The
first bus service to Nantlle
I've
been interested in the old bus services pre-Crosville
era in the area for many years - I'm fifty four now
and can remember asking bus drivers and conductors,
in their early sixties over forty years ago, about
events between the wars. Some of the stories told
to me were quite strange, but none more so than that
of the first bus service to Nantlle, run by the Nantlle
Vale Star Motor Bus Service, a grand name for an
un-named pioneer.
Running
just after world war one ended, he'd bought a Ford
Model T car with his army discharge gratuity, arranged
for an extended body to be fitted - space for fourteen
passengers 'officially' and on a Saturday night 'as
many as we can carry!' I believe that the local joiner
or cabinet maker made the body, which was innovative
rather than smoothly-crafted, and it became known
as the 'House on Wheels'. It certainly originally
ran in competition with the railway from Nantlle,
so it probably ran all the way to Caernarfon, at
first on market day and Saturday only, where its
arrival caused a surprise to other fledgling bus
operators, such as Caernarfon Bay Motors, Royal Blue
(of Bangor) and the Seiont Motor Bus Company, of
Seiont Terrace, Caernarfon; and also to the O.R.Williams
Company, Whiteways of Waenfawr, who only stopped
trading about fifteen years ago. Crosville Motor
Services took over the Caernarfon Bay Motor Company
services in 1925, establishing themselves further
by taking over Royal Blue in 1930-1 and Seiont soon
thereafter.
Anyway,
whilst there was open warfare on the main roads,
the "House on Wheels" operated into the
Valley on market days and saturdays without competition
apart from the railway, until about 1927-8, when
its service was abruptly cancelled following an accident
which was both spectacular and tragic, to such extent
that, fifty years later, it was remembered vividly.
Apparently
you could build up considerable speed on the roads
in an old bus in those days - more than 30 mph being
recorded by the primitive "speed traps" of
the local police - whilst buses were limited officially
to 12 mph! And for a passenger, this could be the
ultimate in excitement and devil-may-care!
One day in the autumn, the late bus from Caernarfon on a Saturday night, driving
fast after dark with little more than an acetaline lamp for illumination, rounded
a corner at speed to be confronted by a loose cow, which straddled the road.
The driver immediately pumped the brake peddle, whilst the passengers (the
bus was full, so anything up to 40 people could have been aboard, mainly quarrymen
and farmhands returning from a night on the town) sat or stood transfixed by
the drama unfolding. Nothing could prevent the collision, and the bus hit the
cow full-on.
Now,
I know that you will want to know the outcome, but
I have to explain that, after years of use, the bus
had become rather less than weathertight within -
indeed the house on wheels had seams which had sprung,
and a type of primitive "forced air ventilation" which
comes from large and unstoppable holes in the bodywork.
This fact, combined with the speed of the collision,
had an unusual outcome - the "House on Wheels" hit
the cow and DISINTEGRATED, spilling human cargo into
the roadway in all directions, but apparently without
serious injury. Even the driver was safe, albeit
shaken, and so the passengers helped him tomove the
sad wreckage of the "House on Wheels" to
the side of the road, and continue homeward on foot
with a cracking good excuse for late arrival / story
for the pub next time out.
And the cow? It just ambled away whilst everyone was sorting themselves out,
and disappeared into the gloom!
The
driver who told me this story, many years later,
worked for another bus company - I think it was the
Seiont Company - and told me that the following Monday
they received a phone call from the former driver
and proprietor of the Nantlle Vale Star Omnibus Company,
in which he explained the circumstances, and then
offered the route to that company, as long as they
operated on every day of the week (except Sunday,
naturally).An agreement was made there and then.
And so the first regular bus service up the Valley
started on the following Tuesday. It seems a shame
that this unnamed pioneer of this story has been
forgotten.
Commonly,
bus services on market days and saturdays into Pwllheli,
Caernarfon, Bangor and similar towns were started
by local men with ex-Army vehicles, bought cheaply
in the aftermath of World War One. And, with few
exceptions elsewhere (but not Caernarfon) these single
man operations were swallowed up by larger companies
such as Crosville, and the men who started things
forgotten. Even the Seiont company has little memorial
- and they had ten modern vehicles when swallowed
up by Crossville.
Caernarfon
was an exception to this general rule, however, because
small bus operators continue to provide bus services,
almost drowning out the Arriva company, who themselves
took over Crosville fifteen years ago and promptly
expunged its name.
Cesarea,
Rhosgadfan and Rhostryfan have been served by a "Silver
Star Service" since before route licencing was
introduced in 1930, originally run by a Mr John Ivor
Jones.Their fleet in the 1960s was elderly but interesting,
and a ride on one of their buses from Caernarfon
was never exactly fast, but rather sedate if not
downright slow climbing the steepest hills, whilst
the return journey was faster and more animated!
In my memory, there was competition on this route
from Express Motors, then run by a Mr R Hughes Jones,
of Tyddyn Canol, Bontnewydd, with two or three red
and cream buses, including one which had been extensively
rebuilt from the driver-sits-alone-in-a-cab layout
and still advertised the Trent Motor Company of Derby!
This may have been the fore-runner of the present
Express Motors of the same village. But I recently
discovered that, in 1931, a Mr David Jones of Rhosgadfan
ran from that village to Caernarfon - so perhaps
this gentleman was the fore-runner of Express Motors
- but I don't know, and this demonstrates the problem,
which is that the efforts of these "heroes of
local enterprise" are now forgotten, unless
we act now to record their memory.
The
Clynnog and Trevor Motor Company have patiently operated
from Caernarfon to Pwllheli since 1912, and may well
be the longest serving bus company still existing
in North Wales. The longest history of this company
that I've read dismissed their history to 1955 in
four lines! And does anyone still remember the Trevor
Blue Motor Company, which certainly competed with
them in the 'twenties and 'thirties? Probably not,
but please prove me wrong!
The
Whiteway company, which operated from Caernarfon
to Beddgelert for over sixty years, is still remembered
fondly, and has been the subject of a compelling
book by Bill Rear, who I remember worked for Crosville
at Caernarfon before opening a stationery shop locally.
But even Whiteway had competition from a firm called
Jones Beddgelert & District Brown Bus Service,
about whom I know almost nothing. But I do know that
there was a service daily bringing workers from Rhyd
Ddu (and Beddgelert?) to the quarries, with a "bus
painted brown!
An appeal for further information
If
anyone has any further information at all about this
subject, can I please appeal for anyone who can tell
me more to contact me, either by e-mail at inbusthree@yahoo.co.uk or
by post:
Michael
Owen,
13 Stroma Gardens,
Davyhulme,
Manchester.
M41 7ER
Hard
facts or just stories of old times, happy journeys
and coach trips, are equally welcome. Many years
of holidays at Dinas Dinlle with my great aunty,
Molly Pritchatd, and exploration by bus, make the
Nantlle area my favourite place.
Many
thanks,
Michael. by
Michael Owen, Manchester
(November 2005)
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