Buses of my childhood. Shite ones obviously

[dollywobbler]

I like Flickr. I just had a search for Caves Buses, who shuttled me to and from school and then, a few years later, shuttled me home from Birmingham's finest nightclubs.

 

I started secondary school in 1989, and conveniently, there's this lovely shot of the sort of bus-shite Caves had at the time.

 

Willowbrook-bodied Bedfords. I think they came from a mining community somewhere. They were old and I loved them. Here's another shot.

 

Caves then added this curiosity in the early 1990s. An ACE Cougar. It was a prototype I think. Don't know if they built any more of them.

 

It's overtaking a Volvo with Plaxton bodywork operated by Your Bus, another small company operating in the same area before being swallowed up by West Midlands Travel. Your Bus also had identical bodywork atop Leyland chassis. Same looking bus, two very different noises. These Volvos were a bit posh, with full auto transmission.

 

Caves went mad at one point and bought a brand new Dennis Dart with Carlyle bodywork. Note the weird curved windscreen.

 

But then they cleared out all of the Bedfords and opted for a fleet of Leyland Nationals. The Dennis remained for a bit, but the ACE was there until the end.

 

It was these that ferried me home after a night of clubbing. The driver would often stop at the 24hr petrol station to allow us to buy fags on our way home.

 

Caves ceased trading in 1999, after the death of the founder and, some time later, his son. The National pictured above was apparently used to transport the employees to the son's funeral but has sadly now been scrapped.

 

What can you find of your school bus memories on t'tinterweb?

 

EDIT - Just found this brilliant video of a key bus route in my childhood, albeit this was taken a year before we moved to the area. Note how the West Midlands Travel 50 Metrobuses seem to hunt in packs! Your Bus operated a variety of shabby old double deckers, usually ex-Machester Atlanteans I think. Some top shite spotting in the video too!

[Felly Magic]

Leyland Atlantean Roe Jumbos were the mainstay for my school buses at one point, then it went over to MCW Metrolumps, then to various local cowboy ops, using quality tat such as aged Leopard coaches

 

[Shep Shepherd]

I grew up with the Leyland National, as the East Kent Road Car Company (the bus company which served the part of the world I grew up in until the 1990s) used them as their default single-decker in the 1970s and 1980s:

 

 

I travelled on the one in the photo (now in preservation, but largely unrestored) many times when I was a pup

[dollywobbler]

WMT naturally used Fleetlines, as Birmingham had long used Daimler's from neighbour Coventry.

 

What I find interesting hurtling through Flickr is how I much prefer shots of the buses in action. I'm not very keen on preserved buses, as they were never that shiny when they were in use!

[Craig the Princess]

Mine were of Selkent's stable

 

Normally Titans with the odd Olympian on routes 53 and 54. These were replaced by Northern counties Ovlovs

 

Also:

These old Mercs on routes 286 and 202/306.

[Lord Sterling]

WMT naturally used Fleetlines, as Birmingham had long used Daimler's from neighbour Coventry.

 

What I find interesting hurtling through Flickr is how I much prefer shots of the buses in action. I'm not very keen on preserved buses, as they were never that shiny when they were in use!

 

Hey, that shot is from Alcester Road. There is/was an indoor Karting centre there. I never knew this was a Bus garage, I used to pass it quite alot whilst hanging about with mates a few years ago.

 

Busses from my childhood were one of the 'TOF' registered Leyland Nationals:

 

Here is one being boarded in Bridgnorth.

 

This one at the former Dawley Bus Station.

 

A couple from Telford Bus station;

 

Sometimes we'd catch these:

 

These used to transport a little me and Ma_Sterling around Telford in the 80s and possibly early 90s from what I can remember.

[AeroNautiCal]

I had to walk to school, though the 38 Routemaster to the West End was my favorite bus ride.

 

 

I quite liked the 253, 277, 106, 22* and 6* buses too (*when the 22 and 6 were Hackney based).

[brammy777]

Here we go, the first bus I remember getting on was the 401, which went right down my road in Bexleyheath, there was no room at all for anything else when it went past.

T - BEXLEYBUS - B118 WUV - Route 401 - BEXLEYHEATH (1) by Routemaster RML2323, on Flickr

They soon went over to red though. Is the B+W plates a leftover from when these Titans operated for LT?

T - BEXLEYBUS - THX 184S - Route 269, A652 THV - Route 401 - BEXLEYHEATH GARAGE by Routemaster RML2323, on Flickr

SR, MR - BEXLEYBUS - F156 FWY - Route B16, SELKENT ROUNDABOUT - E644 KYW - Route B16 - BEXLEYHEATH GARAGE by Routemaster RML2323, on Flickr

Anyone remember either of these buses? The Metrorider was a right weird looking thing, pretty easy to tell that the people behind the Metrocab made it. If I remember correctly, they didn't last on frontline duty for very long. Also, I do seem to recall some buses which had rear light clusters on the upper deck as well, along with windscreen wipers (?) up top on the front deck, what was that about?

On to Slough, I don't really remember too many buses from there, just that they were operated by First and were called Beeline, and were either Lynxs or Darts.

The Bee Line ( Berks Bucks Bus Co. ) . 802 K8021CAN . Bracknell Bus Station . by AndrewHA ., on Flickr

 

Now onto Basingstoke and Odiham, Stagecoach has been operating here since the dawn of time, although more interestingly, the school buses in use when I started secondary school in 2002 were amazing, Atlanteans, VRs and a couple of Dennis Dominators, the oldest was a 76 P plate!

Newnham Coaches YDL671T by nigelcarroll20, on Flickr

Stagecoach were seemingly still using this one though:

15763 EWS751W by nigelcarroll20, on Flickr

Up until recently, these were the buses that I always used to get on, going pretty much both directions from where I live.

A pair of B10s. by bramm77, on Flickr

I believe they have all been withdrawn from the area now though, low floor laws and whatnot. A shame, as they were mega quick when pushed.

[Skizzer]

When I was a nipper we walked to school, but we did get the bus to go to the (horrid) council baths for swimming lessons. Mostly we went in this very bus:

Morris Bros 4222 FM by Woolfie Hills, on Flickr

 

So imagine how posh we felt when one day in 1978 this showed up:

Hawkes Coaches,Waunarlwydd VAY 310S. by Woolfie Hills, on Flickr

 

The South Wales Transport service buses were mostly Leyland Nationals and Bristol VRs.

[RoadworkUK]

Great thread!

This, plucked from t'web, is one of the ACTUAL Duple Lasers that used to frequent my school in the early 90s



I actually think that paint scheme really suits it. Other Partridge stuff we got sometimes was Daimler Fleetlines (er, off the top of my head, KJD58P, THM630M), A Leyland Atlantean HHB48N and a Neoplan 122 bodied by Plaxton (a Paramount 4000), with a Gardner 6LYT that made a fantastic noise.

I was 12.

[Craig the Princess]

SR, MR - BEXLEYBUS - F156 FWY - Route B16, SELKENT ROUNDABOUT - E644 KYW - Route B16 - BEXLEYHEATH GARAGE by Routemaster RML2323, on Flickr

 

Anyone remember either of these buses? The Metrorider was a right weird looking thing, pretty easy to tell that the people behind the Metrocab made it. If I remember correctly, they didn't last on frontline duty for very long. Also, I do seem to recall some buses which had rear light clusters on the upper deck as well, along with windscreen wipers (?) up top on the front deck, what was that about?

 

I remeber them both, the Mercs can only have worked in London for about 18 months, I thought the Metroriders lasted a few years before Dennis Darts killed them all! There is the cab of a Metro rider at the LT muesum in London if you want to "drive" one.

[Guest]

 

all sat laid up at pvs busses . there's another yard just round the corner from there full of coaches and single deckers

[dollywobbler]

Nice one Brammy. Forgot the MCW Metroriders. Given their brummy nature, they were on the streets too. As you say, not for that long.

 

The link to double deckers with wipers upstairs takes us nicely to the MCW Metroliner. They had quite a range in the 1980s! Buses, taxis and trains.

 

As we've moved to coaches, one that's always amazed me is the Bova Futura.

 

Hard to believe that this spaceship of a coach was launched in 1984! They're still selling an updated version today.

[trigger]

From my last year of primary school in 1990 to the end of my school days in 1996 I got the same school bus route from outside my house, I lived in the countryside so i had to rely on the bus to get to school, It covered a few small villages before finishing off at Stanway school.

 

The buses were laid on by Hedingham Omnibuses, as i was always the first and last stop, and it was only me at the end i got to know the drivers quite well and used to stand up front chatting to them, A bit naughty looking back on it now i guess.

 

The first one i can remember was this one.

 

Hedingham heads home by quicksilver coaches, on Flickr

 

We had this on and off for years, It's still going as a show bus now.

 

09-18 STW 30W Bristol VRT-ECW ex Hedingham, Eastern National, Showbus by delticalco, on Flickr

 

We had a few different double decker bus, all the same as this one, no doubt that this was one of them, They had a brilliant semi-automatic gearbox which was on the side of the steering column IIRC and was like a little gate which the lever drop between, One day whilst sat on the top deck the bus hit a low tree (unsurprisingly considering the route was just tiny country lanes), The front window smashed and covered the top deck in glass, Luckily i was on the back seat at the time.

 

Hedingham L212 (M211 WHJ) by Colin H,, on Flickr

 

I remember when this very bus was brand new, I was one of it's very first passengers, It was quite exciting, a few weeks later we had a Austin Allegro being driven by my now mechanic drive into the side of the bus down on a tight bend on my road, It didn't go down well.

[morris_ital_lover]

 

Are those Ford Granada lights on the front of the Merc?

 

As for my bus shite I've been in this bus many a time:

 

 

It was notable for ts seats so dirty that until they"overhauled" it you could smack the seat a couple of times and make a cloud of dust that would emcompass all around as you ran away.

 

And earlier my school had a love in with Heyfordian so my school trips were dominated by this motley collection:

 

 

[RoadworkUK]

Trig, are you completely sure you're not, in fact, me?

 

We had Hedingham too, and UVX4S, 5S, 6S and 7S were all regulars, along with GVW894W, JKV414V, BNO700T and an ECW bodied Leyland Tiger I can't remember the reg of.

 

Hedingham had some amazing old shit in the early 90s.

[trigger]

Crikey! You must have had the same buses then?!

[Felly Magic]

Yup the Optare Star Rider had Granada front lights, and the coach version had upside down rear lights from the Granada 3. The Metrorider had Cortina headlamps & indicators, and Ford Escort Mk4 estate/cabrio rear lights, and Triggs & Roadwork, Hedingham until very recently had a huge fleet of Bristol VR's and Plaxton Supremes. They still own a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard that is N reg'd

[wackywacerwill]

These still ran on local routes when I was a young lad.

 

 

We used to jump on the moving bus in Woolwich after the conductor went upstairs. 9 times out of 10 by the time he came back down we were at the top of the hill near home on Plumstead common. All this fun ceased when they brought in modern pay the driver buses and we then resorted to cutting and gluing discarded bus passes or throwing the one valid one from the top deck to pass it back down the line. Happy days

[RoadworkUK]

Crikey! You must have had the same buses then?!

 

We had Hedingham, Partridge and some (I thought incredibly flashy) Chartercoach Merc 0303s and FAP-Sanos Charismas.

[RoadworkUK]

They still own a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard that is N reg'd

Yep, I remember that one well. They also had something peculiar (???418L?) that I never did identify, all angular but with glazed panels above the windows.

 

EDIT: FOUND IT! How awesome does this thing look?

 

 

Sadly, somebody commented that it ended up burnt out.

[Felly Magic]

This beast ended up being a regular on my school run, ex WM/London Ailsa. Fast as feck, noisy as hell...In this photo it's my mates dad, John Mawson at the helm, aka Scarecrow! The firm was owned by my great uncle, so I never had to pay..MUAHAHAHAHA

 

[Felly Magic]

They still own a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard that is N reg'd

Yep, I remember that one well. They also had something peculiar (???418L?) that I never did identify, all angular but with glazed panels above the windows.

 

Marshall Cammair bodied Bedford. Was torched by some local bell ends. It had been earmarked for preservation too.

[RoadworkUK]

They still own a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard that is N reg'd

Yep, I remember that one well. They also had something peculiar (???418L?) that I never did identify, all angular but with glazed panels above the windows.

 

Marshall Cammair bodied Bedford. Was torched by some local bell ends. It had been earmarked for preservation too.

 

See above!

 

You know what, I always though it was a Marshall of some kind, maybe a prototype, but never had it confirmed until 30 seconds ago! Cheers Felly!

[Felly Magic]

Photo in the old Colchester bus station. BTW, in the mid naughties I was a driver for Worst in Colchester and have this rather epic photo I took of my bus on Mersea Island. THIS IS NOT PHOTOSHOPPED! The Hanover Destination units had alphanumeric keypads, and any 4 number/letter combo could be added. They only altered it when one driver was spotted by a local councillor with FUCK Colchester Bus Station on! That driver wasn't me btw

 

[Felly Magic]

Sadly not from my childhood, my all time favourite. AEC Sabre with a V8. Reputedly only four made and this one survives but not looking as good as in this picture.

 

 

That is the unique ECW bodied coach

[RoadworkUK]

THIS IS NOT PHOTOSHOPPED!

 

Superb! I still remember Colchester Borough Transport Atlanteans heaving their way up North Hill.

[worldofceri]

This seems as good an evening as any to scan the only two bus related photos I have from my childhood.

 

I never got the bus to school as I always lived close enough to walk; Thank feck 'cause I know I would have hated it.

 

But we were ferried on many a trip by Stevensons of Uttoxeter, like this occasion in 1996 when we visited Stanage Edge.

 

 

The driver tried to turn around in a small car park and got the nearside front wheel bogged down in the verge. We all thought it hilarious, of course, whilst the teachers remained unimpressed. At one point there was a gang of lads jumping up and down over the offside rear wheel in hopes of getting a bit of traction; 'twas futile though without a diff-lock.

 

[dollywobbler]

Cor, some epic bus-chod in this thread! Thanks chaps. That boxy Bedford is awesome.

 

I may well have ridden on that Volvo Ailsa when it was part of the WMT fleet. As you say, they were epically noisy and it a bit of a design blind alley (note clever reference to another current thread) in that I can't think of many buses with the engine between the driver and the front door!

[RoadworkUK]

Cor, some epic bus-chod in this thread! Thanks chaps. That boxy Bedford is awesome.

 

 

Front 3/4.

 

 

Quite ahead of its time for '73. Reminds me a bit of '73 London Tube Stock, for some reason.