Classic Bus Trip to the Clyde Coast

**cessna152towser** · 10th February 08, 02:21 PM

All set to depart from Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust's premises at the city's old Bridgeton bus garage, this morning, our vehicle for the day was this 1959 Leyland PD3.

First we followed the route to Paisley, seen here at Paisley Town Hall.

Later we picked up route 4, towards Kilmarnock, stopping off for Sunday lunch here at the Fenwick Hotel.

2 kilties, a vintage bus, and with the Isle of Cumbrae ferry in the background. Largs.

Caledonian MacBrayne ferry for Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, at Largs Pier.

On the upper deck of the bus, showing the leather covered bench seats, with side gangway.

A photocall along the coast, between Largs and Wemyss Bay.

Wemyss Bay ferry terminal with the ferry Coruisk about to load for Rothesay, Isle of Bute.

Port Glasgow with the town hall on the left.

....and finally back to Glasgow at dusk, disembarking passengers here in Fordneuk Street, outside the depot.

**MacTavishOfJapan** · 10th February 08, 03:03 PM

Looks like an excellent day out on a beautiful old bus!

**Cynthia** · 10th February 08, 04:15 PM

Oh, I love it! What a great bus, and wonderful photos. Thanks so much for posting them!

**walkerk** · 10th February 08, 04:20 PM

Thanks for the wonderful pictures. Was this a special booking or is the tour available on a regular basis. Browsed the Internet but could not find anything which appeared to match.

**cessna152towser** · 10th February 08, 04:34 PM

Was this a special booking or is the tour available on a regular basis.

They run about half a dozen trips a year, available to members. All the trips are different but this one was of particular interest to me as it made use of a Western SMT bus and followed some of their old routes. The tour covered the area where I was born and brought up and used a bus of a type and from a bus company which I travelled on regularly when I was younger, so I made a special point of going on this trip despite having to get up early to do the two hour car drive to Glasgow to join the tour. The last buses of this type were withdrawn from service by the company in 1978 and the Western Scottish Motor Traction Company was itself later taken over by Stagecoach, bringing about the disappearance of this classic company livery from the everyday scene.

**GMan** · 10th February 08, 04:49 PM

As usual, excellent pictures!

**McMurdo** · 10th February 08, 04:53 PM

Wonderful set of photos Alex looks like you had you a great day.

**Hamish** · 10th February 08, 05:58 PM

Great photos Alex.

I used to travel 19 miles to and from school in buses just like that (identical model perhaps), but ours were in the green livery of Southdown Motor Services, which plied the routes between Brighton and Portsmouth. If I remember correctly, on the right-hand side of the lower deck, passengers had to be very aware of the low ceiling caused by the walkway on the deck above!

Take care,
Ham.