Many know my more recent genre Buses and Girls photography as those earlier buses I really like have all gone so now I enjoy my bus hobby more for the photography. As well as being an artist I owned a small transport business before I retired but today I have a little job too driving a minibus dong a school run to Wolverhampton in the afternoon and occasionally other jobs. It gets me out and about and satisfies my childhood ambition to drive a bus.
Thursday 10 April 2014
Crosville's Tow-Bus at Warrington Depot
By the time I took this view in Warrington during the Eighties the once common Bristol MW had disappeared but former Crosville SMG 554 had survived as a garage service vehicle.
In my early enthusiast days the norm appeared to be that 'towing' was the responsibility of specific style recovery trucks (usually ex-military 4x4 types suitably modified and upgraded). Presumably during NBC time cost played it's part in changing towing vehicles from ex service vehicles - both single and double deckers. The need for a genuine'recovery' vehicle was so few that a hire from a third party company could be justified on a spot-hire basis. Shame really as the appearance of a fleet Recovery Tractor always caused an aura of importance. Knightrider
I suppose they were still available ex-MOD but no doubt after the war there was a plentiful supply of unwanted heavy recovery tractors going for a song. However smaller garages like Warrington with just 30 buses would never have warrented something so grand, more like at Midland Red a Land Rover perhaps at best. Most trips out would be for a roadside repair normally and of course a proper recovery unit would be on call at the main works in Chester as was the case as they had an Royal Navy AEC Matador. This was in 1965 and at that time there were also ten L6A tow buses scattered around the 35 garages. Either they shared a engineering zone or the local garages had an arrangement locally. So Warringtom was quite well sorted as by the Eighties maybe more back-up was needed as modern buses and general cost-cutting made them more prone prone to failures.
Crosville did have MWs cut down for towing, the rear overhang being reduced and the saloon being removed except for a small cabin at the front, accommodating eight. This wasn't one of them. It was a staff transport bus for crew relief, shown here on the way from depot to bus station.
In my early enthusiast days the norm appeared to be that 'towing' was the responsibility of specific style recovery trucks (usually ex-military 4x4 types suitably modified and upgraded). Presumably during NBC time cost played it's part in changing towing vehicles from ex service vehicles - both single and double deckers. The need for a genuine'recovery' vehicle was so few that a hire from a third party company could be justified on a spot-hire basis. Shame really as the appearance of a fleet Recovery Tractor always caused an aura of importance.
ReplyDeleteKnightrider
I suppose they were still available ex-MOD but no doubt after the war there was a plentiful supply of unwanted heavy recovery tractors going for a song. However smaller garages like Warrington with just 30 buses would never have warrented something so grand, more like at Midland Red a Land Rover perhaps at best. Most trips out would be for a roadside repair normally and of course a proper recovery unit would be on call at the main works in Chester as was the case as they had an Royal Navy AEC Matador. This was in 1965 and at that time there were also ten L6A tow buses scattered around the 35 garages. Either they shared a engineering zone or the local garages had an arrangement locally. So Warringtom was quite well sorted as by the Eighties maybe more back-up was needed as modern buses and general cost-cutting made them more prone prone to failures.
ReplyDeleteCrosville did have MWs cut down for towing, the rear overhang being reduced and the saloon being removed except for a small cabin at the front, accommodating eight. This wasn't one of them. It was a staff transport bus for crew relief, shown here on the way from depot to bus station.
ReplyDeleteDixon