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BBC 4 Golden Age of Coach Travel

Very interesting indeed. There was, naturally, quite a good many views of Royal Blue (once seen locally) and it was also quite refreshing to see many company names and bus designs from the past. The gentleman in the Yelloway coach has his coach/exhibition in the Torbay area. He is a former driver for the company. When may family moved from Warwickshire to Devon, nearly 60 years ago, I was been sent to stay with an aunt in the Potteries - so I was out of the way and my bus ticket collection and other bus items could be dumped without protest! It was by Yelloway coach, from Newcastle under Lyme, that I was whisked down the A38 to my new home.

I was particularly taken with the Bedford coach owned by Cyril Kenzie. I am sure he was of the company of that name in Cambridgeshire. I am certain that they have other older vehicles as I recall seeing a Kenzies coach on Paignton sea front a couple of years ago and I had a good conversation with the driver. Sadly memory doesn't recall what it was. Odd how we recall long periods ago and not yesterday so as to speak. :'(
 
I watched it and enjoyed every minute it took me back to when my aunts used to go on holiday, I also watched the caravan one after that was good too
 
Loved the bit on the betting where the wheel would stop at the end of the journey.
Arrow on the bodywork with numbers around the wheel, according to how many passengers, I think. The punters had their number - if it stopped on theirs, bingo!
Penny in; winner takes all! Great idea!:thumbsup:
Must use it for the grand-children.
 
Also, it reminded me of Nash's coaches of Smethwick. Dad used to sit on the kerb side of the chara, so the camber on the road wouldn't tip him into the aisle!
Nash's still going!
 
Thanks Bernard but we missed it but thanks Lloyd for the link. Will watch it when we return from the Cat. Jean.
 
I loved the programme especially the old Black & White Bus Station in Cheltenham that bought back lots of memories as I used to live there and the noise of the coaches leaving was tremendous..................... are happy days :)
 
Just watched most of it and it was brilliant. Didn't those horses have to earn their keep?. Jean.
 
Radiorails said:
Very interesting indeed. There was, naturally, quite a good many views of Royal Blue (once seen locally) and it was also quite refreshing to see many company names and bus designs from the past. The gentleman in the Yelloway coach has his coach/exhibition in the Torbay area. He is a former driver for the company. When may family moved from Warwickshire to Devon, nearly 60 years ago, I was been sent to stay with an aunt in the Potteries - so I was out of the way and my bus ticket collection and other bus items could be dumped without protest! It was by Yelloway coach, from Newcastle under Lyme, that I was whisked down the A38 to my new home.

I was particularly taken with the Bedford coach owned by Cyril Kenzie. I am sure he was of the company of that name in Cambridgeshire. I am certain that they have other older vehicles as I recall seeing a Kenzies coach on Paignton sea front a couple of years ago and I had a good conversation with the driver. Sadly memory doesn't recall what it was. Odd how we recall long periods ago and not yesterday so as to speak. :'(
Click to expand...

I also think Kenzies operated coaches and were big supporters of the Brighton coach rallies in the 60s
 
This program brought back memories of my first coach trip in the 1940's.:)
A family in our road named Paynes had a small transport business and advertised a coach trip to Ryhll. Many people in our road booked on it, but were surprised when a normal single decker bus arrived. I think it was an old West Bromwich bus, the driver in a separate cabin, a glass partition before the last two rows of seats, and an open front entrance with only a leather strap to keep us in.
We set off and trundled along the A5, laboured up the Welsh hills with much gear changing. As we came to Ryhll someone shouted 'there's the sea' which I had never seen before.
The sky was grey, the sea was grey with no horizon visible, so I saw the land end and a grey void, and only when I went on the beach did the view make sense.
Coming back, crates of beer, stops to go behind the hedges, and the bus radiator needed water as often as a horse, but a good time was had by all with the 'can do' attitude of those days so long ago.
 
oldMohawk said:
The sky was grey, the sea was grey with no horizon visible, so I saw the land end and a grey void, and only when I went on the beach did the view make sense.
Coming back, crates of beer, stops to go behind the hedges, and the bus radiator needed water as often as a horse, but a good time was had by all with the 'can do' attitude of those days so long ago.
Click to expand...

My coach travel memories only go back to the late 1970's but even in those days we managed to have fun and keep everybody happy. These days there would be complaints about the coach (too old or uncomfortable), the driver (too fast, slow or surly!), crates of beer wouldn't be allowed on in the first place (or probably food either) and if you dared pull over for a "behind the hedge" stop you would probably find yourself charged with indecent exposure!! Many people seem to have forgotten how to have fun in the modern world and those of us that still like to find ourselves tied up in "red tape" of one form or another!
 
Bernard67Arnold said:
Hope all the Midland Red buffs were watching tonight, some really good footage of
the Good Old Days, Bernard
Click to expand...
Sorry I missed your post Bernard I expected it to be under TV, Film etc
But I've been watching it and its great
 
Thanks Mike it did look like that bus in your photo, as far as my memory goes it was light blue and cream, so I assume it was a West Brom because the BCT buses were dark blue and cream.
Most of my other coach travel was with the Mohawks skating club in the 50's using a Ladywood firm, and travelling every weekend from RAF Melksham to Brum also in the 50's. The Melksham coach firm did a roaring trade every weekend taking RAF bods to and from home, at high speed and no motorways.
I can also remember catching a normal service 188 Midland Red single decker in Summer Lane that was so old it had a bulb type horn. I was almost ashamed to get on it, but I think the Midland Red were short of vehicles.
oldmohawk..:)
 
Hi Mohawk,

It probably was a West Brom vehicle but perhaps not a Bristol JOG, when I was posted to Lugershall on Salisbury Plain the local coach firm Silver Star did well out of us servicemen but one has to say it wasn't expensive. Their week-end leave coaches would go so far as Newcastle and those drivers knew every inch of the road long before motorways and almost all single carriageway. Here is an image of one of my paintings [it's not a photo ] of a coach I rode in many a time and incredibly it is preserved in this lovely livery.

https://www.redbubble.com/people/artistjeffries/art/4807411-1-silver-star-tiger-1959
 
I didn't realize that there was a Part 2 to this BBC programme. Quite by chance I saw it on Wednesday evening. Anyone missing it can, most likely, see it within the next few days as most UK television programmes are frequently repeated.

The mention of Silver Star Motor Services of Porton Down recalled memories of a very fine fleet of buses and coaches. They sold out, after the death of one of the company founders, in 1963 to their former arch rivals Wilts & Dorset.

Not only did they serve RAF bases their main military work had been with Army bases and servicemen.
An awful lot of coaching companies, throughout the United Kingdom, must have felt a draught after the end of military National Service.
 
As is told by the previous posts coach travel was an adventure as well as a means of travel. Since the 1980s coaches have become reliable, comfortable and speedy forms of transport. Like the railways a bit faceless and characterless in modern times.
Perhaps we are at this moment enjoying our own " Golden Age of Coach Travel" but I doubt we will have such engaging stories to tell. I have a collection of Coaches from times gone by but the sight of a Merthry Tidfill bound National coach pulling out of Hereford Bus Station is impressive . It is long enough to block up two sets of traffic lights.:D
 
You wouldn't recommend it then Bill only I have been asking Pete to travel by coach to Scotland but he won't budge. Jean.
 
Radiorails said:
I didn't realize that there was a Part 2 to this BBC programme. Quite by chance I saw it on Wednesday evening. Anyone missing it can, most likely, see it within the next few days as most UK television programmes are frequently repeated.

The mention of Silver Star Motor Services of Porton Down recalled memories of a very fine fleet of buses and coaches. They sold out, after the death of one of the company founders, in 1963 to their former arch rivals Wilts & Dorset.

Not only did they serve RAF bases their main military work had been with Army bases and servicemen.
An awful lot of coaching companies, throughout the United Kingdom, must have felt a draught after the end of military National Service.
Click to expand...

Alan there are 9 parts I believe when you look at your programme listings if you do have a look at BBC4 and see most weeks it has great History on there from the War to music including Rock:)

Its the first thing I look at when I get my TV paper now that there is nothing much on the rest of the channels
 
Bill Parker said:
Having just returned from the highlands on a 15m long, 61 seat coach I have nothing to enthuse about at the moment!!
Click to expand...
I suppose I would now probably feel the same, but in the 'golden age' we didn't know anything better.
I watched three similar programs about motorways and there was a sort of early 'golden age' when I remember at the end of work one day we decided to 'bomb' down the newly built M1 to Watford Gap for fish and chips, just for the fun of it.
Now I travel along a dark and misty M62, glancing at my mirrors, all three lanes full, listening to the lady in my 'sat-nav' guiding me through the maze around Manchester...another 'golden age' has gone...
 
Thank you Alf for your information about the series of programmes.

I see the seventh programme is being shown this evening (Saturday) on BBC4 at 8pm.

I don't watch a great deal of television but do scan the menus to see if there is anything of interest - such as Dad's Army which is on right now. ;)
 
Well Jean, if there had been a little bit more leg room I would have probably enjoyed the ride a little bit more. Interestingly some coach operators are down seating there coaches in order to provide more leg room. We recently visited Cologne in a coach operated by Harris of Bromsgrove. This 12 metre coach would normally have a toilet and 49 seats theres had just 41 and it certainly provided plenty of leg room, this makes a consideralbe difference on long journeys. Just keep nagging away he will eventually give in :)

There is nothing quite like being up the top of the Cairngormes in a 65mph wind, most invigorating!!!
 
It's a bit of a myth that present day coaches are more comfortable than fifty years ago because personally they don't appear to be to me even though at 8ft 2in overall width as opposed to 7ft 6in should give more elbow room. Perhaps it's the higher speed of todays vehicles and the sudden changes of direction to overtake slower lorries or even cars in the inside lane of motorways which gives one a feeling of concern but perhaps that is because nowadays we are all drivers and are more aware of the dangers than our non driving days years ago. Likewise it could be that the standard of coach driving has deteriorated.

A few years ago I rode as a passenger on a double decker bus on the London-Brighton run and the ride was one of the most comfortable I can recall with more than ample legroom, the bus was a petrol-engined Leyland of 1931 vintage but I must admit we never exceeded 30mph and the driver was nearly as old as the bus but gave us such a smooth ride despite having to master a crash gearbox.
 
Just watched the latest episode and found it to be just free advertising for National Express, very little about other Coach operators (no offence to nat exp lovers). As the vast majority, if not all, National Express liveried coaches are owned and operated by the Major Bus/Coach companies hardly any credit was given to the skills of these bus company drivers or operations staff.
 
Radiorails said:
The gentleman in the Yelloway coach has his coach/exhibition in the Torbay area. He is a former driver for the company. (
Click to expand...

If anyone is interested in viewing the Yelloway coach it is on the car park of a farm shop between Churston Railway station and the quad bike field on the Brixham road.
 
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