North Western Road Car
1949
Leyland Titan PD2/1
Leyland L27/26R

The full name was North Western Road Car Company Ltd and they were based at Stockport near Manchester. Another bus with a painted radiator did absolutely nothing for appearances the top deck windows are fairly deep for a lowbridge body though, the photo taken at Dean Street bus station, no it wasn’t, see comment below it was Lower Mosley Street bus station Manchester in 1965.

A full list of Titan codes can be seen here.

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“The photo was taken at Lower Mosley Street Bus Station, not Dean St, which was predominantly used by long distance services and is now the site of the Bridgewater Hall concert hall. Of the few relatively local services which used this city centre terminus were the No 6 to Glossop via Ashton New Rd, The No 28 to Hayfield via Stockport and Marple and the No 27 to Buxton via Stockport and Disley. My guess is that the bus in the picture was on one of these routes.”

Stuart Kirkham

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Just to clarify, Stuart’s comments beginning "which was predominantly used by long distance services…" all refer to Lower Mosley Street Bus Station.  There was no bus station in Dean Street.

Peter Williamson

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Looks like this bus was on route 29, Manchester Lower Mosley Street to Macclesfield. Used to leave Lower Mosley Street at 10 past every hour and operated by either Manchester or Wilmslow depots. I used to drive this route many times in the 60s but usually with Dennis Lolines or Leyland Tiger Cubs (LDB 796 was a regular on this route from the Wilmslow depot).

Richard Higgs ex employee of NWRCC ltd 1960-1968

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16/12/12 – 17:28

It’s on the 29 to Macclesfield. Must be a summer Saturday for such an old vehicle to be on the premier service. Service was double decked in December 1961 with route variations in Macclesfield to avoid the Gas Road Railway bridge. Always amazing to see on "old" double decker rather than a new Loline or Fleetline on the service. I did see K5Gs once or twice in 1962-3.
796 was originally a Wilmlsow car and used on their one "turn" on the 29. Previously 699 or 700 had been the favourites. Happy days.

Bob Bracegirdle

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17/12/12 – 08:12

Not necessarily a Saturday. Could also have been a replacement for a failed vehicle from either Wilmslow or Macclesfield. By 1965 Fleetlines were the regular vehicles backed up by Lolines – which came back into their own on the route in Crosville colours – after the split of NWRCC

Phil Blinkhorn

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17/12/12 – 09:41

The #29 was the one bus route in Manchester that left after all the Corporation buses had departed town at 23:00 hrs and before the all-nighters began at double fares at 23:15. The 23:10 #29 operated on normal fares and ran through as far as Wilmslow. Very handy if one had been to the pics on Oxford Street and then gone for a drink, or two.

Orla Nutting

Leigh Corporation
1953
AEC Regent III
East Lancs L27/26R

As this bus has a lowbridge body the upper deck would have a side isle and 6 rows of 4 seats and a 3 seat row at the rear with lots of ‘mind your head’ signs. It looks older than 1952 I think that may have something to do with the painted radiator. In 1969 this bus was transferred to SELNEC with a fleet no of 6941.

I used to go to school on these Leigh Corporation buses – no picture I have seen does justice to the immaculate paint job, nice site for memories.

Robert Hatton

My thanks for the following information to anonymous, I’m not surprised when you read what he used to get up to.

I also remember going to school on these lovely old buses. I have tried describing this type of bus with the long bench seats upstairs to my friends in the south of England where I now live, but nobody recognised the design. I never realised it was because the bus had a "low bridge body" you learn something every day.

Finally I must recall a somewhat disgusting trick we youngsters had of wetting (licking!) our paper bus ticket and sticking it on the roof of the bus when you peeled it off at the end of your journey you left a lovely transfer print of your ticket, which remained till the bus was re-painted!

Anonymous

That is an interesting shot in Leigh bus station,the bus is passing the number 1 bus route stand (Plank Lane) but the destination blind reads Astley which was the number two route immediately behind so the bus would be pulling away in the picture, both stands being at the rear of the Woolpack pub (Run by my Aunty Annie) and across from Kingstreet Methodist church visible in the background.
I was one of those kids who used to undo every screw I sat next to by half a turn with my penknife and wind the destination blind to a new destination, as I remember the front one was changed via a drop down flap from the upstairs saloon.

Seemed great fun back then.

Berni Baxter

09/03/11 – 18:06

As a Leigh lad, born in 1953, I have ridden on many of the corporation’s buses and pulled many of the ‘stunts’ referred to by others. A favourite trick with the open rear entrances was to alight from the moving vehicle as it turned from King Street into the bus station.
My most regular ride in the mid/late sixties was the number 6 service to Higher Folds, alighting at Green Lane to walk the last few hundred yards to school. This was a regular turn for the Renowns which gave a very comfortable ride on their ‘air suspension’. Occasionally a Dennis Loline would deputise and while the ride was a little more firm, they still surpassed the older buses.
One of my lifelong friends has driven the preserved Renown on a number of occasions about 25 years ago. He said it was good, alas, it is now necessary to have a PCV licence!

Phil Meadows

10/03/11 – 07:38

I spent a year at Padgate College doing my PGCE teacher training. I was a regular user of the Renowns on the Warrington – Leigh services.

David Oldfield

10/03/11 – 07:39

Further to my last post, there is another ‘Corporation’ bus which has been privately preserved. It is a Lydney bodied Leyland PD2/1., fleet number 16, registration number KTD 768. I think it is currently housed in the St. Helens Transport Museum.
Also, in 2006, The Leyland Society Ltd. has published ‘The Leyland Buses Of Leigh Corporation’ in its ‘Leyland Fleet Series’. It also covers the non-Leylands. I think they still have copies available.

Phil Meadows

07/02/12 – 06:57

Its great to see these pictures of Leigh buses. My father who sadly died when I was young was a conductor for Leigh in the late 60s early 70s, and I remember going to see him on the Hindley Green bus where it turned round at Thomas st / Leigh Rd.
I can just remember him hanging his ticket machine up at home and being given some nearly used up rolls to play with.
I started Looking for a machine some years ago as a reminder and now buy & sell and have a collection of over 120 machines and punches including 9 Leigh. Also Leigh destination blind, badge, rule book, and route/fare book. I would like to here from anyone who had connections with Leigh corporation.

Anon

16/09/12 – 06:56

The bus shown was one of a batch of six with East Lancs Bodies new in 1952 so was 17 years old in 1969 at the time of the SELNEC North takeover. I too went to school on LCT buses but left for Manchester uni. with 10 others in 1953.
Though now long gone LCT is remembered as a go ahead operator. Many post war buses only ran in Leigh for around 10 years but these AEC’s and the Lydney bodied Leylands notably fleet number 16 now preserved did far better.

Frank Taylor

29/04/13 – 08:05

Re lowbridge buses and tickets ; as schoolboys on RLH’s in London a damp ceiling and a ticket that was clearly marked NOT TRANSFERABLE was too much to resist.
It was surprisingly transferable, though of course , back to front.

Roger Ingle

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