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Middleton Road, MANCHESTER, M8 4NB

KJA 871F, a 1968 ex-Stockport Corporation Leyland Titan PD3 with East Lancs bodywork is standing at the Middleton Road entrance to Heaton Park. The bus, which has been preserved in the 1970s SELNEC orange and white livery, is serving on a heritage bus service taking visitors between the park and the Museum of Transport on Boyle Street, in connection with the 2012 Trans Lancs Rally. The Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally is organised by Greater Manchester Transport Society. It is their annual rally which traditionally takes place on the first Sunday in September and finishes at Heaton Park. It the largest event of its kind held in the North of England. Each year, it attracts over two hundred vehicles of all types from the ever-popular buses to the smaller groups of classic cars, motorcycles, trucks, vans, fire engines, and army trucks.

Manchester Corporation 1001 (HVM 901F), a Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 with Park Royal bodywork, is waiting outside the Middleton Road gates at Heaton Park. The preserved bus is operating a heritage bus service running between the park and the Museum of Transport on Boyle Street, in connection with the 2012 Trans Lancs Rally. 1001 was the first bus to carry the new design of bodywork (known as “Mancunian”) and was the first ever purpose-built, dual door, one-man operated, double deck bus in the United Kingdom. When first delivered, in 1968, these buses looked spectacular, and caused quite a stir with their “reversed” livery, white and red instead of the usual red and cream of Manchester Corporation. Since being withdrawn in 1981, it has been preserved at the Museum of Transport http://www.gmts.co.uk/explore/vehicles/profiles/1001.html . The Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally is organised by Greater Manchester Transport Society. It is their annual rally which traditionally takes place on the first Sunday in September and finishes at Heaton Park. It the largest event of its kind held in the North of England. Each year, it attracts over two hundred vehicles of all types from the ever-popular buses to the smaller groups of classic cars, motorcycles, trucks, vans, fire engines, and army trucks.

Manchester Corporation 1001 (HVM 901F), a Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 with Park Royal bodywork, is waiting outside the Middleton Road entrance to Heaton Park. The preserved bus is operating a heritage bus service between the park and the Museum of Transport on Boyle Street, in connection with the 2012 Trans Lancs Rally. 1001 was the first bus to carry the new design of bodywork (known as “Mancunian”) and was the first ever purpose-built, dual door, one-man operated, double deck bus in the United Kingdom. When first delivered, in 1968, these buses looked spectacular, and caused quite a stir with their “reversed” livery, white and red instead of the usual red and cream. Since being withdrawn in 1981, it has been preserved at the Museum of Transport http://www.gmts.co.uk/explore/vehicles/profiles/1001.html . The Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally is organised by Greater Manchester Transport Society. It is their annual rally which traditionally takes place on the first Sunday in September and finishes at Heaton Park. It the largest event of its kind held in the North of England. Each year, it attracts over two hundred vehicles of all types from the ever-popular buses to the smaller groups of classic cars, motorcycles, trucks, vans, fire engines, and army trucks.

As a result of the Transport Act of 1968, four large operating bodies known as PTEs (Passenger Transport Executives) were set up to run bus (and local rail) transport across various regions of the county, including Merseyside, Tyneside, West Midlands, and the body set up for Manchester and the surrounding towns was named SELNEC (South East Lancashire, North East Cheshire). The SELNEC PTE was officially formed in terms of its vehicle operations on 1st November 1969, and inherited the Bus Fleets from 11 constituent City and Town Councils being Manchester, Salford, Oldham, Ashton, SHMD, Stockport, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton, Ramsbottom and Leigh. Whereas the other three PTEs took the colour of the largest constituent fleet, (Liverpool Green for Merseyside, Newcastle Yellow for Tyneside, Birmingham Blue for West Midlands), SELNEC did not take the Red of Manchester but took a political decision to have a neutral colour, thus ending up with sunglow orange/white. When the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester was created on 1 April 1974 the executive was renamed to GMPTE, with the county council replacing the joint transport authority. Here 7001 (VNB 101L), a Leyland Atlantean with Park Royal "Mancunian" bodywork, which was new to SELNEC in 1972, stands by the Middleton Road Entrance to Heaton Park. It is operating a heritage bus service between the park and the Museum of Transport at Boyle Street where the bus is normally housed. more information about the SELNEC buses and their preservation may be found at http://www.selnec.org.uk/ The SELNEC Preservation Society.

Seen from the top deck of a tram.

The tram was built in 1914 to seat up to 40 people, and was used on Manchester Corporation's Route 53, where double deck trams were unable to operate. It is seen here near the park's entrance gates in Middleton Road. This photograph was taken by my late father, when he was in his eighties, and on what proved to be his final visit to his home city. It is strange to think that, as a boy and a young man, he must often have seen this tram trundling along the Manchester streets, and maybe he even rode on it. Unfortunately my father kept very few negatives, so I have done my best to scan the small print which survives as accurately as I can. Image

The last survivor of the batch of single deck trams built in 1914 at Hyde Park Car Works for Route 53, which ran on a circuitous route from Stretford Road to Cheetham Hill Road, near Belle Vue. The route was converted to a bus route as early as 1930. This tram ended up on a farm near Huddersfield in Yorkshire, from where it was rescued and eventually restored to its present superb condition. In 1985 the tram went on loan to Blackpool for the centenary of their tramway, and stayed there for three more seasons. By May 1989, when this photograph was taken, it had returned to Heaton Park. It was photographed near the gates at the Middleton Road (A576) entrance to the park. This section of track was originally a siding for the park, on the original Manchester Corporation system. Image Image

Manchester Corporation 3496 (TNA 496) posing near the Middleton Road entrance to Heaton Park. 3496, a Leyland PD2 with Burlingham bodywork first entered service in 1958. It remained in service (latterly with SELNEC) until it was withdrawn in 1975. It spent a further seven years working as a canteen/workshop until it was bought for preservation and restored with the final version of the Manchester City Transport (Manchester Corporation) livery which it would have carried immediately before the take over by SELNEC in 1969.

Shortly after Heaton Park was bought by Manchester Corporation the tramway was extended into the park, opening in 1903. The service ended in 1934 and the tracks were covered over. The tracks were later uncovered and re-opened in 1980.