Buses in Nottingham

[Newarker 22]

At least that bus has the excuse of being built in 1937. WBUDC bought two Regents in 1947, just before railway nationalisation so they had the usual LMS Station on their blinds and were still showing that in the 1960s, 12 years after LMS ceased to exist. 

Most people remember West Bridgford vehicles for their large route numbers which were 19 inches high on the older vehicles but only 16 inches high on later buses.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

I'd never noticed that about WBUDC buses having large route numbers........even though I saw them in action.

 

I remember WB buses because they were on the joint route to Clifton via Trent Bridge.  And all their other services seemed to terminate on South Parade outside MacFisheries.

[MargieH 7,600]

I’ve just been thinking of my journeys back to Nottingham from Leicester in the early 1960s.  I travelled by bus / coach and think the terminus was at Broadmarsh., although I then thought maybe it was at Huntingdon Street.  All I remember is my head bumping against the bus window as I kept dozing off after being on duty the previous night at the hospital.

can someone sort out which Terminus it was please so I  can file that memory away properly..,TIA

 

[Oztalgian 3,296]

On 9/12/2021 at 1:58 AM, MargieH said:

can someone sort out which Terminus it was please so I  can file that memory away properly..,TIA

 

It would have probably been a Barton's bus Service No 12 from Leicester Southgate to Nottingham Huntingdon Street.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

Barton had some services going to Broad Marsh, so maybe you're remembering another route.

[MargieH 7,600]

I can’t remember going on any other routes, except perhaps once when I went to visit a boyfriend who was at uni at/near Grantham.  I can’t remember whether I went on the bus or the train… that was in 1960/61

[philmayfield 6,138]

The only further education college near Grantham back in those days would have been Stoke Rochford Hall, just off the A1 to the south of Grantham. It was a teacher training college which closed in 1978. The rather splendid building remains I think as a hotel. Was that the place? I remember passing over it on my many flying trips from Tollerton to Skegness.

[MargieH 7,600]

All I can remember was seeing Kesteven - I know that’s an area but could it have been Kesteven college?  Now I think about it, it was a teacher training college

[philmayfield 6,138]

Stoke Rochford Hall was Kesteven Training College. I know my wife applied to go there many years ago but got a place at Liverpool. I think it was a headquarters for the NUT at one time.

[MargieH 7,600]

I remember it had a gravel drive and had mature trees in the grounds.  It looked quite an old building.

Anyway, enough of that …. We finished going out soon after that!!!

[philmayfield 6,138]

I remember, many years ago, going to the nearby Buckminster gliding club at Saltby airfield. I had an aero tow with the chief instructor and he really put the glider through it’s paces. I’d never done a roll or a loop in a glider before!

[philmayfield 6,138]

He finished off with a very low level beat up of the runway, did a very tight turn and came in to land. Very exhilarating!

I have done a couple of weeks on gliding holidays at Great Hucklow. We never managed to do any serious soaring and I never got to go solo even though I had a PPL. I did a lot of tractor driving for recoveries though and there were some good pubs in the area. A couple of my friends managed to get silver C’s but there’s a lot of hanging about involved at gliding clubs. I didn’t have to patience to take it up.

[Newarker 22]

A letter in the current issue of Classic Bus refers to NCT's 1963 batch of Fleetlines  (64-94) which were registered 64 RTO to 94 RTO except for 73 which had a 1964 B suffix - ATO 73B. l have checked my 1965 edition of Ian Allan ABC British Bus Fleets and that's quite correct.  I haven't seen any reference to this before. Was the bus delivered late perhaps due to an accident and had to be registered in 1964? Had 73 RTO already been reserved by somebody?

 

My Ian Allan book lists the NCT depots as Parliament St, Trent Bridge, Sherwood, Bilborough and Bulwell but notes that Bulwell was to be replaced by a new depot at Western Boulevard. That never happened and it seems odd that NCT planned to replace Bulwell with a depot so close to Bilborough.  

[Beekay 5,149]

Newarker, I used to drive some of those fleetlines, out of Bilborough. 64 -67.  Cheers.

[catfan 14,793]

1 hour ago, Newarker said:

A letter in the current issue of Classic Bus refers to NCT's 1963 batch of Fleetlines  (64-94) which were registered 64 RTO to 94 RTO except for 73 which had a 1964 B suffix - ATO 73B. l have checked my 1965 edition of Ian Allan ABC British Bus Fleets and that's quite correct.  I haven't seen any reference to this before. Was the bus delivered late perhaps due to an accident and had to be registered in 1964? Had 73 RTO already been reserved by somebody?

 

My Ian Allan book lists the NCT depots as Parliament St, Trent Bridge, Sherwood, Bilborough and Bulwell but notes that Bulwell was to be replaced by a new depot at Western Boulevard. That never happened and it seems odd that NCT planned to replace Bulwell with a depot so close to Bilborough.  

I drove all those bus numbers you mentioned. Also I remember the talk of a new depot near Basford Gas Works. Funny thing is nearby they built the tram depot later.

Another snippet of useless information is Bilborough Bus Depot was the only purpose built bus depot, all the other depots were originally tram sheds.

[Deepdene Boy 642]

Fleetline 73 did not eneter service until 1964 as it was used to develop a new and improved heating system, hence its B suffix registration.

[Newarker 22]

Thanks Deepdene Boy. lt must be unusual to have to re-register a vehicle, not just cancel the road tax while it was off the road.   

[Deepdene Boy 642]

It was never taxed/licenced as 73RTO, so the registration was surrendered. Its first use on public roads was in 1964 so it did not need taxing until that date and it was thus eligible for the B suffix registration, ATO73B

 

[catfan 14,793]

Wasn't PSV exempt from road tax in those days ? 

I remember the bus tax disc having NIL written on them where the amount paid was put.

This changed I think in the 1986 deregulation act.

[Deepdene Boy 642]

Trolleybuses were certainly exempt from road tax

 

[Brew 5,417]

Weren't buses also exempt from insurance? I seem to remember the council had a scheme of self insurance.

[catfan 14,793]

Yes, NCT underwrote their own insurance.

[radfordred 6,284]

Cyberman spotted on a bus.

 

 

[mitch1 7]

There is an item for same on ebay "Finneys Electrics and Motor Omnibus Company 114 Trent Boulevard. Route, Time and faretable from the 20th June 1977 for service D2" The seller has put "Asda Wolds Estate-Water Centre"

A Google search gives:  

"The Bus that Beat the Bureaucrats, John Finney, West Bridgford and District LHS

03.03.2017, 7:30 pm

On Friday 3rd March 2017 at Lutterell Hall, West Bridgford, commencing at 7:30pm John Finney will give a presentation on Finney’s Buses."

 

So what was the story anyone know?

[notty ash 371]

see

ID please - Finney buses - Pete's Nottingham Transport Forum - Nottstalgia Nottingham Forums