period edwardian electric busses.

[robgil]

http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2007/09/who_killed_the_electric_bus.html

Interesting stuff.

Ive added these guys to my face book and get updates on all kinds of interesting stuff, mostly American though.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bolinas-CA/Shelter-Publications-Inc/91849471589

 

[Penners]

When I were a carefree bachelor lad, I lived in Ipswich, sharing a flat with three other drones (this was in the very early '60s). Ipswich was served by an extensive network of trolley buses - sort of trams without rails. They looked very similar to this one:

In their wisdom, the town discontinued the trolleys in the '60s and replaced them all with diesel buses.

Hindsight is a wonderful gift, eh?

 

[robgil]

it certainly is , trams were a great idea for city centres, its just a shame few of them are still around today.
although with inventions like this cropping up,

http://www.examiner.com/trendy-living-in-national/volkswagen-s-600-car-gets-258-mpg

who needs electric trams?

 

[FamilyWiggs]

When I were a carefree bachelor lad, I lived in Ipswich, sharing a flat with three other drones (this was in the very early '60s). Ipswich was served by an extensive network of trolley buses - sort of trams without rails.

Wow - I never knew Ipswich was such a trailblazing town! Electrickery was only invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800, and a mere 60 years later a young Penners was traveling on trolley buses there. 8)

 

[robgil]

Oh dear, Penners i do beg your pardon , i thought by early 60's you meant sometime between the years 50 AD and 60 AD.

 

[Penners]

Wow - I never knew Ipswich was such a trailblazing town! Electrickery was only invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800, and a mere 60 years later a young Penners was traveling on trolley buses there. 8)

Oh dear, Penners i do beg your pardon , i thought by early 60's you meant sometime between the years 50 AD and 60 AD

If I didn't know you chaps as well as I do, I might think you were trying to make ageist jokes at my expense.

And Ipswich certainly was a trailblazing town - in my day anyway. Not only did it run trolley buses, but it was also the home of Ransomes Sims & Jefferies, inventors of the self-sharpening plough share and employers of said youthful Penners.

So just show a bit of respect, eh?

 

[robgil]

I would trade my 80's childhood for a 60's child hood any day Penners, you guys had a great time while we had crap music and no taste in fashion.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Hoooorahhh for the '60's, best time of my life too !!

 

[TomW]

I was a child of the '60s and can't say I remember much about it. Too young to be part of the swinging set, my most abiding memories are the Cuban missile crisis, when most adults seemed to think the end of the world was nigh, and the Beatles breaking up (I think we had just got our first TV).
Oh, and a stonking great steam train in Romford station.

 

[Penners]

I would trade my 80's childhood for a 60's child hood any day Penners, you guys had a great time while we had crap music and no taste in fashion.

You have wisdom beyond your years, young man.

Although I'm not sure I'd agree that '60s fashion demonstrated good taste...

PS: May I just add that the above is NOT a photo of Mr & Mrs Penners.

 

[Lime]

When I were a carefree bachelor lad, I lived in Ipswich, sharing a flat with three other drones (this was in the very early '60s). Ipswich was served by an extensive network of trolley buses - sort of trams without rails. They looked very similar to this one:

In their wisdom, the town discontinued the trolleys in the '60s and replaced them all with diesel buses.

Hindsight is a wonderful gift, eh?

Yes, the Southall to Shepherds Bush run used to have trolley buses along the Uxbridge Road too.
They had a restricted route, because the aerial track only covered that stretch of road, and RouteMasters were preferred by those travelling into town or out into the sticks.
The bus depots had to accomodate both electric and diesel buses which was a problem at night because of overcrowding.
The two types of buses covered the same route so the duplication was expensive to maintain.

(By way of a diversion, the RouteMaster was made just down the road (AEC., Windmill Lane as I recall) and I often saw the rolling chassis being test-driven prior to the body being built upon them. )

The main disadvantage of the trolley bus was that they relied on a large network of poles and wires that got in the way of road repairs and improvements so councils disliked them.
They were disliked by motorists too.
My father used to complain that they damaged the tarmac (trolley buses were very heavy) and claimed that there was a marked improvement in the road surface from Shepherds Bush (the trolley buse terminus) and further into town.

That part of London was well served by buses.
I recall that Green Line buses were for the long-haul routes.

 

[robgil]

I would trade my 80's childhood for a 60's child hood any day Penners, you guys had a great time while we had crap music and no taste in fashion.

You have wisdom beyond your years, young man.

Although I'm not sure I'd agree that '60s fashion demonstrated good taste...

PS: May I just add that the above is NOT a photo of Mr & Mrs Penners.

i would totally rock that suit , at least some 60's clothes had a bit of flowing funk injected into them , 80's clothing had rigid , straight edged 'dont smile or it will crack your face' embarrassment injected into it.

at least in the 60's if a bloke had long hair he still looked like a bloke , well , except for David Bowie perhaps, in the 80's though they couldnt have looked more like a bunch of trannies if they tried.

only good thing to come out of the 80's was Lord Anthony Parkas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Anthony

 

[Lime]

I wouldn't have wished to grow up in any other decade either.
In the 60s young men looked more fashionable and smarter than their chicks, man.