What was your favourite bus type as a kid?

[padbus]

I grew up in Oxford so my favourite bus was the 1958 Park Royal bodied AEC Regent V. These were the last open platform deckers ans, along with a similar batch with Weymann bodies, were the first "tin front" and first 30ft deckers in the fleet. I think it was the tin front and the sheer size of these buses which attracted me to them at the age of 10. As I learned more about buses and grew taller I appeciated them even more. The Park Royal body was probably the ultimate development of the London RT style but with bigger windows and nice thin front corner pillars. They had only 65 seats in the 30ft body so there was plenty of leg room. Not only were they my favourite buses as a kid, they remain so to this day. Very fortunately my particular favourite, 975, has been preserved. My picture shows 974 in Gloucester Green bus staion in Oxford. This was very rare as these open platform buses normally only worked city routes and these did not use the bus station. The short Bridgemaster alongside shows how much Park Royal's design standards had fallen in only 3 or 4 years.

 

[SteveHFC]

Leyland National and AEC Routemaster.

 

[MotCO]

Also liked the Leyland Lynx. Quick, comfortable and enjoyed the engine and transmission sounds on those too!

able to leave cars standing at the lights in the hands of the right driver.

Several posters have referred to the acceleration of certain buses. So as not to derail this thread, I have opened a new thread for your favourite bus which felt fast or had impressive acceleration.

Memories of your fastest buses

Following on from this thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/what-was-your-favourite-bus-type-as-a-kid.258746/#post-6525900 , several posters referred to their fastest bus. So as not to derail that thread, what are your memories of your fastest bus, in terms of acceleration rather than...

www.railforums.co.uk

This thread is about your memories and impressions, not a list of data showing which bus was fastest.

 

[richw]

Absolutely this @richw. For me, it was a diet of ECW bodied Bristol LHs and Bristol REs, as summed up by this photo from John Carter (albeit not my home town). REs were more sophisticated but also more fragile.

Back then we rarely ventured far as kids. The distance I hear people letting their teenagers go these days makes me think wow.
My 14 year old isn’t allowed out after dark and not allowed to leave our home town. Her friends went on a day trip to Bristol by train - my pocket money wouldn’t have covered close to the fare.

 

[Beemax]

Southanpton AEC Regent V. The later East Lancs ones were very ahead of their time internally, but the earlier ParK Royal ones had a certain utilitarian charm.

 

[PeterC]

Back then we rarely ventured far as kids. The distance I hear people letting their teenagers go these days makes me think wow.
My 14 year old isn’t allowed out after dark and not allowed to leave our home town. Her friends went on a day trip to Bristol by train - my pocket money wouldn’t have covered close to the fare.

Aged berween 13 and 15 I would roam around London bus spotting with a Red Rover ticket and occasionally into the Home Counties with a Green Rover.

A "bus" meant an RT and I always preferred it because of the arm rests on the upstairs back seats. Having said that I always look for RLHs or GSs on running days as they were the "exotic" ones from my bus spotting trips.

 

[LT02 NVV]

While my username has the plate of one of my favourite Plaxton President buses, my favourite bus was actually Volvo Olympian Alexander Body Work "K174 EUX", an ex Singapore bus that worked with First Glasgow for it’s last few years, but had a lot more history with it. Shame it caught on fire in 2012, as I bet someone would have preserved it.

 

[Devon Sunset]

I was brought up with the standard Eastern Scottish fare of Lodekkas, Fleetlines and Seddons but my favourite was the Ailsa. Fast and noisy! I was also fond of the rather exotic United RE's that passed through on the Berwick/Newcastle services.

 

[CraigLockhart]

Has to be the whiney Volvo Ailsa's that Eastern Scottish had on the 129 and the Dalkeith routes in the mid eighties. I think it's the turbo but perhaps someone will correct me.

 

[RT4038]

A "bus" meant an RT

Quite. Or the throbbing sound of a Leyland...... Trips to Grandparents on a Green Line crew operated RF (or later in the height of luxury on a RMC)

 

[AJM580]

Growing up in the middle of Eastern Counties territory in the 70s it was the Bristol FLF for me. Also liked to see the Routemasters whenever in London

 

[Busaholic]

Double deckers: The four Routemaster prototypes (in their original form). This photograph shows all four assembled together:

Prototype Routemasters

All four London Transport Prototypes reunited at the London Bus Museum Brooklands. From the left RM1-RM2-RML3-CRL4.

www.flickr.com

Unfortunately RM1 is shown in its later form after it was modified to match the production models, so here's a photo of it in its original form:

https://i.redd.it/0ejbgcthgxs61.jpg

www.reddit.com

Single deckers: London's RF:

RF buses – Pure Nostalgia

purenostalgia.org.uk

I was fortunate enough to see RM1 in its original form on several occasions, but whether I ever got to travel on it then is moot. RML3 is my absolute favourite because of its Leyland engine, though I've only ever travelled on it once.

I concur with you on RFs, especially the non-doored red ones, my favourite single deckers.

 

[neilcobbe]

Mine was always a Gardner engined Leyland Fleetline of GMT/LUT late 70s vintage. Loved the whine of the engine and gearbox on these.

 

[Dr_Paul]

The Routemaster! I remember the RM family as comfortable and convenient. The RM family came in when I was a little kid, and was an important part of my bus travelling into the 1980s. Later buses, without the open platform at the back to facilitate informal boarding and alighting, were never the same. Looking back, there were real limitations with the RM family (as with RTs and other similar LT buses), especially in respect of access for disabled people and for people with baby-buggies, but this didn't occur to me and my pals back then.

 

[RELL6L]

As a child the Leyland Atlantean, specifically the K and L plate London Country batches, so modern compared to the RTs.

As a young adult, Bristol REs and Scania Metropolitans. Both sounded great and gave a spirited ride.

 

[greyman42]

I remember going to school in York in the late 1970s, on a short single decker that had very comfortable coach like seats inside it. It was obviously older than the other buses around at that time, which were all Bristols.
Has anyone any idea what it may have been.

 

[GusB]

I remember going to school in York in the late 1970s, on a short single decker that had very comfortable coach like seats inside it. It was obviously older than the other buses around at that time, which were all Bristols.
Has anyone any idea what it may have been.

Is there any clue as to which operator it was?

 

[greyman42]

Is there any clue as to which operator it was?

It will have been York West Yorkshire.

 

[Non Multi]

I remember going to school in York in the late 1970s, on a short single decker that had very comfortable coach like seats inside it. It was obviously older than the other buses around at that time, which were all Bristols.
Has anyone any idea what it may have been.

An earlier bodied Leyland Tiger Cub?

 

[jp4712]

An earlier bodied Leyland Tiger Cub?

Not if it was York West Yorkshire. More likely to be a Bristol MW.

Pic of one is available on Flickr at https://flic.kr/p/2mbqv82

 

[W-on-Sea]

I grew up in a bit of East London with five main bus routes: two used Routemasters, three used Daimler Fleetlines. Although I grew to rather like the D/DM/DMS after they returned locally post-compulsory competitive tendering (and the local competitor being Ensignbus, not Sampson's, say), at a younger age the Routemasters appeared far more, especially for the chance to sit at the front of the lower deck.

Although the later refurbishments were not kind to their interiors (colour scheme, moquette, lighting, windows) I still preferred them to other options, living elsewhere in London, where they remained on one of my local routes almost until the end of their time in mainstream London service.

 

[GCH100]

My favourites changed with age, Being a young 5 or 6 year old my favourite, living close to Atherton's Lancashire United Depot, was the vast amounts of new Northern Counties bodied Leyland Fleetlines that went on to the road around there. Later on, my favourite changed to the Northern Counties bodied Leyland Olympians, again Atherton Depot had the largest number in Greater Manchester Transport/ GM Buses, at deregulation in 1986.

The ones I miss now as an adult, and see as missing in preservation, are the Plaxton Derwent bodied Bristol RESL6Gs and Seddon Pennine RU's, that were based at Lancashire United Transport.

 

[nw1]

The typical buses of my schooldays (12 upwards, didn't have any interest before that) were Nationals and VRs, so would have to be those. Plus Atlanteans which were used by the next-door NBC company (London Country) and present in the nearest large town.

As a child the Leyland Atlantean, specifically the K and L plate London Country batches, so modern compared to the RTs.

Ah, the JPL xxxK batch?

 

[Open top 80]

Probably a Leyland National or A Leyland Titan front entrance one

 

[Bristol LHS]

As an everyday bus, definitely these bombing around Tyne and Wear post-dereg

Tyne & Wear Omnibus (ex-London Country) Bristol LHS / ECW TPJ58S

Tyne & Wear Omnibus Bristol LH TPJ58S in Blackett Street, Newcastle. (31st August 1988: neg.1112)

www.flickr.com

but favourite for a trip out, one of these, looked and sounded awesome, dead comfy too

3789-01

Go Ahead Northern Express Link liveried M.C.W. Metrobus MkII 3789, C 789 OCN in Newcastle city centre.

www.flickr.com

honourable mention for the ex Greenline/Kentish Bus llong Olympians with ECW coach bodywork that Northumbria had running along the Tyne Valley from Newcastle to Hexham in the same period.

 

[rg177]

I remember this Arriva NE Roe Olympian (7293) being very entertaining as a kid and lasting what felt like a very long time (it was still knocking about in 2007/8).

Seemed to be a fairly unique model for Arriva Northumbria - looks like it started life in West Yorks in 1983.

Arriva North East - 7293 - CUB68Y - ArrivaNE20051101

Company: Arriva Northumbria Fleetnumber: 7293 Registration: CUB68Y Chassis: Leyland Olympian Bodywork: Roe Location of Photo: Whitley Road, Whitley Bay Previous Registrations: N/A New to: West Yorkshire PTE (Fleetno: 5068) Other Notes: N/A

www.flickr.com

 

[Eyersey468]

ECW bodied Bristol VRs for me

 

[AM9]

LT RT without a doubt. Better than RMs which had less legroom and a soggy suspension. My younger years were mainly on routes 26, 62, 150 169 & 247a, so mainly plain AEC RTs with occasional RTLs. Push chairs were OK on them as in those days their owners were quite prepared to fold them so that the Conductor put them under the stairs. Of course, being crew operated, they were pretty quick along their routes with well behaved passengers using the platform sensibly for boarding and alighting.
Looks wise, the Greenline and Country buses were the smartest, - I still think that a deep green is the smartest colour for both buses and trains.

 

[37114]

Always had a soft spot for Leyland Lynx as the H reg batch bought by Bristol were brand new on the 1/2/3 routes when I started catching the bus. Also for some bizarre reason I have always had a fondness for the Daimler DMS, especially the B20 version as I went to London in their latter days and they looked so different to the VRs at home.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

but favourite for a trip out, one of these, looked and sounded awesome, dead comfy too

3789-01

Go Ahead Northern Express Link liveried M.C.W. Metrobus MkII 3789, C 789 OCN in Newcastle city centre.

www.flickr.com

honourable mention for the ex Greenline/Kentish Bus llong Olympians with ECW coach bodywork that Northumbria had running along the Tyne Valley from Newcastle to Hexham in the same period.

The 11 Northern coach seated Metrobuses with Gardner turbo charged engines were quite something.

I remember this Arriva NE Roe Olympian (7293) being very entertaining as a kid and lasting what felt like a very long time (it was still knocking about in 2007/8).

Seemed to be a fairly unique model for Arriva Northumbria - looks like it started life in West Yorks in 1983.

Arriva Northumbria gained three of those ex West Yorkshire PTE/Metrobus Olympians of the ten that went to United.