John Edward Cooper’s Notes
Blackpool buses
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— during the time that I lived in Thornton, 1955–1972 “A funny bus with doors in the middle” This expression is based on an utterance by David Jones (→New friendships, pars.9–13). Blackpool Corporation standardised upon Leyland Titans with fully-fronted centre-entrance bodywork for its double-deck fleet between 1936 and 1950. The initial 'streamlined' body was constructed by English Electric, but all subsequent ones were built in the town by Burlingham.   This photo shows a high tide at Anchorsholme, near Blackpool, in the 1930s, with the Blackpool to Fleetwood tramway and Cleveleys Hydro in the background. It also shows one of an early batch of “funny buses with doors in the middle”. On the older buses, the centre sliding doors, when opened, were housed within the body of the bus; but on the later ones they were mounted on the outside. I vaguely remember the doors on these older buses making a Tshshhhhh! sound when they opened, but going Tshshhhhh! on the newer ones when they shut.  Typifying the final development of this flamboyant style, which was unique to Blackpool, is No. 216, one of the last batch of 100, which were placed in service in 1949–50. Based on PD2/5 chassis, these buses survived until the late 1960s.  Blackpool Corporation’s new buses Burlingham Blackpool bought five Leyland PD2/21 Titans (Nos. 301–305) with Burlingham bodywork in 1957, still full-fronted like the old buses, but with traditional rear entrance platforms.  The Burlingham buses can be recognised by the gently sloping recess for the destination indicator at the front. One of the first batch, LFV 305, was the subject of an interesting experimental conversion to a twin staircase layout in late 1960. The front exit and rear entrance each received platform doors. The rear staircase was repositioned to ascend rearwards over the offside wheel-arch. A conductor seated at a desk just inside the rear entrance collected fares from passengers as they entered by the rear door. The rear platform could accommodate up to 15 passengers waiting to pay fares. A counting device informed passengers of the number of vacant upper-deck seats, through micro switches placed beneath each seat. The front exit was under driver supervision. One year later, the forward staircase was removed and the layout revised to seat 24 on the lower deck.  305  Rear staircase of 305 Metro-Cammel These were followed by 45 others with Metro-Cammel bodies.    Examples of the early Metro-Cammel bodied buses. Compare the recess for the destination indicator at the front with the Burlingham one above. “Drooping-eyeball” Several other batches followed, with fibreglass strips along the centre of the upstairs ceiling, including some buses with what I termed “drooping-eyeball”: the shape of the nearside front window on some of the full-fronted buses followed the line of the engine-housing downwards at the lower nearside corner.  One of the “drooping-eyeball” buses, from the last full-fronted batch, 371–380, with Leyland Titan PD3A chassis. In 1965 half-cab versions were introduced.   
Subsequent half-cab buses [I have forgotten where I got these photos from. Most are from the internet; a few are copied from library books. If you are the owner, I would be happy to credit you. I do beg your permission to continue to use them. If you are the author of any original text, which I have used and adapted here, the same applies.] |
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