Local Coach & Bus Operators

I hope these pictures bring back memories of those old fashioned leviathans that used to ply our streets. Familiar sights and sounds now replaced by the buses of a modern age.

De Luxe Atherstone
Evans Brothers from 1921. (J.I., A.J., T.W. and G.O.C. Evans were in partnership and operating from Mancetter.) 
De Luxe Buses Ltd was formed in January 1940.
The main stage service was Atherstone-Baddesley Ensor.

A De Luxe double decker in fine trim on a Baddesley Ensor service. A Leyland PD3/1 with MCCW H41/33R body built in 1960 and acquired by De-Luxe in March 1975. It had formerly belonged to Leicester Corporation. (Their Nr. 201) Its subsequent history is not known. (John Walker)

The same bus again, this time hired to the 1st Atherstone Scout Band. (John Walker)

A Deluxe Atherstone Ford parked at the depot. (John Walker)

Thomas Williams

J. Lloyd & Son Ltd.
Joe Lloyd commenced operations in 1924 from 17 George Eliot Street, Nuneaton.
A limited company was formed in March 1941, and a new garage was opened in Avenue Road, Nuneaton.
Most of their business was from Coventry works traffic and it had become one of the largest private operators in the West Midlands by the 1960s.
They acquired the bus operations of the Rugby Co-Operative Society in May 1959 and had a garage at Underwood Service Station, Rugby. They also acquired the old established business of Bermuda Motor Services Ltd in March 1973.

Lloyds bus depot after closure in the 1990's. The offices. The land was used for housing development. (Peter Lee)

Another view of the empty bus depot. (Peter Lee)

Lloyds on a local run. Shows off its blue and cream livery.

A Lloyds single decker in fine condition and very attractive livery parked, but where? (Reg. Bull Collection).

A rear entrance single decker.

Parked at the Attleborough depot of Lloyds JGR 748F and KYY682. (John Walker)

Double decker KYY532 at the depot. (John Walker)

Double deckers GOE517 and JKM108 parked up at Lloyds depot. (John Walker)

One of Lloyds more modern coaches PVC585R (John Walker)

Lucas & Co. 

One of Lucas's jalopies which once plied the streets of Stockingford, at its depot in Grove Road. (Ruby Atkins Collection)

UE 287 with a crew. But who are the men involved? (Ruby Atkins)

Midland Red (The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Ltd.)

Inside the Midland Red bus garage in Coton Road with traces of snow on the concrete floor. HHA641 Nr. 3040 a forty seat type S6 and CHA529 Nr. 1905 type SON 39 seaters accompanied by another S6 and what looks to be an ONC coach in the background. (Alan Cook Collection)

Coton Road, Nuneaton with the Council House in the background. Probably in the 1940's or 50's.

A type C4 Nr. 4247 UHA 247 Midland Red coach displaying that gorgeous red livery in Coventry Road, Nuneaton. 1st June 1958. This type were introduced in 1954. (Geoff Edmands)

Type S14 reg. nr. UHS269 fleet nr. 4269. a type introduced in 1954. A 44 seater rests between duties on the 734 route at Nuneaton bus station. (John Walker)

A favourite route for many locals. The familiar 658 Coventry-Nuneaton-Leicester service about to depart Nuneaton bus station. Nr. 4748 a D7 double decker with 63 seats. (John Walker)

OHA880 was fleet nr. 3880 and type S13 built 1951. A 44 seater. The black roof denoted dual purpose vehicles for services, tours, private hire and longer distance services. On the familiar Nuneaton N52 service. (Middlemarch Road-Bus Station-Brookdale Road route. (John Walker)

A wintry day up Stockingford. The N37 Stockingford Station service with an old SON 38 seater. (Alan Cook Collection)

A fag between duties as the crew stand beside S10 Nr. 3725 on the 726 service the Nuneaton-Hinckley shuttle. Nuneaton bus station. (courtesy Colin Yorke)

A Midland Red bus possibly a BRR series in the streets of Bedworth in the 30's.

A bad smash occurred in Griff Hollows, Nuneaton on the Coventry Road when a Midland Red bus was hit by a motorcyclist at about 8am on Monday 18th November 1957. The motocyclist died. The remains of his bike can be seen in the foreground but the double decker bus overturned. The bus Type AD2 JHA77 fleet nr. 3176 was based at Hinckley garage from new in July 1950 until November 1960 with AEC Regent II chassis and body by Metro-Cammell Type H30/26R. The bus had to be pulled 120 yards to upright it and the bodywork by Metro Cammell withstood the accident well. The bus was hauled to BMMO's Carlyle Road works for reconstruction the bus survived and was returned to service being transferred in November 1960 to an "engineering float" before being withdrawn in 1962. Investigations carried out at the time suggested the motorcyclist was at fault. (Geoff Edmands)

Oil escapes from the crashed bus on the 658 service. Mocquette seats from the bus line the bank. (Geoff Edmands)

The overturned bus is righted. It looks to be a write off but was repaired by the Midland Red and put back into service. (Geoff Edmands)

A wintry view from the front bedroom of 180 Coventry Road, Nuneaton on 30th December 1961. (Geoff Edmands 1/50:10 (HP3) Nr. 1864)

A Midland Red travels over the temporary Bailey Bridge over the Ashby Canal that was put in when bridge nr. 17 was widened. On 7th May 1960. (Geoff Edmands 1/50:F.16 (HP3) Nr. 1429)

Nuneaton Midland Red bus garage exterior. In the 50's. Offices to the right. (Ken Jubb)

Demolition of the former Midland Red bus garage in Coton Road. 16th July 1960. The flour mill can be seen dominating the sky line. (Geoff Edmands)

The "new" Midland Red bus garage in Newtown Road, Nuneaton.

Monty Moreton of Attleborough, Nuneaton
Monty Moreton purchased his first bus in 1923. He had formerly been a miner at Nuneaton Colliery and when that pit closed in 1922 obtained some agricultural work in the Market Bosworth area, but must have had some cash to purchase his first bus and return to Nuneaton with it to start a service for miners. The bus had a swap body so he could use it for passenger traffic in the morning and the evening, and as a truck delivering coal during the day.
By 1931 ten stage and works services were operated. He acquired the redundant vehicles of the local operator A.J. and A. Kiteley when that concern was taken over by the Midland Red in 1939. A limited company was formed in May 1941, and the business of L. & R. York of Wolvey was acquired before the end of the Second World War.

Inside Monty's depot at Attleborough.

Old Monty MDE333 parked out of service on the site of what is now the Attleborough Arms pub which was then used for parking.

Two old Monty classics at Nuneaton Bus Station in the late1950's. BHP48 was fitted with a 7.7 litre diesel engine and wasan AEC REgal with a Burlingham body built in 1936 and acquired by Monty in January 1941its subsequent history was with Say of Gloucester by July 1959 but it was new to Bolton of Coventry.

A Monty's bus waits outside Parsons & Sherwins shop in Newdigate Street for a works outing. AKV226 was a Dennis Lancet I with a Willowbrook body new in 1935, acquired by Monty in April 1936 from Bunty of Coventry. It was scrapped from Monty in April 1953 and had done after 17 years in service. (Colin Yorke Collection)

I didn't do it Mum!, says this little kid nonchalantly but somehow Monty on the Gipsy Lane run, a good way away from his intended route, ends up in a garden in Old Hinckley Road. How this happened has not been reported. (Geoff Edmands)

A Monty 8765 NX in the old bus station at Nuneaton on the Caldwell route. 8765 NX was a Bedford SB1 with a Burlingham body built in 1960 and it looks as though Monty's bought it new (an unusual thing for Monty) and they kept it until June 1973. Its subsequent career is not recorded. (John Walker)

Another Monty UAW990 on the Wolvey Route at the old bus station in Nuneaton. Biddles factory in the background. UAW990 was a Bedford SB1 with a Burlingham body new in 1960 ex-Whittles of Highley in April 1961 then sold on in June 1965 to Baxter of Moggerhanger. (John Walker)

Another Caldwell service with CYG 552H loading at Nuneaton. CYG 552H was built in 1970 by Bedford Type VAM70 with a Plaxton body. Owned from new by Pwell of Wickersley, Monty obtained it in September 1971 but its disposal is not known. (John Walker)

I can't quite make out the registration number of this Monty departing the bus station on a Gipsy Lane service. (John Walker)

Monty Nr. 718 UP standing in stand 6 at Nuneaton bus station. 718 UP had been with Smiths of March until March 1965. It was a Bedford SB5 new in 1962. Monty used it until July 1967 and its subsequent career has not been traced. (John Walker)

A departure of Monty reg. nr. 1654 PT from Nuneaton Bus Station possibly back to the garage. This was a Bedford SB1 with a Yeates body new in 1961 and formerly with Favourite of Coundon in June 1963. It appears to have been sold on in July 1967 to Sykes of Appleton Roebuck. (John Walker)

Monty registration number EJP 106 on the Caldwell and Red Deeps Service. EJP 106 was a Bedford SB3 built in 1959 and acquired second hand by Monty from Cotton in Bilton in July 1963 one of three buses Monty bought that month. It was in service with Monty's until the Mid 60's when it returned to its former owners. (maybe Monty had borrowed it?). (John Walker)

Nuneaton & Stockingford Petrol Omnibus Co. 

This bus, a Tilling Stevens, and probably driven here by Fred Scarr, plied between Nuneaton Market Place - The Cock & Bear and the White Lion, Stockingford.

Another Tilling Stevens owned by the Nuneaton & Stockingford Petrol Omnibus Co. in its red and cream livery. Outside Randle's Post Office and shop in Queens Road. AC43 was recorded as a TS3 model but John Seale of the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Trust suggests it might have been a TTA2 with a TS3 radiator. The advert for the Palace by the way is not the Palace cinema we may remember from years ago but its predecessor a little further up Victoria Street which became a working men's club. (Fred Phillips / Gay Parker Collection)

Wainfleet

J. Whitehall & Son