This Leyland, Stockton Corporation bus (TD1 1930) 54 UP 3710 is shown near the Cross Keys pub at Leven Bridge where it used to run a special service for the holiday period.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This Leyland, Stockton Corporation bus (TD1 1930) 54 UP 3710 is shown near the Cross Keys pub at Leven Bridge where it used to run a special service for the holiday period.
I would love to drive one of those buses even now at 66 ,one of the things I’d love to do.
Careful what you wish for Robert, often anticipation is far better than the actual participation.
Landing at a huge base in the Middle East at the tender age of 18 to discover the wartime drivers had vanished to civvy life and the lads of the time did not have access to vehicles as they do now.
Dad having his own trucks and cars I did learn to drive so met an MOT who greeted me with “drive can you? Right get in that and drive me round the Garrison”. That was a 1934-5 Leyland six wheeler still having a gear box left after the test drive I was given a work ticket and told to follow that Canadian Dodge that once on the treaty road roared away from me who was doing the max of 24mph.
And so it came to pass I got the Leylands in various forms the youngest being around 1936-7 vintage and saw miles of flat featureless desert as we shipped gear around the various Garrisons and usually ended up as the dogs tail. Apart from once.
There was one single slope on the road to Fayid and half way up a Military Police compound, going up it empty did not even change the engine note coming back with ten tons of load I took a flyer knocked it out of gear and belted at increasing speed past three MP’s looking very shocked in a Jeep.
Braking did not matter as the road was dead straight they caught me, eventually. Up in front of the Adjutant he read the charge, then did a double take “Leyland, what kind of Leyland” he dismissed the charge wrote to the Police telling them to take more water with the Grapa in future and I was put on the Recovery truck, a big Canadian Ward La France that could certainly move.
Not part of Stockton’s history though certainly part of a Stockton lads often hilarious at times boring and sometimes overly exciting life.
I remember having to push this bus up leven bank after we had had an afternoon diving off the bridge and swimming above the water fall