Rotherham Corporation
1961
AEC Bridgemaster
Park Royal H43/27F

This photo was taken if I remember correctly at Doncaster bus station of a Rotherham Corporation AEC Bridgemaster it shows off well the very square and rather top heavy appearance of the Park Royal body. Although the Bridgemaster was badged as an AEC it was actually designed and developed at Crossley Motors in Stockport Cheshire. It had AEC running gear and a Park Royal body but it was first seen on the Crossley stand at the 1956 Earls Court show. All production models after the show were named AEC Park Royal Bridgemaster not a mention of Crossley anywhere.

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Just to confirm that the photo is taken in Doncaster at the old Waterdale bus station. The bus is operating on the 77 service which was the Doncaster to Sheffield route via Rotherham, this service was jointly operated by Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield Corporations.
The route was moved into the then new South Bus Station and Waterdale was made into a surface car park. South Bus Station has now itself closed in favour of the new Frenchgate Interchange (formerly the old North Bus Station)

Andrew

East Yorkshire Motor Services
1961
AEC Bridgemaster
Park Royal H45/28RD

I don’t think there were many rear entrance Bridgemasters built you did not see many 30ft rear entrance buses they were usually 27ft 6in. Note the luggage rack just inside the door there would also be space under the stairs this was probably for tourists suit cases in the Bridlington area. The Bridgemaster had a low floor on the lower deck so it could have a normal seating arrangement upstairs but still be able to negotiate the Beverly Bar. The registration number is something like 1703 AT but the angle is not good to see clearly worked it out from now found fleet list reg 4703. If you look at the bus behind it is a full fronted Leyland Titan with the Beverly Bar roof.

A full list of Bridgemaster codes can be seen here.

25/11/11 – 17:03

Does anyone have photos or a list of those Bridgemasters and Renowns that carried the illuminated "It’s Best By Bus" slogans on the offside? I grew up on Longhill Estate, firmly in EYMS territory, and I can remember those signs looming out of a foggy winter evening whilst heading home after spending the afternoon being dragged around Hammonds or the Co-op.

Andrew Ottaway

26/03/12 – 14:28

Despite the design, these (nos 700 to 715) had tapered upper deck profiles for the Bar operations as did subsequent Bridgemasters, Renowns and Fleetlines 825-36/52-7/66-72.
The first four Bridgemasters 696-699 did not have this.

Malcolm Wells

26/03/12 – 17:03

I lived on the West Hill Estate in Bridlington until December ’63 (aged 5-7). Buses from this batch (700-715) worked the Estate route from new – The domed roof buses (as I saw them) hardly ever appeared thereafter.
When I moved to Leeds I drew pictures of green Leeds buses with a luggage rack inside the rear entrance – I just assumed all rear-entrance buses had luggage racks there, having experienced nothing else!
703 seems to be very photogenic – there’s a photo of the same vehicle in the specialist AEC Bridgemaster book! I’d love to know how many of the 16 in the batch worked out of Quay Road 61-63.

Barry Parker

27/03/12 – 15:56

Andrew, here’s a link to an EYMS Bridgemaster with a raised advertisement panel. I don’t know if it’s an illuminated one though. //www.eyms.co.uk/

John Darwent

28/03/12 – 08:29

I’m not sure about this, but I believe all the buses with raised advertisement panels were illuminated, but I think that this would have fallen into disuse at some period.

Keith Easton

28/03/12 – 11:27

Andrew – Here’s a link to the ‘It’s Best by Bus’ advert on EYMS Bridgemaster 725 //www.eyms.co.uk/

John Darwent

06/06/12 – 17:40

I found these posts very interesting as I was employed as a bus driver at Anlaby Road depot from 1963 till 1970 upon which I left for Australia. Yes I well remember driving a Bridgemaster the first time through the Beverley Bar and ducking my head !!!! another time which makes me smile, we were coming along Hessle Road into town in a saloon and when I pulled up at the bus stop my mate opened the door and said to this guy who was full as a boot " we are full upstairs " and he said " ok mate I will wait for the next one so I can have a smoke" happy days.

Tony Frost

07/06/12 – 07:03

Nice anecdotes, Tony!

Chris Hebbron

06/09/12 – 07:34

Photograph of 3747 RH with the illuminated "It’s Best By Bus" slogan on the offside for Andrew 1st comment above.

John Thompson

24/02/13 – 08:14

Thanks for the replies, and particularly John’s links.

Andrew Ottaway

East Yorkshire Motor Services
1962
AEC Bridgemaster
Park Royal LD72F

Photo taken Hull bus station July 1965 or 6. The code LD denotes that it is a lowbridge vehicle but with a highbridge type seating layout.

A full list of Bridgemaster codes can be seen here.

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East Yorkshire bought a large batch of both Bridgemasters and Renowns between 1960-66.
It’s early Bridgemasters 1960-61 were rear door some with and some without the tapered ‘Beverley Bar’ Roof. From 1962 onwards the standard Park Royal body was with a tapered roof that appeared on both models.
The last Renowns of 1966 vintage had a short EYMS life as they were swapped for Tynemouth and District Fleetlines in 1972. I believe because EYMS needed to bring in front entrance buses, this may be because the local Hull Corporation had by 1972 totally switched to one man operated Atlanteans and the city bus station stands were altered accordingly, making the EYMS fleet overrun the stand entrances.
Feel free to correct if anybody else has an alternative answer to the fleet swap.

Anonymous

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I think the Coach Station layout is a red herring, as the later Bridgemasters and Renowns were front entrance, but is in fact to do with EYMS introducing the ‘Farebox’ services within Kingston upon Hull services and these were to be OMO services for which the older, having a separate driving cab, were unsuitable, hence the 20 Fleetlines bought from Tynemouth.

Keith Easton

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14/11/12 – 07:11

The PSV Circle, who could be said to hold the ‘copyright’ on body codes, actually abandoned the use of the code ‘LD’ decades ago, simply because it became impossible to draw a dividing line between low and normal height – once low-frame chassis were available operators could, and often did, have bodywork built to whatever height they wished. If a vehicle was 14’0" high, would it be H or LD? Current convention would regard the above as H72F, in spite of its obvious low height.

David Call