Old Bus Photos

Sheffield Corporation – AEC Regent III – LWB749 – 249

Sheffield Corporation - AEC Regent III - LWB749 - 249

Sheffield Corporation
1949
AEC Regent III 9612E
Craven H30/26R

A pair of withdrawn Craven bodied Regent III are evident in this picture taken on the parking area behind East Bank Garage in May 1966. Further along the row is another one with the front number plate in the raised position (presumably to reduce accidental damage). The next in line to the Cravens pair is 431, a 1950 Northern Coachbuilders bodied Regent III, note a similar bus just visible at the extreme right contrasting the grey and cream painted roofs. The same applies to the two all Leyland PD2/1 that can be seen. This area was the gathering ground for withdrawn buses pending being towed away by one of the Barnsley scrap dealers.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ian Wild


25/01/15 – 10:57

Thanks for posting this gem Ian. As a boy, I would cycle from Birley to see the latest line-up on the roof of Eastbank garage (the journey back up could be a challenge). I’m surprised to see that the fleet numbers have not been blacked out in the traditional fashion. Any chance of a larger picture?

Les Dickinson


25/01/15 – 10:57

There is larger shot at this link.

Peter


25/01/15 – 17:39

Les, I suspect these had only recently been withdrawn. May 1966 would have been when large numbers of Atlantean PDR1/2 with Park Royal or Neepsend bodies were entering service. To the best of my knowledge fleet numbers etc were always painted out prior to collection for scrap.
Cycling up East bank Road?? No thank you!

Ian Wild


31/01/15 – 06:30

LWB 831

The very handsome locally built Cravens Regents were well thought of in Sheffield with some giving 18 years service in the city. Here’s 231 of the 1949 delivery looking splendid when new in the manufacturer’s official photo.

John Darwent


01/02/15 – 06:55

Today’s "stylists" and image-mongers and dreamers-up of nightmare liveries could learn a lot from this dignified vehicle.

Ian T


01/02/15 – 09:17

Oh, how I concur with your opinion, Ian. Fairly locally to me, Norfolk Green had a smart, traditionally applied livery in contrasting shades of green. Since the Stagecoach takeover the livery (and the service reliability) has plummeted to abysmal levels. The front three quarters is now a ‘swooped’ grey, followed by vestigial traces of green. The immediate impression on approach is of a military vehicle. One half expects the destination to display "Rations – No Lifts".

Roger Cox


 

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Sheffield Corporation – AEC Regent V – 6336 WJ – 1336

Sheffield Corporation - AEC Regent V - 6336 WJ - 1336

Sheffield Corporation
1960
AEC Regent V 2D3RA
Roe H39/30RD

This is July 1974 and South Yorkshire PTE has been in operation for just over three months. The bus looks a little uncared for, no fleetname, no destination and generally a bit shabby. It is at Bents Green terminus of the 81/82 Cross City services. At 14 years old, the bus still exudes an air of quality, these were really smart buses in their heyday when they were used on various B fleet services to Bradway, Low Edges, Castleton etc.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ian Wild


08/12/14 – 15:58

This bus would have been an unusual sight on this route in 1974- which may account for the lack of a destination- some lazy crews would not bother trying very hard to find destinations on a strange bus. At certain times of day a bus would have been available in the City Centre to cover for breakdowns etc. – this may have been it.
SYPTE was very slow at repainting the fleet until extra paintshop capacity at Rutland Way was acquired c1980- some vehicles were running around in Sheffield livery until c1979 and looked pretty deplorable at the end.

Phil Drake


09/12/14 – 11:53

I remember these buses from our days in Sheffield Ian. From memory, as you say, they were mainly used on the longer routes outside the city boundary. I seem to remember that they had or were later fitted with saloon heaters and together with the platform doors this made them almost luxurious in the cold weather!

Stan Zapiec


10/12/14 – 06:27

Ian did of course post a photo of 1331 when brand new at Roe’s factory at Leeds. This shows how superb these splendid vehicles looked in their heyday. You can view it at this link.

John Darwent


13/12/14 – 06:34

I would rather have the blue & cream Sheffield livery, even in a poor sorry state, than the horrendous brown & cream.

Andy Fisher


16/12/14 – 06:35

Andy, I agree with you but I don’t know if you’ve seen the Sheffield Volvo B7TL painted in SYPTE brown and cream – it actually looks quite stunning!

Ian Wild


16/12/14 – 10:01

The worst livery was when SYPTE hastily overpainted the blue bands with whitewash to eradicate the Sheffield connection.

Dave Farrier


22/12/14 – 07:40

I am not saying all later brown & cream busses looked bad, just the SCT busses repainted did nothing to enhance the appearance of a wonderful bus. Notice the wheel rim on this one. It seems to be the smaller grooved type fitted to the input of 1959 tram replacement fleet from Roe (not shown outside the factory), not the full chrome ones fitted on the Alexanders & most other forward control busses in the fleet. It also seems to have a blue back wheel. With all the Atlantians in service, they obviously did not care about these older, beautiful busses.

Andy Fisher


25/12/14 – 07:00

23rd, saw a Wrights 08 plate painted in the brown & cream. Pass the bucket!

Andy Fisher


 

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Sheffield Corporation – AEC Regent I – DWB 27 – 27

Sheffield Corporation - AEC Regent I - DWB 27 - 27
Copyright Unknown

Sheffield Corporation
1937
AEC Regent I
Weymann H55R

Quite a few of Sheffield’s Regent 1 intake of 1937/8 with both original and rebuilt bodies survived up to around 1960 with the majority being withdrawn in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. One such survivor was No. 27 registration DWB 27, a Weymann bodied H55R example. This machine was new in 1937 and survived until 1958 in original form. To achieve 21 years in normal service in Sheffield’s hilly terrain was no mean feat and unsurprisingly at the time of withdrawal, 27 was one of Sheffield’s oldest service buses albeit probably mainly used on peak time extras and school runs in later life.

Sheffield Corporation - AEC Regent I - EWB 657 - 357
Copyright John Darwent

More Regent 1 examples of a somewhat more modest lifespan were No. 357 registration EWB 657 and 353 registration EWB 653 both of 1938 vintage with Cravens H55R bodywork pictured here in 1953 at Sheffield Midland Station between duties. I am unsure whether 353 had been modernised in some way as there is a difference in appearance between the vehicles and I have another image of 353 showing sliding toplights on both decks of a later era than the drop down windows of other Cravens vehicles of the batch.

Photograph and Copy contributed by John Darwent


21/08/14 – 09:08

With the exception of the war-time Corporation (Queens Road) bodied Regents, these were the only pre-war Regents not bodied by Weymann. I was eight in 1960 but do not remember seeing any pre-war AECs in service – apart, possibly, from the Roe re-bodies. 657 is a Cravens in original condition, 653 at the very least has a modified front if not totally rebuilt.
This area in front of Midland Station was until the early 1950s used by C fleet routes (out of town) and possibly some B fleet as well. Buses awaiting service were parked, like 653 and 657, against the pavement which divided the area from the road.

David Oldfield


21/08/14 – 10:57

Lovely photos of the Regent I which always make my heart beat a little faster! Why is there a space fillet between body and rad on 27? Was a slightly shorter body fitted later or what? I imagine it wasn’t re-engined with a Gardner 6LW engine!!!
Photo 2 shows the typical unmatching front wings, so prevalent at this time! I also notice that the matching height headlamps lf 353 do not apply to 657.

Chris Hebbron


21/08/14 – 12:45

Sheffield continued to specify the 8.8 litre engines after the "7.7" had become standard. Maybe this explains the space fillet.

David Oldfield


21/08/14 – 15:28

FWA 900
Copyright Unknown

I think the radiator fillet was a general feature on all the Regent 1’s Chris, even the Roe rebuilds.

John Darwent


22/08/14 – 06:42

The extended bonnet as seen on these Sheffield Regents was standard for the 8.8 litre engine. This originally was the A165 indirect injection unit, but later, under pressure from the LPTB, became the A180 direct injection motor with Leyland style pot cavity pistons. The 6LW was even longer than the AEC 8.8, as may be seen on pictures of the London LT types and Huddersfield Regals so fitted. I suspect that the Sheffield examples were of the 8.8 indirect injection variety. Incidentally, I am intrigued by the picture of the two Regents parked side by side. How on earth did the driver of EWB 653 get out of the cab?

Roger Cox


22/08/14 – 08:20

Aye, there’s a bit of Sheffield black magic there, Roger.
The Roe re-build bodies replaced Cravens bodies – which were, I would guess, of suspect build quality. This might also explain the modification/rebuild of 653.

David Oldfield


22/08/14 – 18:11

Good point re the driver’s door Roger. I have examined the original photo taken with my highly unsophisticated Brownie 127 way back when and there is no trickery. Another photo of 353 reveals an ordinary opening door – no sliding conversion – of course, if the cab had similar characteristics to my old Austin Mini, then the driver could have exited through the floorpan!

John Darwent


22/08/14 – 18:11

Well, either he got out before EWB657 reversed into place (people sometimes do that to me in supermarket car parks!) – or, to misquote the famous Yorkshire tale, "Ee, ‘e were thin!"

Stephen Ford


23/08/14 – 16:32

CWJ 406
Copyright Unknown

Here’s an eclectic selection of Sheffield Corporation gems dominated by Regent 1’s, seen on the Pond Street bus park in the early 50’s.
Featuring;
306 – 1938 Regent 1/Weymann CWJ 406
471 – 1941 Regent 1/Northern Counties HWA 51
496 – 1944 Daimler CWA6/Duple
    4 – 1938 All Leyland TD5c EWJ 304
438 – 1940 Regent 1/Weymann GWE 658
474 – 1942 All Leyland TD7 HWA 384

John Darwent


29/08/14 – 15:25

I used to live by Brammall Lane, but went to school at Anns Rd. Heeley. To go to school I had a choice of 33 Hemsworth, (Regent 3 Cravens bodywork), 34 Graves Park, (Regent 3 Northern Coachbuilders), 35 Hollythorpe Rise, (Regent 3 Weymann). All had pre selector gearbox.
However, there was a duplicate route 36 to Heeley Green. This was the original route of 1913, extended to Graves Park in 1926. You could have single, double decker’s or lowdeckers, pre or post war. It did not have a destination name, as these were all removed in WW2, & after that, there was no such route.
The reason I loved this route so much, was it had to make a steep hill start at Anns Road stop. If it was not a pre selector box but a crash box, I would stay on the bus to Heeley Green. They would set off in 1st, but by the time they engaged 2nd,the bus had come to a stop. They then repeated the process many times to get to the top of the hill. I chuckled inside, many of the conductors also, as the driver got more & more frustrated. It made me late for school. Of course I blamed the buses for making me late, but it was worth it.
Would someone explain how the pre selector box works please?

Andy Fisher


29/08/14 – 15:28

Andy To start with try this. it may be a bit slow to load.

Peter


 

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