Surviving Leeds city transport buses

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Sat 23 Feb, 2008 1:17 am

Bramley4woods wrote: geoffb wrote: memories, smoking allowed on uperdeack only, remember sign at front upstairs, spitting is forbiden, I used to get No52 from Moortown to topcliffe mill Morley and then walk to work at Tingley Gas Works or change in Leeds walk to Soverign Street and get Yorkshire WD No 3 to White Bear at Tingley The "Spitting Is Forbidden" was a hangover from the days when Tuberculosis was very popular and spitting was thought to spread it about. They didn't know much about it and thought it could be treated with daylight and open windows (Fresh Air) . Many houses on the new 1935+ council estates were designated as TB houses and had extra large opening windows.I used to get the 77 bus from Broadlea Circus to the Headrow every schoolday, and used to like to ride on the top deck as kids do. But in winter with everybody with wet mackintoshes on and smoking like chimneys it was like the descent into Hades up there. The moisture from people's breath and clothing used to condense out onto the painted bus roof and the smoke and tars etc dissolve in it and run down in brown rivulets.To be honest I don't think the Tuberculus Bacillus would have lasted 2 minutes. The spitting is forbidden sign on LCT buses in the 1950s forbade "expectoration" rather than "spitting". I don't expect anyone knows what "expectoration" means these days!

wiggy · Post by **wiggy** » Sat 23 Feb, 2008 2:30 am

cough medicine is EXPECTORANT,just that they spoke better than us in the 50s...tee hee!

spongebob · Post by **spongebob** » Sat 23 Feb, 2008 9:40 pm

Until they were bought out by first group the other year Black Prince held the rights to use the LCT name and logo (or just logo, not sure) and ran a couple of buses in the old green livery, one ran from Kirkstall by what was Allders to somewhere near the armouries and back. They also ran the Bradford buses in blue as was the colour of Bradford corporation (or something close to it). Alas now everything is first group or so it seems with the occasional splash of arriva blue.Anyone remember in the late 80's/early 90's 2 companies operating out of Morley, Taylors coaches and Miramare? The former ran a few Bristol (VR111's I think they were) double deckers and the latter a very knackered Leyland national and another not quite so knackered Bristol. I used to cop the 46 when it ran down Dewsbury road into Leeds to go to Kitson college and the return journey on the national could be touch and go as the gearbox was shot and it could barely limp up Middleton Road.I presume they jacked it in and sold out to Yorkshire Rider/First group in around 1993 ish.I remember there was a bus apprentice in the course with us and he told us Yorkshire Rider had sold out to a firm called Badgerline and until recently (not sure if they still do) First buses in Leeds had something along the lines of Badgerline T/A first Leeds on the side in small print near the door.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 23 Feb, 2008 10:03 pm

spongebob wrote: Until they were bought out by first group the other year Black Prince held the rights to use the LCT name and logo (or just logo, not sure) and ran a couple of buses in the old green livery, one ran from Kirkstall by what was Allders to somewhere near the armouries and back. They also ran the Bradford buses in blue as was the colour of Bradford corporation (or something close to it). Alas now everything is first group or so it seems with the occasional splash of arriva blue.Anyone remember in the late 80's/early 90's 2 companies operating out of Morley, Taylors coaches and Miramare? The former ran a few Bristol (VR111's I think they were) double deckers and the latter a very knackered Leyland national and another not quite so knackered Bristol. I used to cop the 46 when it ran down Dewsbury road into Leeds to go to Kitson college and the return journey on the national could be touch and go as the gearbox was shot and it could barely limp up Middleton Road.I presume they jacked it in and sold out to Yorkshire Rider/First group in around 1993 ish.I remember there was a bus apprentice in the course with us and he told us Yorkshire Rider had sold out to a firm called Badgerline and until recently (not sure if they still do) First buses in Leeds had something along the lines of Badgerline T/A first Leeds on the side in small print near the door. Black Prince also ran a Routemaster former London Transport bus. I occasionally see a bus in the Halifax Corporation livery, running from Halifax into Leeds.

Ollie · Post by **Ollie** » Sun 24 Feb, 2008 1:58 am

What a great thread...used to love riding up stairs at the round end of the trams with their wooden baton seats..had an Uncle who started of as a tram conductor and worked his way up to a bus inspector,worked out of the York Rd Tram/Bus depot opposite the Eagle pub, top a Torre Rd.An old mate of mine was stood outside the Yorkshire bus station late one evening in the early sixties, and a lady of ill repute came up to him and gave him a wink and a nod, and said "Do you want a nibble" and he said "No. I want an Hebble, I'm of to Halifax".RegardsFrank

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Sun 24 Feb, 2008 2:59 am

Ollie wrote: What a great thread...used to love riding up stairs at the round end of the trams with their wooden baton seats..had an Uncle who started of as a tram conductor and worked his way up to a bus inspector,worked out of the York Rd Tram/Bus depot opposite the Eagle pub, top a Torre Rd.An old mate of mine was stood outside the Yorkshire bus station late one evening in the early sixties, and a lady of ill repute came up to him and gave him a wink and a nod, and said "Do you want a nibble" and he said "No. I want an Hebble, I'm of to Halifax".RegardsFrank ollie mate if you like trams check this site out> http://www.dewi.ca/trains/leeds/index.html

Ollie · Post by **Ollie** » Sun 24 Feb, 2008 6:39 am

Thanks for the link Brandy...some great pics from the past

riclam · Post by **riclam** » Sun 23 Mar, 2008 4:27 pm

There are some jumbos still surving today, see typg.org.uk for details and there are some pics on fotopic. Heres a survivor http://justin221.photos.cn.com/p35659655.html I miss these alot, many great memories of them, ironically it is 15 years since the last ones were withdrawn on 31st of this monthhttp://regionalbusphotosyork.fotopic.net/c1478654.html

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 23 Mar, 2008 5:11 pm

Si wrote: Bit off thread, but I got caught up in the Wilma hurricane in Cancun a couple of years ago, and had to travel by bus to the airport. A 10 hour journey in tropical heat, with 30 other people suffering from various degrees of diaorhea, no proper wash or change of clothes for 6 days - not very pleasant either!!! It is a small world! We were there then, although we were fortunate enough to be on the first flight back to the UK from Cancun Airport after it reopened - it sounds like you were bussed through the jungle to Merida? We were told thats where we'd be going but fortunately Cancun re-opened. Mind you, we set off for the airport at 9am and didn't get on the plane until about 4 due to all the roadblocks and staging zones for the airport.The plus side is that we got an extra 3 days holiday as they couldn't fly us home!Where were you staying? We were at the Riu Tequila in Playacar, so got away quite lightly to those in Cancun itself

fevlad · Post by **fevlad** » Sun 23 Mar, 2008 5:42 pm

for some reason the leeds city buses seemed to leave the bonnet of the bus bare metalthey were cold draughty, smelly(you stunk like an ashtray when you got off even if you sat downstairs) and uncomfortable. They were unusable for people with a disability.modern buses are brilliant.