Peters' Transport Enthusiam

I only signed up today but it looks like I will be a regular browser. I am joining Arriva at Cannock in January after nearly 20 years away from the industry. I am 61 now but I can't wait to get going again. I drove part time at WMPTE in the 1980s

I notice there is an item about "bus spotters" developing. That was how I got started way back when. I could recognise vehicle types from quite an early age. Our Blackpool buses were rather different to most others around at that time. I got into train spotting as we had the Ian Allan ABC books with all the engine numbers and names. Then one day on the bookstall at WHSmith, Blackpool North I saw ABC Ribble Buses and Coaches. This was probably about 1956 or 1957. Ian Allan were also developing their British Bus Fleets series at that time but whole areas of the country were not covered.

As I got more and more interested I started to notice all the visiting vehicles that came into Blackpool, especially in the summer. The liveries and fleetnames were fascinating. I started collecting the numbers of any major fleets, so of course we needed fleet lists. Lots of operators were very helpful and would send a detailed list. Others just said no, so we discovered the PSV Circle and started compiling our own fleet lists from their records but that was quite expensive when you were still only at school. Gradually the British Bus Fleet books covered the whole country, but by that time I had stopped collecting numbers though I was still very interested and started taking photographs.

Since about 1968 my main hobby interest has been trams, but I have always kept an eye on the bus side as well. Some of my photo collection is on a website http://peterstransportalbum.fotopic.net

I tend to prefer taking pictures of buses in service rather than in depots or even bus stations. When I was driving in the 1980s I would sometimes take a picture of my own bus at a remote terminus where very few enthusiasts were ever likely to venture. Whether I will be able to do that in my new job remains to be seen.

Lots of people tend to think that "bus spotting" is a total waste of time. All I can say to that is that from this hobby, together with my interest in railways and trams, I have gained a detailed knowledge of the geography and economic activities of this country and also many countries overseas. I have visited most of the countries in the European Union, as well as Russia and the United States, and my photo collection covers about 120 different tram systems.

I wish your website every success. As time permits I will be adding new images to my own website, but I think I may be rather busy during the next couple of months at least.

Peter Makison

On The Buses

After leaving the Army at the very end of 1956 as a stop gap because I did not know what else to do I took what I intended to be a temporary post with Barton Transport of Chilwell - at that time the biggest privately owned bus company in the UK. Not being quite 21 I was started as a conductor and my first day at work as a trainee was on 1 January 1957, (in those days outside Scotland it was not a Bank Holiday and everyone worked as normal).At the age of 21 I passed my PSV test and became a driver.
Although I did not stay with Bartons all my life I finished up back there in time to finally retire 48 years later at the age of 68.

At that time Bartons had the Head office at Chilwell, with larger depots at Ilkeston, Long Eaton,  Melton Mowbray and in the centre of Nottingham. There were also smaller depots at Calverton and Kegworth. The larger depots seemed to operate almost as automonus units with a uniformed Inspector in charge. I was sent to Long Eaton where Inspector Furmidge was the main man.

By and large each depot was responsible for it's own routes and scheduling with very little interference from above.At Long Eaton we had the route 3 from Nottingham via Castle Donington to Swadlincote, a half share with Chilwell in route 4 Nottingham to Sandiacre, part of route 15 (Ilkeston to Sawley)alongside Ilkeston depot and on Saturdays some journeys on route 5 Nottingham to Derby which otherwise was the preserve of Chilwell Depot. There were many works services to the Erricson telephones plant at Beeston and to Boots factory and offices also in Beeston. To the massive Stanton Ironworks near to Ilkeston and the British Celanese complex at Spondon near Derby.Besides which amongst others there were local services in the Long Eaton area, route 17 to Sandiacre and an hourly service to a small Derbyshire village Aston on Trent.
Inspector 'Dick'  Furmidge held sway over this area and we were known informally as 'Furmidge Motors'

Whilst Ilkeston depot had old buses as it's mainstay, they were of uniform types mainly ex Leeds AEC double decks and half cab prewar and postwar half cab single decks. Chilwell had all the modern vehicles and Nottingham did not fair badly. We on the other hand had the most varied fleet on the company. At the start of the '50s there were as I recall 4 postwar deckers of the famous Barton Leyland PD1 Duple combination, a number of single deckers of similar vintage, many of which were rebodied by Paxton as coaches or by Northern Counties as double deckers. The majority of saloons were Viewmasters -rebuilt odd ments bodied by the company and a huge variety of second hand double deckers from accross the country.

by the end of the 50's and into the 60's while the dd fleet was still made up of second hand varieties we had inherited from other depots the entire fleet of 6 Tiger Cubs with Alexander bodies -unique outside Scotland I believe. We still had the Viewnasters but most of the postwar single deckers had gone although their Duple bodies lived on on prewar Leyland Lion chassis'

In the mid-nineties when a friend retired I made up the following which I think captures the essence of those early days of mine in the bus industry'

Sincerely
Peter HG Chatfield

Furmidge Motors, Long Eaton in the 1950's

In days long gone when a bus driver was a bus driver
-(syncromesh-what’s that ?)
and conductors were the norm,
the steeds were Viewmasters and half cabs and Guys
PD1s and second hand oddments, AECs from Leeds, others from London
rejects from Yorkshire + some from Merseyside
(had the Beatles ridden on them?)
lots from Leicester and one from Chesterfield
oh -and another from Oxford!
Viewmasters: built with skill at Chilwell –636 will the brakes last the half shift?
704 – will it mount the kerb or dash for the white line?
663 – will it stop at all?
715, are your muscles in good shape?
701 with its low set steering wheel which wore holes in your knees –
700, a favourite for afternoon tours,but it took an eternity on hills in Derbyshire!
Some had TD engines from pre-war, some were fitted with PD (postwar but noisy)
most had thirties braking systems and some seemed to be earlier than that.
Hand brakes! to park -some you pushed, others you bent to the floor and tugged
some had push ons reversed so that you pulled!
Was any one like any other?
Then came the first Plaxtons 728 and 724 heavy and slow-
really just Viewmasters with a professional body.
Those with bigger engines Mr Rubery kept at Chilwell,
Too good for Long Eaton!
Remember the Guys? 444 –need to reverse ? the gear box will jam!
To make it go forward again a fitter is needed with a long lever and a hammer
. 448, apparently her twin, but faster and better
437 with a box in the cab to bang your head-
430 with shiny red leather seats for passengers to slide off,
BUT most important-before moving off
is it a red gear knob or is it black?
no one could make ’em  go fast except Driver Flewitt
then there were the classics, the famed PD1s
515, so inclined to lean
the fear was  would it come back or would it fall over
(it never did, but it was scrapped early)
470, with an extra air intake snout on the bonnet
Joe Stewarts pride as he woke up all Sandiacre
with it’s beautiful roar.
644, the high-bridge monster from Leeds,
watch for your ankles when gears were engaged.
OK for Jack Absalom to take to Rolls Royce
But NEVER to be taken up Nottingham Road and under the bridge.
583 and 585  the TD7s from Yorkshire
when (over)loaded from Spondon and leaning at Shacklecross
the back platform made the sparks fly!
Post war or pre-war they did the job well.
The pride of the fleet were the Tiger Cubs, dating from 1954
675,676, 7, 8 and 9and the one with red seats 733,
Long Eaton fitters understood them -no others did
so one by one, and by 1957 we collected them all,
but no AEC’s
Need an extra bus? Nip to Head Office at Chilwell
At bottom o’t’ field at Chilwell was kept a line of Guys
not to be driven unless Long Eaton needed one!
Whatever the source Long Eaton could drive ‘em
as no-one else could

Peter HG Chatfield

Fancy a day at the coast?

With a new Reliance?
Down south? Brighton or Bournemouth
Or Eastbourne-
No problem! Keep on the blob sheet for two or three days
(not forgetting your Brylcreem or’something for the week-end’)
and HEYHO off you go.
But be reliable, and if you are lucky an early Skegness
‘join the procession there are only 30 today’
Viewmasters and half cabs and even a ‘decker
All of them qeuueing at the Coach and Horses,
and get to Skeg too early it was
‘go straight back’
and at Long Eaton Roy Sandy to greet you
‘another is needed at 6 o’clock
so go back again!
The marathons with only one driver,
Why did it need two drivers to go south, but only one to go north?
and on your return
when the south coast men were in the pub,
a note on the clock card ‘do the 9oclock Spondon’
BUT day by day, Nottingham,Sandiacre, Ilkeston and Sawley
Briargate and Breaston, Aston and Shardlow.
Route17 and Chilwell Depot,Rolls Royce and Stanton
Boots and Ericcsons
Round all the schools and up to the married Quarters.
Then there was Swadlincote past Castle Donington
Way through Tonge and Breedon and Melbourne
over the common and in to Ticknall
wave to Ted Moult and then it’s Hartshorne
through Woodville and downhill to Swad.
Pull up near Salt’s and on to the bus station
for a quick cuppa at Georges
and then back again*.
*don’t forget, wait at Breedon corner- the Trent bus brings the girls from the biscuit factory.
Memories!
Who can forget Arni with his cab full of ash, or Percy ‘my friend’
or Galadys with her knitting,sharp tongue and  heart of gold,
Bob Soar short and stout, ‘give him a leg up into the cab’
Henry Tebbutt-so thin no-one thought he’d last the shift
Eric the ducky we loved to tease Remember Arni with his cab full of ash, and Percy ‘my friend’
Gladys -remember he had the first Gas tv!
Harold (Chad) and his lady wife
Skev and his mate Bob who could argue over a penny
Frank Baxter (Shag), Bubbles ….
Some came, some went..others came and went
Some stayed for ever
Inspectors Bill and George, traffic men Eric and Harry Hubbard.
So much to remember….
The VALs the VAMs the Reliances the Grenadiers
And Dennis Hudstons collection of Tiger Cubs
Nor must be forgotten Frank Mumford no buses repaired
‘no defect card for that one!’
but a guarantee of hot tea from 4.30 onwards.

Peter HG Chatfield