Bristol Tramways 2088, Coleford, 1948
Courtesy of: Terry Harper. Uploaded: August 2008.
Bristol Tramways 2088, Coleford, 1948.
Peter Essex wrote (Dec 2008): "Does anyone know what a BTCC bus was doing in
Coleford?.
I never saw one in Lydney in the early years after the war (whereas
country buses could be seen in London in those days because, for example,
bus depots had been bombed) and yet the destination blind looks to have"
NEY" as the last 3 letters of the destination. The roof route number
box is blank and the Red & Whites didn't show a route number. Makes me
think this vehicle was on fairly long term loan to the Forest. Did any
Red & White garages or vehicles suffer war damage?".
Terry added (July 2009): "... B.T.C.C. had a garage in Coleford until 1950, when it was
transferred to Red & White, with an exchange of buses between Stroud and
Coleford. Bristol ran these services:
101 Coleford to Ross,
102
Monmouth-Coleford-Tidenham-Chepstow,
104 Coleford-Cannop,
105
Monmouth-Coleford-Tintern-Chepstow,
106 Monmouth-Coleford-Bream-Lydney
(interworked with Red & White 5, Hereford-Lydney),
121 Coleford-Symonds Yat
122 Coleford-Dilke Hospital.
172 Cheltenham-Coleford also
operated one service each way on Sundays out of Cheltenham.
More local bus photos can be seen on Terry's web site
Peter Essex added (August 2009): "...Thanks for that, Terry.
I've now seen the commmentary under the photo of Coleford BTCC garage as
well. I had never realised BTCC ran that side of the Severn,
particularly as I can remember Red & White ran a service all the way
between Gloucester and Cardiff. I do remember the two-hourly Hereford
bus at Lydney, also that Bevan ran a bus between Cinderford and Blakeney
via Soudley, but I'd thought that was the only interloper in the Forest
which I had thought was always a Red & White preserve. Didn't Watts of
Lydney have a had in founding the Red & White?" .
Terry Harper added (August 2009): "... John Watts was one of the founders of Red & White, starting in the Valleys on the Monmouthshire/Glamorgan border, in the 1920s. I understand that the PSV Circle are working on a history of Red & White, but it is not yet published".
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