Sammy Ledgards buses

trophy · Post by **trophy** » Wed 17 Oct, 2012 8:21 pm

BLAKEY wrote: trophy wrote: the kitchens garage on richardshaw lane was for coaches .the service bus garage was at the top of the marsh. Thanks trophy - I either didn't know, or I'd forgotten, about that.Wallace Arnold took all the coaches and RL garage, and Ledgard's took the four service buses and the Calverley - Troydale service.They were a fascinating quartet of vehicles.Two Guys, one front engined and one underfloor, which had both been demonstrators when new for Guy Motors.Two Atkinson underfloor engined 44 seaters with Burlingham bodies - Kitchins had them from new - and I worked on them all when they were at Ledgard's. the half cab guy with its indian head mascot first got me interested in buses.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 17 Oct, 2012 10:39 pm

trophy wrote: [the half cab guy with its indian head mascot first got me interested in buses. The half cab Guy, when brand new as a Guy Motors demonstrator, was registered GUY 3. When the later underfloor engined "sales model" came along that was registered GUY 3 and the half cab one renumbered JJW 239.The two Atkinsons were NWW 805/6.All four were take over and operated by Ledgard's when Kitchins sold out.

Patexpat · Post by **Patexpat** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 9:45 am

Thanks Blakey and trophy ... so it must have been Kitchins I remember as a small kid ... and somehow my brain retained the info that they had been taken over by Ledgards!May I went on some excursion that Kitchens put on ... unless they did runs to Blackpool! (sorry I'm derailing this thread aren't I!)

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 11:01 am

Patexpat wrote: Thanks Blakey and trophy ... so it must have been Kitchins I remember as a small kid ... and somehow my brain retained the info that they had been taken over by Ledgards!May I went on some excursion that Kitchens put on ... unless they did runs to Blackpool! (sorry I'm derailing this thread aren't I!) More than likely Patexpat - Kitchins were a leading and respected local company who had a thriving excursion, private hire and express service business - that no doubt being the attraction for Wallace Arnold - as well as the one bus service from Troydale to Calverley which Ledgard's took over. In the climate of the late fifties with the beginning of declining passenger numbers the bus service was probably crying out for conversion to one person operation - whether or not this was possibly the reason for the buying of underfloor engined buses who knows ? - but in its isolation, with special fleet of four vehicles, it was unlikely to be yielding an acceptable profit in the end.

ArmleyLass47 · Post by **ArmleyLass47** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 3:58 pm

I remember going on trips to the seaside on Sammy's buses.I lived in Pickering Street so we only had to walk up Armley Roadand they parked their trips near the ladies waiting room or in front of Armley Clock School. I remember my first holiday to Whitby. We went there with Sammys and it took 4 and a half hours at least. I remember getting stuck in York with the traffic going around those narrow streets then the up and down road from Beverley to Whitby. They used to stop half an hour break somewhere just after York. I even remember going on a half day trip to Scarbro' with my Auntiecant remember how long we stayed before we had to come back laugh. I do know it only cost half a crown each for me and my sister.

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 4:45 pm

I'm not surprised that the journey took 4.5 hours if the coach went from York to Whitby via Beverley. I bet Blakey wasn't driving if that was the route followed.

ArmleyLass47 · Post by **ArmleyLass47** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 6:22 pm

I have had a look at Leodis to find Sammys.They had a bus entrance at 216 Armley Road, andyou could also go down the steep hill on Lamb Lanedown to the other entrance for the buses into Legards Garage.The travellers rest room plus the Police phone box I havementioned on other posts were at the top of Lamb Lane.Could remember it until I saw it on Leodis.Great picture of this number 249 on Armley.regards p.s. my previous post about my hols in Whitby, I put a photoon and for some reason it would fill a cinema screen. It ismy sister at the front and me behind on two donkeys on thebeach at Whitby.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 19 Oct, 2012 12:26 am

Uno Hoo wrote: I'm not surprised that the journey took 4.5 hours if the coach went from York to Whitby via Beverley. I bet Blakey wasn't driving if that was the route followed. Too true Uno Hoo, and with every respect to ArmleyLass47 I'm sure her memory must be playing tricks - the route to Whitby is York, Malton and Pickering and always has been. On that route the refreshment stops just after York were either the Hopgrove (on the right at the City boundary) or the Haselbush Cafe on the left just beyond.

trophy · Post by **trophy** » Fri 19 Oct, 2012 4:14 pm

BLAKEY wrote: trophy wrote: [the half cab guy with its indian head mascot first got me interested in buses. The half cab Guy, when brand new as a Guy Motors demonstrator, was registered GUY 3. When the later underfloor engined "sales model" came along that was registered GUY 3 and the half cab one renumbered JJW 239.The two Atkinsons were NWW 805/6.All four were take over and operated by Ledgard's when Kitchins sold out. i was surprised none of the kitchins buses were used on the route when ledgards took over they used double deckers but one of them was a guy.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 19 Oct, 2012 11:14 pm

trophy wrote: [i was surprised none of the kitchins buses were used on the route when ledgards took over they used double deckers but one of them was a guy. There's a simple explanation trophy. The Calverley route was operated fropm Armley depot by Ledgard's, and immediately upon the takeover of Kitchin's all those single deckers were put to use initially on the long Bradford to Harrogate route. Later they all ended up being transferred to Yeadon depot for the two Otley to Horsforth services (The "Moorfield" to we traditionalists).The Ledgard Guy double decker that you would see on the Calverley route was JUA 762, one of a pair of wartime utility Guy Arabs - the other JUA 763 was always at Otley. I loved them, and I had the very sad job of driving 763 on its last day in service - a late turn on the Otley - Leeds service. When new in 1943 they had terrible "utility" bodies by a north eastern firm called Pickering - in 1951 they had new bodies fitted at Roe's Crossgates, and in 1956 their 5 cylinder Gardner engines were replaced with new 6 cylinder units. They had gearboxes which could fool the unwary - first and second gears being nearest the driver, third and fourth towards the engine. Those who forgot this rarely did so again - the griinding and gnashing of protest from the gears could be heard far and wide !!