Bus Shite

[Inspector Morose]

For those who are in the slightest bit interested (just me then), that's a Park Royal bodied Karrier E6. Trolleybuses of that period were made to look either slightly like their fossil fuelled counterparts or very like them, up to and including the fitting of a dummy radiator shell.

As this was built in 1931, it will have been built in Huddersfield, after they were purchased by Rootes in 1934, trolleybus production moved to the Sunbeam factory in Wolverhampton, both ranges eventually sharing everything barring the badge at the front.

[Yoss]

I took this this morning because I thought the bus would be nice a contrast with the cherry blossom trees.  Plus I got the Panda in as that must be proper Shite by now. 

But this one got me thinking I've something like this at home.... 

So a quick rummage later. This is 1988. By the way I have never seen this bus stop so busy at any point in the intervening 37 years, I really don't know what is going on here. 

The cherry blossom trees aren't even there at that point. The convenience store is a Circle K, anybody else remember those or were they just a local thing? When I were a lad the convenience store was a Sperrings, definitely a local brand, but it was smaller and there were a separate Post Office and greengrocers in between that and the chippy. The chippy was only renamed from Cap N Cod to the Big Catch a year or so back. The Post Office was absorbed in to the Circle K for a while before disappearing completely. There is now an Indian takeaway and a betting shop between the (now a Premier) shop and chippy. 

In the top picture you can see a hairdresser and funeral parlour in a separate building to the right. They have both always been that but I can't remember if the names have changed. 

 

So I went through some of my other pictures and went back out and took these (I live about a hundred yards from here now. Forty years ago I lived a hundred yards in the opposite direction).

1985. This was a running day. The last Regents were withdrawn in 1981. It seems mad to think that was only four years previous. At the time it already felt like the dim distant past which it now is. I was about 16 or 17 at the time so four years was a much larger proportion of my life back then. 361 still exists, I very much doubt that any of the cars do. 

Today. The bus stop had its own layby then, now it doesn't. It has also moved forward several yards. This of course is because of the slightly raised kerb for level loading. Obviously better to have it on the straight bit of road. 

To the left of each of these pictures you can also see changes. A wall in the first one and a metal fence with tall hedge in the latter. In 1985 it was the yard of Summerfield Coaches, a long gone local coach company. Now it is a special needs school. Obviously as a crank I would prefer it was still a coach yard but even I would have to admit the school is probably a better use of the land. 

This is looking the other way, school clearly visible. 

Unfortunately I can't find a corresponding 1980s shot. But I did find this, taken about a hundred yards from the above picture pointing the other way. One of Summerfield Coaches more interesting vehicles, the world's shortest Bristol LH, which they had acquired for a specific school job I think. 

The pub behind the bus is now a Tesco. My main memory of that pub, The Woodman, was sitting in the window watching the V8 Sherpa ambulances coming and going. The hospital was just down the road. 

 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

The convenience store is a Circle K, anybody else remember those or were they just a local thing?

I remember them, not sure if just suffern or national

[shampooefficient]

On 31/03/2025 at 21:55, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

From memory all of the Tridents at Walsall had the indicator/wiper stalk on the right. Only ever drove an Olympian once, can't recall any brake difference compared to a Trident.

I remember it because I once took an Olympian (Volvo) up to a changeover, took over a Trident, went to press the brake to let a young lass cross the road with loads of room... And instead left her fearing for her life because I'd barely pressed the pedal where in the Olympian it would have stopped well short

[artdjones]

11 hours ago, Yoss said:

I took this this morning because I thought the bus would be nice a contrast with the cherry blossom trees.  Plus I got the Panda in as that must be proper Shite by now. 

But this one got me thinking I've something like this at home.... 

So a quick rummage later. This is 1988. By the way I have never seen this bus stop so busy at any point in the intervening 37 years, I really don't know what is going on here. 

The cherry blossom trees aren't even there at that point. The convenience store is a Circle K, anybody else remember those or were they just a local thing? When I were a lad the convenience store was a Sperrings, definitely a local brand, but it was smaller and there were a separate Post Office and greengrocers in between that and the chippy. The chippy was only renamed from Cap N Cod to the Big Catch a year or so back. The Post Office was absorbed in to the Circle K for a while before disappearing completely. There is now an Indian takeaway and a betting shop between the (now a Premier) shop and chippy. 

In the top picture you can see a hairdresser and funeral parlour in a separate building to the right. They have both always been that but I can't remember if the names have changed. 

 

So I went through some of my other pictures and went back out and took these (I live about a hundred yards from here now. Forty years ago I lived a hundred yards in the opposite direction).

1985. This was a running day. The last Regents were withdrawn in 1981. It seems mad to think that was only four years previous. At the time it already felt like the dim distant past which it now is. I was about 16 or 17 at the time so four years was a much larger proportion of my life back then. 361 still exists, I very much doubt that any of the cars do. 

Today. The bus stop had its own layby then, now it doesn't. It has also moved forward several yards. This of course is because of the slightly raised kerb for level loading. Obviously better to have it on the straight bit of road. 

To the left of each of these pictures you can also see changes. A wall in the first one and a metal fence with tall hedge in the latter. In 1985 it was the yard of Summerfield Coaches, a long gone local coach company. Now it is a special needs school. Obviously as a crank I would prefer it was still a coach yard but even I would have to admit the school is probably a better use of the land. 

This is looking the other way, school clearly visible. 

Unfortunately I can't find a corresponding 1980s shot. But I did find this, taken about a hundred yards from the above picture pointing the other way. One of Summerfield Coaches more interesting vehicles, the world's shortest Bristol LH, which they had acquired for a specific school job I think. 

The pub behind the bus is now a Tesco. My main memory of that pub, The Woodman, was sitting in the window watching the V8 Sherpa ambulances coming and going. The hospital was just down the road. 

 

Circle K are in Ireland, but seem to have become a petrol station fuel brand. I'm going to clean the windows at a Circle K station this morning, but the small supermarket attached is a Centra.

[martc]

Londonderry to Dublin express, 50-60 odd years ago.

[martc]

The 1949 DAF-Domburg bus was a unique. It eliminated the need for extensive disassembly or working in cramped conditions, enabling quicker repairs and servicing—an essential advantage in the early post-war years when reliability and fast maintenance were crucial for public transport systems.

However, the design also presented several challenges. Structurally, the sliding mechanism required additional reinforcements adding extra weight. The design also left the engine more exposed to dust, dirt, and moisture, increasing wear and tear over time. Lastly, improper closing or misalignment of the sliding rails could cause vibrations and mechanical instability.

While the system was meant to simplify maintenance, it introduced extra moving parts that required upkeep, ultimately increasing maintenance costs and complexity. These challenges prevented the design from becoming a standard in bus manufacturing, despite its initial promise.

[martc]

NuT

[martc]

Wellington St bus station, Gateshead.

[martc]

A PSV, but the service provided was to tune your Lada. It is a mobile tuning unit travelling the by-ways and highways of the USSR, built on a LiAZ-677 chassis.

In the back was a living compartment for the driver/technician with a bed, a wardrobe, a cooker, a washbasin, a water heater and, helpfully, a fire extinguisher. 

The 'technical compartment' housed  an exhaust gas analyser, a device for diagnosing the ignition system, an electric pulse tachometer and a fuel consumption meter.

[martc]

I think this is in Australia as the chaps bag says 'NSW rail museum'.

[martc]

And some unusual Ikaruses.

Post communism. Not sure how much is MAN/VW, but I would guess at the engine and running gear.

The mobile ABC (mobile grocery shop) was an important part of the rural supply system in socialist Hungary. It mainly operated in smaller villages and scattered rural areas where there were no shops.  Basic food items and household goods could be purchased from it, and it was especially important for the elderly and those with limited mobility who couldn't travel to the nearest shop.

And here's the timetable if you are short of bananas and Bulls Blood -

You've got 30 minutes. Oh and it has to be 1977.

[martc]

[High Jetter]

4 hours ago, martc said:

A PSV, but the service provided was to tune your Lada. It is a mobile tuning unit travelling the by-ways and highways of the USSR, built on a LiAZ-677 chassis.

In the back was a living compartment for the driver/technician with a bed, a wardrobe, a cooker, a washbasin, a water heater and, helpfully, a fire extinguisher. 

The 'technical compartment' housed  an exhaust gas analyser, a device for diagnosing the ignition system, an electric pulse tachometer and a fuel consumption meter.

Wasn't there a UK franchise start up offering similar, 80s or 90s?

[lesapandre]

Routemaster ghost - bus - ter.

[EyesWeldedShut]

6 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Routemaster ghost - bus - ter.

Never mind the bus - I've not seen a boiler plated building before - is it actually some sort of fancy render work?

[busmansholiday]

14 hours ago, martc said:

I think this is in Australia as the chaps bag says 'NSW rail museum'.

Pressed Metal bodied Atlantean ex Sydney. RM1708 in the background, part of the Sydney bus museum fleet.

[martc]

1961, a prototype of the LAZ-698 'Karpaty' intercity coach manufactured at the Lviv plant aiming to be the 1960s Soviet luxury coach.

[Inspector Morose]

2 hours ago, martc said:

1961, a prototype of the LAZ-698 'Karpaty' intercity coach manufactured at the Lviv plant aiming to be the 1960s Soviet luxury coach.

That bugged me for a while as I've seen vaguely a similar body before. After a while searching the sites, hey presto!

A Mulliner bodied Guy Warrior.

[quicksilver]

1 hour ago, Inspector Morose said:

That bugged me for a while as I've seen vaguely a similar body before. After a while searching the sites, hey presto!

A Mulliner bodied Guy Warrior.

A one-off in reality but much more numerous in toy form as Triang oddly chose to include it in the Spot On range. They had form for choosing unique buses as the Minix Strachans-bodied AEC Reliance was also a one-off.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Pre-war Dodge built as a bus in Norway and was in traffic well into the 1950s.

[SunnySouth]

Had the absolute *pleasure of visiting Gosport today. The former bus station, which has been an absolute pit of a place since pretty much the day it opened, has been fenced off ready to meet its fate:

A new replacement has appeared, slightly less substantial but probably with a less powerful stench of pee. While I was there it was inhabited solely by electric things. “Eclipse” is the branding for the busway routes between Gosport & Fareham, running along the former railway trackbed:

I then upgraded and crossed the harbour to Portsmouth, where I photted a couple of E200s in their contrasting tribal identities; First Solent and Slavecoach. “The Star” is the livery used for two extending up over Portsdown Hill and out of the city, council funding means they get a new fleet every few years. The first pic is the generic local livery, which I quite like:

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

6 hours ago, SunnySouth said:

The former bus station, which has been an absolute pit of a place since pretty much the day it opened, has been fenced off ready to meet its fate:

Used to hang around there a lot in the 1980s.  You're right - it was a total tip.
Not having a fly pee in the doorways - the OYC used to have their offices upstairs (I crewed with them sometimes out of Gosport, Falmouth, Plymouth & Ramsgate)

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

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[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]