The LONDON TRANSPORT Manchesters

This page created 26th October 2013 using Notepad, by Ian Smith.

Manchester WLV drawing Gravesend & District, with a garage in Perry Street, Northfleet, were the only London area user of the Manchester buses produced by Willys-Overland-Crossley. They already had an Overland bus, a small sixteen seater. Of the Manchesters they had two types, both twenty seaters: the 2 ton WLV, and the 1.5 ton six-wheeler (about which I can find not a whisper anywhere). Gravesend & District had both in bus and coach formats, including one convertible coach bought second-hand from Tilbury Dock Coaches.

London Transport took over in October 1933. Thge Overland went for disposal almost immediately. Most of the Manchesters had gone by a year later. The survivors, KR6859 and KR7090 were both converted to lorries by LT in the summer of 1934, but then were refitted with bus bodies in December that year. So they survived a little longer, until the spring of 1936.

Manchester Fleet History

These histories are far from complete. They are being assembled from bits of data as I come across them.
Particularly useful, if not always agreeing with each other, are:
  • "London Bus File, 1933-39 (S-D)", Ken Glazier, (Capital Transport 2002).
  • "Country Buses Vol1", Laurie Akehurst, (Capital Transport 2012)
  • data from Richard Cains, mainly about disposals
 
      KO 3306  */27    new to Gravesend & District Bus Services: Overland, B16
              10/33    taken over by LPTB
               3/34    sold to Dawson SW9

      VX 8540  */30    new to Tilbury Dock Coaches (A.R.Greenslade): Manchester WLV, convertible C20F
               7/33    bought by Gravesend & District Bus Services
              10/33    taken over by LPTB
               5/34 NF used on Gravesend local services (Northfleet) 
              10/34    sold
               5/35    converted to lorry

      KR 6859  */30    new to Gravesend & District Bus Services: Manchester 2-ton WLV, B19F
              10/33    taken over by LPTB
               7/34    converted to petrol lorry
              12/34    converted back to bus 
               4/36    sold to Dawson, London SW9

      KJ 4016  */31    new to Gravesend & District Bus Services: Manchester 2-ton WLV, B20F
              10/33    taken over by LPTB 
              10/34    sold

      KJ 4191  */31    new to Gravesend & District Bus Services: Manchester 2-ton WLV, B20F
              10/33    taken over by LPTB 
              10/34    sold


      KR 3034  */30    new to Gravesend & District Bus Services: Manchester 30cwt 6-wheeler, C20F
              10/33    taken over by LPTB 
              10/34    sold

      KR 7090  */30    new to Gravesend & District Bus Services: Manchester 30cwt 6-wheeler, B20F
              10/33    taken over by LPTB
               5/34    converted to petrol lorry
              12/34    converted back to bus  
               5/36    sold to Dawson, London SW9

Photographic References

For a key to the photographic references, please see the bibliography. 

       VX 8540  CBLA p27     5/34 NF on Clock Tower - Marquis of Granby service, "General" green/black
                LBF339S p105 5/34 NF on Clock Tower - Marquis of Granby service, "General" green/black

       KR 6859  LBF339S p106      NF on tow after accident: crumpled n/s wing

Ian's Bus Stop Cub