Copyright Ian Wild
J Wood & Sons
1965
Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1
Park Royal H41/33F
A comment from Chris Hough dated 20th March concerning Bolton ABN213C mentions this ex Demonstrator
Leyland Atlantean operated by Joseph Wood and Sons of Mirfield, West Yorkshire. It has a Sheffield
design Park Royal body and it ran on the Mirfield to Dewsbury service which was joint with J J Longstaff
& Sons and Yorkshire Woollen District. Its livery with Woods was slightly modified from that which it
sported as a demonstrator. The photo was taken in September 1979 by which time the bus was 14 years
old.
The bus has another claim to fame. I have a newspaper cutting dated July 1966 headed PRINCE OF
THE ROAD which tells of a visit by Prince Philip to Leyland Motors where he drove KTD
‘for a mile long drive on the test track’ and ‘returned the £8,000 bus safely’. A photograph
with the inevitable 007 route number records the event. Amongst his passengers were Sir Donald Stokes,
Managing Director of Leyland Motors together with Chairman Sir William Black.
Photograph and Copy contributed by Ian Wild
04/05/12 - 07:37
Yes KTD replaced the ex Baxters Crossley that is now preserved and
currently up for sale at Quantock Motor services. The plaque describing the driving by the Duke was
removed before the bus was scrapped and is owned by Mr Colin Wood the son of Joseph
Wood.
Philip Carlton
04/05/12 - 08:55
While it was a demonstrator the bus served with the Wallace Arnold
subsidiary on the “Kippax and District” route from Leeds via Halton, Crossgates and
Garforth to Kipaax and Ledston Luck - again with the somewhat tiresome “007” in the
route number display.
Chris Youhill
04/05/12 - 14:43
The livery of this bus, to me, looks modern and gives a more modern
appearance to the vehicle than might otherwise be the case. I like the way the ‘W’ has been
incorporated in the waistline stripe. Simplicity is usually best.
Chris Hebbron
08/05/12 - 07:36
Oh how I agree with Chris regarding the livery style of the Atlantean
and even more with his view that simplicity is usually best. The concept of a simple refined livery
and layout appears to be totally forgotten nowadays with swoops and slashes and assorted disjointed
shapes which bear no relationship to the lines of the bodywork in fact they seem to be deliberately
“designed” to jar and clash. The new First livery is a glaring example of this both
inside and out, I also find the Stagecoach layout to be unpleasantly disjointed and the interior
rather garish.
Diesel Dave
08/05/12 - 12:07
I agree entirely Diesel Dave - public transport has never looked more
appalling and meaningless - at obscene expense. Managements insist that such horrors of marketing
actually increase passenger numbers considerably, but I doubt if the artwork is the reason at all. I
bet a straw poll of folks in the street would reveal conclusively that hardly a soul has any idea,
or the remotest interest, - IF the vehicle is on its branded route, often they are not for obvious
operational reasons. Thank goodness for the restrictions imposed by, I believe, TFL which ensure
that buses in the Capital are practically pleasing red all over.
Digressing very briefly, the same unsightly nonsense applies also to the railways. I look out of my
flat at Headingley station a quarter of a mile away and see the Northern Rail trains all day -
anyone would think quite justifiably that the Depot yards had been invaded by an organised army of
aerosol wielding graffiti louts. I despair.
Chris Youhill
09/05/12 - 08:09
Weren’t they a rather pleasing Maroon/Brown/Dark Green colour with a
large gold ‘N’ originally (I’m colour-blind, Chris Y).
Chris Hebbron
09/05/12 - 08:11
I too agree with Diesel Dave, particularly about the First livery,
just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did! The truly insipid pastel shades introduced
a couple of months ago were, I understood, to have provision for local identity but I haven’t seen
any evidence of such. The new Wright bodied deckers for First Manchester bear the words ‘We
believe in improving your bus service’ Hardly a convincing message when they’ve recently been fined
a quarter of a million pounds for poor performance!
My local operator, Trent Barton, not only route brands but has a different livery for each separate
service with just about every colour on the shade card being used. The downside of this is that many
passengers think that they are all operated by different companies. Sure, they’ve won ‘Bus
Operator of the Year’ a couple of times but although such awards are coveted within the industry, I
doubt, as Chris Y says, they mean anything at all to people in the street, none of whom had a
vote!
Chris Barker
09/05/12 - 09:26
To be perfectly honest Chris H there have been so many railway livery
changes in recent years that I’ve lost track (Oh dear, I promise no pun intended there) of the time
and detail boundaries. The simple but pleasing WYPTE (Metro - that poor over used word again)
colours were plain maroon with a light custard band - individual, sane, and universally understood.
When the franchise was gained by Arriva the trains were painted in that Organisation’s colours of
pleasing mid blue with the “cow’s horn” cream section, again excellent. I do vaguely
remember the plain gold “N” but I think that this was applied only temporarily to stock
remaining in Metro maroon and cream (gold). The basic Northern Rail colour is a quite rich and
pleasant “regal” blue and the “N” logo is OK, but then the rot sets in. The
wild and totally meaningless (and expensive) coloured graffiti shapes have to be seen to be
believed, as have huge pictures of town halls and waterfalls and so forth.
Sorry to seemingly digress onto railways, but the atrocious waste of money and disfigurement of
otherwise handsome vehicles is a parallel scandal to the one we are discussing on the
buses.
Chris Youhill
09/05/12 - 19:17
One exceptional disfigurement, Chris Y, was dinosaurs on the IoW 1938
LU stock. One, at least, now carries true 1938 livery with silver roof and richer red, as befits a
74 year-old!
Chris Hebbron
09/05/12 - 19:34
Yes, Chris Y & H, I agree with your aversion to the manic and
illogical bus and train liveries now so common throughout the UK. However, one notable exception is
the smart Grand Central Railway livery which (so far) has not fallen under the influence of their
new owner - Arriva.
Paul Haywood
02/06/12 - 07:06
How I agree with the comments above on “modern” liveries,
most of which seem to be the product of ecstasy induced nightmares. The preposterous original
version of the “First” (how supremely ironic a name for such a company) Barbie livery
had the grubby white/pink/purple shades blending into one another. Whoever devised that, and I
expect that a consultancy firm received handsome payment for the aberration, had no concept of the
practical world of panel damage. Not only are such liveries painful excrescences to the eye, but the
over tight grasp exerted by the big groups upon their maintenance budgets is painfully apparent in
the appearance of external paintwork. The older, and by no means old, buses of my local Stagecoach
outfit are scruffy in the extreme. They bear absolutely no comparison with the impeccable fleet
standards offered by the nearby Delaine and Norfolk Green businesses.
Roger Cox
02/06/12 - 11:59
The version of First’s livery to which Roger Cox refers was known as
‘Barbie 2’ and used for older types of vehicle. Many may may not realise that the
‘fading shades’ applied to the lower panels was actually an enormous vinyl that was a
nightmare to apply, requiring several people several hours to wrap it around the entire bus,
trimming and snipping around the wheelarches, fuel filler and other access flaps, grilles, lights
etc. It had to be fitted around all the beading strips between the panels and around the
wheelarches, but inevitably bubbled up, split or peeled away round the edges. If any oxidation
occurred in the aluminium panels it would form large bubbles which someone would always be tempted
to burst. The bus washing machine then had a field day with it !
Repairing minor accident damage was then very difficult. One depot actually started to cut the
vinyls down by half into a narrower strip, eliminating the fadeout effect, but looking equally
silly. I don’t imagine anyone involved with maintaining the buses was ever consulted about the
practicality of it all.
Design Consultants eh ?
John Stringer
03/06/12 - 07:03
Nothing really to do with this subject. But John Stringer mentions a
word I hate… Consultants. I’m sure John will remember the time at WYPTE, when a consultant
said that there was no need for 2 vehicle workshops based on Kirkstall and Thornbury, so Thornbury
went. Then a couple of years later another consultancy came along and said there was a need for
central workshops in either division.
Personal titbit, worked with Colin Wood when I worked at Abbeyways 1994/5. Great bloke, good sense
of humour.
Chris Ratcliffe
03/06/12 - 07:03
The new”local livery” now used by First is little better
using a pale lilac that will surely fade quickly Far better to use proper local colours based on the
former colours of constituent companies.
Chris Hough
03/06/12 - 11:12
You can live in hope Chris, but I fear you will die in
despair!
Eric Bawden
03/06/12 - 19:35
Sadly Eric I fear you are right!
Chris Hough
06/06/12 - 07:46
Consultants : “They borrow your watch to tell you the time, and
then sell it back to you.”
Committees : “The incompetent, picked by the incapable to do the unnecessary.”
I’ll just go and put my tin hat on!
Stephen Ford
06/06/12 - 09:46
Why?
David Oldfield
07/06/12 - 10:31
Why indeed Stephen - I’m sure that 99.9% of folk to several decimal
places agree with you. I find the new “First Leeds” local “livery” to be as
bad and un-necessary as anything before it. Who on earth wants to pay towards silhouette pictures of
local landmarks concealed within the “LEEDS” lettering ??
Chris Youhill
10/06/12 - 08:15
This discussion seems to be getting further and further away from the
attractive outline and livery of this Atlantean. Am I right in thinking that this same Park Royal
style was used on Birmingham’s KOX…F series? It’s pleasing to know, however, that there are
still SOME operators who use liveries of a traditional style. Delaine, Pennine, and a few others are
well known. Here in Hampshire, there is a father and son operation XELABUS, based in Winchester and
Eastleigh, using the old Hants & Dorset livery. Very nice, too!
Pete Davies
10/06/12 - 14:46
Xelabus are operating Southsea’s Open Top Sea Front service (X25),
from Gun Wharf Quays to the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney, via Clarence Pier, Blue Reef Aquarium and
South Parade Pier, but only on Saturday, Sundays and Bank Holidays throughout the summer: daily
during the Summer School Holidays. The original CPPTD route ran from Clarence Pier to Hayling Ferry.
They have kept the original route number, which was 25. Wonder what vehicles they will use;
certainly not Leyland TD4’s!
Chris Hebbron
12/06/12 - 18:51
A nice write-up on Xelabus in the latest “Buses” magazine
(No.687 June 2012) states that the principal bus to be used will be an ex-Lothian Atlantean, GJZ
9571), originally registered BFS 14L. The reserve vehicle will be an ex-Portsmouth Atlantean, No 11
ERV 251D. This is one of their heritage fleet. I don’t know what liveries these now carry - haven’t
been to Southsea to see them yet, even though I’m local! So we’re getting back on track with the
comments - two Atlanteans, albeit with different bodies (Alexander and Metro-Cammell) to the
original Park Royal one at the top.
Michael Hampton
13/06/12 - 09:41
What happened to Woods? Didn’t they become part of the Abbeyways
“group”, but then what . . . ? I remember that, in the 1980s, they ran an ex-Singapore
Alexander-bodied 12m Leopard (in Abbeyways livery)on the 205 (as the Dewsbury-Knowle-Mirfield route
had become under WYPTE numbering), but then they seemed to disappear - at some point.
Incidentally, Longstaff has recently given up on this route - its timings have passed to Lyles of
Batley, although Metro publicity still refers to operations as being conducted by “Longstaff
of Mirfield”. Anybody know the story here?
Anyway, what were Wood’s colours? I’ve always assumed they were black and white - because they look
black and white in the only photographs I’ve seen, which are black and white . . . errm . .
.
Philip Rushworth
15/06/12 - 05:47
As stated Joseph Wood and Son was purchased by Abbeyways under the
guise of Go Big Ltd. The livery was always Black and Cream. The depot was in Lee Green Mirfield and
shortly after Abbeyways had wound up the operation it was sold to Ron Lyles of Batley who afterwards
moved back to Batley. Then the depot was demolished and today there is now old peoples flats there.
With regards to J.J. Longstaff earlier this year the operation along with the two buses was sold to
Albert Lyles Coaches who are trading on the service as Longstaffs. The only difference is that the
service now starts and finishes at Dewsbury whereas before the service started and finished at
Northorpe where Longstaffs garage was.
Philip Carlton
16/06/12 - 07:21
I worked for Abbeyways in 1993/4. I remember being sent with a
message for Colin Wood one day at a garage which had the Crossley in under restoration, and I think
a coach in the Abbeyways livery that had been withdrawn sometime. It certainly was not Luck Lane in
Huddersfield, and I seem to remember coming away from there and turning right on to the A62 towards
Leeds, but I couldn’t tell you if that was the Woods Depot, although the Crossley was a big clue I
suppose. Going by what Steven Ives did in Blackpool with Abbots Coaches, then it is probable that
apart from the name he bought nothing. Happy to be proved wrong on this but that is certainly what
he did in Blackpool. I seem to think though that Colin Wood lived next to this depot, and part of
the deal was for him to keep it. Somebody out there will probably know.
Chris Ratcliffe
17/06/12 - 07:35
It has been interesting to read some of the comments here regarding
peoples’ preference for traditional livery applications.
I personally never liked this particular design of body. It was basically a late-in-the day attempt
by Park Royal to disguise its original MCW-style box to compete with such as the superb Alexander
design, and in my opinion it never looked right in any livery. Oddly, Roe - part of the Park Royal
Group - managed to do quite a good job of updating the low-height version by adding an
Alexander-inspired front to Atlanteans for West Riding and King Alfred. I thought they looked really
good, even though mechanically they were perhaps not so.
I am afraid that I do not believe that Wood’s livery did this one any favours either. The band below
the lower deck windows just looks wrong - too thick and set too low - as does the total absence of
relief colour on the top half of the bus.
I think if it ever looked even passable, it was probably when in its original demonstration
livery.
I am in agreement with most about preferring the traditional liveries of old, though many would be
just too fussy to transfer comfortably to the lines of certain modern buses, and would need
simplifying.
A number of operators over the years have revived an old livery on a new bus to celebrate an
anniversary. Many have looked really well, but some looked really awkward and self-conscious.
I have always thoroughly disliked First’s livery, but am staggered frankly at their latest mess. I
have to admit that as modern liveries go, some of the Blazefield/Transdev companies schemes seemed
to be quite good - strong, distinctive, contrasting colours applied quite simply. I had rather hoped
that when Giles Fearnley moved to First some of this influence might have come with him. Instead the
new ‘style’ is pale and wishy-washy, with odd stripes here and there for no apparent reason,
starting and finishing in the middle of nowhere. It looks like it was designed by a committee to me.
A thorough disappointment.
John Stringer
17/06/12 - 07:36
Regarding the operation by Abbeyways of Joseph Wood mention has been
made of the ex Singapore Leopard demonstrator that was used on the service from Dewsbury to
Mirfield. My recollection is they also used buses from the Hyndburn hire fleet both doubles and
single deckers and for a while they ran service 208 from Dewsbury to Whitley. The depot Chris
Ratcliffe visited was at Lee Green Mirfield as mentioned in my earlier posting. I have never found
out why Abbeyways gave up operations at Mirfield but this seems typical of Steven Ives.
Philip Carlton
18/06/12 - 08:01
Lets hope for a return to some traditional colours in West Yorkshire.
I’ve heard on the rumour mill that First has put everything in Yorkshire (and more possibly) up for
sale with the exception of Leeds - including the York operations it invested in quite heavily a few
years back. That might explain why I haven’t seen any Halifax/Bradford/Huddersfield names on the new
livery (what would First have chosen as the sky-line for “Bradford”, given the present
state of the city centre [non] redevelopment? - a pile of rubble??). Are First planning to pull out
of Sheffield? Whatever, come on Transdev, come on Go-Ahead, buy in there and re-invent (I agree with
John, you can’t always resurrect) some of the wonderful liveries from the past. We could debate the
aesthetics of this Park Royal body style against its contemporaries, but it still looks way better
than today’s offerings - and, moreover, it doesn’t look like it would fall apart when it hit the
first stone/pot-hole in the road.
Philip Rushworth
19/06/12 - 08:19
I am intrigued to learn that First are now pursuing wholesale
withdrawal from West Yorkshire. One wonders what this group’s business plan now is, as it seems to
be getting out of some major conurbations. It withdrew from Kings Lynn a couple of years ago, where
the operations were taken over very effectively by the smart fleet of Norfolk Green, whose livery is
very much in the traditional style. Since then, Bury St. Edmunds has been abandoned. Perhaps, after
the initial flurry of manic, cut-throat competition, and then the establishment of large regional
monopolies, we are about to see phase three of the deregulation scene, with the expansion of soundly
established independent operators into the “vacated” areas.
Roger Cox
19/06/12 - 09:19
I hope the rumour mill is correct certainly Rotherham seems on its
last legs and Stagecoach are proving a viable contender in Sheffield If only Leeds would also go to
someone with pride in what they do unlike First with their poor quality take it or leave it
attitude.
Chris Hough
19/06/12 - 11:41
Despite early bad publicity - often either malicious or simply
incorrect - Stagecoach has developed into one of the best groups around, along with Go-Ahead. As
someone who does not have shares in Stagecoach but an informed observer, this pleases me. I, like
many others, would be happy to see First disappear from South Yorkshire - and many other places too
- but feel that it would be unhealthy if Stagecoach were left to it themselves. I agree that the
best situation would be for a decent independent to emerge. Failing that for Go-Ahead to come in and
support “healthy” competition.
David Oldfield
19/06/12 - 13:35
Roger, the actual words used by First were ‘We may have to
re-position our UK bus portfolio’. That was when they felt the need to issue a profits warning
earlier this year. That’s what it’s all about, unfortunately, their primary duty is to make a profit
for their shareholders, but how is it, that some seem to achieve this in a better way than others? I
agree with the view about Stagecoach, some of their tactics in the past have been despicable, but
they do appear to have become one of the better players. How many times have you seen the words
‘municipal pride’ attached to many of the old council operations? What a great shame the
former municipals in South and West Yorkshire, in their present day ownership, have become very much
a case of profit first, service second!
Chris Barker
20/06/12 - 08:32
Just returned from a weeks holiday in Cheltenham were we travelled
just about everywhere by Stagecoach. We made use of their excellent West Megarider gold ticket
which, at £19.50 gave unlimited 7 day travel covering an area centred on Gloucester as far out as
Hereford, Tewkesbury, Oxford, Swindon, Marlborough, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Lydney and Monmouth.
There is also a good selection of smaller area runabout type tickets to choose from at varying
prices. Excellent value when you consider the five minute journey from where I live into Halifax
costs £2 with First. Whilst Stagecoach do have some competition from smaller independents in the
Gloucester/Cheltenham area by and large they seem to “rule the roost” with there network
of services yet still provide a ten minute frequency from the suburbs into Cheltenham plus the ten
minute frequency between Cheltenham and Gloucester using high quality double deckers (leather high
back seats etc.). One must also bear in mind the largely rural nature of most services once out of
the towns and cities. Being visitors to the area we also found the drivers willing and helpful in
answering our queries.
From my experience of Stagecoach West I think it shows that a large conglomerate, with a bit of
thought, can get the balance right between shareholder needs and providing a service to the
public
Eric Bawden
21/06/12 - 06:50
Usually, once a year, I go for a Grand Day Out, by bus, with a
friend. However, on a Friday, last summer, I got the megabus from Gloucester to Swindon, a
Stagecoach West bus from Swindon to Andover, then used Stagecoach Hampshire to get to Winchester,
where a friend lives. We came back by car on the Monday. I got some advance advice from Stagecoach
West, not for the first time, and have always found them to be helpful, making enquiries of their
neighbouring colleagues, where necessary. They have also re-introduced a through service from
Gloucester to Hereford and later buses on Gloucester’s routes, now leaving town centre at around
23:30hrs. My local town service had a 15 minute frequency during the day, hourly after 19:00hrs. I
have no connexions with the company.
Local Gloucester independents are Aston’s, Pullen’s, Swanbrook, Jackie’s and Mike’s Travel. The days
of National Welsh and Midland Red, who ran an express service to Birmingham, are long gone! Other
routes went to Abergavenny and also Cardiff, although the latter route has been progressively cut
back to Newport, then Chepstow, now Lydney!
Chris Hebbron
21/06/12 - 06:51
When I attended the Harrington Gathering at Amberley, I got chatting
to a Stagecoach employee from Brighton. Among his comments about my life in Southern Hampshire was
one that falls in with several above. The recent service changes which First made here a couple of
months ago were an utter waste of time and money. I had heard from several of the local drivers and
inspectors that it was a last ditch attempt to generate more than they were spending, but the chap
from Brighton said the other groups between them give First six months before collapse.
We shall see!
Pete Davies
21/06/12 - 11:29
I’m sure the MD of Stagecoach West would be pleased to hear the above
comments. [I have to declare an interest here; he’s a friend of mine.]
David Oldfield
22/06/12 - 11:17
This was Woods last decker and was replaced by a Plaxton bodied
Leyland Leopard The body design although mainly associated with Sheffield was also bought by
Birmingham Leicester and Salford.
Chris Hough
22/06/12 - 15:05
David O, you are welcome to show your md friend my comments on
Stagecoach West
Eric Bawden
23/06/12 - 06:05
Sorry to contradict the comment about KTD 551C being the last
decker.It was replaced by an ex London DMS TGX 769M.Incidentally the Leopard mentioned had its
Plaxton service bus body scrapped and the chassis was sold to Stanley Gath of Dewsbury who had a
number of older chassis rebodied but for some reason this never happened and the chassis was
dismantled for spares.
Philip Carlton
23/06/12 - 06:06
This is a bit off topic, I know, but relates very topically to the
issues discussed above, and very indirectly to Woods-will the “Woods” return?
Metro, that is the West Yorks Transport Authority have today announced a plan to take control- as
they may- of local buses in terms of “quality contracts”- supposed to be like London,
but sounds like the Railways to me, too. Bus passengers have plummeted: presumably the idea is to
make the buses run where they are needed, on time, at approved fares- and most importantly, turn up
at all, on some routes. In my youth it was unthinkable that the bus would not turn up… that
attitude- the Woods or Ledgards or some of the old Municipals- is what we need. Presumably First got
wind….
Joe
23/06/12 - 14:22
Thanks Philip I’d forgotten the DMS The other independent Longstaff
ran an ex Devon General tin front AEC Regent III for a while and bought a long wheel base Atlantean
with NCME bodywork which ran for the late lamented Black Prince for a time.
Chris Hough
24/06/12 - 15:24
The Leyland Atlantean of J.J.Longstaff was sold by Black Prince and
eventually became a cut down recovery vehicle with Yorkshire Traction. I drove for Longstaffs in the
late 1970s.Incidentally Mr Brian Longstaff the last surviving son of the founder John James
Longstaff died a couple of years ago. As mentioned in these listings the family have sold the
business to Albert Lyles Coaches of Batley who are still operating the service 205 from Dewsbury to
Mirfield exactly as Longstaffs did.
Philip Carlton
25/06/12 - 07:33
Nice to see the business (and route) going to another
independent.
Chris Hebbron
25/06/12 - 07:34
I had a aunt who lived at Ravensthorpe and we occasionally visited
for tea. After a while I would escape and go watch the buses passing by along North Road. These were
on the joint YWD/Wood/Longstaff service mentioned, but it was interesting that it was only when
Metro (WYPTE) took charge of timetables that all three operators’ timings were listed. YWD had
stubbornly refused to mention the other two’s timings, giving the impression that it was only hourly
instead of every 20 minutes. I remember Wood’s Crossley, and the replacement Atlantean, but there
was also an ex-Glasgow Leyland Worldmaster - FYS 689 - which for a while ran with its original
Weymann/GCT body before Wood’s rebodied it with a new Plaxton Panorama Elite coach body. It later
passed to Tower Coaches who ran it for many years, although by then it had a later style Leopard
badge, and sounded more Leopard than Worldmaster, so they may have replaced more than just the body.
Worldmasters sounded distinctly different from Leopards - we had nine of our own in Halifax and I
was very familiar with them (more of these another time).
I seem to also remember a Burlingham bus bodied Atkinson single decker before that.
Longstaff’s had an ex-LT RT - HLX 321 - which then gave way to a marvellous ex-Devon General Regent
III/Weymann Orion (with ‘New Look’ front)of the PDV-registered batch, like the two that
Ledgard’s had. This was replaced with the unusual Daimler CSG6/30 /Northern Counties LSN 286 with
David Brown synchromesh gearboxes, that had been new to Garelochhead Coach Service.
Longstaff’s too had a single decker, which was a Tiger Cub/Weymann Hermes, which I think was
ex-Rhondda.
John Stringer
25/06/12 - 17:06
Longstaff’s Tiger Cub replaced a far more interesting saloon,
Sentinel STC4/40 OUP 579, which ran for them on the Dewsbury service from November 1961 to November
1965. The vehicle had been new in October 1953 (making it one of the last STC4/40s to be sold) and
was originally operated by Trimdon Motor Services. Strangely TMS only kept it until February 1955 -
most of their Sentinels lasted until the end of the decade before disposal. It then ran for a couple
of contractors on staff services (an astonishingly young vehicle by most contractors’ standards!)
before being acquired by LG Phillips of Glynceiriog in June 1961 from the Don Everall dealership.
Three months later Everalls repossessed it (their version) or had it returned to them because it was
rubbish (Phillips’ version) and then it went to Longstaff.
The fact that Longstaffs kept it for four years, in daily service on a busy urban route, might help
readers to make up their minds as to which version was true. It certainly looked very nice in
Longstaff’s two-tone blue livery, and an excellent colour shot of it can be found in Geoff Lumb’s
book “The Heyday of the Bus in Yorkshire” (Ian Allan).
After withdrawal by Longstaff it went to another Phillips, this one of Shiptonthorpe, and gave
another year of service on works contracts before being scrapped.
Neville Mercer
26/06/12 - 06:46
Regarding John Stringers comment about Y.W.D not acknowledging that
the service from Dewsbury to Mirfield was a joint service rang a bell with me. Longstaffs and Woods
departed from the side of Dewsbury Minster yet the YWD bus left from the bus station on the other
side of the road. Brian Longstaff once told me that they acquired a Saunders bodied London RT with a
route roof number box. Longstaffs painted the number 11 on it and were given a sharp rebuke from YWD
and were told to remove it which they did. Yet later when YWD were having a severe vehicle shortage
a Longstaffs bus went on hire to YWD in the evenings and was crewed with a Longstaffs driver and a
YWD conductor and of course this timing went from the bus station.
Philip Carlton
15/02/14 - 15:25
One of the problems of fitting vinyl is that in corners there is a
tendency for the vinyl not to fit right into the corner but take a short cut. If you could see a
side on view it would look like a triangle with the vinyl being the long edge. This is called
“tenting”.
Inevitably the vinyl eventually tears (as it is under stress) or develops a hole, water is trapped
behind it and creates a bubble that some are tempted to burst. Either way it can provide the
conditions for rot to get a foothold.
Vinyl comes in various grades and many operators choose the cheaper grades. Sunlight is not kind to
it!
In a similar vein: Contravision.
Contravision is quite simply perforated vinyl. From the outside the eye sees the “big
picture”. The eye doesn’t see the thousands of very small holes.
In theory from the inside the eye sees through the holes to the outside view as this is brighter. I
am sure we are all familiar with various optical illusions and how the “mind” can be
confused. This can happen with Contravision where some just seem to see the inside of the
vinyl.
What causes the problem is the perforated holes fill up with grime / grease etc. Washing doesn’t
seem to remove it as any brush glides over the top as the vinyl sits proud. The only solution is to
literally pick out the grime from each hole - a fools errand.
As much as advertising revenue is important to operators I seriously wonder if the long term loss to
the business (in terms of customer perception and satisfaction etc) is greater.
David R
23/02/14 - 06:51
First of all may I make a comment about the ostensible ‘joint’
service referred to - and this will come a bit alien to anyone who wasn’t around at the time of Road
Service Licensing.
Longstaff and Wood operated a joint service, to the extent that it was covered by a joint Road
Service Licence. The YWD Service 11 was completely independent, even though it followed exactly the
same route - except for the terminating arrangement in Dewsbury, of course. However the timings were
coordinated to the effect that, between the three operators, a twenty-minute service was
provided.
The above, John S, is the reason why there was no mention of the Longstaff/Wood service in the YWD
timetable - YWD would have had no more reason to include it than they would the service of any other
operator which ran in its area. However there was a time (this would be the early 1970s, at least)
when there was a separate section in the YWD timetable for other operators’ services - and the
Longstaff/Wood operation was shown there, i.e. not in the same section as YWD Service 11. This
showing of other operators’ services was widespread throughout the NBC at the time.
Finally, Philip C, referring to the story of Longstaff going on hire to YWD, if the hirings took
place in the evenings (rather than peak times), it sounds as though it was drivers YWD were short of
at the time, rather than vehicles.
David Call
Vehicle reminder
shot for this posting
24/02/14 - 07:43
I drove for Longstaffs in the early 1980s. Brian Longstaff once told
me that on Sundays they were willing to have the day off alternating with J,Wood on a weekly basis
but Alice Wood would not comply so the three services ran even though there was not enough
passengers for one bus never mind three. Now a days the service does not run on Sundays and
terminates at 8 P.M whereas when I drove we worked until 11.30.
Philip Carlton
Vehicle reminder shot for this posting
