Rootes Maidstone built on a variety of makes and models including a Ford and a Leyland that GRAHAM ASHWORTH encountered at a Belle Vue auction in Manchester in 1993
Great Yarmouth had municipal trams from 1902 until 1933 and municipal buses from 1920 until FirstGroup acquired the arm’s length Great Yarmouth Transport in September 1996. The corporation changed their colour from maroon and cream to blue and cream in 1934 and so they remained into the first years of First ownership until corporate livery swept in.
When Iain MacGregor visited the town — 21miles nearer Rotterdam than it is to London — in June 1967, the corporation fleet included some unusual vehicles.
Among these were three Leyland Atlanteans with a short wheelbase and reduced overall length of 28ft (8.5m).
Great Yarmouth had been one of the first operators to take advantage of the legalisation of one-person operation of double-deckers in July 1966 and 55-7 (EEX 855-7D), delivered in December that year, were designed with that in mind.
Their Roe bodies had just 65 seats instead of the customary maximum of 78 on a typical Atlantean and their 14ft 6in wheelbase made them more manoeuvrable. As is apparent in the picture of 55 passing the R…
