Auld Glesga Trams & Buses

[Alycidon]

Radar wrote

No mention on that leaflet of the M8 and Parliamentary Road seems intact so does that narrow the window to pre 1971? I remember the destruction at Charing X when they were building the road, just can't remember the year!

According to http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m8/timeline.shtml here are the opening dates for each section of the M8. 1970 is the date given for the Kingston Bridge

1965 J4-5 Harthill Bypass
1967 J5-6 Harthill - Newhouse
1968 J26-29 Renfrew Bypass
1968 J15-16 Glasgow IRR, Townhead Section
1969 J3-4 Dechmont - Whitburn
1970 J29-30 Bishopton Bypass Stage I
1970 J19-20 Glasgow IRR, Kingston Bridge Section
1971 J2-3 Newbridge - Dechmont
1971 J16-17 Glasgow IRR, Woodside Section
1972 J18-19 Glasgow IRR, Charing Cross Section
1972 J17-18 Glasgow IRR, Woodside - Charing Cross
1975 J12-15 Monkland Motorway Stage I
1975 J30-31 Bishopton Bypass Stage II
1977 J20-26 Renfrew Motorway
1979 J11-12 Monkland Motorway Stage IIa
1980 J8-9 Ballieston - Glasgow City Boundary
1980 J8-11 Monkland Motorway Stage IIb
1995 J1-2 Edinburgh City Bypass - Newbridge

[Pgcc93]

Wa threr any wummin train/tram/bus drivers

Fossil

My mother was a clippie in the 50s in Birmingham and she met my dad who was a bus driver. True love over the ticket machine.

Seems like your folks weren't the only ones.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5045406.html

[ghiribizzo]

There appears to be a red/faded orange Atlantean with the later style 'wide' front indicator board in a yard in Cupar, Fife behind another double decker. The other bus didn't catch my eye though. Is the Atlantean 'known' about or is it worthwhile having a look for an 'LAxxx' plate?

[glasgowken]

There appears to be a red/faded orange Atlantean with the later style 'wide' front indicator board in a yard in Cupar, Fife behind another double decker. The other bus didn't catch my eye though. Is the Atlantean 'known' about or is it worthwhile having a look for an 'LAxxx' plate?

Interesting. Can you get me the reg plate number please, ghiribizzo, and/or a photo ?
The LA plates probably won't be there if it's been sold, but the reg No will be the same.

[ghiribizzo]

Well, not wanting to hang about, Glasgowken, I went out there today. It's (un?)fortunately not a GCT bus. It's -sharp intake of breath- from Embra.
As soon as I went round the back as far as possible, I realised it had the Embra type bodywork, the route number display on the back also confirmed it.
It seems in fair order, the upholstery is off the upstairs seats I think but I get the urge to see it in Maroon and Cream again.
The reg. appears to be GSC637. I can't see any suffix letter and the plate is in black/white indicating pre-'72 in that it's not black/yellow on the rear. Surely it's not so old that it doesn't have a suffix letter? I'd have expected maybe an 'H'? but the glass cover is murky and also, the 'spacing' of the lettering looks like there isn't much space for a suffix letter given that the picture is looking at it to the right from a shallow angle.
Has the front panel maybe been retro-fitted from a later machine?
The yard it's in is very narrow, has the ex 'Dundee Travel' Ailsa bus thang and the Atlantean and a car. Whose they are, I dunno.

Over to the bus experts!


[/img]

[glasgowken]

Wow, thanks for the piccys ghiribizzo

Yep it's a Lothian Region Transport Atlantean, I think the full reg is GSC 637X, dating from 1981. Lothian Transport kept the black reg plates going for longer than other places. The destination board style is also ok for that date.



It's an interesting find, and in very good nick by the look of it. I'll pass the info on to the Lothian & Edinburgh bus preservationists in case they don't know about it.

Cheers

[ghiribizzo]

Ah! Yes, an X reg looks to be right. One of the last, eh? They do look good in the LRT colours, second only to green, yellow and cream of course! My grandfather worked in GCT stores and before that in GCElec.Dept. for the trams and trolleybuses. Therefore, as a boy, the Transport Museum in the original building and open days at Larkfield were de riguer! I always was amazed at the engine test rigs where you could see them idling for ages - so slowly compared to looking at car engines! That and the tilt rig for the buses. Oo-err!
Being brought up in Renfrew, I was used to the Western Daimlers. A unique sound. I always thought the worst bus rides were when we went from Yoker to Clydebank on Central SMT's manual gearbox single deckers. Horrendous.

[glasgowken]

Yeah Central's old Leyland Leopards. I still remember the trips from Drumchapel to Clydebank in those, refined they weren't

I'd loved to have had a look around the old depots & stores, collecting old GCT stuff is a hobby of mine. Don't suppose you've any old gear up in the attic

[ghiribizzo]

Um, no don't think there's anything other than stuff my Dad is keeping for sentimental value like his WWII Aux. Fire Service badges, GCT Bus Driver No. etc.

[Alycidon]

Found while scouring the darkest depths of the internet for something completely different.



Even the Glasgow trams went to Blackpool!

[glasgowken]

Oops, don't know what happened to your piccy Alycidon, yes Cunarder 1297 operated in Blackpool for the 1985 Electric Tramway Centenary.


After an overhall, and repaint into it's original livery, it was one of the stars at the Glasgow Garden Festival.

anyone got any pictures of the buses in the old corporation colors kicking about just after strathclyde council broke up

A bit late, but at last a pic of short lived 1993 era GCT (aka Comlaw 313 Ltd) buses

Photo credit: B Deans.


And on the subject of wummin drivers, here's a well known, but nice, WW1 pic of a lady driver doing her bit on the streets of Glasgow. (with G.C.T. General Manager, James Dalrymple, standing on the pavement).


A newspaper did a piece on her, with a comment about her "rosy cheeks" (?), but I can't find the story
There are quite a few pics of women drivers in Glasgow transport books, I'll try and dig up a few.

[The_Clincher]

Hmmmm.....she seems to be getting the steely stare from the tarzan-role-applicant-in-the-Cook/Moore sketch :)

[glasgowken]

Hmmmm.....she seems to be getting the steely stare from the tarzan-role-applicant-in-the-Cook/Moore sketch

Judging by the photos i've seen, I think that was his only expression

He did a lot to involve lady drivers & clippies during the first war, so he had quite a soft spot for them

[glasgowken]

Errrm...I may have been a bit hasty when I said there were a lot of women driver pics, i'm struggling to find any Only two so far.





Lots of photos of clippies of course, here's just a couple.
WW1.


WW2.

(The wartime auxiliary conductor uniform is on the right. Strangely the clippie on the left has a solid silver '30 Years Service' breast badge as a cap badge Probably the real badge wasn't available for the photo yet).


Couldn't resist including these cartoons


"CUMOANGERRAFF"



Ok ok, she's driving a Subway train, not a tram

Photo credit: Ian Maclean.

[Vladimir]

#

Is she handling radioactive waste or something