Newcastle Corporation
1950
Leyland Titan PD2/3
Leyland H30/26R

Another from Newcastle City Libraries archives. From the caption at the bottom, the location is West Clayton Street Newcastle, which is literally just round the corner from the Central Station. The date is 1952; the buses are lined up ready to depart for Gosforth Park Racecourse, about three miles north of the City. I suspect it would be on the day of the Northumberland Plate, know as the Pitman’s Derby, this race meeting always attracts huge crowds, and is run on the last Saturday in June. An interesting line up, headed by an all Leyland Titan PD2/3 from 1950, NVK 304; then two MCCW bodied Daimlers, the one in front is one of the 1947/8 KVK registered CV6G series, the second could be from the same batch, or it could be a 1938 FVK registered CW5G. Next in line, looks like a 1947/8 Roe bodied Daimler CV6G, they were also KVK registrations. Looking at the outward swoop of the lower body panels, my guess would be that number five is a 1946 Weymann bodied AEC Regent II. I can’t make out enough detail to have a stab at the rest.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ronnie Hoye

23/12/14 – 17:12

A very appetising line-up! Never realised until recently that Newcastle had had any Birmingham-style MCCW-bodied Daimlers. How did that come about? One of my very favourite bus designs, by the way.

Ian T

06/01/15 – 16:24

I believe Newcastle Transport was desperate for new stock, and Daimler and Metro-Cammell could offer quick delivery. The bodies were to Birmingham spec, including the single aperture front destination blind, though livery and upholstery were to Newcastle standard. They were delivered in the blue and cream livery. There’s a photo of one in the later yellow and cream livery but with its Birmingham style indicators in Alan Townsin’s Best Best of Brirish Buses volume 11, post war Daimlers.
The destination blinds must have been changed to the standard Newcastle pattern quite quickly. I’ve seen a photo of one on Facebook dated 1950 so,fitted.

Richard S

06/01/15 – 16:26

There is a follow-up to this post with pictures at this link.

Peter

Copyright Unknown

Newcastle Corporation
1950
Leyland Titan PD2/1
Leyland H30/26R

A 1950 H30/26R all Leyland Titan of Newcastle Corporation. One of 52 of the type delivered between 1948 and 1950.
PD2/1
1948 registrations LVK 115/136 fleet numbers 115/136
1950 registrations NBB 281 – 300 fleet numbers 281/300
PD2/3
1950 registrations NVK 301/310 fleet numbers 301/310
In addition, there were six L27/26R PD2/1 low bridge versions
1949 registrations LVK 6/11 fleet numbers 6/11
The all Leyland Titan was well built and reliable, and as good a looking vehicle as anything else that was around at the time, but sometimes its what’s in the background that makes a photo interesting rather than the subject matter itself. NBB 286 is heading south towards Newcastle City Centre and is about enter Barras Bridge. The large building is the Hancock Museum, which is at the junction of Claremont Road, what looks like a Duple butterfly ’chassis unknown’ heading north on the Great North Road, which at that time was still the A1. A 1949/50 MCCW bodied BUT 9641T trolleybus is coming out of Jesmond Road, so the year is pre 1966. Behind it is a Percy Main vehicle which will be on the service 3 – 5 or 11, it could be either an Atlantean or a Weymann bodied Daimler Fleetline. One Titan from the Newcastle fleet has survived LVK 123 and is in its original 1948 blue livery, but bearing in mind the number that were produced, it seems that not that many are still around.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ronnie Hoye

02/12/14 – 05:29

Ronnie, I think that this photograph was taken before May 1965 when the trolleybus services along Jesmond Road were converted to motorbus operation.
I always thought that there was something magical and special about the cypher A1 and name ‘Great North Road’.
Over the years the A1 has had quite a few different routes through Tyneside and the numbers now allocated to former sections of the route give few clues to their former glory.

Kevin Hey

W. Alexander & Sons Ltd.
1953
Leyland Titan PD2/12
Alexander L27/26R

W. Alexander & Sons Ltd Leyland Titan PD2/12 with Alexander lowbridge bodywork RB161 DWG 917, ‘Bus Lists on the Web’ have it listed as new to Alexander in 1952, ‘British Bus Fleets have RB160 DWG 916 listed at 1953, though not all of the batch are listed. But other sources on the web have it dated at 1954, clarification on this matter may prove interesting.

As can be seen below the RB161 fleet number plate is a small plate with the letters ‘BN’ which stood for the ‘Bannockburn’ depot.
It is seen at A-Bus in October 2014 on a trip in connection with the Bristol Vintage Bus Group running day.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ken Jones

06/11/14 – 08:23

This bus is not in Alexander (Midland) livery, but in the W. Alexander livery that existed until 1961 when the fleet was split into three – Midland, Fife and Northern. The fleet numbers were then prefixed with M, F or N respectively.
This bus latterly ran in the attractive yellow and cream colour scheme of Alexander (Northern) and is seen in the attached photo along with sister NRB163 at Elgin depot on 6th September 1970, complete with E’ depot plate.

David Beilby

06/11/14 – 08:25

I have changed the header and copy to remove the (Midland) part.

Peter

06/11/14 – 09:06

W.Alexander & Sons Leyland Titan, DWG 917 was first registered on 4th June 1953. As part of the new vehicle licencing system the DVLA has a public website which shows if your vehicle is currently road taxed, it also shows when a vehicle was first registered, just google "vehicle enquiry service.gov.uk", enter your registration and chassis type to check if your vehicle is covered.

Ron Mesure