1929
As the crowds gather in what’s likely to be a very damp Plymouth later today to reflect upon the formation 80 years ago of the Western National Omnibus Company Ltd and its sister Southern National, it’s also worth looking a little further back at its antecedents.
1909
The “National” name appeared on buses in 1909 exactly 100 years ago this year, in London, as the National Steam Car Co Ltd. At the time when others were experimenting with the internal combustion engine National Steam Car Co, as the name suggests, believed that it could operate far more effectively under steam than behind a horse. It was an early example of VHS versus Betamax and the combustion engine won.
1919
It was the strangulation of the London market that led the National to look elsewhere. The National established its first base in the west country 90 years ago, in 1919. This was north of Bristol, not where you would tend to associate with WNOC. The vehicles there deployed were doubtless petrol, not steam.
Meanwhile, expansion in what was to become WNOC's heartland didn’t start till the establishment of Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil branches from 1920. Services into Devon, Plymouth & Cornwall followed only upon the take-over in 1927 and 1928 of Hardy-Colwills and Devon Motor Transport.
2009
Before we become too nostalgic about WNOC, we ought to remember that from the late 1960s, the company gradually became one of National Bus Company’s lamest of lame ducks, seeing closures and withdrawals almost up to the present day. Now, though, it looks as if First Devon & Cornwall is largely stabilised even to the extent on Wednesday of being commended in the Public Transport Operator of the Year category in the National Transport Awards… something unthinkable more than three years ago. Oh, and Devon council won the local authority of the year.
It may seem somewhat strange that successor First has this year painted a Dennis Trident into 80th anniversary livery, till you remember that WNOC was actually an advocate of Dennises. Not sure about East Lancs bodywork, though.
Photo: Plymothian Transit
Sunday, 26 July 2009
1909, 1919, 1929 & 2009
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3 comments:
The weekend's posts photographs prove to me why I detest (with a vengeance) white painted buses (I refuse to call allover white a livery). The WNOC liveried Trident looks great, no clutter, no swirls or swoops, just classic lines which actually suit the bodywork.
I'm not suggesting that all modern liveries are bad, but the predominance of white (even uncluttered) is so clinical, unwelcome and cold.
Just my view.
I don't disagree with Norfolkboy regarding the use of insipid white but I have to say that this 'traditional' livery looks a little odd on a modern double deck.
I too agree wholeheartedly with Norfolk Boy about white. To be honest, I don't even think that white works as a relief colour in the majority of cases - cream looks so much better and seems to 'live' in a way that white simply doesn't. The only exception I would make would perhaps be for a livery like 'Black & White' - the contrast between those two colours seems to make it work.
Somehow the representation of WN green on that Dennis does look a little odd, but I suspect that is caused by the black window surrounds. A better effect would probably have been achieved with say cream window surrounds and perhaps a waistband. Unfortunately, the styling of the East Lancs body doesn't particularly lend itself to bands continuing from the sides around the front, which doesn't help. And surely, First could have allowed a cream fleetname? Even NBC allowed that in the early days of their corporate identity, for buses that still carried the old liveries.
However, NBC must carry a lot of the blame for the preponderance of white nowadays!
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