Prior to the National Bus Company redrawing the boundaries of its subsidiary companies in the run up to de-regulation, the Yorkshire coastal resort of Scarborough was very much the territory of United Automobile Services, whose red buses enjoyed a monopoly on the sea front. Open-top buses were very late coming to Scarborough, perhaps because of the bracing nature of the weather, although that didn't deter the hardy northerners from swimming in the bay.
Prior to this, the seafront service was characterised by several generations of stylish single-deck buses with central entrances and roof quarter-lights - what in tramway terms would have been called 'sun saloons'. This digitally-coloured image shows a 1951 Leyland Tiger TS8 with a 1935 Plaxton body that had previously been fitted to an ADC chassis. These buses lasted until 1957 when they were replaced by the lengthened Bristol Ls with new ECW bodies illustrated in the next image. The source image is from the collection of Peter Elliott (photographer unknown).
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Tags: United Automobile Services digitally coloured Plaxton Leyland TS8
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The appropriately named Mountain Goat Bus Company commenced operations in 1972 with a minibus route from Bowness on Windermere to Glenridding on Ullswater, re-establishing a bus connection between the two Lakeland villages. It quickly established a reputation, maintained to this day, of going where no other bus company dares to go.
Whilst most commonly associated with Ford Transits in its earlier days, and latterly Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, it has operated a small number of larger vehicles over the years, including Bedford OB LRO 296, which was immortalised by Corgi in its Original Omnibus series of models. This fictional Plaxton-bodied Austin CXB carries the same livery. The story of this interesting vehicle (in real life operated by Supreme Travel on Malta) can be found in the Malta Bus Photo Features set within my Flickr collection (01-Apr-14).
See my complete set of English Provincial Buses here:
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Tags: Mountain Goat Plaxton Austin CXB #L-N
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Whilst Norfolk's livery suits the Bedford OB very well, it is the Austin CXB that became Norfolk's trademark. Unfortunately I don't have any useable source images of the Mann-Egerton forward-control CXB (contact me if you can help), so this fictional Plaxton-bodied normal-control version will have to suffice for the moment.
Often described as the 'Birmingham Bedford', the Austin CXB had much in common with its illustrious cousin. Never very common in any form, the forward-control version was especially rare. Norfolk's had two, both of which survive - one as a preserved vehicle and the other as a source of spares.
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Tags: Nortfolks of Nayland Austin CXB Plaxton #L-N
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Heather Bell was the trading name of Baldwin & Barlow Ltd of Tow Law in County Durham. It was one of several independent operators that worked into Stanhope in the early post-war years. Services ran from Stanhope to Tow Law, Crook and Bishop Auckland, sharing a common route as far as Gate House, where Heather Bell vehicles could often be seen awaiting connections or laying-over on short workings.
The Tow Law route had originated with T Cooke of Consett and was acquired jointly with Weardale Motor Services in 1939. The Crook service was a joint operation with Weardale Motor Services and Safety Coach Service dating back to 1926. The Bishop Auckland service ran via Fir Tree over what later became Weardale Motor Service's 'direct' route. Heather Bell also ran between Bishop Auckland and Tow Law via Crook after the rail service was cut-back to Crook in 1962. Indeed the willingness to operate such additional services (which in the event proved to be unprofitable) is believed to be the principle reason for the company's decision to pull out of stage carriage work in the early sixties.
In addition to stage carriage services, a large number of colliery, works and school contracts were operated. The company held the lion's share of the Wolsingham Grammar School contract, which was to become a key element of latter day Weardale operations. It required several vehicles, which could be seen parked up in Wolsingham Market Place during school hours. The company sold its stage services to Weardale Motor Services in 1962 but continued to operated on a private hire basis until the late sixties and possibly longer.
The fleet was predominantly heavy weight and, for most of its life, consisting almost entirely of coaches. By 1954, it had grown to ten vehicles - six Leyland Tigers, three AEC Regals and the solitary Austin FWY 498 illustrated here in Bishop Auckland. An unusual second-hand acquisition from a West Yorkshire operator in 1958, the Austin appears to have spent most of its time on the Stanhope-Tow Law run. The source image was black & white print from an unknown photographer (15-Sep-09).
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Tags: Heather Bell Austin CXB Plaxton digitally coloured
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When I first came across West Coast Motors, I was immediately struck by the similarity of its livery to that of Weardale Motor Services - notwithstanding the cream rather than white roof (a subtle difference given the tendency of white to discolour over time, at least on photographic material).
That similarity is reinforced by this fictional representation based on Heather Bell's FWY 498 laying over between workings on a service that subsequently passed to Weardale. As far as I can determine, West Coast didn't operate any Austins but I would like to think that this image captures the character of Scottish independent bus operators generally.
As for West Coast Motors, its excellent web site tells me that the name was first used in 1922 but the company's roots date back to 1916. Not only does it survive today but it seems to have gone from strength to strength over recent years. To quote the website: "Since the inception of the business West Coast Motors has remained privately owned by the Craig family and from modest beginnings in the early 1920s, the fleet has grown to an impressive total of 135 buses and coaches, five vans used for Post Office contracts and approximately 286 employees" (02-Nov-09).
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Tags: West Coast Motors Austin CXB Plaxton
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