Wallace Arnold

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 28 May, 2008 12:11 pm

TROJAN WROTE :-"Yes. It's gone now - it's houses, however the place on the other side of the road where Hargreaves stopped (White Bull I think) is still there and operating. "Here is a priceless picture of "the other side of the road" - showing a line of Samuel Ledgard charabancs (his original fleet) - the picture is taken almost certainly about 1914, and its just mindblowing to think of all that's happened in the World since then, especially as you drive past what is viritually unaltered today - time has really stood still at that side of the road in Gisburn !!

Si · Post by Si » Wed 28 May, 2008 12:21 pm

Cracking picture, Blakey!It seems incredible today, that you could have a day-trip from Leeds to Scarborough in one of those things! No roof, solid tyres, underpowered - never mind the state of the roads. What time did they set off/return, and how long did you actually have on the beach?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 28 May, 2008 12:36 pm

Si wrote: It seems incredible today, that you could have a day-trip from Leeds to Scarborough in one of those things! No roof, solid tyres, underpowered - never mind the state of the roads. What time did they set off/return, and how long did you actually have on the beach? Yes, its just impossible to imagine how they went on at all - they did have "pull over" canvas hoods for rain though. I would guess from Leeds that East coast places would be surely around five hours each way and Blackpool etc would be six. So it would have been early starts and very late returns and not long at the coast. The ordeal of the journey though would not perhaps register with the passengers, who would be amazed by the adventure and the new facility.Also we can't credit with today's efficient and reliable machinery what an achievement such a trip would be with rudimentsry vehicles like that. We are talking of a day when components were temperamental and short lived - wheel bearings of dubious capability, dodgy and "candle powered" lighting systems, and engines whose valves needed grinding in and pistons de-coking etc etc at alarmingly low mileages - all compounded by very basic fuel and early lubricants. The mind simply boggles !!

Si · Post by Si » Wed 28 May, 2008 12:54 pm

BLAKEY wrote: Si wrote: It seems incredible today, that you could have a day-trip from Leeds to Scarborough in one of those things! No roof, solid tyres, underpowered - never mind the state of the roads. What time did they set off/return, and how long did you actually have on the beach? Yes, its just impossible to imagine how they went on at all - they did have "pull over" canvas hoods for rain though. I would guess from Leeds that East coast places would be surely around five hours each way and Blackpool etc would be six. So it would have been early starts and very late returns and not long at the coast. The ordeal of the journey though would not perhaps register with the passengers, who would be amazed by the adventure and the new facility.Also we can't credit with today's efficient and reliable machinery what an achievement such a trip would be with rudimentsry vehicles like that. We are talking of a day when components were temperamental and short lived - wheel bearings of dubious capability, dodgy and "candle powered" lighting systems, and engines whose valves needed grinding in and pistons de-coking etc etc at alarmingly low mileages - all compounded by very basic fuel and early lubricants. The mind simply boggles !! Not to mention chain-drive and leaf-springs!I bet if they arrived at the bottom of Sutton Bank, they just turned around and went home!

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Wed 28 May, 2008 9:56 pm

Si wrote: BLAKEY wrote: Si wrote: It seems incredible today, that you could have a day-trip from Leeds to Scarborough in one of those things! No roof, solid tyres, underpowered - never mind the state of the roads. What time did they set off/return, and how long did you actually have on the beach? Yes, its just impossible to imagine how they went on at all - they did have "pull over" canvas hoods for rain though. I would guess from Leeds that East coast places would be surely around five hours each way and Blackpool etc would be six. So it would have been early starts and very late returns and not long at the coast. The ordeal of the journey though would not perhaps register with the passengers, who would be amazed by the adventure and the new facility.Also we can't credit with today's efficient and reliable machinery what an achievement such a trip would be with rudimentsry vehicles like that. We are talking of a day when components were temperamental and short lived - wheel bearings of dubious capability, dodgy and "candle powered" lighting systems, and engines whose valves needed grinding in and pistons de-coking etc etc at alarmingly low mileages - all compounded by very basic fuel and early lubricants. The mind simply boggles !! Not to mention chain-drive and leaf-springs!I bet if they arrived at the bottom of Sutton Bank, they just turned around and went home! No they got out and walked. Up to the top of the hill, perhaps not Sutton Bank but certainly up some of the hills. My dad was born in 1912, and I remember him telling me that there were three major hills on the road between York and Malton, and in the days of the charabanc, you had to get out and walk up them. Great picture BTW.

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Fri 30 May, 2008 3:58 pm

Quick question - prior the merger between Wallice Arnold and Shearings (and when did they drop "pleasureways" from their name? ) W.A. had a terminus on Heartshead moor services and Shearings had one at the side of the M62 at Whitwood.Since the merger are both of these facilitys still operating or has the operations been concentrated on one location??

slw · Post by **slw** » Fri 30 May, 2008 4:40 pm

BIG N wrote: Quick question - prior the merger between Wallice Arnold and Shearings (and when did they drop "pleasureways" from their name? ) W.A. had a terminus on Heartshead moor services and Shearings had one at the side of the M62 at Whitwood.Since the merger are both of these facilitys still operating or has the operations been concentrated on one location?? Prior to the merger the WA interchange was originally Gelderd Road and it then moved to Hartshead Moor, (when the Gelderd Road offices & garage moved to Lowfields Road.) Shearings had a purpose built interchange which is the one at Whitwood.After the merger when the company became "WA Shearings" I think Whitwood Interchange was used, although there may have still been a pick up point at Hartshead. I'm not sure when Pleasureways was dropped from the name but will try an find out for you. Apparently the WA has now been dropped from "WA Shearings" although I think the Travel Shops are still branded WA Travel Shops.

Festwerfer · Post by **Festwerfer** » Fri 30 May, 2008 11:28 pm

stevief wrote: In my childhood(1960s) Wallace Arnolds had a booking office at the end of St. Michaels Lane,facing Burley Road.It's now a dental practice but prior to Wallace Arnolds the premises was occupied by J.A Hudson,tour operator.Courtesy of leodis. Bloody Hell I never knew it had that kind of history I did the laboring on that place when it was turned in to a Dentists I was told it was a wedding car hire place before that.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 31 May, 2008 6:16 pm

slw wrote: BIG N wrote: Quick question - prior the merger between Wallice Arnold and Shearings (and when did they drop "pleasureways" from their name? ) W.A. had a terminus on Heartshead moor services and Shearings had one at the side of the M62 at Whitwood.Since the merger are both of these facilitys still operating or has the operations been concentrated on one location?? Prior to the merger the WA interchange was originally Gelderd Road and it then moved to Hartshead Moor, (when the Gelderd Road offices & garage moved to Lowfields Road.) Shearings had a purpose built interchange which is the one at Whitwood.After the merger when the company became "WA Shearings" I think Whitwood Interchange was used, although there may have still been a pick up point at Hartshead. I'm not sure when Pleasureways was dropped from the name but will try an find out for you. Apparently the WA has now been dropped from "WA Shearings" although I think the Travel Shops are still branded WA Travel Shops. In the seventies there used to be two West of the Pennines companies who picked up in Yorkshire. One was Shearings, the other was Smiths Happiways of Wigan. Certainly up till the late seventies the nearest either got to Leeds was Morley Street in Bradford. The feeder collected from there and took the customers to either Altrincham (in Shearings case) or Knutsford (in Smiths case) I know this because my mum regularly went "down South" with one or other. She'd been with WA but in those days both were cheaper than WA. Shearings merged with Smiths in the nineties I think and then the WA merger happened in 2005.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Wed 07 Jan, 2009 10:06 pm

Up to the early seventies Wallace Arnold's major competitor in Leeds was Heaps, who were based at Bramley. My girlfriend (wife now) had our first holiday together in Jersey with Heaps from Leeds Bradford, we flew on BKS. 28gns full board including two trips around the island! Cheap even by 1966 standards. Here's a picture of one of their coaches taking a party from the Old White Bear at Tingley