SAMUEL LEDGARD BUS STAFF MEMORIES

Si · Post by Si » Fri 05 Dec, 2008 9:03 am

Hi Blakey,Re your post on here somewhere about driving a Ledgards bus through a "pea-souper" many years ago with a passenger walking in front - someone told me the exact same story in the pub last weekend. I wondered if the chap had been one of your passengers! He said the conductor rang the bell every fifteen minutes or so for another passenger to take over. I think he said it was the Pudsey/Yeadon route (?)PS Someone has bought me "Beer and Blue Buses" for Christmas, so I am looking forward to reading it!

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 05 Dec, 2008 11:11 am

Si wrote: Hi Blakey,Re your post on here somewhere about driving a Ledgards bus through a "pea-souper" many years ago with a passenger walking in front - someone told me the exact same story in the pub last weekend. I wondered if the chap had been one of your passengers! He said the conductor rang the bell every fifteen minutes or so for another passenger to take over. I think he said it was the Pudsey/Yeadon route (?)PS Someone has bought me "Beer and Blue Buses" for Christmas, so I am looking forward to reading it! Oh I wonder who your raconteur was then Si ?? If he mentioned "Pudsey/Yeadon" it could have been one of Leeds-Pudsey-Bradford, Troydale-Pudsey-Calverley, or Horsforth-Yeadon-Otley - the latter being most likely if he sups in Otley now. Actually my post was probably about me walking in front when I was a conductor - three hours from Otley to Leeds, normal running time 35 minutes. We arrived in Cookridge Street (the terminus in those days) with me blacker than a miner after a double shift, to be greeted at the head of a long queue by a fur coated upper Bramhope lady "toff" who bellowed (and I'm not kidding) "WELL REALLY, WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN - I KNOW ITS FOGGY BUT THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS !!." I briefly considered replying that we'd stopped at the Dyneley Arms for half an hour or so for a pint and a game of dominoes, but thought better of it.I am confident that you will find "Beer and Blue Buses" absorbing and enjoyable - once you've glossed over the ordeal of looking at the character bottom centre of the front cover LOL LOL

Si · Post by Si » Fri 05 Dec, 2008 12:35 pm

I'd better keep it wrapped in brown paper then, Blakey! The bloke in the pub said he ended up black as t'fireback, an'all. He lived in Pudsey, now lives in Otley, but is originally from Wiltshire, I think. He used to be a WO1 in the REME.

peterg · Post by **peterg** » Fri 12 Dec, 2008 5:23 pm

As I have written on another thread, Corgi as part of the Original Omnibus collection have an AEC Regent V with Roe body in Ledgard livery as a limited edition. Ths information is for nostalgics like me for back loaders and Roe bodies.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 12 Dec, 2008 10:03 pm

peterg wrote: As I have written on another thread, Corgi as part of the Original Omnibus collection have an AEC Regent V with Roe body in Ledgard livery as a limited edition. Ths information is for nostalgics like me for back loaders and Roe bodies. Hi Peterg - you are not alone in your nostalgia. The model is of 1949 U, the first of a batch of six from 1957, and was specially registered thus to commemorate the very first of Samuel Ledgard's charabancs which was registered U 1949. 1949/50 were at Armley Depot, while 1951/2/3/4 were at Otley - I have driven and conducted all six of them for many a thousand happy miles.The model is extremely accurate and pleasing in general but, as always, these manufacturers have to "spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar" with one glaring and inexcusable detail - the side orange trafficators should be on the window pillars and not on the lower panels. I have a beautiful official Roe picture of 1949 outside the famous factory awaiting delivery to "Sammy's." What a sad indignity was to come in 1967 when it became red and DAW 5 with West Yorkshire.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 13 Dec, 2008 12:54 pm

peterg wrote: As I have written on another thread, Corgi as part of the Original Omnibus collection have an AEC Regent V with Roe body in Ledgard livery as a limited edition. Ths information is for nostalgics like me for back loaders and Roe bodies. My daughter who now lives in Salisbury, and is not a bus enthusiast afik, (although Wilts & Dorset have quite a good service into Salisbury) has a model of a Black Prince bus for similar nostalgic reasons. She can't even see them on the few occasions per year she comes back.

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sat 13 Dec, 2008 1:21 pm

BLAKEY wrote: peterg wrote: As I have written on another thread, Corgi as part of the Original Omnibus collection have an AEC Regent V with Roe body in Ledgard livery as a limited edition. Ths information is for nostalgics like me for back loaders and Roe bodies. Hi Peterg - you are not alone in your nostalgia. The model is of 1949 U, the first of a batch of six from 1957, and was specially registered thus to commemorate the very first of Samuel Ledgard's charabancs which was registered U 1949. 1949/50 were at Armley Depot, while 1951/2/3/4 were at Otley - I have driven and conducted all six of them for many a thousand happy miles.The model is extremely accurate and pleasing in general but, as always, these manufacturers have to "spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar" with one glaring and inexcusable detail - the side orange trafficators should be on the window pillars and not on the lower panels. I have a beautiful official Roe picture of 1949 outside the famous factory awaiting delivery to "Sammy's." What a sad indignity was to come in 1967 when it became red and DAW 5 with West Yorkshire. I must say I hadn't realised that the model of 1949 U is inaccurate because of the trafficators. However, IMO there is another error in that the model has an "opening" windscreen, whereas the real thing had a one piece screen. Maybe you can say, Blakey, whether this was a good thing or not, as I doubt the cab was air-conditioned!My model of 1949 U sits proudly on a shelf in my study. I prefer its 1957 livery with the green roof and darker blue to the later light blue and grey. Yes, I realise the latter would be more practical. I also have the PD1 on the Chapeltown route, and the Orion-bodied ex-South Wales Regent. I'm sorry that EFE have not, to my knowledge, produced a Ledgard RT or RTL. Do you know differently?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Tue 16 Dec, 2008 11:06 am

[quotenick="Uno Hoo"] BLAKEY wrote: peterg wrote: As I have written on another thread, Corgi as part of the Original Omnibus collection have an AEC Regent V with Roe body in Ledgard livery as a limited edition. Ths information is for nostalgics like me for back loaders and Roe bodies. I must say I hadn't realised that the model of 1949 U is inaccurate because of the trafficators. However, IMO there is another error in that the model has an "opening" windscreen, whereas the real thing had a one piece screen. Maybe you can say, Blakey, whether this was a good thing or not, as I doubt the cab was air-conditioned!My model of 1949 U sits proudly on a shelf in my study. I prefer its 1957 livery with the green roof and darker blue to the later light blue and grey. Yes, I realise the latter would be more practical. I also have the PD1 on the Chapeltown route, and the Orion-bodied ex-South Wales Regent. I'm sorry that EFE have not, to my knowledge, produced a Ledgard RT or RTL. Do you know differently? Very well spotted Sir - I had not noticed the inaccurate windscreen myself, possibly because I was so annoyed about the inexcusable "gaff" with the trafficators.I think we all preferred the traditional livery as it was classic and dignified. I think that two factors brought about the final blue and grey (the "grey" was actually duck egg blue). One possible influence was the purchase of the Royal Tiger GVA 289 in Baxters of Aidrie's colours, and I daresay the other was the lower cost and greater practicality of painting in the simpler colours.Sadly there is no model of a London RT in Sammy's colours, although many enthusiasts have done their own versions. When you think that Ledgard was a major and notable operator of the type (34 RTs and 5 RTLs) its surprising that EFE or Corgi have not come up with the goods !!The Regent V cabs were indeed air conditioned - variable between sliding door open (nice and fresh) and sliding door closed (tolerable draught) LOL LOL

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Wed 17 Dec, 2008 12:47 am

I gather there's going to be an EFE Ledgard RLH, so there might be an incentive for an RT/RTL to follow?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 17 Dec, 2008 9:26 am

Uno Hoo wrote: I gather there's going to be an EFE Ledgard RLH, so there might be an incentive for an RT/RTL to follow? The RLH has been on sale already for quite a while, and any day now a special batch are due with advertising on the upper deck panels for our Samuel Ledgard Society - I think there are only to be 200 of the latter. Once again, sadly, although it is a beautiful accurate model in general they don't seem to be able to avoid one unforgiveable mistake - the grey (or duck egg blue to be precise) is nearer to cream and is definitely not right. Still, it really is a nice reminder of the batch of four which served so well at Yeadon Depot ("the Moorfield") right to the Company's end in October 1967.