thank you for your comments. This Ribble Leyland PD2 with Leyland bodywork
is seen here in Skelhorne Street, Liverpool in the 1950s, soon to set off to Lydiate, which is just off
the A59 near Maghull on the way to Ormskirk and Preston. Behind the stone wall is the vast expanse
of British Railways Lime Street Station. This bus is at the same location as Ribble 1438, which is shown
near the start of this thread on page 1. Regards, Ray.
I would like to see a picture of this unusual Smiths Tours Foden coach from the 1950s,
when it was in service. Smiths Tours became " Smiths Happiway Spencers " sometime
in the 1960s or 1970s, and later became “Shearings Tours”, still operating today.
Click on the picture for full image. Regards, Ray.
This Bedford coach of Stringfellow Bros of Wigan had bodywork by Yeates of Loughborough.
Stood beside the coach in Southsea is Tom Higham, one of Stringfellows PSV drivers.
Stringfellows also had a sizable fleet of furniture vans, I cant spell Pantechnicon 
.
Toms son Norman drove for Stringfellows on the vans doing removals in the UK and Europe.
Eventually the company became part of Pickfords Removals.
Regards, Ray Smyth.
2nd January 1962 was due to see the 13th stage of the withdrawal programme for London Trolleybuses. However it snowed heavily on New Years day resulting in severe disruption to services. London Transport did not use antifreeze as a matter of course and found that many of its brand new Routemaster buses which were scheduled to replace the trolleybuses had frozen up inside the depots.
The following come from Mike Beamish’s Bus Pages site. Top picture is outside willesden green station and the second is Stonebridge Trolleybus depot.
This is a dreadful picture of Ribble Leyland PD3, Reg.No. RCK 905, Fleet No. 1760.
It is seen here at the back entrance of the Wigan depot of Ribble. 1760 arrived at
Wigan depot about 4 months before I left the company, It was looking rough, in need
of a good tidy up, and a lick of paint. The engine was tired, in fact it wouldn’t pull
the ■■■■ off a chocolate soldier on a warm day. A few weeks later, it disappeared,
and a few weeks after that, it returned from Ribble at Frenchwood, Preston looking
like brand new, in the deep red colour that Ribble had used for many years. A few
days later, I did a round trip to Southport in 1760, and it drove and performed like
it was brand new. In the early 1970s, it received this horrible all over advert paint job.
The 2nd picture is 1760 in its much later life in National Bus Company “Poppy Red”.
I would like to find a picture of 1760 in original “Ribble Red”.
Ray Smyth.
Ray Smyth:
This ………. The 2nd picture is 1760 in its much later life in National Bus Company “Poppy Red”.
I would like to find a picture of 1760 in original “Ribble Red”. Ray Smyth.
Ray
You might find a Ribble Red photo of 1760 on Flickr. I’m sure that the bus has long since gone to the bus graveyard and broken for scrap/parts.
If you want to ride on one of 1760s sister vehicles, the Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust is holding a Running Day on Monday , 27th August in Lytham. It is their Annual Lytham Running Day. Based at Lytham Hall, the Running Day will provide former Ribble buses, and some guest vehicles, running a frequent service from Lytham Hall to Fairhaven Lake, St Annes Square and back to Lytham Hall. There is no charge to ride the buses, (although voluntary donations will be most gratefully accepted). There will be a static display of Ribble and Guest vehicles on the front lawn of Lytham Hall
Whilst Ribble 1760 can’t be there, its sister, preserved 1775 (RCK920) will be there, in the old Ribble Red, and will be running in service.
Just one little question. Are vintage buses allowed to carry passengers on public roads durin such events? In France, vintage registration certificates (with lightened technical check-ups) doesn’t allow that, thus reducing the interest of such events. In result, there are none!
Froggy55:
Just one little question. Are vintage buses allowed to carry passengers on public roads durin such events? In France, vintage registration certificates (with lightened technical check-ups) doesn’t allow that, thus reducing the interest of such events. In result, there are none!
Yes. Providing the driver has a valid PSV licence and the vehicle is properly insured to carry passengers then a full load can be carried. There is no necessity to hold an Operator’s licence and all the subsequent attached conditions if there is no element of hire and reward. A car licence holder may carry eight passengers. There are however two important conditions, all passengers MUST be carried strictly free of charge, it must be clear that the payment of an entrance fee to the event, or the purchase of a programme is not a condition of travel. For this reason some owners will only pick up passengers outside the event. Also the bus must not pick up passengers en route who are clearly waiting for a regular service bus. The TCs are very hot on this, operators have complained quite legitimately in the past about both issues. Even rattling a charity collecting tin on the vehicle could be considered hire and reward. Certainly no buckets are allowed for fuel contributions. The TC has the power to seize the vehicle in the case of contravention. Slightly off topic to the question, there is a known problem with a small number of owners who see unlicensed wedding hire for knock down prices as their bunce, which does cause an element of hostility from genuine operators.
Inspite of much criticism of TfL generally they take a slightly different view. Any event in their area has to be specifically authorised by them so they do require buses to pick up members of the public from bus stops if the vehicle is hailed. The reasoning being that they do not want complaints about buses not stopping to pick up. They require notices displayed stating the ride is FOC and all are carried at own risk.
If there is any criticism to be levelled at these events it would be that very, very occasionally an element of ‘playing buses’ creeps in with the odd participant. There can sometimes be a little too much concentration on ‘photo opportunities’, issuing tickets and “look, look there goes *** bus”, also allied to a lack of route knowledge, rather than strict professionalism in operating a service to timetable.
Legitimate operators may of course charge a fare for travel. In certain cases they need to apply to the TC or TfL for a one day service licence to operate a specific route on a named date.
The recently introduced issue surrounding MOT exemption for historic buses participating in such events is a subject of some debate at present. Some event organisers insist others don’t. There are arguments on both sides. We shall see what transpires next year.
cav551:
Froggy55:
Just one little question. Are vintage buses allowed to carry passengers on public roads durin such events? In France, vintage registration certificates (with lightened technical check-ups) doesn’t allow that, thus reducing the interest of such events. In result, there are none!Yes. Providing the driver has a valid PSV licence and the vehicle is properly insured to carry passengers then a full load can be carried. There is no necessity to hold an Operator’s licence and all the subsequent attached conditions if there is no element of hire and reward. A car licence holder may carry eight passengers. There are however two important conditions, all passengers MUST be carried strictly free of charge, it must be clear that the payment of an entrance fee to the event, or the purchase of a programme is not a condition of travel. For this reason some owners will only pick up passengers outside the event. Also the bus must not pick up passengers en route who are clearly waiting for a regular service bus. The TCs are very hot on this, operators have complained quite legitimately in the past about both issues. Even rattling a charity collecting tin on the vehicle could be considered hire and reward. Certainly no buckets are allowed for fuel contributions. The TC has the power to seize the vehicle in the case of contravention. Slightly off topic to the question, there is a known problem with a small number of owners who see unlicensed wedding hire for knock down prices as their bunce, which does cause an element of hostility from genuine operators.
Inspite of much criticism of TfL generally they take a slightly different view. Any event in their area has to be specifically authorised by them so they do require buses to pick up members of the public from bus stops if the vehicle is hailed. The reasoning being that they do not want complaints about buses not stopping to pick up. They require notices displayed stating the ride is FOC and all are carried at own risk.
Legitimate operators may of course charge a fare for travel. In certain cases they need to apply to the TC or TfL for a one day service licence to operate a specific route on a named date.
The recently introduced issue surrounding MOT exemption for historic buses participating in such events is a subject of some debate at present. Some event organisers insist others don’t. There are arguments on both sides. We shall see what transpires next year.
Thank you for such a full and informative reply! Froggy in France may like to know that:
PSV = Public Service Vehicle
TC = Traffic Commissioner
TfL = Transport for London
FOC = Free of charge
MOT = Ministry of Transport
Robert
Thanks very much to you two!
The main reason why vintage buses/coaches aren’t allowed to take passengers on public roads in France is because they’re exempted from the MOT. If ever they can meet with the normal checkup, they’re considered as standard vehicles. No idea if a fare can be charged for the trip, but most, if not all vintage vehicle shows are paying.
Yes, it looks incredible, but now in France, any vehicle over 30 years old with a vintage registration certificate can ride on public roads without any technical check-up! No passengers though for buses/coaches.
Here is a photograh taken by a Mr Fred Ivey in 1963.It is taken in the yard of Titley’s Mill Uttoxeter which was more or less opposite Macdonalds and shows a 1932 ex Derby Corporation Ransomes vehicle. and had been there since 1952 Behind it is an ex Wolverhampton vehicle just arrived at the site.A well known councillor Mr William Clarke lived in the Derby one and I think the other was a replacement.His own home was Heath House which was compulsery purchased by the Council and is still there between the Uttoxeter Fire Station and the Three Tuns pub and looks a fine house.If I remember the school dentist was or is there but not sure.The copyright is held by the British Trolley Bus Society and I have permission to put this on this site for Truck Net and no other.
Tony
Ribble Leyland Atlantean 1803 with MCW Lowbridge bodywork is seen here arriving back
in Wigan town centre, having been to Pimbo Industrial Estate at Skelmersdale on route W8,
a “Works Service”. There was also Route W5 to Pimbo, 1 of these 2 services went to the
Dunlop factory, and the other went to Vick International, later to become Richardson Merrill,
but I cant remember which went to where. Ray Smyth.
