Doncaster Independent

I recently came across one of my mums old photos, it is of her dad Rowland Burge and the bus he was the driver of. She seems to think that the photo was taken in 1936. She can not remember the company he drove for but she knows it was an independent which had its depot on the North Bridge in Doncaster which later got took over by the big company. The registration of the vehicle is DT 598 which is a Doncaster registration but I have no idea what the chassis is or what body it as. I have seen how good you chaps are at solving these little queries so I look forward to what you come up with regarding Rowlands bus and the company he drove for.

Paul Ingamells

30/12/11 - 11:34

I would hazard a guess that the independent firm for which the gentleman drove would be one later bought out by the large �B & S Motor Service� (J Bullock & Sons) as they had a garage at the north end of the North Bridge. This photo of a vehicle with Doncaster registration and no fleet name on the side would presumably be before the B & S takeover, and B & S vehicles were registered in Wakefield. The bus in the picture is a Leyland Lion PLSC3 (a "long" Lion).

Chris Youhill

30/12/11 - 17:03

I think this vehicle may have passed to Yorkshire Traction. They acquired several operators in 1935 with the objective of coordinating services with Doncaster Corporation to the Skellow area. Amongst these was the service of B & E, from which Tracky acquired a Lion and a Tiger. In the absence of a fleet list I can only guess - a PSV Circle fleet history would be very useful here!

David Beilby

Can you expand the B & E please David

31/12/11 - 07:28

Are you sure its not a PLSC1, Chris, with the short side window immediately behind the cab on the Leyland body?

John Whitaker

31/12/11 - 07:29

Sorry but the Lion taken over by Yorkshire Traction from B&E was DT 827 (for completeness the Tiger was WE 5027).
Assuming that it does have a three digit registration and that there isn't a missing 4th number then the bus was registered either late 1927 or very early 1928 (Doncaster Corporation took DT 667 on a Bristol 'B' type in Feb 1928)

Andrew

31/12/11 - 09:08

Regarding the registration number, were it to be DT 5981/9 it would have been first registered in January 1935. Even to my inexpert eye, the bus looks much earlier so my guess is that DT 598 is the complete number.

Richard Leaman

31/12/11 - 09:12

This is a close up of the rear registration that is in the rear window it more or less confirms it as DT 598

31/12/11 - 13:46

I think you're right there John - the nearside and offside views of the two versions can be confusing.

Chris Youhill

01/01/12 - 11:38

Hi Chris, and Happy New Tear to you and all. PLSC Lions CAN be very confusing, with short/long; rear, front and dual entrance types, and minor variants from outside builders taking up the slack from Leyland.
I�ve had the blinking things coming out of my ears recently, doing some research for a model, which is how I picked this up. We are all learning from each other on this fascinating site!

John Whitaker

15/01/12 - 16:46

An easy one to answer (when you have company records at your disposal !).
DT 598 was a Leyland Lion LSC1 46298 with a Leyland B31F body first registered 7/11/27. It was fleet number 3 in the F Bennett, Spa Farm, Askern fleet. They traded as Parish Motor Services. Two years later it was taken over by J Bullock & Sons (1928) Limited, along with 10 other vehicles (plus another one on order). The fleet number was retained by B&S until 1934 when it received the Harrison 32-seat body and fleet number 72 previously carried by B&S WW 3978. (It was B&S practice to number the body rather than the complete bus). In this guise the DT 598 ran with B&S until 11/36. The engine and gearbox was subsequently removed at Normanton garage with the remains passing to H Smith, Altofts, 27/5/37 - the DT 598 registration was cancelled 24/12/37.
Whilst with B&S carried licence plate 1487. What I don't know is when this was so - with Bennett in original form, with B&S after takeover, or with B&S after rebodying ?.
The original Leyland body is presumed to have been scrapped, although B&S would have recycled most of it into other rebuilds.
The mention of North Bridge depot is correct (it still exists today). B&S purchased land at North Bridge Road, Doncaster in 12/32 building a depot there the following year.

Mike Bennett

16/01/12 - 16:05

Wow ....cheers everybody for that info, my mum will be pleased.

Paul Ingamells

Comments regarding the above are more than welcome please get in touch via the 'Contact Page' or by email at

Quick links to the - Best Bits - Comments - Contact - Home