The Early History Of Hammondville Bus Service

[Leopard_071]

I grew up living on Moorebank Ave Moorebank. A lane ran beside my house from Moorebank Ave to Cooper Ave & I could see the depot from my house as there were no houses in front of the depot in those days. I can remember when G.V.Scott owned Rt.42 before he sold out {apprpx 1946 or '47} to A.J. Moore {P'matta-Epping Bus Co} who in turn sold out to the late Allan Redman in mid 50's. With many thanks to the help from Vic Hayes with the history of some of the buses, here are some VERY EARLY photos. The depot used by G.V.Scott was in a paddock on Market St Moorebank, he had an ex Army 4 wheel trailer with 6 x 44 galong drums on it from which he to hand pump the fuel into his buses, The trailer was pulled an old ex army Ford "Blitz" truck. When A.J. Moore built the depot in Cooper Ave all the iron & timber was 2nd hand and came from the Old Liverpool Army Camp that was on Moorenak Ave between Heathcote Rd & Heals Ave.

[Bedford-29]

Picture 7 the Albion Venturer L31/26R is ex D.G.T 1226 it was sold to JJ Hill Wollongong 3/49 where it was MO-3661 then it was sold to West Bankstown bus service 10/51 which became there MO-4048 then sold J.H Moore West Bankstown and remained MO-4048 it was deregd 5/53 and scrapped the Leyland TD Lowbridge beside MO-4048 is difficult to pin point.Picture 6 of ex D.G.T 1230 is another Albion Venturer L31/26R lowbridge.And picture 4 & 5 might a D.G.T Dennis Lancet II.

[Dave Wilson]

Dennis Lancet II ex DRTT 1496, later sold to Stones Auburn

Leyland with 4048 is ex DRTT 1196.Leyland TD-4 Waddington composite

1230 is a Mod 80 Albion Venturer lowbridge

[Centralian]

What an amazing collection you've been posting over the last few weeks Leopard_071. I'm really enjoying it and appreciate your sharing it and the snippets of information you provide. It's all new stuff to me, so I'm enjoying.

[GM]

The photo of mo 1230 was taken on 9th July, 1950.
If you look closely, leaning on the fence is a bycycle that I used to travel from South Granville to take the photo. GM

[Bedford-29]

D.G.T 1208 was sold to Deluxe bus service 3/49 then rebodied regd MO-067 it was deregd 1950 and sold to Port Macquarie bus service as MO-4674.

[GM]

More Moore's of Morebank. GM

[Bedford-29]

The Austerity Ford in the third picture is ex DRT&T 1755 which ended up at Liverpool bus co 10/52.

[Leopard_071]

To "G.M" I am so grateful for your extra photos/////. I had heaps of photos of buses in the Liverpool Area but in my 20's they were in albums in a box that got wet. Most of the photos I have now are copies givern to me by the Late All Redman. In my younger days I used to wash his buses and that was before the drive was sealed///// Once again thanks heaps. Do you mind if I put these photos that you have added, into my collcetion ?. I can see by your photo to the side of the depot it was taken before Moore sold Rt.69 Liverpool-Milperra to R.Shephard, who moved his depot to Epson Rd. Chipping Norton.As I look closer into your photo of 1230's body I can see that fibro house in the back ground is still being built//////. As I said in my photo that house in still there some 62 years later, that's history for you.I have side on photo of the depot which shows the Dennis 1/2 cab & the ex Rutty's Reo as wrecks, I shall post it tonight.

[GM]

I worked at Johnson & Phillips Epsom Rd Moorebank from May 1951 till May 1954.
The railway line to the Army Camp ran just outside the boundary.
Little did I know in those days that I would sell one of my buses to Peter Threkold at the old Cooper Rd depot. GM

[Centralian]

Would there have been many MAN chassied buses around in the '50's or earlier, given the German connection and WW2 ? I know there was one in the Blue Mountains which may also have had a Syd Wood body, and I'm not sure if I'm seeing images of the same bus with different operators, or if there were a few of them around. That wasn't a Chrysler brand bike by any chance GM ? And I love the photos.

[boronia]

In the early 60s I went on a school excursion to Jenolan Caves. We took the train to Mt Vic, and our transport from there down to the Caves was a black side loader pre war MAN. I didn't kinow a lot about buses in those days but I was absolutely fascinated by this one.

Pearce's also had a MAN "conventional" in the late 60s.

[Leopard_071]

Hi "G-M" here are a few photos that may be of interest to you and others ofcourse.I used to work as J.S.A. on the Railway{my 1st job from school} at Cabramatta, the last pick up station for the " The Riflemens Train" that use to run each Saturday fron Central to the Anzac Rifle Range via Campsie, I would finish at about 12;45pm and board the train about 1;15pm and the driver would always let me off at corner of Moorebank Ave & Heatcote Rd, one would say my own persoal train////// oh for the good old days.

[boronia]

Gee, I was on that tour with 2029, any idea of the date ??

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Some years before, as a very young lad, myself and a mate decided to walk out along the line from Liverpool one Sunday to see where it went. Got quite a shock to get to the end and find a train waiting to bring shooters back to town. At least it saved the walk back to L'pool.

[GM]

Centralian, the bike was an early "Charger'.
A number of MAN chassis were imported c1937 but many were not bodied till c1942 because of the shortage of chassis during the war.
m/o 694 was bodied by Syd Wood in 27.05.1942.
Blue Mountains Transport had a Number of MAN's, this is where the one Pearce's had may have come from. GM

[GM]

A few MAN buses for Centralian & Baronia. GM

[Bedford-29]

That MAN half cab is interesting was there only one of these built.But what is interesting is picture 9 of the Rover Motors MAN and the AEC Regent 1 MO-3071 standing to the left did you ever snap a picture of it as I am interested in it thanks GM.

[busmadrod]

I luv the pictures, i especially like the Rover Motors bus..............does anyone have older pictures of hunter valley coaches buses

[Albion Victor]

The photo of Seargent's MO 3552, signwritten for the Wyong to Swansea service poses a couple of questions for me.

I seem to recollect that this route was Newcastle N21, (may have wrong number), and so the buses used carried m/o plates as they were operating a "Metropolitan" route. If this wasn't the case at the time the photo was taken, when did this come into force? Did Seargents have the shed at Swansea at this time to stable the bus o/night? And, is the photo taken in Swansea?

[GM]

Foggs of Newcastle were running Swansea to Catherine Hill Bay (Route 28) from 07.12.1940.
Later they took over some of the local services from Wyong to Budgewoi, Norahville and Toukley.
They joined their Swansea – Catherine Hill Bay service to Budgewoi and Wyong in 1946.
On 09.1946 Fogg’s split the Route into two parts, Carey Motors took the Swansea – Catherine Hill Bay as Route 28.
On the same day Seargents Transit bought the Swansea/Wyong Service as Route 19.
With the Swansea service went a number of m/o plates, as Swansea was classed as the Newcastle Metropolitan Area, where as the rest of their fleet were MO.
More to follow, GM

[Dave Wilson]

MO 3071 is not an AEC Regent , but a Leyland TD-1 re-engined by Rovers. I don't think MO 3071 is recorded against any of the TD-1s, regrettably.

[Stu]

Not a real good photo but is 2029 leading a load of new International "Alco" army trucks across the old Geoge's River Bridge to run behind Johson & Phillips along Heathcote Rd.

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^ The bridge pylons in this photo still exist. I didn't know that it ws a train line, I always thought that it was a roadway overpass in the early days of Liverpool and that the current bridge (Newbridge Rd) was an upgraded replacement for the original bridge. It's very interesting, I'll do some research now to find out more.

[boronia]

A few MAN buses for Centralian & Baronia. GM

Thanks GM

That bus from Georges looks like what I would have ridden in. Preumably they were from the Blue Mountains area. I tnink we travelled the other direction in an SB Bedford.

[Albion Victor]

Foggs of Newcastle were running Swansea to Catherine Hill Bay (Route 28) from 07.12.1940.
Later they took over some of the local services from Wyong to Budgewoi, Norahville and Toukley.
They joined their Swansea – Catherine Hill Bay service to Budgewoi and Wyong in 1946.
On 09.1946 Fogg’s split the Route into two parts, Carey Motors took the Swansea – Catherine Hill Bay as Route 28.
On the same day Seargents Transit bought the Swansea/Wyong Service as Route 19.
With the Swansea service went a number of m/o plates, as Swansea was classed as the Newcastle Metropolitan Area, where as the rest of their fleet were MO.
More to follow, GM

Look forward to more history of this area from you GM!

The photo of MO (not m/o) 3552 still puzzles me. I would think that the authorities responsible for the regulation of passenger services at this time would have been diligent in ensuring that a "Metro plated" bus would be used on this Route. I guess that then as today there is some discretion in the application of the relevant rules.

[Leopard_071]

The Austerity Ford in the third picture is ex DRT&T 1755 which ended up at Liverpool bus co 10/52.

Moores ran 3 of these Ford "Austerity" buses at Liverpool Bus Co, as it was known before Hammondville Bus Service , but only 1 had the red band with black pencil line above & below the red, the other 2 were just silver roof & window frames with dark blue below the windows.