What's the story of Transway?

As best I know, Transway started out in around 1957 running out of a service station in Salisbury, developing local services in Salisbury, and in the then-new 'satellite city" of Elizabeth. They grew as Elizabeth did.

They always relied heavily on ex MTT buses - the first being six of the troublesome Ford Ansair Transetts of 1951 (several pictures of them have appeared in this series).
Transway converted them from rear-engine to forward engine, usually using a Bedford petrol engine. (The first one they converted apparently had one forward gear, and four reverse! - this was soon remedied by an appropriate adjustment to the rear axle!)

Then, in 1961, in quite a remarkable event, they purchased eleven of the fifteen MTT 1947/48 Daimler CVG6 double deckers, previously employed on the MTT's Anzac Highway services. Transway ran them as one-man units, and they would occasionally be seen in Adelaide City on charter runs!

Around 1965, they acquired three MTT Hope bodies AEC Regal 111s, but Transway apparently found them troublesome (fond of blowing head gaskets, apparently.)

They also had some other single deck buses, mostly Befords with various bodies.

In May 1968. fifteen underfloor AEC Regal 1V three-door buses arrived - these over time, did away with the Daimlers, Transetts, and Regal 111s, as well as some of the older non-MTT buses.

A few further Regal lVs were acquired over time, and they had about 20 such units by the time of the MTT takeover in 1974.

Meantime, they had moved from Salisbury to larger premises in Elizabeth South (Coglin Street?). just off Phillip Highway opposite the GMH factory.

Another important development was the commencement of a service from Elizabeth Downs to Adelaide (route 490 originally) in October 1969.

For this, they purchased some new Bedfords (I think their first new buses), and later converted a couple more Regal lVs by removing the rear door, and building up the back platform - also sign writing for "Elizabeth Passenger Service" which buses for the 490 usually bore.

Two attractive Freighter bodied Leyland Leopards also were purchased in the early 1970s.

Transway, like most of the metro operators were caught up in the February 1974 takeover by the MTT - at least the MTT would have familiar with most of the vehicles taken over!

Cheers

Trevor

I have recalled on ATDB some time ago, my first visit to Adelaide in May 1963 with my mother when I was 11 (my sister had won a trip on Ch 9 by Pioneer Express staying at the Grosvenor Hotel opposite the station but hated buses - yippee!). There were still trolley buses in Rundle Street but no double decker buses to be seen. One conductor told us that there were still running in Elizabeth. So we took the train - it seemed like a long trip back then - and found the double deckers waiting. My memory is that they were still in the silver livery at the time. Here is a photo taken by the late Neil Mackintosh which I scanned from his slide collection in 2010. I guess it shows the service station that Trevor mentions and also shows a Lawton bodied White which was No 1 in their fleet and probably their first bus. It is in a dark blue and silver livery, perhaps indicating its previous owner. The DDs in Neil's (undated) photo are now in the light blue, red and silver livery:

The Daimler CVG6 in your picture system improver is ex MTT Adelaide 125 (240-009) placed into service in 1948 or !949 and withdrawn in 1960

Thanks for that photo, systemimprover - I reckon the Daimlers looked particularly good in that colour scheme - pity they later dropped the red bands, but it must have cost a fortune in masking tape!

Is there any chance of posting any more of Neil Mack's photos, either as part of this series, or perhaps in a series of their own? - I know he took a lot of bus photos, and had some particularly interesting ones from the 1950s and 60s, including the vehicles we are seeing in the McManus images.

Neil also wrote a very interesting series about Adelaide's MTT services during this era in the SA Bus and Coach magazine of the early 1970s. He had travelled to and from school at Adelaide High on the Anzac Highway buses in the late forties and early 50s, and recounts his first impressions of vehicles such as the Ansair Transetts, AEC Regal 111s and AEC and Leyland underfloors when they first appeared.

He had a wonderful way with words, and was able to convey not just the facts and figures, but also capturing the atmosphere of past times.

I had been thinking of reproducing the articles, or portions of them, here, as they fit in with the era covered by the photos. What do people think?

Cheers,

Trevor

A bit more on Transway Services Pty.Ltd.The company was registered on 20/4/55 by Fred Lymn to operate a service station and goods carrying business in Salisbury.
The bus business commenced 5/57 as Salisbury-Adelaide Passenger Transport Limited and grew to a 35 bus fleet.
The haulage business was sold to Gamblings Limited in 1960 and the bus business grew as Transway Services Pty.Ltd.
Business sold to STA 24/2/74.
Thanks for your series here,Trevor.Please keep it going.Great history,especially the long gone Adelaide private route companies.

As someone who has vivid recollections of MTT tram ,trolley bus and bus services in that era ,I would love to see you reproduce those articles.Keep up the
good work.

It is good that Neil Mackintosh is being remembered; yes he had an almost artistic way with words and he was a great photographer - no doubt he learned a lot from his great friend, the photographic master, Doug Colquhoun!!

Returning to Transway, as a 10 pound Pom, our family settled in Elizabeth East in 1966 and we lived in Kinkaid Road, on the corner with Midway Avenue and there is a little slip road, which these wonderous, but old fashioned looking Daimler DD's used travel along. I had just left Welwyn garden City, which was in London Transport's "Green" territory with green RT's in the most beautiful condition and these old Transway Daimlers looked shabby and old in design, by comparison, but nevertheless, very interesting as the only DD's around. Also my judgement of DD's was influenced by the newly introduced Routemasters in London.

I do think now that our local buses are very good by any measure.

I met the proprietor of Transway on several occasions at the Chartered Institute for Transport functions he was very interesting and friendly

I have just noticed (in picture 749 of the Leyland Worldmaster) the positioning of the air vents in the front panel. I can only remember one other in the 800-900 series being placed like that, and that was 800 - the prototype. I wonder what the story may have been, but we probably will never know!

Paul

Well spotted, Paul.

I had actually intended to make a note about it when I posted the picture, but, as usual, I was a bit short of time - I wondered then whether anyone would notice!

800 actually had a basically 600/700 type body entirely, just alterations made to allow for different wheelbase, fuel filler, water cap etc. It was built in 1956 at the same time as the AECs.

956 was the only batch built Worldmaster with this type of front - it has headlights and ventilators in the AEC position, but the headlights are indented as on the other Worldmasters, so it must be a fibreglass moulding (600s/700s had metal). This I think would mean a special mould must have been made up, just for one bus!

As you say, we'll probably never know why. 956 ended up at Fearnes of Wagga, still with the one-off apron.

Cheers,

Trevor

Here's a few photos of ex STA Leyland Worldmasters for comparisons.I hope others will add their photos too.