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British Bus Systems No 3 Thames Valley by Peter Holmes Hard Cover
British Bus Systems No 3 Thames Valley by Peter Holmes
Hard Cover
98 pages
Copyright 1984
CONTENTS
Introduction 4
1 `British' 6
2 The 'twenties11
3 The 'thirties24
4 Wartime 41
5 Nationalisation to amalgamation50
6 Alder Valley82
Sites and buildings 86
Service vehicles 92
Preservation 94
Operators taken over95
Acknowledgements96
INTRODUCTION
It is now more than twelve years since the `Thames Valley' fleetname disappeared, to be replaced by `Alder Valley', the name adopted by the then newly-formed Thames Valley and Aldershot Omnibus Co Ltd., set up as a result of the merger with Aldershot & District (whose story is told in a companion volume). It is hoped that this book will serve as a reminder of the old company to those who regretted its passing, as well as a record of its heritage for those familiar only with more recent events.
Thames Valley's origins lay firmly within the already giant British Electric Traction combine, having started in 1915 as a branch of its subsidiary, the British Automobile Traction Co Ltd. However, the other great road passenger transport concern, Thomas Tilling Ltd, also became financially involved in the formation of the new Thames Valley Traction Co Ltd in 1920. As the years went by, the degree of Tilling control increased, and from 1942 Thames Valley had become a Tilling subsidiary. Nationalisation came in 1948, though the Tilling group's policies continued almost undisturbed until the NBC era over 20 years later.
These changes in control gave an unusual degree of variation in character to Thames Valley. There was an injection of yet another `flavour' in 1950, when the Newbury & District and South Midland fleets from the Red & White group, which had also been acquired by the Tilling Group, were put under TV control.
The Company's territory was at first largely as described by its title but later grew into the Chiltern hills. One of its problems was the way in which nearly all the major centres of population it served, other than Reading, Maidenhead and, in more recent times, Newbury and Bracknell, were on the fringes of its area and therefore largely the province of other operators. In Reading, the municipal trams, trolleybuses and buses were protected by differential fares, so TV had relatively little of the intensive local services that form the bread and butter of many operators' businesses.
My own connection with TV was intermittent. As a very small boy. I saw Odiham dormy shed and its open-staircase Leyland Titan in daily use. When the family car was laid up during the war we patronised similar buses for shopping expeditions to Reading, and in later years I made many weekend journeys home from work in Bristol K-types which never seemed to get into top gear in the meandering lanes. Over many years I and my friends built up our TV fleet lists and saw the relentless march of Tilling standardisation. In the 1960's the large intake of second-hand buses from other Tilling fleets made even the dedicated enthusiast wonder if he was still in the Thames valley.
I have included a short chapter on the Alder Valley era, not intended as a comprehensive history, but to show how the present management is attempting to reshape the operations to suit changing circumstances. Restrictions on local authority subsidies have hampered progress in stabilising the network of the bus services but the emergence of new coach traffic has been noteworthy and the company's workshops earn valuable revenue by taking on outside vehicle engineering work. Now, with the prospect of rapidly changing commercial circumstances, it is possible that we shall see the Company adopt an operating style reminiscent of the pre-1930's era.
Peter HolmesSandhurst, 1984
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