kitchens buses

trophy · Post by **trophy** » Sun 04 May, 2008 5:02 pm

slightly out off leeds but does anyone remember kitchens buses and coaches used to run through pudsey

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 04 May, 2008 5:30 pm

When I attended college in Pudsey the buses that ran there were LCT, Farsley Omnibus, Legards , Bradford Corporation and Yorkshire Woollen. I don't remember Kitchens - this was the early sixties.

trophy · Post by **trophy** » Wed 07 May, 2008 1:06 pm

found some info in a ledgards book they ran from troydale to calverley and where taken over by ledgards in 1957 buses were two underfloor atkinsons and a guy half cab they also ran coaches from a depot near the bottom of richardshaw lane this is still there but is now a builders merchant

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 23 May, 2008 8:46 am

Ledgard took the solitary bus route (Troydale to Calverley) and the four service buses - there was also an underfloor engined Guy Arab single decker which had been a Guy Motors demonstrator - it remained registered "GUY 3" and was a fabulous machine which I had the pleasure to drive. The two Atkinson single deckers first went on Ledgard's long Bradford to Harrogate via Menston Village route, still in Kitchens grey and red colours, but were soon transferred to Yeadon Depot where they saw out their days on the two Horsforth to Otley services.Picture attached of one of the two quite rare Atkinsons (they mainly built lorries) in Otley, still on the Harrogate service but in Ledgard colours.Kitchens coaching licences and vehicles were at the same time taken over by Wallace Arnold who, as was their practice with acquisitions, continued to paint the occasional new vehicle in Kitchen's red and grey colours "for old time's sake." I once did the Leeds to Scarborough/Filey/Bridlington daily express service with a brand new AEC 53 seater in those colours and it caused much confusion at the pickups en route when I had to persuade those waiting to imagine that it was cream !!

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Fri 20 Jun, 2008 10:56 pm

This is my first post, having only just discovered this site. May a Bradfordian join in?J W Kitchin & Sons' Calverley terminus used to be in Towngate; the buses ran straight down Woodhall Road for a layover on the road side in Towngate - by the Thornhill Arms - couldn't do that now, then on return towards Pudsey ran up Blackett St, turning left at the Mechanics' Institute into Thornhill Street before re-joining Woodhall Road. Even in the early 1950s the turn from Blackett St into Thornhill St would be tight, so in about 1954 the terminus changed to what was then an unmade side road at the junctions of Salisbury St, Victoria St, & Hollin Park Road, close to Calverley Park. This remained the terminus throughout the Kitchin & Ledgard period, although the Carr Hill housing estate was developed behind it throughout the 1950s, so the road was no longer a dead end.Kitchin ran a Daimler saloon. Stretching my memory back over 50 years suggests that it may have had a Willowbrook body. Its partner was a Guy saloon which later passed to Ledgard. In about 1954 the Daimler vanished, but 2 strange newcomers became the workhorses of the service, these being NWW 805/6, Atkinsons with Burlingham bodies. Strange because of being unusual, but also in having Gardner five-cylinder engines, and (I think) single wheels only on the rear axle, not the best combination for steep gradients on the route, or for the severe winter conditions at Woodhall Top. 805 suffered some slight accident damage to its offside rear corner quite early on, and this was never repaired by the Kitchin regime, spoiling an otherwise good-looking vehicle. Bizarrely, both Atkis were fitted with generous overhead luggage racks, hardly ever used, but which rattled like fury. There was also the famous GUY 3, but I don't recall seeing very often.After donkeys' years of saloon operation, the route was sold in 1957 to Ledgard, who for the next 10 years used double deckers.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 21 Jun, 2008 1:12 am

BLAKEY wrote: Ledgard took the solitary bus route (Troydale to Calverley) and the four service buses - there was also an underfloor engined Guy Arab single decker which had been a Guy Motors demonstrator - it remained registered "GUY 3" and was a fabulous machine which I had the pleasure to drive. The two Atkinson single deckers first went on Ledgard's long Bradford to Harrogate via Menston Village route, still in Kitchens grey and red colours, but were soon transferred to Yeadon Depot where they saw out their days on the two Horsforth to Otley services.Picture attached of one of the two quite rare Atkinsons (they mainly built lorries) in Otley, still on the Harrogate service but in Ledgard colours.Kitchens coaching licences and vehicles were at the same time taken over by Wallace Arnold who, as was their practice with acquisitions, continued to paint the occasional new vehicle in Kitchen's red and grey colours "for old time's sake." I once did the Leeds to Scarborough/Filey/Bridlington daily express service with a brand new AEC 53 seater in those colours and it caused much confusion at the pickups en route when I had to persuade those waiting to imagine that it was cream !! I have nowhere near the knowledge of buses that you appear to possess - they must be an interest of yours. I have however driven a double decker bus over long distances - a former South Down Leyland PD3, if you would like a photo of it I'll email it to you - it's not in Southdown colours any more!

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sat 21 Jun, 2008 10:54 am

Trojan wrote: BLAKEY wrote: Ledgard took the solitary bus route (Troydale to Calverley) and the four service buses - there was also an underfloor engined Guy Arab single decker which had been a Guy Motors demonstrator - it remained registered "GUY 3" and was a fabulous machine which I had the pleasure to drive. The two Atkinson single deckers first went on Ledgard's long Bradford to Harrogate via Menston Village route, still in Kitchens grey and red colours, but were soon transferred to Yeadon Depot where they saw out their days on the two Horsforth to Otley services.Picture attached of one of the two quite rare Atkinsons (they mainly built lorries) in Otley, still on the Harrogate service but in Ledgard colours.Kitchens coaching licences and vehicles were at the same time taken over by Wallace Arnold who, as was their practice with acquisitions, continued to paint the occasional new vehicle in Kitchen's red and grey colours "for old time's sake." I once did the Leeds to Scarborough/Filey/Bridlington daily express service with a brand new AEC 53 seater in those colours and it caused much confusion at the pickups en route when I had to persuade those waiting to imagine that it was cream !! I have nowhere near the knowledge of buses that you appear to possess - they must be an interest of yours. I have however driven a double decker bus over long distances - a former South Down Leyland PD3, if you would like a photo of it I'll email it to you - it's not in Southdown colours any more! Sounds like the vehicle could be one of the famous "Queen Marys" - handsome full-fronted double-deckers! Are you able to upload a picture on to this thread? How did you find it to drive? I suspect there'd be no power steering, so a long shift with full loads would be quite a challenge.I've done a fair bit of mileage in a Fleetline which had been converted to a mobile exhibition centre. In its original guise it had been used on OMO operations. Again, no power steering, and as another contributor has already remarked about such Fleetlines, one had to stand up to steer it round tight corners.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 21 Jun, 2008 11:08 am

Uno Hoo wrote: Trojan wrote: [ Sounds like the vehicle could be one of the famous "Queen Marys" - handsome full-fronted double-deckers! Are you able to upload a picture on to this thread? How did you find it to drive? I suspect there'd be no power steering, so a long shift with full loads would be quite a challenge.I've done a fair bit of mileage in a Fleetline which had been converted to a mobile exhibition centre. In its original guise it had been used on OMO operations. Again, no power steering, and as another contributor has already remarked about such Fleetlines, one had to stand up to steer it round tight corners. There used to be one like it on the seafront service at Scarborough, (except it had no roof) it belonged to Appleby's (from somewhere in Lincolnshire) It would do forty-five mph up hill and down dale. Coming from Wigan along the M62 one day, all the trucks were passing me on the level, but on Windy Hill I kept up my forty-five mph and re passed them. It was converted to do exhibitions and registered as motor caravan. I'll get the photos out and scan them over the weekend.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 21 Jun, 2008 10:48 pm

TROJAN WROTE :-"I have nowhere near the knowledge of buses that you appear to possess - they must be an interest of yours. I have however driven a double decker bus over long distances - a former South Down Leyland PD3, if you would like a photo of it I'll email it to you - it's not in Southdown colours any more! ".........................................................................................................Yes indeed Trojan, they have been my life's interest, and happy work also for 44 years until retiring. A picture of the Southdown PD3 would be most interesting please - there weren't many finer firms than Southdown in the "good old days."

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 21 Jun, 2008 11:09 pm

UNO HOO WROTE :-"Its partner was a Guy saloon which later passed to Ledgard. In about 1954 the Daimler vanished, but 2 strange newcomers became the workhorses of the service, these being NWW 805/6, Atkinsons with Burlingham bodies"......................................................................................................The Guy saloon JJW 239 had originally been registered GUY 3 when it was a sales demonstrator for Guy Motors. When deposed from these duties it surrendered the number to the new underfloor engined model - both of course passed to Kitchins and then to Ledgard, along with the two Atkinsons.I was most interested in the issue of single rear wheels on the Atkinsons and did not know that - they were, however,. very light machines and so I suppose it makes sense in one way. I was highly amused and pleased by your recollection of those infernal incessantly rattling tubular aluminium luggage racks. The garage staff at Yeadon tried every trick in the book to try to silence the rattling (rattling which was aided and abetted if not caused by the Gardner 5 cylinder engines) but uncharacteristically admitted defeat in the end - the racks were removed completely, save for one short bay behind the driver's cab which was left in for the conductor's ticket box.The first GUY 3 was involved in a most dreadful accident in Harrogate Bus Station, when the handbrake jumped off while the cab was empty and the bus rolled back into a West Yorkshire double decker who's driver was on the front changing his destination blinds - the poor fellow died shortly afterwards in hospital. Very sad indeed.The newere GUY 3 was a fabulous machine and was virtually unique. The body was a Park Royal/Guy affair and many an uninformed passenger sitting near the front expressed puzzzlement when the driver moved the full sized gearlever but no gearchange took place until later - it had an air operated preselector gearbox, but a normal full size gear lever !!Two pictures here for old time's sake.JJW 239 off duty in Yeadon depot and GUY 3 in Boroughgate, Otley setting off for Yeadon and Horsforth.