Buses in Nottingham

[trogg 2,016]

Jonab, Top Pit as you know it is referred to a number 1 Pit which was on Watnall Road. Bottom Pit is number 2 Pit on Portland road.

[The Pianoman 1,535]

Well just driven the road from Risley through to Stanton-by-Dale and noticed a roller shutter barn door half way up and parked in the barn was a nice blue and cream Midland General Bristol FLF with another bus parked at the side of it. Anyone know anything about them? Maybe they will be on Wollaton Park on Sunday.

[catfan 14,793]

I'm not sure about that Ian, those low height buses were first registered new in Notts, perhaps DDB will know !

[taxi ray 170]

3 hours ago, The Pianoman said:

Well just driven the road from Risley through to Stanton-by-Dale and noticed a roller shutter barn door half way up and parked in the barn was a nice blue and cream Midland General Bristol FLF with another bus parked at the side of it. Anyone know anything about them? Maybe they will be on Wollaton Park on Sunday.

I have been to the farm, where the buses are, it is on the left hand side going from risley, I used to have the restoration of 1 of there buses on my favourites, but as I have not used it for a while I have lost it.

I think that they had a bus that was restored by an ex Ilkeston bus driver, and he chronicled his experiences.

[taxi ray 170]

this is a link to 1 of there restorations

 

http://midlandgeneral296.weebly.com/

[Deepdene Boy 642]

1 hour ago, IAN123. said:

Small but interesting.

Can yer mek it bigger?

[Deepdene Boy 642]

1 hour ago, catfan said:

I'm not sure about that Ian, those low height buses were first registered new in Notts, perhaps DDB will know !

Ian, you are correct the Daimler at the top of this page is a CWA6 that originated with Bradford City Transport, NCT acquired four, I believe to start the Clifton Estate services, prior to the delivery of the low-bridge AEC Regent IIIs numbered 199-208 (SAU199-208).

[Deepdene Boy 642]

Does anybody know what has happened to Stephen Ford?

[Deepdene Boy 642]

Ian, thanks, he used to post regularly on the Old Bus Photos website, but I hadn't seen anything from him on there either recently

[FLY2 10,108]

Stephen is also red hot on railway timetables too. Pity he doesn't like the new format, well not many folks do actually, but I miss his input. 

A true gent indeed.

[mary1947 2,081]

14 hours ago, trogg said:

Jonab, Top Pit as you know it is referred to a number 1 Pit which was on Watnall Road. Bottom Pit is number 2 Pit on Portland road.

Was no 1 pit just before the bypass going into Hucknall? there is now a house built on the site it looks like it could have come from deep American South, I remember it been built, at the time I thought that it was in the wrong place,  it seems to fit in very well now. As a lot of member's use to be miners (just a suggestion) but they should start a Topic as I expect they have some good stories to tell. Many years ago my granddad was a miner but he worked at Clifton Pit.

[jonab 1,644]

Mary, from what I remember of the size of Top Pit, you could have built a whole housing estate there, not just one house. Likewise with Bottom Pit, where I see from Google Maps Tesco Extra and Argos are now located, as well as several roads unknown to me e.g Ashgate Road which used to be much shorter and called Baths Lane, Griffiths Way, Voce Gardens, Robin Bailey Way and more plus a large area is given over to nature.

[trogg 2,016]

Hucknall Top pit The best way for me to describe the location is leave Hucknall on Watnall road , just before you get to the bypass on the left at the end of the old houses the pit land started there, a mini industrial estate is now there. It then continued up on that side across the bypass and the petrol station and ended on a footpath that is rarely used now, the other side of the footpath is a house that is set back from the road . I believe the house was at sometime belonged to the pit. The pit grounds stretched back towards Bulwell Hall Park ending again at a footpath which follows a stream  ,near the bypass from the stream is the spring where generations of kids have drunk water from on there way to Bulwell Hall Park.

The pit grounds beside all the normal structures had a plant where they fire proofed under pressure all the wood that was used down the local pits and was easily visible from watnall road.

After the pit stopped turning coal it was kept open as a ventilation shaft for another pit and also a training centre for trainees, many I believe are members on this forum who will be able to tell you much more about it.

[denshaw 2,872]

That mini bus 864 was before my time, I did drive some second hand ones that were acquired about 1990,  about 5  25 seaters, we called them Tonkas.

[Deepdene Boy 642]

4 hours ago, denshaw said:

That mini bus 864 was before my time, I did drive some second hand ones that were acquired about 1990,  about 5  25 seaters, we called them Tonkas.

Den, those would have been Renault S56s from Northampton Transport, hideous bloody things that the drivers were glad to see the back of.

[denshaw 2,872]

Manuals as well, we had to take a separate driving test.

[catfan 14,793]

We had double decker manual gearboxes, nowadays the same as wagons, an automatic gearbox gets you a manual license with buses & HGVs.

[The Pianoman 1,535]

When I did my PSV it was Class 1 and Class 1a.  A for automatic. As you say people with a 1a licence couldn't drive manuals.

[catfan 14,793]

Mine was "All types" newer drivers were restricted to non manual gearboxes but NCT had got rid of all the manual boxes by then anyway.

[Deepdene Boy 642]

3 hours ago, denshaw said:

Manuals as well, we had to take a separate driving test.

They wouldn't be the ex. Northampton ones then, as they were automatics.

[denshaw 2,872]

They weighed 6 and a half ton, I thought they came from Leicester, not sure though.

[Deepdene Boy 642]

3 minutes ago, IAN123. said:

I'd like to hear from all our Drivers..their first bus and route.

Cheers. Ian.

Dad, started as a conductor on the trolleybuses from Bulwell depot, so that would have been on 42, 43, and 44.

 

When he passed as a driver, he was sent to Bilborough depot, which at that time had a mixture of Daimler Fleetlines, AEC Regent IIIs and AEC Regent Vs. I think at the time Bilborough operated the following routes, 13, 16, 16A, 30, 32, 53, 55, 56, 60, 62 & 74

[denshaw 2,872]

Broad marsh to Clifton, 1979 can't remember any more.

[catfan 14,793]

42, 43, 44,71,75. All Bulwell routes with a conductor '74 AEC Renowns & Mk IV AEC  then one man with 44, 71 routes when in May '75.  Became one man routes Daimler Fleetlines, 160 - 184.

[catfan 14,793]

3 hours ago, Deepdene Boy said:

Ian, the 85 was introduced on 12th September 1976, when the 35, 43 & 75 were converted to OMO. I think that the 82 was a re-numbered 44, which happened possibly in March 1983.

 

As DDB says Ian the 85 replaced the 75 when they went OMO. The 82 was a long haul from Bulwell Hall (44) to Colwick Road terminus then extended to Marwood Road in Carlton. If ever there was such a boring route then this was it.

Passing through Netherfield was such a depressing place, dark, dingy & no colour like looking at a B & W photo. Hated the place. This route didn't last long due to very few passengers crossing the city & who could blame them !

The 55 became the 35 extending via Balloon Woods to the City, one of my favourite routes.

Some clown at NCT had brighr ideas about extending & joining bus routes, that one never was going to be successful. At the same time the 44 route became the 80 route.

One of the biggest cock ups was joining Bulwell with West Bridgeford. The 95 from Snapewood became the 21 in place of the 14 ? in WB.So leaving Bulwell was a 21 but returning from Bridgeford it was the 95. Same thing with the 85, linked to Adbolton Lane, down was the 23 & returning was the 85, talk about confusing the public !

Letting Bulwell drivers loose in WB was another thing WB drivers knew Mrs Smith always caught the 9.40 am bus to town & if she was a bit late would wait for her to leave home ! We never did that & the complaints soared. I point blank refused to call anyone sir or madam !

Another miserable failure by NCT