South Shields Sanddancers Forum

There is a good photo of an old "Economic" bus along with a lot of others on the site below


http://www.timmonet.co.uk/html/kup799.htm

Well, I used to travel on it regularly, and saw it every day, but got a shock when I looked at this photo and saw just how old fashioned it was. Fantastic photo!

I remember it was always a bind if it was busy and the only seats left were over the wheel arches. Your knees would be under your chin.

HOLD ON SANDY1 they had more than one bus. The one in the photo was one of their coaches which was a bit more luxurious than the ones used on their routes. The coach was sometimes used on routes during the summer months or when some of their other buses were off the road for repairs or maintenance. I'm not sure exactly how many they had but between the two garages they must have had a dozen at least. They did quite a bit of private hire for trips etc.

Well, you know Baldy, one can't classify 'The Economic' in the same realms as Concorde, I know, but I thought of it (or...them!) in a similar way. Don't really know why. BA had a fleet of seven Concordes and Air France had at least two or more, but we always said, 'Wow, there's Concorde!' or, 'I saw Concorde today' or, if you were very fortunate, 'I'm flying on Concorde'. Always as if there was only one in operation. We KNEW there were more but we talked of it as one. THAT'S how I see, and saw, the good old Economic.

Fair Comment Sandy, new what you meant all along just wanted to see what your reaction would be (I know you have a great sense of humour). I think if it came to a ride on "Concorde" or the old "Economic" coach I whink I would prefer the coach, maybe Jake would drive it

Not many people know this.......

and I not sure I should say anything........


but......

Jakey........

is really.....


A Concorde Pilot.

There I've said it....... Only he got suspended whilst taking out a party of pensioners.

He braked very sharply from 1400mph to zero and everyone who wasn't wearing seatbelt ended up in the cockpit with him.

His excuse was he was trying to avoid hitting a flock of flying pigs.

Good excuse huh.

Talking about buses.

Anyone remember when a old double decker turned onto it's side at Fulwell Avenue bus stop.

1960's I think. could be no 12 or 11 Marsden to Market.

How the hell it got enough speed up to turn over ??

No it wasn't a trolley bus, it was high tech.

Trolley Buses

Never forget how the conductors had to get off at Horsley Hill roundabout and change the electricity power pickup with a long pole.

It was the same at every main junction......King Street/Mile End Road/Ocean Road/Fowler Street was a sight to see!!!!!

Interesting point Sandy, but they did not change the trolleys with the poles at the junction of Fowler St/King St. What happened was they had a "points lad" who used to pull down on a handle to change the trolleys to other power leads, of course things often went wrong and the trolleys would fly off and that is when the poles were used. It was the same at Laygate and Chichester. One trolley bus used to terminate at Trinity Church, what happenned there was they would disengage the trolley and the bus had to turn around using power from it's batteries, they then replaced the trolly when the bus was facing the opposite direction. I would imagine this happened elswhere also. My father started working as a points lad when he was discharged from the army after the war, he then went on to drive buses for 20+ years.

Ah that was it! I was very little and I just remember the trolleys always seeming to become detached at busy junctions and the frenzied attempts with poles to reattach them whilst in motion. Am I right?

In most cases that is right Sandy as they were trying to attach the trolley to a point past where the switches were supposed to take place. The wires were in a way like railway lines at a main junction and the signal box controlled them, except in the case of the buses it was the "points lad" or the bus conductor who had to pull the switches. The switches were on Poles like large lamp posts and there was usually one at each corner i.e four at the Fowler St junction, the "points Lads" had to be quite nimble running from one corner to the other all day. Note:- trolley buses had two trolleys while the tram cars (if anyone remembers them) had only one.

Should bring them back.

Probably cheaper than running on diesel.

Maybe I could get a job as a points lad..