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During the 1950s my grandfather, having a PSV licence, used to hire coaches for family day trips out during the summer school holidays.  We used to have cheap buses but at the toilet stop at The George café & pub near Wragby we would always see a number of these coaches.  Having a tailplane used to make we lads envious of those who were privileged to ride in them.  Can anyone tell me what make and model this is, please?

 

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It was called a Harrington Dorsal Fin after the Thomas Harrington Ltd (Coachbuilders of Essex) They put bodies on a number of chassis

They were leaders in the use of Glass Re-enforced Plastics for vehicle bodies and even did a hardtop coupe version of the Sunbeam Alpine

Image result for Harrington Bus Bodies

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On a Camms Collapsible the dorsal fin would be there to keep the bus going in a straight line as the steering wheel was most likely not connected to the front wheels  :crazy:

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Thanks gang; I thought it was a Leyland Comet but didn't like to say because it would have been a wild guess :/

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Camm's coaches rings bells - anyone have photos or details of the company?

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I live on a short (150yds) hill but it is reasonably steep with a sharp 90 degree at the bottom. A good few years back the bloke across the road worked for Camms.

 

One winter night he came home in the coach ready for an early start, he hadn't been in the house 20 minutes when the brakes failed. It ran down the hill and straight through someone's hedge. The house was below road level but the bus just reached the front window cracking it.

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As an aside and as the original topic was to ID an AEC, I used to drive this one up until about 18 years ago when Phil Hodgkinson of Amber Valley Coachways who had it for a toy sold it. This description is copied and pasted from the AEC Society records as is the photo:  The bus is 1953 registered 5 speed gearbox, synchro on top 3 and a cab heater plus de-misters! The body is actually an Alexander semi-touring body.

 

Alexander bodied AEC Reliance RDB 846 is preserved by Tony Widdows of Gloucestershire and attends rallies in the area. It was pictured at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway rally at Toddington in 2008.

 

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  • 2 years later...

OTV would be 1951 or 52 registered assuming the registrations follow sequence.

 

Ridden on 30's plenty of times too when visiting Granny on Minver Cresc. Usually caught it on Friar Lane pointing down just outside Toby's. Was the other one that went round Minver a 16? One of the two went round the roundabout at the top of Bells Lane and terminated on Rosslyn Drive.

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No Piano man, the 16 went up aspley lane then turned down Beechdale rd. No 32 went straight to the rose on Strelley rd., with 16A using the same route but carrying on to Coventry lane and turned round at Balloon woods crossroad, ( imagine try to do that now !). Some drivers used to reverse into a little side road while others did a U turn if the crossroads were clear. Your no30 was also accompanied by the no62, which carried on up Colby rd whereas 30 stopped at Denton green and 62 went straight up to Strelley estate. I know, I was there, I was that soldier.:rolleyes:

Nb. Sure I've driven that one !

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The 1, 7 and 22 all left Hanley St, and had the same route until the Commodore. The 1 then turned off up Melbourne Rd, Hilcot Drive,  Minver Crescent and finally Roslyn Drive. Round the island at the top of Bells Lane and parked at the top of Roslyn.

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I used the 22 from Stockhill Lane to Hanley Street everyday.  Hanley street was right next door to the EMEB.  So it was almost right from my front door to work.

I don't know where the 22 terminated though.  I never went to the end of the route.

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From the bus stop opposite The Barleycorn, which I is where you caught your bus, LL, I expect you got the 7 sometimes too? That came from Bulwell market to Cinderhill then Hanley St. I remember your estate being built. 

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Our 'bus to Woodthorpe was the No.10 which departed from the north side of Long Row. Originally it went along Mansfield Rd. and turned right into Thackeray's Lane at the Vale Hotel, under the blue brick railway bridge, round the island and terminated at the bottom of Buckingham Rd. to return to Nottingham. Subsequently the route was extended along Arno Vale Rd. as far as the primary school where it reversed in a side road and waited at the terminus. The destination name was marked '10 Arno Vale Estate'. This infuriated the snooty people of the area who claimed that they didn't live on an 'estate'! Their objections were ignored though!

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8 hours ago, Beekay said:

No Piano man, the 16 went up aspley lane then turned down Beechdale rd. No 32 went straight to the rose on Strelley rd., with 16A using the same route but carrying on to Coventry lane and turned round at Balloon woods crossroad, ( imagine try to do that now !). Some drivers used to reverse into a little side road while others did a U turn if the crossroads were clear. Your no30 was also accompanied by the no62, which carried on up Colby rd whereas 30 stopped at Denton green and 62 went straight up to Strelley estate. I know, I was there, I was that soldier.:rolleyes:

Nb. Sure I've driven that one !

Perhaps my memory is playing tricks here as I would only have been in my early teens or more likely even younger when these bus trips stopped. I have never ridden on a number 1 as I have never been up Hilcot or Melbourne Road on a bus (I don't think). Perhaps it is just that I can remember seeing buses circumnavigating the roundabout at the top Bells Lane and being parked up on Rosslyn. I would never have gone that far on the bus anyway. Both the bus routes I have been on started on Friar Lane, went up Amersham Rise and around Minver Cresc. I have no idea where the bus went between Friar Lane and Amersham Rise. They would certainly have been AEC Regents in the later paint scheme with more cream.

 

This is bugging me now as I need to know what I have ridden on and I have often thought about it.

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Take it from me Piano man, I can assure you that the buses you caught were either 30 or 62. Originally they used to start as you said, on friar lane. The original stops were both outside what used to Brentford nylons/ Iceland can't remember which way round. 16/32,16A were the stop nearest to St.James st, 30/62 had the stop nearest to Mount street. All used to run Derby rd, Alfreton rd, Aspley lane, then at Melbourne rd., that's where they separated. Yours, 30/62 turned right up Amersham rise, left onto Minver cresc., then left up Sherborne rd., at the top turn right past the Cocked hat (now gone), the bus then turned left onto Colby rd., within sight of Bells lane island. As stated in previous post, 30 stopped at Denton green and the 62 carried on to Strelley estate.

StuartC. The buses you refer to used the city stop at Pearson's for a short while, when work was being done to the area from ABC cinema up to the Parliament St island where it was closed to traffic. All the above buses eventually moved to Maid Marion Way, left side facing down. On setting off we went down to Friar lane island and back up M.M.way to Derby road etc.

Gotta admit Piano man, coming from Jupiter, you would find it strange !  :rolleyes:

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I will take that as red. 30 & 62 is at least beginning to sound right in my head. For some reason or other I preferred to ride on one rather than the other. Used to sit on Grannies front gate at 97 Minver watching them go past.

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If memory serves me correct, the bus adult bus fare was 6d. Your gran would be between fare stages 15 and 14. If you ever went to town on that bus, do you remember stopping at Melbourne road while the conductor had to use the clock in machine outside the paper shop ? I remember once as a conductor, I had to refuse a lady with a pushchair as there was no more room. She asked me to hold the nipper while she folded the chair and lobbed it over the church fence next door to that paper shop. She just said " I'll pick it up on the way back !!"  True, honest. B.

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