Buses an lorries and old car tat

[MarvinsMom]

Kerry and I have been over to Kirkby Stephen and Brough for the vintage bus and classic commercial weekend.

 

we had to drop a wing for Eddy Ramrod's Rover 213 Hyacinth, so what better way to travel over there, but go in Marvin.

 

so early on this morning the weather was bright, though with a cool breeze, nothing like the forecast that was heavy showers. WCPGW...

 

after a faultless and uneventful run over to Kirkby Stepehen, we met up with Eddy, and delevered that all important wing

we then went into town to see what was around.

this wee roadrunner was ace. it had started out as a set of steps at an airport, before been converted into a tipper. it hasn't covered many miles, and as a bonus it has a Cummings engine fitted.

as a nipper i used to work for a firm that had a Bedford TK, Leyland Roadrunner and Ford Cargo. i preferred to drive the TK or Roadrunner, i found that they were easier to manoeuvre, with them having windows fitted in the back of the cab. the cargo was i found more claustrophobic. 

i hate to think what this mark 1 transit is worth now.

scamell scarab

renner 12

Cleveland Transit Leyland Atlantean, we never got these at home, but i would see them bombing about Boro as a kid, though not in this livery.

Leyland National, the number of hours riding these as a kid. cannot believe that these are now gone from service!!

austin A60? Pick-up, just lush...

.

as a student i used to ride Olympians or Bristol vr's too and from Middlesbrough . i used to prefer the Olympians, these were quicker down the Trunk Road.

these Plaxton coaches were the vehicle of choice on every school trip i ever went on, though those coaches would have been somewhat longer than this one!

United used these on the X73 express service into Middlesbrough. i think that they were ex. National Express, but they were a huge improvment over the elderly Plaxton Supreme's which had been used on that run.

this one is a work in progress, but it does show just how coach built these coaches are, an ash frame! i had no idea that these would be built up like that.

more wagons

we used to get a SWB version of these Bristol single deckers, especially about the housing estates in Guisborough, then it was onto a National to complete our journey into Middlesbrough.

shame that current commercials are not as stylish as these old timers. no doubt crash testing and pedestrian safety has done for that.

 

and that is the lot..... end result, well we got wet and are still drying out, but we had a really interesting day out.

 

plus we did meet Mr Ramrod, who is the nicest person on t'interweb......

[EssDeeWon]

Looks a good day out. My uncle went there today.

[eddyramrod]

Many thanks for grabbing and keeping the wing for me!  Shame about the weather, but these lorry botherers are tough old boots, a bit of wet stuff doesn't bother them too much.  We did see a few gems, didn't we?

[Guest Lord Sward]

Lots of CLASS there.  Weather doesn't look terrific mind you.

[MarvinsMom]

Many thanks for grabbing and keeping the wing for me!  Shame about the weather, but these lorry botherers are tough old boots, a bit of wet stuff doesn't bother them too much.  We did see a few gems, didn't we?

we did indeed. these bus and lorry preservers are absolute hero's. quiet how they manage to keep and maintain these vehicles is amazing. i find looking after a car to be hard work, how the hell peeps can manage to keep something as big as a double decker bus in good order is beypnd me.

 

no bother about the wing, it has sat in our spare room out of the way, so its not been causing any problems while it has been here.

 

and yes, the weather was the pits.

 

we were expecting showers, and between the rain it was actually really nice with even some sunny spells. but the rain, well bloody hell, it was biblical!!!

 

still, you can only get wet to your skin, and then you cannot get any wetter...

[eddyramrod]

At least the big shower held off until we'd had our 99s!

[MarvinsMom]

yep, plus on the way back home i got to drive though it. 

 

all the way back from Darlington when i looked in the rear view mirror all i could see was blackness!

 

the rain held foo until we got home, and then the heavens opened again. still sat at home with delicious cream cake and a fresh brew, was i bothered what the weather was doing outside, was i hell....

[Vantman]

What a wonderful collection of pictures,especially the lorries. Thanks for sharing.

[MarvinsMom]

knowing that there are a number of serious lorrists on here what else could i do but share with the group?

 

i admit to knowing next to nothing about old wagons and buses, but there really was some fantastic machines on show.

 

sadly with the weather been so crap unsettled we didn't see everything in Kirkby Stephen, most of the pics above were taken in Brough, but next year, well next year we will make sure that we have a better choice of footwear with us!

[rml2345]

Looks a good afternoon out despite the rotten weather and plenty worth seeing.

13/10% EGGCELENT EFFOT

[mat_the_cat]

Ooh, a Leyland National - used to travel on those regularly to and from college in the late 90s. By that time they were 20 years old and showing it, yet I preferred them to the more modern buses for some reason. In winter I'd make a bee-line for the back seat to make the most of the engine warmth; it was usually empty due to the aroma of engines wafting through from underneath!

[eddyramrod]

One of the Nationals out today was YFY 4M.  I remember it new with Southport Corporation and travelled on it many times.  It seems this bus was saved from scrap, which is always good, but listening to it pull away I'm sure it never used to sound so clattery!

[MarvinsMom]

funnily enough this afternoon while in Brough, there was a Atlantean, then a National, and then another Atlantean all waiting at the "bus stop" before heading off back to Kirkby Stephen, and it took me back to Middlesbrough bus station circa 1995, with the thrum of the engines, and haze of diesel out of the buses exhausts. at that time, those models would still have been in normal, everyday service. and i would not have thought that they would have disappreared like they did.

 

it was just fabulous.

 

and it is as close as i will get to been able to use a time machine!

[Split_Pin]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I always love to see a Millican's of Longtown ERF, I have a 1:50 scale EC 11 example 😀

[Guest Hooli]

Oh proper old shitters, how much better than new stuff do they all look? (except the C15 on the back of one, hate those things with a passion).

[mercrocker]

Just lovely stuff there, thanks for sharing.    I find gatherings with commercials far more interesting than the cars these days, must be getting old.....

[Faker]

God I love old commercial vehicles

[AndyW201]

Great thread MM. Some lovely old machinery there, one in particular a right old memory jogger (Dad used to drive for Cleveland Transit back in the 70's). However <pedant mode> the Cleveland Transit double decker is a Bristol VR. Easily mistaken though as Transit had them bodied to their own spec by Northern Counties, who did all their Fleetlines (and later Dennis Dominators).

 

RDC 106R, the one in the photo has not long come out of a long, heroic restoration after 15 years or so's service with Transit and then performing private hire duties with Jones of Anglesey, finally retiring in 2005! Those VRs were hard workers. The 500 group of Teesside did the restoration, and the Bristol joins their Middlesbrough Corporation Dennis Lo-line and Teesside Municipal Daimler Fleetline. Some skilled lads there, as apparently the Bristol was seriously hanging!

 

Generally, Fleetlines are regarded as Middlesbrough's preferred double decker, the old Middlesbrough Corporation were among the first to have them in 1962, while Stockton Corporation preferred the Atlantean. When the two merged with the trolleybus board to form Teesside Municipal Transport, they still stuck with their favourites. When they became Cleveland Transit in 1974 though, it was Fleetlines all the way, they couldn't get enough of them. A few Stockton Corp Atlanteans did join the fleet and were refurbished in the Transit livery along with a job lot of coach spec Weymann bodied Atlanteans from Ribble's Gay hostess/Standewick fleet, which they bought due to not being able to get new buses quick enough.

The Bristol VRs came about due to supply problems with Leyland in the mid '70s, due to unrest at the factory and a big order for Fleetlines from London Transport. When the Fleetlines were finally discontinued, the company went over to the Dennis Dominator. Transit had the last registered Fleet lines on the road, on Y plates, (though not the last built, they just bought a load and stockpiled them).

 

I'm guessing it's the deregulation livery you remember, with the brighter green and yellow, and the extra white band around the side windows? I do prefer the earlier one shown though, with 'arrowhead' Transit logo.

 

Funny, I remember those express service Paramounts as well. The majority were registered B1** GRR, which I found amusing as they were based on Leyland Tigers! They were proper beasts as well, they used to go like the the clappers over the A171 between Ormesby and Guisborough on the Whitby service. B110 did sterling service for United (and later Tees) and was still doing private hire service with Scarlet Band of West Cornforth until 2010.

[Inspector Morose]

Nakatanata nakanata nakanata nakanata gathankna gathanga gathanka gathanka thank thank thank thank thank

 

 

Here is the sound of the national.

[Tetleysmooth]

I always find these classic commercial threads a tad depressing.

 

I look at the pics and think, I've driven one of those - and that - and that etc. etc.

 

What an old barsteward I am.

[Vantman]

I always find these classic commercial threads a tad depressing.

 

I look at the pics and think, I've driven one of those - and that - and that etc. etc.

 

What an old barsteward I am.

 

Same here Tetleysmooth,the first lorry I drove in employment was a thrupenny bit Austin FG and the first lorry I bought to go as an owner driver was a 1963 Thames Trader forward control type and it carried on from there,all different makes and types.

[Tetleysmooth]

Same here Tetleysmooth,the first lorry I drove in employment was a thrupenny bit Austin FG and the first lorry I bought to go as an owner driver was a 1963 Thames Trader forward control type and it carried on from there,all different makes and types.

 

I loved the old FG with the suicide doors.

I used to leave them open in the summer.

Couldn't do it now, elf an safety old boy. Tosh.

[Grundig]

Nakatanata nakanata nakanata nakanata gathankna gathanga gathanka gathanka thank thank thank thank thank

 

 

Here is the sound of the national.

 

 

The sight, smell & sound of a National is evocative   

 

[Inspector Morose]

First production National, that.