Corporation Green

[littlebro 234]

Sometime in the early eighties the Corporation green changed from the traditional solid colour to a darker green with gold lining. I remember talking with an acquaintance from Stapleford who worked for City Transport, he told me that they were trying to go 'upmarket' by copying the Harrods colours.

[FLY2 10,109]

What are they aiming for now with the ridiculous array of colours. Primark ?

[StephenFord 866]

No, Toys R Us - sorry, I can't do a back to front R.

[mercurydancer 1,104]

The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry's 'based in Carlton' was green, the nearest shade to the original came from the corpo bus depot.

IIRC 17/21 Lancers also had a TA unit there.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

I think the council still use green but it is a horrible light shade. They must get all that paint really cheap.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

#29 Nope afraid not the 17/21 Lancers were a regular regiment who supplied permanent staff instructors to the Sherwood Rangers.

[bamber 128]

Lord knows why the City Council abandoned the traditional Lincoln Green in favour of the particularly billeous shade they now use for everything from library signs to the dustbin lorries. I guess the corporate marketing professionals got their way after foisting the ridiculous "wonky N" on us.

The same goes for NCT. OK, it's no longer a city department, but the traditional green and cream (in all its variations of hue and proportions over the years) was a much stronger brand identity than the colour-coded mishmash which now adorns the fleet. One shouted "Nottingham" the other could be anywhere.

I suppose we can be thankful that the City still paints the lamp posts a traditional shade of green but there was a huge hoo-haa back in the 70s when they decided to switch to black for some long-forgotten reason.

[FLY2 10,109]

It's not only us, what about the logo for Derby City Council. It looks like a snail going downhill on a sledge.

Anyone know what the hell it is?

[Chulla 4,946]

#15 Yes, Katyjay, but before they painted ours green it was brown.

[katyjay 5,091]

Really! I don't remember that, must have been a twinkle in me dad's eye. [or at least, a nipper]

[Compo 10,328]

A No.40 trolley bus in corporation black & white for Smiffy 49:

[StephenFord 866]

Here comes the bus nerd (well, one of them) ! It is one of 7 Karrier trolleybuses with BTH traction equipment, allocated by the Ministry of War Transport in 1945. (GTV659 - 665). The bodies were built by Charles Roe of Leeds, to the wartime Utility specification. Many of them had wooded slatted seats throughout their whole lives. Some remained in service until the early 1960s. 4-wheelers were retained on the 40/47 until the last year or so of trolleybus operation, as I understand the newer and longer 6-wheelers made heavy weather both of the tight turning circle at Kildare Road, and the left turn from Parliament Street into George Street.

[The Pianoman 1,535]

Last post above reminds me of the days when we had been to see my Grandmother up on Minver Cresc. and coming down Bells Lane to wait for a posh blue bus to come home. I was always amused to watch the 6 wheeled trolley buses struggling to get round the tiny island at Cinderhill (Cinder Hill if yer prefer). I don't mean the island that is there now of course.

[colly0410 1,181]

I was coming out of work (QMC) yesterday & there was an old Bartons bus on the ring road, it was a half cab with a front sliding door. I was driving so couldn't have a very good butchers at it, but I got a bit excited. My two female passengers who I give a lift to Bulwell thought I'd gone mad..

[Chulla 4,946]

#38 The Pianoman. The old Bells Lane mini island. The turn to go back to Nottingham really was tight, sometimes causing the poles to disengage from the wires and flail around. The conductor would then retrieve a very long pole from what looked like the exhaust pipe (it wasn't, of course) and hook them back on.

A pole at the side of the island had a pull-down handle that changed the wires' points so that the Midland General trolleybuses could continue on to the Kimberley direction. The Midland General trolleys and buses were luxury compared with NCT transport, having cloth-covered seats, heaters and closed doors.

Nice meeting you at the get-together.

[The Pianoman 1,535]

Yes it was a good laugh when the poles came off. I saw that happen more than once. I don't remember MGO Trolleys - Ahm norrasowd as you

I have known people who drove MGO trolleys though, and Notts & Derbys Trams for that matter.

Nice meeting you too.

[notty ash 372]

#38 The Pianoman. The old Bells Lane mini island. The turn to go back to Nottingham really was tight, sometimes causing the poles to disengage from the wires and flail around. The conductor would then retrieve a very long pole from what looked like the exhaust pipe (it wasn't, of course) and hook them back on.

A pole at the side of the island had a pull-down handle that changed the wires' points so that the Midland General trolleybuses could continue on to the Kimberley direction. The Midland General trolleys and buses were luxury compared with NCT transport, having cloth-covered seats, heaters and closed doors.

Nice meeting you at the get-together.

Just curious about the closed doors - the photos I remember seeing all had open platforms at the rear. Do you have photos of the ones with doors please, as i would be very interested to see them?

[StephenFord 866]

No, the Ripley trolleys all had open platforms - as indeed did the buses that initially replaced them. It was only about 1956 when the Bristol Lodekkas came that they had platform doors (the first ones were heavy manually-operated foldng ones - a conductor's nightmare I am told!)

[The Pianoman 1,535]

I well remember rear entry Lodekkas but can't remember whether they were open platforms or not for sure although I am tempted to say they had doors. I wouldn't have started riding on them until late 1959. The strangest ones I remember were those where the walkway upstairs was a 'trench' down one side of the bus with the seats 4 abreast accessible from it resulting in the downstairs passengers that were sat under it had to "mind your head when leaving seat".

[Cliff Ton 10,488]

The strangest ones I remember were those where the walkway upstairs was a 'trench' down one side of the bus with the seats 4 abreast accessible from it resulting in the downstairs passengers that were sat under it had to "mind your head when leaving seat".

Low bridge buses. They've been mentioned in a thread a while ago. I remember them from the Clifton buses which went along Wilford Lane and had to pass under the railway bridge at Wilford.

[Chulla 4,946]

#44. I did not start using the MGO buses (never went on their trolleys) until the late 1950s - on my way the Gate Inn in Awsworth to play darts. Actually, I cannot remember the doors, but the interiors were always nice and warm from the heater, suggesting that the heat couldn't escape. The trolley buses were sold to Sheffield Corporation, who, I believe, were the last council to have them.

Another internal bus sign, not seen nowadays was No Spitting.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

# The trolley buses were sold to Sheffield Corporation, who, I believe, were the last council to have them.

It was Bradford Corporation who they were sold to (and they were, as you say, the last operators of trolleybuses - finishing in 1972):

http://midlandgeneralomnibus.weebly.com/notts--derby-trolleybuses.html

By the way - it was Notts & Derby who operated trolleybuses not Midland General.

[The Pianoman 1,535]

Thasks for the link. Not seen that one before

[benjamin1945 16,204]

#46 NO SPITTING,NO SWEARING. they would be wasting their time today!

[LizzieM 9,518]

The buses nowadays should have signs saying 'No swearing', 'No talking on mobile phones', 'No drinks nor fast foods'.