StephenFord 866 Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 Some of you fellow transport enthusiasts might like to take a look at what I think is a recent site about the Midland General group. I haven't seen it before, and it is said to be adding new material. Some nice photos. I'm not sure if links in posts are contributing to the current instability of Nottstalgia. Accordingly I have not put an actual link in. To find the site, google "Midland General" and pick up midlandgeneralomnibus dot weebly dot com. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkazana 1,736 Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 Have a lovely print of the B1 Ripley Midland General bus on our wall. How anorakky is that. It is from an oil painting by M J Parnham a local artist. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,467 Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 If you lived at Clifton there was only one blue bus...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted December 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 Funny that, Cliff Ton. Living in Aspley I saw Midland General buses on Nuthall Road every day, but only occasionally saw South Notts - which I (wrongly) thought of as purple because of the roof and wings. In fact as a kid, I only ever remember travelling on South Notts once when we went for a Saturday afternoon picnic to Gotham woods - about 1953 I guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stan 386 Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 Ahhh.... the Blue buses! In my days of infatuation with the upper classes, I had a girlfriend who lived in a posh house on Eton Grove,Wollaton. I caught the E1 from Mount St with her even though it meant a walk of miles when it arrived on Bilborough Rd. terminus! Strange though I am still very good friends with her and see her at annual school meet-ups! Still a lovely gal! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,872 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Not forgetting Nottingham Omnibus around late eighties. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Had lots of friends at Wollaton. We caught the MGO buses into town on Saturdays. E1 F5 F9 B1 etc. They had Setright ticket machines as opposed to the Ultimate machines used on NCT. In 1967/8 I used to go out with a girl in Clifton. This mean catching South Notts and WBUDC buses from Broad Marsh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted December 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 The ones through Wollaton village were D9 Birchwood Road (Ilkeston in rush hours), E1 Strelley Lane, F5 (and in later years a variant E8) Wollaton Vale. The ones heading along Russell Drive were B2 and C6 Ripley (though some B2s only went as far as Cotmanhay) and F9 Kirk Hallam. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Used to catch the F4 from school to home when I was feeling too lazy to walk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted December 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Beauvale Estate? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Yep went to holgate tech grammar and lived on sandy lane. Took longer on the bus than it did to walk thru 'the gardens' to top of garden road but it stopped right outside my door!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomlinson 879 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 In the fifties, we used to travel by blue bus from, I think, Mount Street, to Alfreton to visit grandparents and other relatives at Pilsley, near Hardwick Hall, and South Normanton. Sometimes we used rail from Victoria Station to Cley Cross. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Not forgetting Nottingham Omnibus around late eighties. Did anyone ever travel on one of them? They always seemed to be running around empty when I saw them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Pianoman 1,535 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 You would be catching C5 or B3 Living at Eastwood I never rode on anything other than 'superior' blue buses. It was an event if I rode on a green 'un when visiting relatives in tahn. Other than C5 and B3 that ran Alfreton to Nottingham, there was B1 Ripley to Nottingham, C9 Alfreton to Hucknall via Codnor. and B6 Ilkeston to Mansfield. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notty ash 371 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Many of the blue buses turned black and cream with "Mansfield District Midland General" logos in the late 1960s or early 1970s. One of the annoying things in those days was the restrictions on where buses could pick up and drop people. Midland General routes seemed particularly susceptible to this around Hucknall. Officially, you couldn't catch the F4 from Hucknall to Nottingham, for example - but I still managed to persuade the driver to let me use it a few times. I can just remember the Midland General buses queuing up to take people between the Moorgreen Show and Hucknall when I was very young. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Pianoman 1,535 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Neither Midland General or Mansfield District buses ever went black so far as I can remember. Midland General buses were always blue until nationalised in 1974 when they went red. Mansfield District buses were always Apple Green and Buttermilk Cream until they went red same year. Mansfield District buses were Apple Green and Buttermilk Cream in keeping with all other Tilling Group Companies. Midland General and I believe it was It was Bristol itself the exceptions, being blue. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notty ash 371 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 See example here http://www.flickr.com/photos/nebp2/7658569180/in/pool-midland_general_omnibus_company|nebp2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkazana 1,736 Posted December 20, 2013 Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 When living in Watnall used to catch the F4 or B4 into Nottingham, and C9 to Hucknall. I even remember the ones that didn't have a closing door, when my brother and I would hop off the back before they stopped, probably not the wisest of things to do on Watnall corner, but then when were we ever safety conscious in those days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted December 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2013 Bristol was originally blue, but became Tillings green a long time ago (possibly just after the war) - grandly known as the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company." The Midland General colour scheme did change towards the end, the blue becoming much darker, and I think there were a few of the single deckers that did in fact become cream with black lining. But the old blue was the proper blue! The F4 originally ran from Watnall to Nottingham via Larkfield Estate. I think it was early 1954 when it was extended to Beauvale Estate. So it no doubt fell foul of objections from Trent which regarded Hucknall - Nottingham as its territory (although at that time Beauvale Estate was only served by the MGO C9 which went as far as Wood Lane. Soon after the F4 started, Trent got a license to run to both Beauvale Estate (60B) and Ruffs Estate (60A). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notty ash 371 Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 The B8 was the really odd one - Find the longest way possible from Nottingham to Hucknall, then an even longer way round to Mansfield. As if someone had looked at a map of all the other routes in the area and just joined up the bits without a bus service. I am sure there must have been a reason for it - and unlike many other MG routes it still survives. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Pianoman 1,535 Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 LOL. Used to drive the old B8 route in my Trent days when it became 141 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Pianoman 1,535 Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 Bristol was originally blue, but became Tillings green a long time ago (possibly just after the war) - grandly known as the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company." The Midland General colour scheme did change towards the end, the blue becoming much darker, and I think there were a few of the single deckers that did in fact become cream with black lining. But the old blue was the proper blue! The F4 originally ran from Watnall to Nottingham via Larkfield Estate. I think it was early 1954 when it was extended to Beauvale Estate. So it no doubt fell foul of objections from Trent which regarded Hucknall - Nottingham as its territory (although at that time Beauvale Estate was only served by the MGO C9 which went as far as Wood Lane. Soon after the F4 started, Trent got a license to run to both Beauvale Estate (60B) and Ruffs Estate (60A). Yes notty ash's picture has jogged my memory me. They did go cream with black lining. Not what you would call a black bus though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 When I lived on park road Bestwood Village I'd lie in bed & hear the buses pull away on Moor road, I'd think to myself "that's a Bristol lo-decker, that's a Bristol VR." There were also Makemsons (spelling?) red & cream buses to Bulwell.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted December 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 Re #20, there were actually five different routes from Nottingham to Hucknall (without changing buses) - 1. MGO B8 - Hucknall Road and Bestwood village; 2. Trent 63 or 84 - Hucknall Road and Moor Bridge; 3. Trent 60, 60A, 60B, 61, 61A - Radford Road and Bulwell Market; 4. Trent 61B - Nuthall Road, Cinderhill and Bulwell Market; 5. MGO F4 - Sherwood Rise, Cinderhill and Watnall. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notty ash 371 Posted December 21, 2013 Report Share Posted December 21, 2013 12A too - East Midland's contribution. Same route as the 63 and run with lowbridge double deckers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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