recollections of a magical childhood
I've inserted a couple of links to Pathe News videos on Bournemouth. The first is a short, edited version of the second 10-minute one which has the commentary out of sync with the images!
I've since found a great film on the "British Film Industry" website. It may get updated and disappear but here's the link for now!
Another One of Our Interests; Trolleybuses and Buses
I’ve just come across this video with Bournemouth trolleybuses starting it off! Just for the first 1 minute 10 seconds. And, good for some old sights.
Don’t recall the dark-roofed trolleybuses do you? Even better, especially for looking at some of our old haunts and for car-spotting vehicles from “our era”!
Wow! What a terrific reminder of all the places around Bournemouth back in those days...and not a kerbside yellow line in sight! Park and pull over where you like everybody! Yes and a great reminder of all the cars around then. I didn't realise there were so many Ford Anglias, Minis, Vauxhall Victors, Austin Cambridges, Hillman/Singers about and not a Japanese car anywhere to be seen. I even spotted the red Isetta bubble car one of which I was the troubled owner back in 1967 (It was a load of trouble even though the engine had the letters BMW cast on it!)
You should have got one of these, instead! (below)
Ah! My Isetta Bubble car. They were my pioneering days of motoring; three wheels, sunroof, a two-gallon tank, 300cc, left-hand drive and the open road - a spunky young man's dream, eh!
It could welly along at 60mph with the wind behind it and was indeed economical - I got to Brighton and back on half a tank of petrol.
It also got me into a few fixes such as when I mistimed pulling out of a junction and met a car nose to nose in the middle of the road. The other driver wanted to reprimand me but I couldn't climb out to calm him down because...well because having only a front door, I couldn't get out! He didn't seem to get this and started hopping around in the road uttering profanities. Eventually, he screeched off red in the face with frustration.
On another occasion when side by side with a Wolsey at the front of two-lane traffic lights, being in a sporty mood, when the lights turned green, I did a racing start and merrily beat the other car away. The other driver was so incensed at being belittled by a bubble car that he tailgated me until I stopped at another junction where he banged on the window and bellowed at me flailing his arms about. The great advantage of being in a bubble car, of course, is that they can't get at you. The only way in is through the front door!
Mechanically she was a bit of a liability, though and gave me a hard time. For example, over the engine inside was a rather large parcel shelf behind the two seats and the exhaust pipe ran across just beneath it. Whilst rattling along home one day, the exhaust pipe fractured thrusting the full force of the exhaust fumes inside the car. Suddenly I was inside my very own ball of fog waving and spluttering. It was at that moment I hastily realised what the sunroof was for!
I also discovered not to overrev the engine as it was only too easy to drop a valve head through the piston. Indeed, I only did that once. An engine rebuild was a step too far. BMW has come a long way since then, me thinks!
I should have kept it...they seem to fetch £10,000 to £20,000 now (Mine cost me £68 in 1967)
https://www.tradeclassics.com/auctions/bmw/1960-bmw-isetta-bubble-car/
Forgot to mention, the gear lever snapped off one day. I had to drive home in second gear....well at least I could pull away nicely. That might have been when I dropped the valve through the piston when I think about it!
Out of interest, I've just remembered why my Isetta filled with exhaust fumes when the exhaust pipe sheared. The interior heating was cleverly achieved via a square section duct connecting the engine fan directly to the car interior. The forced air through this duct was heated by the exhaust pipe which was routed through the centre of this duct. When the exhaust pipe broke inside the duct, exhaust fumes were pumped with some force into the car. It was actually quite frightening!
Great stories! Thanks for sharing.
Continued from the original message above the advert'
Wow! What a terrific reminder of all the places around Bournemouth back in those days...and not a kerbside yellow line in sight! Park and pull over where you like everybody! Yes and a great reminder of all the cars around then. I didn't realise there were so many Ford Anglias, Minis, Vauxhall Victors, Austin Cambridges, Hillman/Singers about and not a Japanese car anywhere to be seen. I even spotted the red Isetta bubble car one of which I was the troubled owner back in 1967 (It was a load of trouble even though the engine had the letters BMW cast on it!)
Lots of turning the trolley bus at Christchurch clips accompanied by a narrative with the vowels pronounced well baaack in the throat, I say! The Lansdowne, Tuckton Bridge, Winton traffic lights...it all brought back lots of visual memories. Seemingly, most of the trolleybuses appeared to be going round and round roundabouts. Definitely don't remember the double front wheeled ones in London...reminds me of that formula 1 racing car back in the sixties??
No, I don't think I remember the brown roofed trolleybuses although....maybe I do. Always wondered how those trolley arms remained attached to the wires for so much of the time when they seemed so easy to attach/detach.
Also amazed to see how many gentlemen seemed to be dashing about in suits and ties! Chavs and hoodies were a long way off!
I've got nothing very interesting to add yet so have looked around and found these (quite) evocative photos. Not sure if they'll "appear" in the order I have attached them but hopefully you'll be able to tie up my notes to the right photo (and any additional comments you may want to add).
Route 22 (one of "Ours") via New Road
Advertisement on side of the bus for Crawford Crackers. Typical "holiday coach" in the background
I don't remember us being especially interested in these buses as they always seemed a bit out of our reach. Another 1962 shot
It looks like it's leaning over a bit on its way up past Bournemouth bus station.
(Above) A "Yellow" trolleybus in Gervis Place in the 1960s. Surrounded by some classic cars of the period; what looks like the front nearside wing of a Ford MkII Cortina in the foreground, a Ford MkIII Zephyr (or Zodiac) beyond the bus to the right and a MkII Jaguar 3.8 being chased by a Morris van beyond the bus to the left of it.
The conductor has left the pole attached to the pick-up booms as if they were going to depart shortly rather than stowing it away in the tube under the bus.
(Right) Yet another photo of an open-topped Bristol, this time at Sandbanks in the Summer of 1953!
"Open top double deck FRU 309 awaits the arrival of the ferry so that it can run to Bournemouth with passengers who have travelled from Swanage to Shell Bay on the two single deck buses. Bristol K6A FRU 309 had been new to Hants & Dorset in July 1945, carrying a 55 seat lowbridge body by Strachan. It was re-bodied as an open-top in March 1953; the body seen here had been built in Hants & Dorset's own workshops in 1952 and had been carried by a Leyland TD4 double-deck bus (CRU 701) for the 1952 summer season before being transferred to FRU 309 where it was used from 1953 onward; FRU 309 was withdrawn from service in September 1967."
(Above) This photo was taken in the summer of 1957 when Bristol K5G BTR 310 had just arrived at Bournemouth bus station having operated a route 6 journey from Sandbanks via Canford Cliffs and Branksome Chine. New to Hants & Dorset in April 1938, BTR 310 originally carried a closed top, lowbridge double-deck body by Brush. The open-top body seen here was built in Hants & Dorset's own Bodyshop and fitted in April 1953. BTR 310 was withdrawn in September 1957, but the open-top body was transferred to 1947 Bristol K5G GLJ 980, on which it re-entered traffic in 1958 and remained in service until 1970. In the background of the photograph, it can be seen that work was underway on the rebuild of Bournemouth bus station.
Thinking of Summer, how about this lovely photo?
"It is only since the late 1980s that it has been possible to run double-deck buses through from Bournemouth to Swanage via the ferry, before that time only single deck buses could use the ferry - which obviously did not give enough capacity for everyone wanting to make the through journey. For many years during the main summer season, in addition to the through bus, a double-deck bus would run from Bournemouth to Sandbanks so that passengers could then cross by the ferry on foot to Shell Bay, where two single deck buses would be waiting to provide the onward journey to Studland and Swanage. Seen at Shell Bay during the summer of 1952 are Bristol L5G saloon EEL 804, which was in service with Hants & Dorset from August 1938 until September 1956 and Bristol L6A saloon HLJ 47, which was is service with the Company from July 1948 until June 1965."
As for the shots of buses around Poole and Swanage, they bring back warm days and the unmistakable aroma of Dorset sandy beaches. When bus driving I did do one or two runs to Swanage to help out with driver shortages and remember being nervous of going the wrong way (it's not easy to correct yourself if you accidentally go the wrong way driving a bus)...that was always the background stress with bus driving. I also did quite a few runs from Swanage as a National Express coach driver, but it usually started in the early morning twilight from Swanage station or returned after dark so I didn't get that summer-y Hants and Dorset in the 60's feeling about it.
The mention of Branksome Chine above made me add this old image.
In 1932 a solarium opened in one of the buildings where the café is situated at the southern end of the chine. It was only one of its kinds in Britain at the time and offered ‘sunshine’ all year round. The ‘sunbathing’ took place under ultra-violet lamps and drinks were served by waitresses. The lamps gave light and heat, producing the same effect as warm sunshine. The rays were believed to have beneficial effects; destroying germs, providing resistance to disease and stimulating the nervous system
Advertising Bourne Radio- what was that? Parked on the road from left to right; Ford Anglia, Triumph Heraldand then what I think is a Standard Vanguard
I don't remember the "Arcade" shop seen in the background
I remember the building in the background (left), which was famous for some reason - someone famous once lived there? I've got some information on it in a book somewhere
Note the cream and green Hants & Dorset coach on the left. How did that Mini get in the Station?
Note the cream open-decker on the extreme left and the single-decker in the backgroundplus an Austin A30/35 on the left and what could be a Bedford lorry "United Carriers"
Note advert for Kodak 35mm film in a canister
Information from photo - Bristol LD6B SRU 980 (above left) was new to Hants & Dorset in October 1956. It was fitted with a Cave Browne Cave heating and ventilating system, and the twin radiators either side of the destination blind will be noted. SRU 980 was the first Hants & Dorset Bristol Lodekka to be thus fitted following the successful experimental fitment of the Cave Browne Cave system to 1940 Bristol K5G APR 423 in 1953. SRU 980 was to remain unique as the only Bristol LD type Lodekka in the Hants & Dorset fleet to have this equipment, but from October 1961 until December 1967 the Cave Browne Cave system was specified as a standard for the Bristol FS and FLF type Lodekkas delivered new to Hants & Dorset (it was, of course, fitted to Bristol/Eastern Coach Works vehicles in many other parts of the country also). SRU 980 is seen in the summer of 1957, at the old Bournemouth bus station in Exeter Road awaiting departure time for Wimborne on route 22 - very similar to the present Morebus 13 except that between Stapehill and Wimborne it ran via Leigh Road rather than via Middlehill and Colehill.
Quite interesting for the other vehicles in the background; cream and green coach with the curved "observation windows" in the roof.
Then a cream double-decker (quite rare as I recall) and an even rarer red double-decker which always looked "special" in Bournemouth (even we saw nothing but red buses back home!) - weren't they Wilts & Dorset or something?
I really like this shot and can smell the diesel and hear the engine!!
(Left) Another interior shot of a Bristol. Note the heater vent at the front. Apparently a part of the Cave-Browne-Cave Cooling/Heating system - see HERE (and above) for more information on that. Apparently, this is APR 423 (1068)
Note this looks like it was taken when the bus station is being built?
Same comment as the one above really. I could imagine clambering up those stairs to the upper, open deck and enjoying a ride to Swanage. Perfect!
Coincidentally, this is the same bus as the one in the photograph 2 rows up.
A hot summer day in 1960 sees many passengers boarding open top Bristol K5G GLJ 986 at Bournemouth bus station in Exeter Road. The destination shows route 7 to Swanage, but in fact, the open-top bus will run only as far as Sandbanks ferry; the passengers will cross by ferry to Shell Bay, where two single deck buses will be waiting to take them onward to Studland and Swanage. GLJ 986 had been new as an ordinary closed top double deck bus in February 1948; it was re-bodied as an open-top in the Company's own workshops in June 1957 and remained in service with Hants & Dorset until 1970.
Note advert on the back for George Hartwellwhich is still a car dealer in Christchurch today (Peugeot)
Remember those types of shopping bags she is carrying?
Taken outside Pier Head Cafe (now Pier Head Tea Gardens)
The building in the background is still there
I hope you enjoy these but perhaps that as you once had to drive buses around Bournemouth they won't hold as much mystery as for me?
Well, yes it's still nice to see all those photos of the Hants & Dorset buses. I reckon they were quite hard work to drive. Manual gears etc...the current ones are all automatic now.
You had to drive whatever was thrown at you and sometimes, especially for school runs, it was something old like the Leyland Olympian which had pre-select gears. Well, honestly it was like driving some old banger with no MOT. Steering as stiff as hell, with those timed direction indicators switches which kept turning off at the wrong moment. School kids thumping about upstairs. You can imagine it.
I remember thinking, if the kids only knew how unsafe this vehicle felt to drive, they wouldn't stay on it for one moment longer!
The Solo buses were easy to drive because they were only about 25 ft long. The Spectras felt a good deal more like a heavy vehicle reasonably smooth and speedy but very dark inside and you couldn't see the passengers. The More buses were quite long but very comfortable and quite sophisticated with lowering front suspension for wheelchairs.
The most difficult were the Excels which were very long (maybe 40ft) and you really had to watch where the back end was. In Christchurch whilst pulling round a Mercedes which had parked on double yellow lines in the narrow (Barrack?) Road into Christchurch, the rear of my bus clipped his driver mirror. He followed me all the way to Somerford to catch me up (I was oblivious), tapped on my window and waved his, rather expensive detached, rear view mirror with built-in indicator light at me. Anyway, the bus company paid. Well, so I believe.
The company is Wilts & Dorset now. I don't know the historic reason why it changed. Probably occurred at privatisation. I mostly drove the Optare Solo and Spectras. I can hardly believe I did it now but, if I say so myself, I got pretty good at it.
Just out of interest, I regularly did the Parley Cross route 131 (was 22) and all the other routes around Bournemouth including the odd trip out to Swanage on the ferry. Now that the bus stops all have this satellite system of detecting how far away the next bus is, the inspectors can track a bus's position on a computer screen at the bus station.
Amusingly, about seven years ago the Sandbanks ferry chains broke and with an outflowing tide, the ferry drifted out into Bournemouth bay with a full load of cars on board. The inspectors were somewhat bemused to see the Swanage bus ID number on their computer screen about 1 mile out to sea!!
The rotas were worked out so that you did several different routes on a shift (to avoid boredom I think). In the last year, I moved to Ringwood Depot and did the longer runs to Southampton and to Salisbury. I preferred the longer runs rather than weaving in and out of housing estates although the danger was in getting heavy eyelids.
Once had to stop because I noticed a knocking from the driver’s side front wheel. I got out and tested the front wheel nuts with my fingers and found I could spin them round; I'd already been from Poole to Bournemouth and back with them like that. Well, I had to wait for the mechanics to come and tighten them obviously.
On another occasion whilst coming back from Ringwood down the Bath road (you know down past the Bath Hotel) the engine of my Solo cut out halfway down the hill and I managed to drift around the roundabout onto Westover Road and continued all the way down to the bus stop (where the bird aviaries are). The mechanics came out and found I had run out of fuel (the buses don't have fuel gauges). Again, I'd already been to Ringwood from Poole and was on my way back.
I had side windows smashed by ball-bearing guns a couple of times; luckily when there were no passengers nearby. A branch smashed the upper deck window in the New Forest once when I was doing about 50mph (it had been raining and the rain makes overhanging branches droop more than usual.) Luckily, nobody was hurt. Oh, and on a narrow bit of road in the New Forest near Burley I completely lost my driver's mirror when a Skip lorry passed too close in the opposite direction. I thought I'd carry on to Southampton so as to cause minimum disruption to the bus service but I did find it was bl**dy difficult pulling away from bus stops with my head stuck out the side window. Anyway, I managed. Oh and to my shame, I did rip the rear bumper off a Solo whilst parking in too small a space in Poole Bus station. That got a cheer from watching passengers (hmmm, red face) but it was only fibreglass thank goodness.
Over those four years, I had a few nasty customers I suppose but not nearly as bad as some drivers experienced. In the end, as I enjoyed the longer journeys more I decided to give National Express a go. Perhaps I'll save those stories for another time.
According to Wikipedia, Hants & Dorset bought out Wilts & Dorset and then it was nationalised. In 1983 with privatisation the companies were re-divided and Wilts & Dorset was reborn.
Forgot to mention that one night I transported an old drunk from Poole to Bournemouth (Westover Road was where it terminated) and when I stopped I found him asleep in the front seat. I went to wake him up and realised he'd wet himself, or I should say completely emptied his bladder! His day's consumption of alcohol was streaming around on the bus floor. Nice! Well, I eventually got him off the bus (he must have whiffed a bit on his way home!) and reported over the radio that the bus was, erm, contaminated, but the inspector tried to make me do the return journey still in service....to which I pointed out that any passengers would either have to be nimble on their feet or surfers. I explained that cornering involved quite a wash of urine swilling from side to side. “Tut, well OK”, he replied, “You’d better come back 'out of service' then”. (That's the sort of reason that sometimes odd buses don't run to time!)
On another occasion, an absent-minded old lady clambered aboard at Iford and paid for a ticket to Bournemouth. She immediately turned around and got off again. I had to get out of the bus and run after her....well, do you want to go to Bournemouth or not madam? “Oh silly me! I thought I'd got back early”! She came back and took her seat. I just wondered when she would have realised what she'd done!
When I worked at Ringwood some of the older (!) drivers told me that in the 1950s when there were driver/conductor teams it used to be a more fun job. On the Salisbury run some Sundays if there were no passengers on board and, as a result of this they were running early, they would stop off at a pub en route and have a pint. That would go down well nowadays, wouldn't it?
So, after Wilts & Dorset, I moved to National Express. All National Express coaches are run as individual franchises - usually operated by a local bus or Coach Company. Thus the Bournemouth/Weymouth service to London Victoria was operated by Bournemouth Yellow Buses; Bournemouth to Gatwick/Heathrow by Excelsior coaches; Salisbury to London Victoria by Wilts and Dorset and so on. You can tell which company runs which coach by the company address low down on the coach side near the passenger door (just thought you might like to know that!).
I was accepted by Yellow Buses for the Bournemouth/Weymouth to London services by a test drive. Boy, those coaches were a world away from buses with cruise control, air-con, air-cushioned driving seat, etc. It was just like driving a very large car really. The biggest danger being when on the motorway with the cruise control set at 63 mph (max for coaches) and just steering because it was so comfortable. Halfway up the M3 around Fleet services was about the time one’s eyes threatened to glaze over. I used to take caffeine tablets just to make sure I stayed wide awake and had a strong coffee at Victoria before starting back.
On my first day, I travelled as a passenger to Victoria and back just to learn ticket procedures and the general route, especially at the London end. Incidentally, National Express coaches are not obliged to follow any particular route so long as they call at all the designated stops of course; so there were many ways one could reach Victoria from Bournemouth and you had to keep an ear out for traffic problems which might cause delays and consequently, try to avoid them.
On my first trip alone it was dark by the time I reached London and after going round Hyde Park corner and down Grosvenor Road, I missed the turn into Buckingham Palace Road and thus found myself heading towards Westminster. No sat-nav in those days. You've no idea how much pressure I suddenly felt with 54 passengers behind me, some of whom probably knew the route and were thinking where the hell is he going! In my rearview mirror, I could see another National Express coach following me. Well, my mind could only think "must turn right" to get back towards the coach station, but of course in London, there are many "No right turn" junctions so I had to keep going until I met the Thames embankment. Ah, now I knew roughly where I was, so I followed the river back until I was approximately near Victoria and then started weaving through back streets until I found Buckingham Palace Road again. The problem with weaving through back streets in a coach is that you don't know when you might meet a turning or narrow section that you can't get past.
Anyway, I eventually made the arrival area without the loss of too much time. No passengers made any comment thankfully. However, the coach driver behind me said, "Got to thank you mate! It was my first trip and I got completely lost. When I caught up with you I was so glad. Luckily I followed you around all those backstreets otherwise I'd never have made it!" I just said, "Well I wouldn't use that route again, buddy! I had no idea where I was going either!"
It was around Halloween when at Victoria I was checking passengers' tickets onto the coach and stowing their luggage, that two black (I mean very black!!) African ladies - you know the sort with big, blousy, silk type headscarves came over carrying a large two-handled cauldron between them. I wasn't sure it would fit in the luggage hold it was so big. I couldn't stop myself from saying, "If I can't fit that in, are you going to boil me in it?" Luckily they had a sense of humour and laughed. The African passengers often had those woven plastic laundry type bags with something heavy and frozen inside. I presume it was some kind of wildebeest meat, hyena or some illegal food!
On another occasion, the normal route out of Victoria via the Cromwell Road was blocked by an accident and without any maps, I had little idea how I might get out of London onto the right route. Another driver said he knew how to get out past Hyde Park so I could follow him. Well, off he shot, so fast I could barely keep him in sight. It was dark and he kept shooting traffic lights just as they turned amber. Toad! Anyway, I made it somehow, but it does put the pressure on you when you've got all those people behind you.
Whilst setting off out of London one evening down the Cromwell Road, which is a three-lane carriageway with very narrow lanes, I lost a nearside rear-view mirror (you know those bloomin' great big things that project forward on a coach). The pavement along there is narrow and the road signs are probably less than only 6 inches in from the kerb. Well, my mirror hit one of these signs with the sound of a hammer hitting a frying-pan and I saw it (luckily only the glass mirror part and not the whole arm) fly through the air into the middle carriageway where it was promptly run over. So I had to carry on to Bournemouth with no nearside mirror. This was only a problem if I overtook anyone on the motorway as I couldn't see when I had cleared them in the slow lane. Luckily, it was dark, so I developed a system of counting how many seconds it took me to catch up with a slow vehicle, then allowing double that time after passing them before signalling to pull in. A bit risky but I could at least see their headlight beams on the road beside me so I knew if they were still alongside. The only danger would have been if they speeded up after I had passed them.
Strangely enough, in the end, I enjoyed driving such a large vehicle around London most of all. I suppose it kept me alert and made me feel like I was doing something pretty skilful.
I forgot to mention a favourite older coach we had. It was a Plaxton and a bit tired inside. However, the cruise control was inaccurate and we could get 70 mph out of her! Consequently, when we had her for the trip we would always arrive 15 minutes early and so get a longer lunch break!! Also, the coaches all had onboard toilets and as a driver, a light indicated when someone was using the convenience. I often wondered what sort of mess an occupant was getting into whilst I swung round bends around Earl's Court and so forth. Ladies' hands grabbing at the walls, no doubt, and men swaying dangerously....probably could have got an Olympic Gold in archery!
Enough reading for now, I think. Hope the memories of Bus/coach driving didn't bore too much. Those old Hants & Dorset photos just brought things back. I expect you know I had to give up my PSV licence due to becoming diabetic (specifically when I needed insulin) otherwise I would have carried on. Don't know why that has occurred and neither do the medics. I've never been overweight and there's no family history so who knows! But it is a bit of a nuisance. I'm not sure where we're going with these extras. It may make interesting reading when we're gorn!!!