| CommuniGate | Hartlepool Transport

This is The North East | CommuniGate | 500 Group

Feedback

Are you interested in buses

Hartlepool Transport

The 500 Group have access to a large archive of images of tram, trolleybus and motorbus transport in Hartlepool
These have been donated to the Group but are of considerable importance in illustrating the transport of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool over the period from the late 19th Century to the start of the 21st Century

We are starting to put a selection of these images, covering the whole years of the system onto this site.

This section will be developed over the next few weeks so please refer back to us for weekly updates

Tramcar No. 1

The first tramcar to operate, No. 1 was a Milnes 4 wheeler
The tramcars were introduced in 1896 and Hartlepool had one of the first electric systems in the North East
It is seen in Northgate in this view, taken 19th June 1896

Tramcar No 4

Tramcar No 4 was also a Milnes 4 wheel vehicle
The system was popular and revolutionised local transport, being reliable and affordable
No. 4 is seen in Cleveland Road in this 1896 view

Larger Tramcars were soon needed

A need for larger tramcars was soon evident
By 1905 there was a need to provide more capacity and this ERTCW/Brill bogie car was obtained

It is seen in Cleveland Road and was No. 23 in the fleet

Motor buses were also obtained

They were much more flexible and were used for new routes developing as the Towns expanded
One such route was to the nearby sea side village of Seaton Carew, which of course had considerable summertime traffic
This A.E.C. YD Model was a 32 seater and was new in 1921. It is seen on a Seaton-Port Clarence working

Trams were replaced by Trolleybuses

From 1924, it was decided to replace the Tramcars with Trolleybuses
The first route to be converted was from Foggy Furze to Church Square
A “Railless” trolley and a tower wagon, used for erecting and servicing the overhead wires is seen 1924

Large motor buses were obtained

By the mid 1920’s there was a need for larger motor buses and a number were obtained
They were more flexible than either the trams or trolleys and served the expanding needs of the local people.
This Bristol was a dual door, twenty nine seater with a body built in Leeds by Chas. Roe. It is seen in 1927 on the Sea Front, it saw service until 1939

Double deck motor buses introduced

By 1931, there was a need for motor buses with greater capacity
Daimler CH6 models were obtained; these were fitted with highbridge 48 seat bodies made by Hoyal
This is No. 19 in the fleet; it lasted until post war years, being withdrawn in 1946. It is seen on the sea front painted in its unusual, original, striped livery (date unknown)

Mid 30s expansion

Even more expansion was required in the mid 1930s
By 1934 traffic was starting to increase and so a number of new Daimlers were bought, this batch had bodies by Chas. Roe of Leeds and were also 48 seaters
This image of Daimler No. 10 was taken when the bus was new at the works of Chas. Roe. The bus was finally withdrawn from service in 1948

Trolley bus fleet modernised

In April 1938 a large batch of new high capacity, double deck Trolley Buses was obtained
These were Daimler CTM models with Roe 54 seat bodies and were handsome machines.
The new fleet is pictured at Greenland on the 23rd of April 1939. They gave excellent service during WWII, finally being withdrawn in 1953

The Trolleys are abandoned

Motor buses replaced the trolleys from 1950 onwards and these are some of the types
(Below)This is a Daimler CWD6 that was new in 1947 and saw service until the 1960s. It has a centre entrance body that was a feature of West Hartlepool buses for many years. The body was by Chas Roe of Leeds and only had 50 seats. It is seen in Grange Road

A 1948 built Daimler CV6

Several Daimler CV6 double deckers were supplied in the years after World War II and a further eight were obtained in 1948 They were fitted with Roe bodies, originally with centre entrances, most of them were later converted to conventional rear open platforms.
(below) EF8288 was No. 54 in the West Hartlepool fleet, it is seen here at Seaton Carew bus station in 1960, it had been converted in 1958 and was withdrawn in 1964

Works services

Works service were an extremely imnportant part of the traffic of West Hartlepool Corporation. In an age where car ownership by the general public was among the lowest in the United Kingdom, the buses played a very important part in the lives of people. Unemployment was high in the 60s, the Steel Mill was coming on stream bringing much needed money to the town
This is the scene in the Richardson Westgarth works as a bus prepares to load its passengers, tired and anxious to get home for a pint of Camerons ale after a hard shift. The bus is a Leyland PD2/3 and it is fitted with a Roe 56 seat body, they were new in 1950 and it was fleet No 72 in the West Hartlepool Fleet

The dock area

The docks were an extremely important part of the scene in Hartlepool, there was a lot of timber imported to Victoria Dock mostly to be used a pit props for the Durham coalfield
In this scene, taken in the 1950s, a bus loads its passengers at one of the town centre stands

A 1953 Daimler

AEF591 (West Hartlepool No. 91) was one of a batch of fifteen buses supplied by Daimler in 1953 they were CVG6 models with powerful six cylinder Gardner engines and carried Roe bodies
It is seen at the Transporter North Bank terminus at Port Clarence in 1960

Leyland becomes the main supplier

From the late 1950s Leyland motors became the main supplier of buses to West Hartlepool Corporation but Chas Roe of Leeds remained the prefered body builder
(Below) FEF372 was No. 2 in the fleet and was supplied in one of the first batches in 1958 and is seen on a No 6 service at Catcote Road/Tynebrook Avenue working to West View

Hartlepool goes it alone

The two Boroughs had operated services together since the Tramway years but after cessation of the tram routes, Hartlepool decided to operate its own services.
It made an arrangement, initially with United to hire buses to operate the routes, much to the dislike of the Traffic Commissioners, this arrangement was however still borne as the United crews refused to operate under the working conditions that the Corporaton required. Beeline Roadways then took ovr the contract.
The buses were painted in a livery of blue with a cream band and eventually four new buses were obtained. They were AEC Regent Vs with Roe, semi plastic fronted bodies.
This one is Hartlepool No. 4 TUP859 and is seen in Church Street towards the end of the operation in 1967

A joint fleet again

From April 1967 the two fleets were amalgamated again ahead of the local government re-organisation.
The Bristol RE single deck bus was the prefered vehicle to buy. These had normally been supplied only to the National Bus Company fleets, i.e. United etc but over the next ten years over 40 were supplied to the Hartlepool fleet.
(below)FEF42E was one of the first batch delivered, it was an early flat screen version and featured a centre exit
It is seen at Middlegate Bus Station in 1968

A long lived Leyland

Among the last West Hartlepool single deck buses were a batch of Leyland L1 Leoprds with Strachans B45D bodies supplied in 1964
PEF 23 was one of them, it is seen in 1964 on an Omnibus Society Tour

The final colour scheme

The final colour scheme for Hartlepool Corporation Transport before it was sold to the Stagecoach Group was a revrsal of the previous colours of maroon and cream
(below) JAJ293N is seen posing in its new paint scheme for a publicity photograph. It is now preserved in the Hartlpool area.

A rare Dennis Dominator

An extremely rare vehicle used by Hartlepool was the Dennis Dominator in single deck form. Five were purchased after the demise of the Bristol RE Chassis in 1979
(Below) East Lancs supplied the centre entrance body on this one BEF708T It is seen on a service 9 to Middlesbrough via Stockton in the late 1980s

Some scenes of buses in Hartlepool

Among the photographs that the 500 Group archives hold are many scenes from Hartlepool life, taken in the early post war years.
There follows a small selection of these images, as seen here they are of relatively low quality because of the confines of the web site. High quality versions are available from the 500 Group, if you would like a copy, please contact us by the mail form at the end of this site
The Furness shipyard at Haverton Hill was a busy place and many of its workers came from the skilled men of Hartlepool. The bus station at shift change was a hive of activity with buses from Stockton, Middlesbrough Hartlepool and United taking the men to and fro
(below) In this scene, the buses are predominantly from Hartlepool and were photogrphed in 1959

A busy scene in the town centre

(above)
The docks stand out in this colourful scene inthe early 1960s, The timber dock is in the distance, it is now the home of the Warrier, the United depot and bus station are in the middle distance.

A scene at Graythorpe Shipyard

The Graythorpe Shipyard was not a pretty place, there were bearths for loading scrap metal and the general trappings of the ship repair industry.
(above)Two buses, a Corporation double of the EF95xx seriesand a Leyland single deck vehicle ply for trade among the grime and semi deraliction of the area in June 1965
It is now the berth of Abel UK and is the home of the so called Ghost Ships

A service 12 loads at the Transporter

A Leopard loads at the Transporter terminus with passengers who have crossed from the Middlesbrough side. They will nearly all be going as far as Seaton Carew

A scene from the 1960s

Schoolboys jostle to join a homeward bound double decker in the 1960s, the only things that have changed are the bus and the boys uniforms

Seaton bus station

Passengers jostle to board an early Leyland Leopard at Seaton's art decor bus station, once a thriving place especially in the summer months. The bus station was a jewel of a building, using the best architectural style of the 1930s

A wet day in Hartlepool

Passengers board in Church Street on a southbound service, they are anxious to get into the warmth of the bus to escape from the inclement weather

Church Street bus park

Buses were parked on land between dutiesin Church Street
(Below) in this image, there are a Leyland Leopard, a Leyland PD2/40 and a blue AEC Regent among among others

Coach services were operated

Here a coach party boards for an excursion in the early nineties, supervised by a smart driver, determined to giv e the party an interesting day

This page has been visited times.

Email page

Feedback

Home