SHORT CUT TO FAME
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 51
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By Alfred Woolf,
6 6 °MANTIC " is an adjective with few applica
tions to modern road transport, but it may be . justifiably used to describe the growth, in the past three years, of Northern Roadways, Ltd. In 1949, the concern had been in existence for practically eight years and, from being a passenger-transport contractor, specializing in the provision of buses to construction companies and the like, had become a private-hire operator in Glasgow and Scotland generally. Its name was little known until towards the end of the following year, when, in the face of what seemed overwhelming difficulties, the company applied for licences to run express services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London.
One of these routes was the longest established of its kind in Great Britain, and the service on it was provided by the second-largest unit of the nationalized sector of the passenger transport industry, Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd.
Since February, 1951, when the Scottish Licensing Authority granted licences for these two routes,. the name of Northern Roadways has become practically a household word, particularly in Scotland, where, as elsewhere, it is synonymous with enterprise, and free enterprise at that. The remarks made by the Licensing Authority in his decision have become part of a controversy which is far from being decided, Giving decision, Mr. W. F. Quin, the Authority, declared that the Northern Roadways services "would cater for those who thought that rail fares were too high but that the existing road facilities were not adequate."
On May 7, 1951, the first vehicles left Glasgow and Edinburgh for London. The demand was unprecedented; between the granting of the primary licence and the authorization of the reduced backing by the Metropolitan Licensing Authority, three months later, almost 20,000 applications for bookings on the services were received, The following month, to deal with the demand, permission was sought, and gained, to run additional duplicate vehicles.
An appeal was launched by the Railway Executive and the Scottish operators, and 18 months after the services had commenced, the Minister of Transport, then Mr. J. S. Maclay, in March this year, revoked the beetles. Not only were the ScotlandLondon services to be stopped. but the authority for services to Birmingham and Scarborough, which had been granted in the autumn of 1951, was withdrawn. A fourth appeal, against the grant to Northern Roadways of an excursion and tour licence to Bridlington, was dismissed.
It was at this point that the word " romance " entered into the hitherto prosaic story of the independent operator with a new idea4alling before the rail
ways and the long-established combine coach operators. For the public outcry which followed the decision on these appeals reached unexpected proportions. Learning that the concern had 33,000 bookings in hand for the four services operated, the Minister, under pressure from Members of Parliament, permitted the services to continue until September 30 this year.
New applications were then made by Northern Roadways for licences. A grant was made meantime for a summer express service from Glasgow to Bournemouth, but in view of the controversy surrounding the services, an application for a Glasgow-Dover service was withdrawn. The entire situation was one which had never before arisen since the passing of the Road Traffic Act.
The prolonged hearings during last September and November were characterized by the stubborn resistance of the objectors to the suggestion that Northern Roadways provided a service in any way different from their own, and by the astonishingly frank condemnation by witnesses of the facilities provided by the rival operators. At one point in the proceedings before the Metropolitan Licensing Authority, counsel for Northern Roadways declared that the applications were a " fight to the death. One side or the other will prevail in the end." .
Last month, the Licensing Authorities once again gave partial support to Northern Roadways, and once again appeals are pending over the decision. Northern Roadways, too, is appealing against the restrictions imposed by the West Midland Licensing Authority on the Glasgow-Birmingham licence, which prevent the concern from carrying passengers whose journeys originate at Birmingham.
Against this background of litigation, the company has grown, and as the public anger at She appeal decision last Spring revealed, has established itself as a provider of a type of service which has long been demanded.
When the concern started operations in 1941, the need was for transport to remote areas where vast war-time construction was being pushed through. After the war, from the headquarters at • 20 Renfield Street, Glasgow, attention was turned to the ,then heavy demand for coaches for private hire, and by providing the right type of vehicle when needed, at the right price, a large business was built up.
An express licence was obtained for a GlasgowPrestwic k service for the benefit of passengers leaving trans
atlantic aircraft at Prestwick Airport. This, is still operated, the airlines concerned being Pan American Airways, Inc., and Trans-Canada Airlines, Inc.
Some experience of the standard of comfort provided on air services turned the attention of the directors—in particular Mr. Harry McGhee, the managing director, and Mr. N. Gardner Napier—to express road services. They thought that there was great scope for improvement, particularly on the longest runs, where passengers spent upwards of 14 hours on the road.
It was felt that a new type of service, which would not directly compete with the established services, could be offered at a reasonable price. The provision of meals and toilet facilities on the vehicle, and the employment of a more luxurious vehicle with "a trained hostess aboard, would, it was thought, attract a different kind of passenger—one, in fact, who could not and would not travel by rail. This has been more than amply proved.
Lavish Equipment
For this purpose, 20 underfloor-engined coaches, with bodywork by H. V. Burlingham, Ltd., Blackpool, were ordered. Equipped with 30 two-position reclining seats, heaters, radio, a toilet compartment with washing facilities, a water heater, crockery cupboards and foodstorage space, the vehicles provide a most reasonable standard of comfort. Known by the concern as " Pullman" coaches, they were put into operation on the London services in May last year. Later they also worked the Birmingham service. The day-time service to Scarborough was run with Bedford S-type 30-seaters with bodywork by Plaxtons (Scarborough), Ltd., and with a few Maudslay coaches, also equipped with toilet facilities.
Travelling from Glasgow to London on one of these vehicles, three weeks ago, I was able to see how much their special features are appreciated. Leaving Blythswood Square at 6.30 p.m., on a raw winter night, the coach, an A.E.C. Regal Mk. IV, cruised quietly out of Glasgow while the hostess introduced herself to the passengers and told them of the amenities available.
Clean tartan rugs were provided for each passenger, clean pillows were handed out and the lighting was adjusted to passengers' various needs. Some put out the lamps above them on the luggage racks and dozed off almost straight away.
Others read, a supply of magazines and periodicals being offered by the hostess. Although all the passengers were encouraged to use the hostess call button on the backs of the seats, not one did so during the journey, the hostess being constantly near at hand when needed.
At 10.30 p.m., in Penrith, the coach stopped while the drivers changed over. The hostess had been preparing the tea, drawing water from the Stott boiler at the back of the coach, which had been filled with boiling water before leaving. The 200-watt immersion heater makes heavy demands on the electrical system and is used merely to keep the water hot.
Each passenger received a plastic dinner tray, with its tea-cup container, and then was served with a packed meal, which proved to be entirely satisfying and well planned.
Night Ride
By 11.30 p.m., most of the passengers had settled down for the night, their seats were adjusted on the hostess's advice, the reading lights were extinguished and silence prevailed. At 3.30 a.m., at Doncaster, the drivers again changed over, and the hostess served a welcome cup of hot meat extract, although some of the passengers slept on. At 6.45 a.m., at Stamford, breakfast, in the form of bread, butter, marmalade, biscuits and tea, was served, and at 7.30 a.m. the drivers changed again.
Time-keeping and the standard of driving were of the • highest order. It was never possible to detect when a gear change had been made, or even when a level crossing had been traversed, and the even drone of the engine, which was surprisingly silent, was conducive to sleep. As London was approached, passengers awoke, some washed, some of the men shaved, and on arrival at King's Cross, few showed signs of a 16-hour journey.
As soon as the last passenger had left, the hostess replaced the headrest covers with clean ones for the return journey, the used rugs were stowed away and new ones were brought out, and the coach passed on to the washer, to be made ready for the night.
Both the drivers had long experience of expressservice operation and were highly enthusiastic about their work. The hostess, too, carried out her sometimes tiring tasks pleasantly and efficiently, and told how frequently unaccompanied children, elderly people and blind folk were carried. Normally, these passengers were unable to travel, but the presence of a trained
hostess with first-aid experience, was to them a reassuring feature of the service.
Northern Roadways has recently built a new garage at Helen Street, Ibrox, Glasgow, where the vehicles are serviced at the end of each round trip and where the crockery, linen and foodstuffs for the coaches are maintained and stored.
Mrs. Alan, the chief hostess, is based there and she explained the methods of hostess selection and training, and told, too, of the occasions when the presence of the hostess on the coach with her first-aid training and kit, and the hot water available have meant the difference between life and death in a road accident.
The enthusiasm of the hostesses, which they shared with drivers, fitters and executive staff, was obvious. Many of these girls have had success in other careers, academic, commercial and artistic, before joining Northern Roadways, but all express their liking for their present activity.
The general manager, Mr. J. Crawford, echoed this loyalty which has enabled the concern to tackle its difficulties. The chief engineer, Mr. Walter Eagleson, provided additional evidence of the loyalty of the staff. The maintenance methods worked out by him are both thorough and sensible, for, as in other parts of the organization, as effort is made to encourage each member of the staff to develop a sense of real responsibility.
For example, although the usual system of dockings—in this case at 5,000-mile intervals—is followed, the servicing after each journey is an additional check on the condition of the vehicle, and the drivers themselves are encouraged, before taking coaches out on service, to go over them. Before becoming drivers on the express services, the men are given a brief course on the features of the chassis, engine and tyres,' to assist them in detecting any fault• that may develop on the road.
Detailed Reports
On the basis of this training they are able to fill in, at the end of each round trip, a report sheet on which mention may be made of any of 16 items. I noticed that some drivers took their coaches—they are kept on the same vehicle as far as possible during the winter— on to the steam-jenny cleaning ramp, so that they might examine some component. Fitters. I observed, were carefully searching out rattles which had developed. Heaters, tyres, dynamos, brakes and chassis greasing were other items to which particular attention is paid.
The drivers also keep a monthly fuel-consumption chart for their vehicles. Apart from the driver's normal pride in his job, therefore, these men have a personal interest in the smooth operation of the coaches, which appears to be most effective. One driver, faced with falling air pressure on the north-bound run, recently removed the cylinder head of the compressor, corrected the fault and proceeded after only two hours' delay.
Experience has shown that road grit distributed during snowy weather, leaves during the autumn and dust in the summer, penetrate even into the compressor and, in consequence, air Alters are cleaned after every journey. Frosty weather holds no fears for the express drivers, for the tyres are changed relatively early and are always replaced by new ones at the .front., CylInder-bore life in most of the vehicles is between 90,000 and 100,000 miles, but, so far, none of the underfloor engines has required a re-ground crankshaft or new bearings.
School Contract Work Apart from the "Pullman" coaches, Northern Road, ways has at the moment 55 other vehicles. Of these, five are double-deckers, three of Daimler manufacture, an A.E.C. and a Leyland, used on school contract work, bringing children from Glasgow's far-spreading housing estates to 54 schools. Some of the single-deckers are also employed on this work. Six of the London and Birmingham express vehicles are Leyland Royal Tigers and the rest are A.E.C. Regal Mk. IVs.
There are 16 Bedfords in the fleet. Four are on contract work and the remainder are on the Scarborough service in the summer or privatehire work. Thirteen Daimler coaches with Plaxton bodywork are used on private hire, contract and express work, in the last case between Glasgow and Prestwick.
Ten Bedford OWB buses are employed on an R.N.A.D. project at Beith, some distance from Glasgow. The rest of the fleet is made up of 10 Maudslay Marathon Mk. III coaches, of which four are fitted with toilet compartments and are used on the express services, three Commer coaches and three Crossley single-deckers. These have all-metal bodywork by Scottish Aviation, Ltd., which has proved most satisfactory.
Some hint of what the future holds for the concern may be derived from the newest addition to the fleet— the now-celebrated Daimler Freeline with Duple Coronation Ambassador bodywork which was exhibited at Earls Court in September.
Many of those who inspected the vehicle with.a professional eye felt that there was perhaps too much in the way of luxury and that not all the special features would be appreciated. Nevertheless, the 'vehicle represents a serious attempt to design a coach for carrying passengers in great comfort for a long period at night.
In the spring, quarter this year, the fleet ran 775,724 miles and carried 286,707 passengers. These figures, being less than in the summer but greater than in the winter, represent an average for the fully employed fleet. But there is in the organization, from apprentices up to the-managing director, a feeling that much more could be done.
They all believe that they are providing the public with a long-needed service and know that there is much more they can do once the obstacles have been overcome. There is, too, a confidence that they will not fail to ,improve on the standards they have set; Their's is a story of adventure rare in these days—in fact, a modern Northern saga.