ROADS AND ROAD TRANSPORT HISTORY CONFERENCE NEWSLETTER August 1996 Issue Number 11
President : Professor Theo Barker London School of Economics Index to this Issue - August /996
Chairman : Professor John Hibbs OBE 2 1996 Colloquium lJni,,e,·sit)· of Central England, Report on the Colloquium held in June Perry Barr, J Book Review Birmingham B-12 2Sl/ 4 The Chorley Joint Motor Omnibus Committee Sccretar~' : Cordon Knowles Summary of talk given by John Dunabin to the 7 Squirrels Green, Colloquium G1·eat Bookham, 8 The Tunnel Wagon Surrey KT23 3LE Some thoughts on an early form of road-rail t ransport 10 Some Personal Impressions of Road Haulage Treasurer : Roger Atkinson OBE Characters. -1:'i Dec Banks, Reminiscences of the Management of BRS Chester CH3 :'i UU 11 Historic Book Review A new series looking at out of print books of histori c Research Coordinator: Ian Yearsley 97 Putney Bridge Road, va lue. London SWl:'i 2PA 13 F a1·e Policy Ron Phillips w rites about the fare policy adopted in Newsletter Editor : Ron Philli11s the recently concluded 'bus war' in Warrin,gton. 16 Victoria Avenue, C ra1111cnhall , Warrington WA-I 2PD Future Publications
The next edition of the 1ewsletter is due for pub Iication NOTICE TO MEMBERS 111 December, and will be mailed to all members before the DATA PROTECTION ACT Christmas "rush". Also available in the Autumn will be a summary of the The Roads and Road T ransport History points raised at the June Colloquium (briefl y covered overleaf), Conference proposes to hold its mem which will be sent automatically and free ofchargetot hosewho bership records on computer. lfyou attended the event at Chorley. Other members who would li ke object to your own name, address (and to have these papers may send £ 1.00 for the papers to be telephone number and interests, if you in cluded with the next Newsletter, or£ 1. 30 for the immediate have given these) being held on compu dispatch of same ter, please advise the Hon. Treasurer, It had been hoped to publish Occasional Paper No. I Roger Atkinson, 4.5 Dee Banks, Chester along with th is edition of the Newsletter. However, several CH3 5UU (tel: 01244 35 1066) matters concerning the size and content of this publication have yet to be settled. T he format is A4, similar to this Newsletter, and price to members is £2.00. The subject is "Aspects ofTransport during the Second World War", and the This edition of the Newsletter will be main contributions deal with the work of WT Underwood as distributed at the Meeting of the Officer in Charge of Motor Transport, Portsmouth Dockyard, Conference to be held at Coventry, and an analysis ofve hicles registered in Birkenhead during the on Saturday, 2 1st September 1996, period 1939-1 945, the town chosen being a fa irly typical UK and subsequently by post to members borough of medium size (albeit a port). O rders for this 24-28 not attending. Envelopes for dispatch page item should be addressed to the Hon. Newsletter Editor. have been supplied free of charge by DTS Publishing, whose booklist is inserted in each magazine. v) Personalities in the industry,often an essen 1996 Colloquium tial part of the story, present the historian with two Rquwt of the I')% Colloquium held at t.he British problems: to what extent can we tell the truth, and to C'omme1Tial Vt•hide Trust Ai-chives, Chorle:'I·, what extent can we rely upon them to have told d1e Satunla~ 1st June 19')(,. truth. Theme: What do we need to know about road The proceedings were ably summed up by Pro freight I nlllSj)Ol"I? fessor John Am1strong, who felt that there was a The meeting commenced at 11 .0am, and for concensus in favour of the need for works on indi mal proceedings began at 11 .30 with a presentation vidual subjects as the initial step that would lead to by John Dunabin on the subject of the Chorley Joint the eventual major history. He touched upon one theme Motor Omnibus Committee, which is summarised on that had not been mentioned around the table, namely page 4 of this ewsletter. This was followed by a the cross-fertilisation between diffe rent modes of tour of the premises conducted by the resident archi transport, road - rail, road - air ,etc., and pointed out vist Roslyn TI1istlewood, who briefl y outlined the his that competition did not rule out collaboration. He to ry. contents. and current work ofth e archive. Items introduced us to the concept 0f 'counter factual his a va il able cover AEC. Albion, Austin-Morris (BMC), tory', the study of the 'might-have-been' in order to Atkinson. B UT, Crossley, Daimler, Guy, Leyland, illuminate facts Scammel. Sunbeam. and Thornycroft. Professor Armst rong felt that the Committee The lunchbreak over, the meeting was recon could usefull y discuss ideas for the 1997 Symposium, vened for the Colloquium itself, introduced by the and work on a bibliography or source book, and might Chairman. In his opening remarks he described the even attempt to set up a collaborative work of some purpose of the meeting to explore the possible theme kind, now that the ideas discussed at the Colloquium of the next Symposium (namely freight transport by had emerged and coalesced. 171e meeting closed at road). and to discuss what form of publications might 4 30pm, after a vote of thanks to Roslyn 171istlewood fill the void on library shel ves which faces students for her help in providing the venue and serving the seeking information on the transport of goods. All refreshments. those attending the Colloquium have received detailed notes on the proceedings. and it is not intended to The Journal of Transport History reprmt those here. but the main points raised were as JOHN HIBBS writes - members who do not follows: subscribe to the JTH. edited by our Academic ad i) Was a definitive work 0 11 road freight trans viser Professor john Annstrong. woul d be well ad po11 a feasible possibility. or was it more reali stic to vised to get hold of the March 1996 number, for the expect a seri es of works on specific subjects (hi story sake of two articles. of companies, transpo11 of specific types of goods, 171e first, by CS.Hallas, is "On the hoof- road etc .) transport in the Yorkshire Dales· 17)0-1900". It ii ) The need for a good bibliography/ li st of sytematically ana lyses the movement of goods and sources / g uides to technical magazines of the past. li vestock in and from Wensleydale and Swaledale, John Hibbs made it clear that he is prepared to accept including the local carrier services, and stressing the the names of texts which are thought suitable for in importance of the highways, side roads and drove clusion in a bibliography. and that such could be then roads. published by the Conference. In "Not Rosie the Ri veter", sub-titled "Wom iii) The limitations of libraries vis-a-vis trans en's diverse roles in the making of the long-distance port history Students of tra nsport face bus indust ry", Dr. Margaret Walsh amplifies the con indifference,and in some cases ignorance of what is tribution she made in her article "The early g rowth of available, difficul t to understand cataloguing and dif long distance bus transport in t he United States", ficu Iti es of <1 ccess when the m<1teri a l ht1s been mi cro which Professor Barker included in his book "171e filmed. Economic and social effects of the Spread of Motor iv) There is a need <1 s much for <1 grand history Vehicles" (Macmillan, 1987). 171ere is much to be of the subject as for a good popular hi story of freight learnt from a better understanding of events in the transport by road. and such would be easier to pro USA and Canada. and until we have an extensive treat duce in the short term. perhaps with severa l w riters ment of those events (maybe from the pen of Dr working under an editor. There was also a suggestion Wa lsh?) this a1ticle w ill take the reader into the sub that a book in the format of J'hc: ( Jx/imJ ( 'ompaniun ject, and excite an appetite for more. This article 111 Roilwm· Hist()fy might be both useful and feasible. brings to light women's contribution to the industry. ROAD HAllLAGE IIISTORY SOllRCF:S An Information Leaflet (No. I I) prnduced by the Modern Records Centre, at The l lniversity of Books are chosen.for their historical content, and Warwick 1996. (£ I )(AS, 8pp) hecause they place hitherto unpublished material This useful leaflet li st the docuemts available he.fore the reader. under 25 main headings They a re mainly items from trade union or transpo11 operator sources, but in clude THE PWLLHELI AND LLANBEDROG the impo,tant collectionn of Applications & Decisions TRAMWAYS by John F. And1·ews, published by covering the years 1934-9, 1946-1989, and papers of D.Brnwn & Sons Ltd. Cowbridge 1995 (£14.95) R Cropper, C.S Dunbar (see also page 11) and G W (Hardback,72pp, landscape) Quick Smith. An essentia I reference document for I have known John Andrews for 35 years, and those interested in road haulage ,111· I am delighted with this book. In 196 I I went to /\vaibhle from I /11iw rsti, o!' Warn ic k I .,hran. Modern l
J{.\ Tom Mclachlan has done histo rians a servi ce *Both The Pwllheli and Uanhedrog Tramwa~•s and by setting out the course of events in London with so Keep Moving, which has chapters on the S;lomon much detail and such a satisfactory style. The pre Andrews tramways and buses in Cardiff, London and history of Londo11 buses is well handled, a lthough the elsewhere are available at£ 14.95 each, post free,from reviewer would have likes to have seen more on the John F. Andrews, Normandie, 18 Lake Road East, influence of Sir Henry Maybury, whose "rails good, Cardiff CF2 5NN. roads bad" policy lasted so long T he period of the title is covered well. and wi ll remain a useful source for future authors. .11 1 3 and Mr. Aspden contacted other authorities seeking The Chorley Joint joint action Croston UDC deferred a decision, claim ing that no regular service entered the village, while Motor Omnibus Withnell, with only 300 yards of bus route, declined Committee to join. Apa1t from this, support was good, and after several meetings, a Conference was held on February An address given by John Dunabin to the 1996 23 rd , 1925, attended by representatives of Chorley Colloquium of the R&RTHC on 1st June 1996 at Borough, Chorley RDC, Adlington, Horwich and the British Commercial Vehide Trust AtThives, Leyland UDC's, and the Chorley Joint Motor Omni Chodey. bus Committee came into existence. Other authori C'ontrarv to the belief in some high quarters, ties joined later road traffic has always needed con~rol: even the Ro It is interesting to note that one of the Leyland mans discovered the fact In this country, prior to the representatives was Mr.A.Dallas, the leading inde passage of the Road Traffic Act of I G30 , which re pendent bus operator in the area. but he withdrew placed in whole or in part I l) earlier Acts (plus others when his own applications were considered. applicable only to London or Scotland), one of the Powers to set up the committee stemmed from most important was the Town Police Clauses Act of the Local Government Act of 1894, and it was there 184 7, still applicable in I QC)6 to taxicab licensing but fore a statutory body, with wide (if not well defined) importantly modified so far as bus services were con powers. Although their full extent was questioned, as cerned by the Roads Act of I Q20 we shall see later, the existence and relevance of the Under the 184 7 Act, many local authorities committee were widely recognised. It did not, possi (c 1,300 by I 930) including county and municipal bly could not, become a licensing body in its own brooughs and some urban and rural districts, obtained right, but all applications came for consideration to powers to license stage carriages. Some, contrary to the Committee, which then made recommendations, the intentions of the Act, used the powers to shield incorporating its standard conditions, to the licensing debt-ridden tramways from motor bus competition authorities. This was helped by the modifications mentioned From its earliest days, the Committee sought above, which replaced the right of appeal to the High ways of increasing its effectiveness, the Town Police Court by a reference to the Minister of Transport Clauses Act of 1889 stopped short at Section 6 7 of Other authorities, at war with local tramway compa the 18..i 7 Act. thereby omitting the power to fix fares. nies. some of which had strong statutory powers. li A possible solution, offered by the UDC Association censed all comers to break the tramway monopoly. was to get operators to agree a timetable ( Powers to Finally, there were those which used their powers as do this were generally accepted) with fares before they mere money ra isers. Such fragmented control created received a licence. At a more practical level the Con~ conflict between neighbouring authorities, and ren mittee appointed a full-time Inspector. It got to work dered the operation ofdesirable cross-boundary serv very speedily, and even before its official birth in
ices difficult November I Q24 the Committee was considerirw::, how Lancashire south of the Ribble was already, to limit the number of operators on the main road by the turn of the century, fairly densly if patchily between Leyland and Preston from eight to four No populated, with a mixture of urban (including bor answer was found - market forces did it in the end - oughs) and rural authorities Chorley Rural District. and a year later the Timetable Sub-Committee reported with Chorley Borough in its centre, was less than I 00 failu re to formulate timetables for this route, recom square miles in area, but its boundaries were contigu mending the issue oflicences without . The main Com ous with no less than C) urban and 4 rural districts. mittee did not give up, and in March I ()28 it approved Furthermore, it was ringed by the 4 powerfulk county co-ordinated timings of the remaining independents, boroughs of Blackburn, Bolton. Preston and Wigan. leaving out Ribble motor Services, now down to five. As elsewhere after I q 18, the demand for cheap trans Even this did not eliminate problems, with a port mounted rapidly. and motor bus operators, not maximum of twelve buses an hour and no sharing of all of them totally reputable. appeared in g reat 1111111- receipts, timekeeping was crucial, and in July 1929 bers. In 1924, Coppull Parish Council, alarmed by Fishwicks, the major operator with a 50% share, of the dangers of motorbuses racing each other through fered to pay half the costs ofa full-time inspector for the village, approached Mr. R. E.Aspden. Clerk to the this route alone. Chorley RDC', asking if something could be done to Retu ming to earlier years, the C' omm ittee saeem curb the practice. to have taken a tougher line on timekeeping elsewhere, The appeal obviously fell on sympathetic ears, and its indefatigable Inspector, Mr.Bolton, sent in 4 many adverse reports. His wage ofnearly £4 per week covered on a very restricted-basis by Ribble - the lat was a good one for the time, but he certainly gave ter also ran a through Chorlev - Bolton service bv a value for money. Remaining on duty until at least roundabout route through Westhoughton. It is not quite I 0.27 pm on Christmas Eve 1926, he recorded six clear who made the first move. as claims of contest instances of Dallas buses leaving Chorley late - aver ants are not always to be t rusted. but Freemans. ,-vho age delay 8 minutes - but on Boxing Day he was out had already reached Horwich from Chorlev. sought again, this time noting a Ribble bus running five min to extend to Bolton via Montserrat (Chorley Old utes late on a Dallas time! Road) Ribble was at this time seeking renewal of its It would seem Dallas staff thought they were Chorley New Road licence. but quickly switched to being victimised. On 27th July 1927 Mr. Bolton the Montserrat route. followed by Bolton Corpora boarded a Dallas bus and the conductor demanded a tion, whose tramway also reached the same location. fare, which was duly paid This was regarded as ob Faced w ith three operato rs. each it seems plan structing the Inspector in the performance of his du ning to run hourly, Worwich UDC following JOC ties and the sixpence was reclaimed. The Dallas re guidelines, proposed an even headwav 20 minut vc sponse was robust. The company had no objection to service. This irked Ribble. who deleted the JOC's the Inspector boarding, but would not let him make a standard conditions from its application Bolton a lso convenience oftheir vehicles ... did they imply that he earnned officia:I displeasure by ru nning more thiln was taking a free ride home? A threat of future dis once per hour. and were told this could not be ilC- crimination by the JOC against Dallas does not seem to have materialsed. CHORLF,Y JOINT M OTOR There were other battles of a more formal na OMNIBUS COMMITTEE ture on other fronts. Early in 192.'i, Ribble commenced Standard conditions a new service between Chorley and Adlington, with out prior approval by the Committee.The two places I. Times Qf Qp~ration were already linked via the A6 road, but the new serv Services to operate in adherence to ice took a roundabout route through Limbrick and timetables as approved Heath Chamock Chorley RDC thought this was un 2 Vehicle Fitness suitable for full-szed (32 seater) vehicles, and the JOC Vehicles to have a Certificate of Fitness. suggested the use of a 20 seater, whereupon 'Major' renewed every 12 months. Hickmott of Ribble said he had 11020 seaters, and pre 3. Vehicle lnsu rannce ferred to withdraw the service. A succession of other Production of Third Party Insurance operators followed. TI1e third of these, Frank Green Ce,tificate required. (t/a Freeman's Silver Star), despite having purchased 4. !;mergen0' E:xi~ a 20 seater bus specially to run the service, became New vehicles to have a suitable emergency badly trapped in an inter-council tussle, which pointed ex it at the rear. to a major weakness in the JOC's position. Chorley .'i. Petrol Filling RDC, with the JOC's support, only licensed the serv Petrol tanks only to be filled w hen the bus ice from Chorley to a point sho,t of Adlin6>ton to 1s empty discouirage through traffic. Mr.Green complied with 6. Fares Pubfa'._ity the restriction, to the great annoyance of Adlin6>ton Fare tables to be displayed on the bus UDC, who then withheld Mr.Green's licence to pick 7 Ares of Drivers &,._ (srn ductQ1~ up in Adlin6>ton on his main road service, action which No driver to be under 20 No conductor brought accusations of disloyalty to the Committee. to be under 18 . Details of subsequent moves are lacking, but it seems 8. Additional Servi~Q~ clear that the JOC extricated itself from an untenable o fu,ther services to be licensed unl ess position. Mr.Green continued to serve Adlin6>ton via existing services shown to be in adequate the main road, and from timetable evidence, by 192() if not earlier his service via Limbrick did so too. A further requirement was that tickets be issued. Now let us look at what was to be the Commit Renewals of li censes were to be made in the li ght tee's major battle, almost its Waterloo, although in of adherence to bye-laws and licence condit1ons. evitably it played the role of the Duke of Plaza Toro, Racing and excessive speed. and run ning with who, it will be recalled, led his reg iment from behind. out due regard to the safety of the public o r pas At the end of 192.'i, Horwich was linked to Bolton via sengers was strong ly discouraged Chorley New Road by a long established tram serv T hese regulations had been adopted by 17/4/ 2.'i ice of Bolton Corporation , a route which was also 5 cepted, but that duplicate buses could be run at their The Town Police alloted times. Horwich refused to grant any licences to Ribble and the company appealed to the Minister Clauses Act, 1847 of Transport. An official enquiry followed on 1st John Dunabin's article makes mention of Dece111ber I Q26, but before its completion the parties this important piece of regualtion. The notes ca111e to an agreement. Bolton Corporation, Freemans, below by Paul Byers describe its importance. and Ribble were g ranted equal rights on Chorley Old This Act was presented to the House of Com Road 111 the Horwich area. while Ribble acknowledged mons for its first reading on 26th April 1847 . It com the ri g ht o f Horw ich U D( to impose law ful pleted the commons stages by 18th June, and was conditions. However, Ribble continued to ignore con passed on to the Lords. It received the Royal Assent ditions as laid down, the point at issue being whether on 22nd July 1847. the local authority could dictate timetabies or merely It is described in its preamble as " an Act for approve those sub111itted. consolidating in one Act certain provisions usually Bv the end of I ()26, Bolton Counc il in its regulatory contained in Acts for regulating the Police in towns" c~pacity had joined the JO(, and in July 1927 the In its original form, it only related to England and conflict was repeated , w ith Bolton now rejecting Ireland, and contained 79 Sections covering such di Ribble appli cations. Another enquiry fol lowed and verse topics as: the powers, duties, and privileges of the Minister's ruling, represented as a compromise. constables, obstructions and nuisances in the streets, was rea lly a defeat for the combined local authori fire-fighting , places of public resort, hackney car ties The ( 'ouncil was told to issue licences to Ribble riages, bathing facilities, and claims for damages and subject to the co111pany submitting its timetable, run other penalties. ning in accordance with it, and not varying it without Over the next I JQ years, there have been in seven days notice. Bolton \Vatch Committee's inune excess of40 amendments and pa rtial repeals, leaving diate reaction to the 111inister's ruling was to accept it the current statute with 4 1 sections, mainly covering for Ribble. but only to grant licences to other opera hackney carriage matters, with some mention of ob to rs subject to the old conditions. MIGHT, it seems, structions and nuisances due to street processions was RIGHT TI1e Act 1s the major enablmg Act which con These events could have 111eant the death ofthe fers powers to local authorities, and was the forerun JO( - Horwich did drop ouit - and of a ll reg ulatory ner of the many acts related to stage carriage opera atte111pts by local authorities, but they did not. In fact, tions. As an ex.ample, over the years Cardiff has reg si111il ar committees came into be ing at nearby Pres istered over 2."i bye-law supplements using powers ton and elsewhere, What is mo re, the activities of the g ranted by this Act. energetic JOC In spector Mr.Bolton continued, and as The Victorian authors ofthis legislation looked late as December I ll30 he spotted a Mr.Thompson of upon the hackney carriage business as a form of street Chorl ey ply ing for hire in the town with a bread van: trading . It was not until the passing oft he 1976 Local t he drive r pulled up. s ho uted "Anybod y for Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act that lo 1 Bla ckburn' " . and si, people boarded. cal autho1ties were given further powers regarding Three month's later though, when Mr.Oliver hackney carriage and private hire vehicles. Other Ha rt applied for a serv ice between Chorley and minor powers regarding the a llocation of road space Southpo 11 . he was told that as he had not been oper for taxi ranks were conferred upon local authorities atmg by the l}th February, he would have to apply to by the I Cl84 Road Traffic Regulation Act. the Traffic Co111missioners. So the work of the JO( had co111e to an end. Su111ming up, faced with a con fused mass of outdated legislation, an urgent need for The End is Nigh ..... action. and a foot-dragging Government, the Chorley .. for many ofthe ve,y old (in excess o f thirty Joint Motor Omnibus Committee had some notable years) public service buses on the islands of Malta failures but manv 111ore successes. The standards it ~nd Gozo. The Government of Malta has been set formed a 111odcl for the I ()JO Act. W hat is 111ore, it trying for many years to upgrade the bus fl eet, remained self-supporting for its six year existence, whi ch has almost become a working museum, the li cence fees it received being more than enough to but it seems now that by 2000 the older buses cover its expenses. (The map opposite shows principal places that a re will be a thing of the past. For those who wish to mentioned in the text: it was drawn originally to illus recall past times, now is the time to visit these trate routes of Freeman's "Silver Star" Service. and islands, before the upgrading process begins in Ribble Motor Services ) earnest. 6 ECCLEST ON CHORLEY I 'I / l\1AP / ' \ / ' C harnock ,'' H ' '~- Ric hard_- .,. I e S 1.tl-. ,, / - ' " Showing principal places , ,--"\ ,,- ,; ' '-~' and routes mentioned in ' I ~ Bay Horse Mawdes:-', , We le f1' ., the text ~' ley --, ... W hitt I;, =i. R ivingto n •► To ORM SK IRK ·►• li A DLI NGTO~-►- .\.: -~-~ ►...... , ___ -~•Y. ').-"\, -- Montserrat BOLTON .,/ ~ .).. -<..,, •1- ,C..,,✓, • , 'y.,(_. :-~ -...,A../1---1 11-\i •Y, A-l,L-JHHHl-11-n-H- _ • ~ A' .. • ~:.-, ,-,-\A • :1-..,.'Y. ,,,,,."''-- • ·Aspull y, _,,'\ • "Y. :\.x • • ,.- ...., ....,,,.Deane • T -1_1_\.,\ ; \'\, t,.,.'-' WIGAN •••• ... . . • WESTHOUGHTON . . . . • • .• . • To SOUTHPORT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 2 _j • •• ~ ... To BILLINGE • To GOLBORNE ':>C !. I..: ', •.. L € ~ .. y ~·
I sold to a fam1er near Cambridge. For nineteen years The Tunnel Wagon it remained hidden inside a barn. Eventually in 1973 Early road-rail Pantechnicons the vehicle was acquired by William Hamilton of Leeds, who wished to use it, being a staunch sup This item contrihutcd 11,· Allan Bri~ham (Camhs) ,·ia Richard Store,· porter of horse drawn trannsport. Having purchased the van, it took seven days to bring it back to Leeds, This topic was dealt with from a different view hauled by two C lydesdale horses. It then became part point in the Local History Magazine (No.54), March ofth e fleet ofho rse drawn vehicles used by Hamilton April 1996. The subject was a I 9th century removals in his removals business. wagon. rediscovered in a yard at Leeds, and which The van was subsequently rediscovered in had previously had a sixty year working life in Cam Leeds by Allan Brigham, a Cambridge historian and bridge. tour director. His visit to Leeds, and his subsequent It had begun life in the 1870s, and was used interview with Mr.Hamilton, by now retired, showed until the start of World War 11 by the Bolton family, a that the van dated from 1877, the axles bearing the local dynasty of furniture removers. The vehicle was inscription "Kirkstall Forge, Leeds. hauled by horses (two abreast) in and around the city August 18 77 " and the s urrounding area. For destinations further The design of the van is discussed below. On afield, the specially designed van was transported on the page opposite are two advertisements from the flat railway wagons. Hence the name "Tunnel Wagon" Spalding Cambridge Almanac of 1879. It is clear that for the vehicle was designed to fit the railway loading Swarms and Boltons were in fierce competition with gauge, and was capable of passing through a ll the each other. Artistic licence (by the same artist?) has tunnels it might encounter. Edward Bolton decla red been taken with the railway locomotive and wagon, of it in 1885 but the draw ing of the Tunnel Wagon is reasonably "Household Removals throughout the entire accurate. A contemporary photograph reveals a system of Railways in the United Kingdom and Con slightly different form of wording on Bolton's van: tinent. By thi s system the cost of Packing is entirely "Furniture Removals by Road or Rail. Bolton Bros avoided, and the Furniture remains in the same lock Furniture Vans. 18 Union Road, Cambridge. To any up Van through-out the entire journey, irrespective of Distance. o Packing Required '\o Risk or Change distance." of Carriage." \Vhen the last member ofth e Bolton family re The warehouse and depot owned by Boltons still ex tired from business in 1954, the pantechnicon was ists, and was built adjacent to the railway.
The design oft he wooden bodied tunnel wagon When placed on a railway flat wagon, the van featured above is quite sophisticated. 1l1e forward was lowered and made more stable by the release of steering axle is eq uipped with small diameter wheels the tension of springs. In addition, there must have to allow for as low a floor level as possible. There been some form of securing wires or chains, but the was of course a limit as to how small the wheels might loading process would probably have been quite swift. be, set by the state of the roads of the time, but the It woukd require, of course, some form of ramp or Boltons and Swanns ofCambrige at least operated in loading platform at the goods depot, as well as some a part of the country that was fai rl y flat. one present with knowledge of how to handle the van. Once sufficient room had been a llowed for the It seems probable that an employee of the re swivelling of the front axle, the fl oor level of the van mova ls company would travel by rail to the destina was lowered by the provision of a well. 11,is did not tion, where he would arrange to hire the necessary run the full w idth ofth e body, as space was needed on horses to carry the furniture to its ultimate destina each side for the rear wheels, whose springs were at tion. Both advertisements opposite indicate that the tached to the underside of the main body. two ri val firms were quite prepared to hire their vans 1l1e well floor allowed walk-in facilities to the "to the trade", and it is interesting to speculate whether loaders, as well as extra capacity added to the main any manufacturer used such tunnel wagons to send box of the va n. Additional capacity was afforded by finished goods to a distant destination, without the the detachable roof side boards (not seen on the two perils oftranshipment. illustrations) which would a ll ow for carriage on the Note: Because ofthe need to load and unload the con roof of tarpaulins, straw for packing. fodder etc. when tents at domestic addresses, the present day container the van was in service on the road, but which could is unsuitable for door to door transit of household be removed before transit by ra il. goods. 8 ESTI:MATES FREE.
TAKING ALL RISK. LJ30LTON'S _UNIVERSAL VANS,! (Oh ,;;.C/'.iNt ) )
BOLTONS, AND
For 1hc rcmo,·al of all kinds of Furniture, Machinery, Corn, Coal a nd Property of cvciy tk;cript io 11 1,y J~. Rail or Sea lo any part of the \\·orld. · VANS LENT TO THE TRADE BY DAY, HOUR, OR OTHERWISE.
CAMBRTD,GE . """·- - - - .
SWANN' S VANS EST A BLISH ED OVER A CENTU RY.
WITHOUT PACK.ING OB RISK, TO ANY Dio'l'ANCE. EBT!Mi~TES ~'l!E t,; . J. J. F' QR REM· ov· A.JL. S! To or from all parts of the United Kingdom & Continent, by R oad, Hail, o r Sea..
VANS LET TO T//E TRA DE IJY DA Y ON //0{"N.
31, HILLS ROAD, 31, HILLS ROAD. CAMBRIDGE. VAN OFFICE. OA.MBRIDGE.- ··-- - · -~ dent of the IOT I 958-1 959 Some Personal I mprcssions Quite early on, J.B. Hastie, Scottish divisional Manager, offered the Chairman BRS 1 as a regis of tration for his car, and this was gratefully accepted. But it was soon realised that the car was conspicuous ROAD HAULAGE on the roads,( e.g. Depot Managers being tipped off Characters that the Chairman was around,) and the number was quietly changed. Archie Henderson and Harold Clay came From the pen of G.R.Hayes, supplied per to the RTE from the same stable, the Transport & Michael Bonavia and .John Hibbs General Workers' Union, both upholders of Ernest Bevin. They were said to have been keen rivals in Major Ccncral Ceorge Neville Russell, CB, CBE, that organisation. Certainly in their new role they were RE(retired). Chairman of British Road Services certainly to be found on oppposite sides of the argu I 9-18-S9, - "Charles" to his familia rs - was, I think, ment, and there was sometimes a certain coolness; generally regarded as a highly successful Chairman but, at the end of the day, they seemed to pull well of, first, the Road T ransport Executive, and then the together. It was said that in their early days in trans Road Haulage Executive. Conspicuously hard work port "they had been at opposite ends of the same tram ing, energetic in seeing for himself, voluble, some car." times irascible (never one to suffer fools gladly), he Archie Henderson was, basically, a party soon became well known and popular throughout the political animal who fought his way through the hurly organisation. burly of Labour and Trade Union politics. During the It has been asked - did General Russell stay War, he had worked with a Licensing Authority, which too long·> Having built up the RHE to the point where must have widened his horizons considerably. I re 1t was a large successful and profitable business able member him in RHE days as a very fair man, and to hold its own (albeit in many ways protected from beca111e very fond of him as a "Chief'. I soon felt the cold winds of competition) with the crippled pri quite sure that, despite our differing political outlooks, vate sector. should he not have moved on, or called it there was a genuine rapport between us a day, at the time of the Disposals under the 1953 In the deliberations of the Executive Archie Act') Twenty thousand vehicles were sold off in three was, I believe, generally constructive and amenable: years, and s ixteen thousand retained. Loyal, as al but he could be difficult, even argumentative, if he ways, to his political masters, it was in many ways felt that the matter under discussion affronted his an unhappy period - indeed, one that required a po strong ly held politica l beliefs. He was frequently at litical subtlety which, it could hardly be expected, was cross purposes with Claude Barrington, who always not this particular ex-Army Officer's outstanding qual inclined towards a "commercial" solution ofany prob ity. lem and who was - a prudent man - usually on the In the event. most of the negotiations with the side of the Chairman. lfstongly moved, Archie could Mm istcr and C ivil Servants during this time were beccome doctrinaire to the point of stubbornness. In steered and often conducted by G.Quick Smith - QS, order to push things along, and to avoid undue acri the word spinner. QS, the haulage industry's Vicar of mony, General Russell leamnt to contrive things so Bray par excell ence who could a lways be reli ed upon that items likely to stir deep political feelings were to suggest a good way around any difficulty. raised just before lunch rather than after, thus hoping But 1t mu st be said, in General Russell's de to avoid extended and inconclusive suttings through fence. that he came into his own again. after Disposals, out the afternoon. when consolidation and restoration of morale among Archie Henderson sometimes displayed a sub the rc111aining staff were the O rders of the Day. The tlety of mind that was unexpected by those who did I l)_';6 Act ha lted de-nationalisation and crystali sed the not really know him. I recall a certain road haulier in position as at that ti111e. Here, General Russell was about 1952 who was pleading for haulage permits (to invaluable. and as could be expected, an inspiration operate beyond the 25 mile limit prescribed under the to the men under his co111mand. Much of the o ld fire 194 7 Act) to enable his business to survive. The man's still burned, but once a new separate company struc plea to his MP had been passed down by Lord ture was under way. it was time for Genera l Russell Hurcomb, with a hint of concessions to be made. He to move on . He went to the Eastern Area Board in was g iven an interview at Marylebone by Archie l0.'i7, and became its Chairman for 1%1-1%2. Af Henderson and Jim Garrett, Chief Officer, Organisa ter thi s he served on BRB 1962---1- . He was Presi- tion, at that time, with myself, Permits Officer, in 10 attendance.The two of them decided beforehand that but lacking in sustenance, was followed invariabl:-,1 Jim would strongly resist any concession whatsoever by genuine applause - and a rush to the nearest bar. but that, towards the end of the interview, Archie Haro ld Clay and Claude Barrington, though would over-rule him and suggest - insist - on some poles aprat in both background and politics, became small relaxation. Jim would then give way but with great friends largely because ofa strong common in every si&rn of reluctance. The ploy worked, to the terest in sport. Away from the office. watching cricket Executive's advantage. was their g reat interest. which they en_1 oyed t remen James Berry Garrett ("Jim" to all), the bluff, dously in each other's company. In the promotion of bucolic village squire type of character who always sporting events w ithin the o rganisation, these two of looked and spoke as though he wou Id be more at home ten acted as one. on his North Devon fann, was in fact a shrewd busi Claude Barrington was somewhat overawed ness man. He and Archie a lways got on well together, by G eneral Russell. He was a financier, a city type. and Jim was always well liked by his staff Archie rather than a practical haulier. and had come from Henderson never sought to make speeches - at least, Transport Development, a finanncial g roup within the not from platforms. It was not his role, but he was Drayton empire. He was a bachelor who lived w ith effective and decisive as the Chairman of a commit sisters, very comfortably, in Hampstead Garden sub tee. urb. a very abstemious man, with little taste for so Harold Clay was a small " Father -figure" ofa cial drinkmg. man, a role I am sure he enjoyed. Indeed, he would He came into his own when the Company struc have made a good parish priest in a rural community. ture was established following the I Q)6 Act. He took Generally gentle, but as befitted his Trade Union back over as Chairman ofBRS (Parcels) Li mited, and was g round, quick to put on the gloves if need be, and soon visiting every branch in the country. He insti never fearing to stand out against his old colleague, tuted the "Barrington Trophy", the Parcels equiva Archie Henderson, he was basically a compromiser, lent of the General Haulage "Walker C up" He en something of a trimmer, which Archie never was.He couraged spo rting activities within and between the was always ready with the oil-can which made him a branches, particularly cricket and football. Under his good chap to be at Stanley Raymond's side at meet very active leadership, BRS ( Parcels ) Limited became ings with Union Officers. He loved cliches, and had a recognisable and highl y profitable entity with a very a large repertoire. which those who worked with him strong esprit de co1ps. C laude Barrlllb,'1011 had seen could a lways anticipate -" Horse of a different col service in the First World War. and had a severe dis our", "Bit between the teeth"_ Cricketing metaphors ability of the left arm in consequence. I believe that, came out most readily - "Straight bats", "Hit for six", between the wars. he had been known as Major "l11at's not cricket", and so on. l11e one which re Barrington. vealed much of his character was "Bend the rules, Harry Outfield had been Chai rman of the RHA yes. But never break them." throughout the period ofdiscu ssions and 11 egot1a t1 011 s l11rough most of his working life, Harold had with the Main Line Railways and the Minister of been closely cconnected w ith the Workers Educational T ransport prior to nationa li sation. I came to know Association, and he was very proud - as he had every and respect him when I was a member of the Road/ right to be - ofth e Honorary Doctorate conferred upon Rail Liason Committees of those days. Outfield be him towards the end of his career in road haulage. came a part-time member of the RTE under the I ll4 7 Unlike Archie, Harold enjoyed speaking to an audi Act, and although I could never see him as any other ence, and a lways gladly accepted invitations such as than the representative of the RHA interests, ensur addressing the BRS Branch and Depot Managers at ing the best deal he cou ld within the law for his ear the series of weekly residential infom1ation courses lier friends - many of who m were, after a ll , being arranged for them following the demoralizing dispossessed - I never heard any question concerning Disposals period. Harold usually sat in for the fina l his integrity. Outfield was regarded as a tough haulier session - a lecture delivered by All an Whitfield, suc in a hard world, but he was 110 "paper" man, some cessor the Stanley Raymond as Personnel Officer. times turning up for a meeting w ith the wrong Agenda. Allan, a natural, dramatic o rator, would conclude, He was obviously on good terms w ith Quick Smith, after sixty minutes or more, by calling on "Doctor and I be li eve he got 011 well enoug h with Genera l Harold Clay, Member for Industrial Relations, to de Russell . li ver the Va ledictory Address" ..... and Harold would George Sinc lair looked after Eng ineering , be away, for the next fifteen minutes, riding his horses Stores and Surveying. With a backg round at London of different colours in a ll directions.This surfeit of Transport he confined himself generally to those oratory, like a Chinese meal, satisfying at the time, continued overleaf, column 2 11 the respective costs of road and rail freight carriage; :..:is~oric and other matters of interest are to be found. Sadly, :Book R.e"V'i.ew the index is quite inadequate, so it is necessary to read the book, but that is not an unduly heavy task. A section devoted to the appraisal of out of print books which are considered to be still of value John I lihbs ROAD HAULAGE CHARACTERS.. .. ROAD HAULAGE, by CS.Dunbar (Ian Allan .... continued from previous page. ABC series, 4 inches by 6 inches, 64pp,2/6d, first published 1960. departments without trespassing in the preserves of Here is an AB( with no numbers1 This is not a other members. So far as I know, he was on very spotters book, although it does contain some pictures good terms with his colleagues, and was certainly loyal of various types of lorry current at the time of writ to the Chairman ing It consists of an essay by CS Dunbar, entitled In the beginning, the RTE Secretariat was short "A Sho11 History of Road Haulage", which is fol 011 administrators, and it so happened that a number lowed by lists of the addresses of the R.H. A. area of experienced men had just returned to t he United offices, and details of the Licensing Authorities and Ki ingdom after Government Service in the Sudan the Traffic AreasThis brings the reader to page 20. Some ofthem were known to General Russell, and he The rest of the booklet is a glossary, but here is the was pleased to have them enrolled on the staff, nota 1 best part bly J.LWilloughby, Major PD Mulholland, and The glossary explains the technicalities of the Messrs. Hurn and Padmore. They were known pri A,B. and C Licences, including the Special A, the vately. but very kindly, as the "British Road Dervishes" Contract A, and the F licence. It covers technical terms G. IU la~-~" 6 82 used in the business of carryin g goods for hire and reward, the conduct of the traffic cou1ts with regard to road haulage, and terms used about the vehicles. It WARTIME TRANSPORT..... touches upon the inherent problems of the railway .... can You help? rating system (changed in I q.53) which a llowed road The Editor wishes to compile a complete list haulage an advantage over rail bound traffic. If you of Second World War R.O.F. sites, many of which do know that a Luton van, the sort with a section of required special facilities to transport large numbers the rear body extending over the roof of the cab, is so of (mainly female) workers from nearby towns or called becau.se the Luton based hat industry used such government hostels. Some had special railway sta to maximise the quantity of straw hats that could be tions and/or large bus stations. stacked in a vehicle, do you know what a Manchester The following is a suggested list: of major load is?Do you know what so1t ofload would be found ROF.s on a "pole wagon II . a "Q ueen M ary II or a "D o II y II'). Aycliffe Which pa1ts of a vehicle are the cratch and the rave? Bishopton This pocket-sized work is of great va lue still, Bridgend as both a picture of the times and a quick reference Bridgewater book It probably did not sell as many copies as the Chorley ABCs with numbers, but has stood the test of time. "Hereford .\II I' Kirkby LIGHT RAILWAYS IN ENGLAND AND WALES, Marchwiel by Peter Bosley, published by Mancheste,· Pembrey llniversity Press, 1990. (hardback, pp 2 IO) I came across this in a remaindered book cata Ranskill (?) logue, unpriced, and so probably a surplus review Risley copy. I am only sorry I did not see it sooner, but we Ruddington (?) road historians cannot keep up with all the rail books. Swynnerton Apart from a tencency to repetition it is a good Thorp Arch and scholarly study ofa field in which nostalgia books are more common. But my rea son for this brief no Usually such sites were served by fleets of sec tice is to draw members' attention to the references to ond hand buses operated by the established local bus road transport that are scattered through its pages, operators, but there were also "internal" services, genera lly well referenced 171c rural omnibus in the which often used vehicles owned by the Government late nineteenth century, an area that awaits research: ( Ministry of Supply). 12 What proved to be a weakness in the tactics of the agressors was the foct that the assault was to be Fare Policy introduced in four stages. each a fortnight apa,t. This allowed WBT to counter va nous moves. and to shift Ron Phillips looks at tactics adopted in the the battle out of \Va rrington and 11110 W territory recently concluded 'bus war' at Warrington, The first two moves by Warrington were 111deed :m and wonders who won and who lost. pressive: thev pre-empted the st,11t ofrhe war bv at tacking an urban service operated bv N\V. and ·then The Background commenced a new service from Runcorn to Li ver The 'war' was fought between Warrin!,rton pool. well outside the,r own area. but attacking the Borough Transpo1t (WBT ) and the No1th Western revenue of a profitable N\V service Road Car Company (NW), a subsidiary of British The Existing Fares Bus, which adopted a local fleet:name, Goldlines. For Within the Warrington area. 1 \V charged to a period approximating one third of the campaign, the WBT fare scale where interurban services came a nother contender w as Lancashire Travel, the into the town, and on the two existing urban 1111n 1bus St.Helens based arm ofMTL (Merseyside Transport) routes. Warri111:,-to11 gene ral ly revised fa res in the pre The 'war' began after the well publi cised loss Christmas season. w hich it had done late in I ()()-J be of two municipal companies, those of Lancaster and fore the news of the impending attack broke. It ,s fa, r Darlington, to Stagecoach, where companies that were to say that Warrin1:,rto11 was operating as required by unwilling to sell up after a first approach were closed the rules of the game: having j ust ad_p1sted fares. the undertaking was set to be in the black for the colll irw down. Warrington had a network of urban services, "' with one or two longer interurban routes which had year. Return fares were a vailable on all urban routes been started since dereg ulation. but which did not di from both operators. These offered about 2"0 o sav rectly compete w ith others' operations.An earlier bus ing on double the s111g le fare war between Warrington and North Western in I ()()0 Bargains Galore had ended by mutual agreement: it should be pointed At the end of Januarv I qq5_ North Western out that this skim1ish involved orth Western before commenced its first group of Gold Lines services ro it became part of British Bus. The long term outcome the north-east of the town. The leaflets declared the fol low ing 'bargain s'. of the I 990 battle was that Warrin6iton retained one route directly in competition with orth Western, and established an extension of an existing route outside the old urban area which also operated into I orth An Adult £ I IHl (Chi ld :-Op) Da~ rider ticket lo r Western 'territory'. all da, Ira, cl on am \\'arrlllglon Gold l.111c~ ,en 1cc North Western had come to Warrin_gton when it took over the Crosville operation. The depot had Return fares can be pu rcha~..:d al ;1m ti 111..: or been closed down and the vehicles moved to a hauli the day. · er's yard. Later W opened a cramped depot on an old industrial site. T he majority of the vehicles were Senior Citi1ens and Disabled Pass holder\ 1r;l\ d FR EE at an~ 1i111c. old, and the nucleus was the former Crosville alloca tion: the only new vehicles were minibuses. Special int roducton bargain sin g.le and rc1 urn The Assault !:ires. North Western assembled a fleet of new buses (35 Dennis Darts with I O Dennis Lances, although events caused the Lances to be otherwise deployed) In addition, three da:,,s before the commence and hired a ya rd at Haydock (about 8 miles from ment of each phase, Gold Lines buses operated over Warrin1:,rton) from which to operate them . The vehi the new routes free of charge. There was an immedi cles carried a distinctive livery: plain dealer white upon ate outcry for vario us reasons, but \VBT 111 particu which viny ls were attached w ith the fl eetname lar attacked the fa res poli cy. saying that it w<1s un Warrin!,'1:0n 'Gold Lines'. fair. The "special introducto ry barnain s i,w le and re- . "' "' The plan was to operate parallel services over turn fares" were in fact only ''bargain returns" All almost all WBT routes, show ing the same route num tickets issued were marked "Return", <1nd could be bers plus I 00, and timing departures just ahead of used for a return journey over the same route WBT the WBT times. The sector to the west of the town, maintained that Gold Lines must have been operating which might be called the Liverpool Road services, at a loss: if it were assumed that the white buses were was to be operated by MTL in s imilar fashion. carrymg 50°0 of the traffic on each route (wh,ch the:,' 13 were not) then they could not be taking 50% of the course, had been done in the previous six weeks)As a revenue, as all Senior Citizens were riding free, and result, Gold Lines took up some eveningjourneys with all ordinary passengers could be riding at halfrates if a resulting change of working hours for some of its they used their return tickets, or for less if they used staff, and the North Western .garage at Warrin!,>1:0n the multi-ride facility offered by the Dayrider offer. began to work three low patronage socially desirable Senior Citizens were told to beware the blandishments services in the daytime. Gold Lines also added route of free rides, because if WBT became insolvent, then 110 to their network, having registered this service the predator company would ra ise fares.Of course, after WBT had announced it would be w ithdrawn, WBT did not really mind if Gold Lines were not mak but then changed its mind. Gold Lines, therefore, had ing money, but thev were concerned that their rev to offer its fa re bargains on evening subsidised serv enue base should not be undermined. ices and a low revenue daytime service it thought it MTL commenced operations in mid-February would have had exclusively to itself On the day that and offered a Dayrider facility for £ I 00 on its four WBT trimmed its sails to protect its income, Gold routes, and free rides for pensioners It did not offer Lines and North Western were taking on more "loss return fares at smgle rates. T he furore over the free leaders." rides for senior citizens forced the predators to make Phase Four, on 13th March, saw Gold Lines the offer good for six weeks only, and this will be becoming entangled in p roblems of its own doing. discussed further below. The MTL operation lasted Newly introduced routes I 02 and I 04 ran along the forjust about six months, of which the last six weeks Manchester Road corridor, where Gold Lines buses were the statutory period of notice of w ithdrawal. had already operated for six weeks Free travel for After just over four months, therefore, MTL reached pensioners was due to end on the earlier routes, and the conclusion that the operation, at the same fares as yet begin on the new ones I The I 04, operated by white those charged by Gold Li nes, was unprofitable.The Gold Lines buses, was introduced in competition with apologists pointed to the fact that MTL operating costs WBT 4 and a North Western route Al (T11is latter were high as they used double deck vehicles based at was deregistered from two weeks later.) Routes I 05, St Helens, but there were other factors: MTL was also I 06 and 135 ran partly in competition with North w ithdrawing from Manchester, and had been hit by a Western services 37/8, so whilst intended to abstract series of strikes by bus crews. Before leaving the topic revenue from WBT routes 5/6/3 ':> . thev were also to of MTL, it is curious to note that the veh icles used depress the revenue of the 37/8. particularly because ca 111e from Gillrnoss Depot, and had operated in the . the fare bargains now applied to this southern and Li verpool a rea before transfer to St.Helens. 111 the south eastern sector of the network. A " boundary" first days of operation in Warrington they still car had to be declared, to limit the extent of the £ I 00 ried notices pe11aini11g to a fare increase in Liverpool Dayrider ticket. commencing November I qq4 Th is showed a fare Tl1e last week of March saw an unexpected sca le wel l in exc ess of that which applied in event in the bus war. Greater Manchester had agreed Warrington, with rates set at -L'ip,5.'ip, 70p.Q0p, I 00p, to transfer some routes to North Western , including I I Op and 120p. Warrington - Leigh services 586/588, and Warrin!,>ton ('omplitations Wigan service 602. From 25th March the North The third phase, with a new set of routes from Western subsidiary Bee Line took over, replacing full Gold Li nes in the south-east of the town, began on size buses with minibuses. So bad was the timekeep February 27th. The municipally operated bus station ing, that by the end of the week the licence had been was now deemed to be unable to take any more de revoked, and the services were taken up again by GMB pa11ures, and future Gold Lines services would have on a temporary basis. Warrin!,>tOn, meanwhile, had to start elsewhere Not only the bus station, but cer sta11ed services to Wigan (402 and 460) from the same tain traffic corridors were now becoming clogged by date. The free rides for senior citizens were now aban buses Gold Lines only operated "daytime" Monday doned, and a new publicity drive for t he £ I 00 Saturday schedules, but now found the issue of early Dayrider ticket was launched, with a 50p fare now morning and evening schedules one they could not available for pensioners. Tl1e leaflet made the offer avoid Complications would arise 011 Monday March good for Gold Lines, North Western, and the Leigh 6th, when WBT introduced new timetables, cutting services w ithin the Warrington area. Passengers on out many unprofitable timings whi ch had hitherto been the local section of the Leigh routes were, of course, worked commercially, but which now had to go to deprived ofthis facil ity for the time being. From 24th protect daytime revenue. Many of these timings were April, all senior citizens were allowed to ride on NW put out to tender by Cheshire County Council. and and Gold Lines vehicles at half fa re on the same terms some were taken up by Gold Lines (the tendering, of as on WBT (by agreement w ith Cheshire CC) 14 Warrington fare policy Stalemate Where WBT ran outside the town, the fares North \.Vestern increased fares 011 some routes were set according to WBT rates, although some care in areas beyond Warrin6>ton . WBT reintroduced the was needed when over-running friendly or enemy sec "No Fare In crease on our buses" poster on the entire tions of routes. For example, the Runcorn - Liver fleet, and Gold Lines trimmed back some of its local pool service charged at MTL rates in Liverpool. as operations. As the ew Yea r approached. so did the MTL was at first a contender in Warrington. The anniversary of the start of hostilities. and it rs likelv WBT service from Warrin6>ton to Runcorn via Widnes that the accountants at 01th Western would be look· found itself in competition with a "friendly" operator, ing at the financial returns from the \Varrirwton ad- b Halton Borough Transport, and after a few weeks the venture. Despite the give-away offers. the traffic 011 fares on the WBT buses were adjusted upwards to the white buses was still not sufficient to undermine avoid conflict inside Widnes. Elsewhere in Greater WBT. Given that so man~-of the Gold Lrnes passen Manchester there had been a fare rise, so buses on gers were benefitting from cheap rates. then the tak the Wigan routes 402 and 460 began to d;splay stick ings would be lower than the necessarv level to cover ers worded: costs and make some profit. ll1e finances of the Warrington undertaking NO FARES INCREASE ON OUR BUSES must have been affected. The fares as set in late I lJl)4 .. .just the usual quality at a price you can afford I were set in accordance with the expected (norma I) traffic level, and to finance the war it had been neces The through return fare on the Liverpool to sary to adjust staffing. and wage rates.and to sell off Runcorn express service was reduced to £2 00 from the majority of the 14 strong coach fleet to allow for April 28th, causing North Western further concern the purchase ofnew and secondhand buses with which Mid-May saw the start of WBT routes to Runcorn, to operate the out of town routes The Endgame Chester, and St.Helens, and the launch of new WBT Day Rover tickets, £2.50 all day, anywhere on the ll1e ew Year came. and the anniversary The network, half price for senior citizens. pressure on WBT was slightly cased as Gold L111 cs. Gold Lines changes now changing its trtle to "Gold L111e" trimmed its op From 22nd May, the North Western subsidi eration slightly, and it became known that 111 April ary Bee Line took up operation of the 586/588 once the remote depot at Haydock would close. and the more, using second-hand Leyland Nationals in Bee vehicles would come to Warrin!:,>ton To make room. Line yellow, but marketed as "Leigh Line". From 12th the existing vehicles used to operate the NW out-of June, the half price return facility was changed: the town routes, would be shifted to Runcorn. Wigan. cheap return was now I Op more. ll1e s logan "Why and Knutsford (Starline) depots. 1 cw moves bv \VBT buy a single when a return costs only I Op more" ap were the introduction of a minibus ser~1ce 111 peared on windsceens, to be replaced two weeks later Nonhwich, a new route from \Varnngton to Li ver by publicity for the Day Rider. lliis carried a bold pool, and a further reduction of the Runcorn -Liver £ I to attract the eye. pool day return fare, introduced as an "Easter Spe cial" offer. £1 Outside events now took over: the orth West ll1e last week in June brought changes to the ern Road C'ar Company had its Operator's Licence Chester-Warrin6>ton service, with a new timetable and cut back by some 50 vehicles as pu111 shment for bad a maximum fare of £2.50 to counter the WBT com mainte nance at Skelmersdale. The effect 011 petition. For the commencement of the long school Warrin!,>ton depot was the loss of all double deckers. holidays, the windscreen sticker was now changed to hitherto used for schools and stage duties The school a bold 50p, adding that this applied to children and work passed to WBT and Barry Cooper. a local arm senior citizens in very small print. of the well known Manchester independent bus com SOp pany of A.Mayne & Sons. The plan to close Havdock North Western (red li veried) vehicles from the was only partly implemented in April, and about one third of the Gold Lines fleet and staff sti II co11ti11 ucd Warrin6>ton depot took on the services abandoned by MTL on August 7th, this being a temporary arrange to operate from there. ment until Gold Lines routes could be re-arranged The next event of importance \\/as an approach from August 14th. At this stage, several routes had by North Western to Warrin!,>10n Borough Transport been given up by the white buses because of very to sue for peace.With hindsight, this clearly took place poor traffic. So autumn approached, the season for after the accountants had been looking at the figures. fare increases. fo r the following week it was announced that the Bnt- 15 ish Bus Group was to be sold, conditional upon any North Western clearly gambled and lost T hey repercussions of allegations of financial impropriety suffered from a bad local reputation TI1ey made too agamst a British Bus board member being kept sepa many changes. Their "war" was intended to be a short rate from the deal one, and the tactics were no good for eighteen months The result was a three phase withdrawal of of underpriced rides. TI1ey were backed by a large and "hostilities", taking place in June, July, and early Sep powerful bus g roup with spare cash, and Warrington tember I Qll6 In exchange for a cessation of compe was an attractive catch in their area. It did not turn tition by Gold Line, WBT gave up the long routes to out to be as soft a target as was thought. Did no-one Wigan, Liverpool, Chester and Runcorn, (all started in the North Western organisation remember the les as part of the war) and also relinquished five routes sons of 1990'.I in the no,th eastern sector ofd1e town (one was started Using military tem1inology, Warrington at as part of the war, another had been gained in the tacked where least expected, and remained doggedly 1llQ0 war, and three were traded off for North West entrenched on its own ground and was not drawn into ern giving up the St Helens-Warrington route), and fare cutting, except for the introductionn of a maxi the BI to Lingley Green. mum urban return fare of£ 1.20 in January 1996. It And what of the fare bargains':1 From 2nd Sep brought in new weapons (new buses) for the out-of tember IQ%, the £ I 00 Dayrider ticket offered by town routes, and obtained reinforcements (second North Western was in creased to £2.50, which is of hand buses) for the home ground. TI1e Gold Lines course available over a much decreased network.The operation made so many changes over tJ1e war period children's fare goes from 50p to£ 1. 50. of 18 months that a future historian might say they The Questions did not know which way to turn. There may be an Why did the lure of cheap fares not work') Why element of truth in this, because fighting a bus war was the local company not rendered insolvent after was not a thing the North Western management had six weeks·> done before. It would be nice to think that the sentiments TI1 is article has been prepared before the real e:,pressed in 1880 by the Warrin!:,rton councillors still outcome can be judged. How the network w il l settle held good. An entrepreneurial company from out-of down in peace has yet to be seen Whatever happens, town proposed a network of horse tramways, and was the war has turned out to be multi-faceted, and a far firmly told th at the Corporation would not ente,tain cry from the bus racing of the 1920s. others making a profit out ofWarrin!:,rton people.When Corporation owned electric trams came in 1902, they END OF THE ROAD NEAR FOR made a profit for 32 out of the next 33 years, and paid large stuns into the rate fund. In a way, the same MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT political thinking was present in I 9ll5, for the Bor ough Coun cil had no intention of selling off its trans Jhc limes ominously reported on Friday port undertaking, and backed managerial moves to 13th September 1996 that tJ1e Department of keep it going Cheshire has a well set up t ransport Transport is li kely to disappear soon. Rail pri unit. and all three municipal operators, Chester, Halton vatisation, the creation of agencies for highways, (formerlv Widnes) and Warrington still function. maritime safety and coastguards, has left tJ1e Wa rrington responded robustly to the attack, Department with too little to do to merit a con and was fo,tunate in being surrounded by various tinued existence as a separate cabinet portfolio. towns to which it could operate routes and attack its It seems likely tJiat policy for roads, road opponent. It was al so helped by that most difficult of safety and planning will pass to the Department things to quantify and harness - passenger loyalty. oftJ1e Environment, and aviation, shipping, and No,th Western admitted to the press that they had the regulationn of private transport companies been surprised bv the loyalty of the townspeople to will pass to the Department of Trade the local company WBT knew the ground, and the acute problems of running to time in a congested Both of the major political parties seem town.WBT kept good publicity, it kept the appear to have the DoTs abolition in mind - the only ance of its vehicles consistent, and did not let itself be problem seems to be that of finding a new cabi dragged1!_1to a reduction of fares This latter point is net portfolio to replace it, as neither party wishes very important. and was proved the correct course to reduce the number of cabinet ministers. over a pe ri od lasting from January I qq.5 to Septem
ber J l)Q6 The current position of municipal bus com panies does not allow for ongoing trading losses. 16