It was back in 1912 a company that traded under the name of Gaunless Valley Motor Services commenced a bus services which ran from Evenwood to
Darlington and Bishop Auckland. Allegedly this included the first petrol-engined bus to enter Bishop Auckland. Unfortunately during the 1914-1918
conflict the founder a Mr. Wade Emmerson was involved in wartime service, and by the time of his return other operators had made their mark and
there was then a period of ‘conflict’ between the various operators.
However, the company survived and entered into a period of stability when it became licensed under the 1930 Road Traffic Act.
Previously Mr.Emmerson had entered into a partnership with a Mr. Howe from Spennymoor and between them developed a service between Bishop
Auckland and Newcastle, which was operated with the fleetname of ‘OK’.
Up to the 1970s most of the mixed vehicle fleet of buses and coaches were second-hand acquisitions, but from then on many vehicles were
acquired from new.
But as time progressed circumstances resulted with the company taken over by the Go-Ahead Group in March 1995 and subsequently the
disappearance of the livery.
However, in December 2011, Go North East announced that the OK livery would return within the vast network of their many branded routes. This
came to fruition in January this year on new services branded as ‘The OK Way’, to link Crook with Darlington, West Auckland and Bishop Auckland.
Existing Mini Pointer Darts and Scanias with Wrightbus Solar bodywork feature the livery and obviously coincide with the 100-years anniversary
of the original operation.
As for the Potteries, they came about in a quite different fashion. During 1862 a certain aptly named American gentleman called George
Francis Train created a horse tram line that ran from Hanley to Burslem. This operation was later taken over by the North Staffordshire Tramways
Company and converted it to steam traction in 1881. The tram system flourished and expanded over the next few years, but representation was made
by concerned bodies that much pollution was created by this operation. Now where have we heard this before?
However, as a result of these complaints operation of the system was cut back, but was soon reversed due to passengers who made their own
complaints as regards the loss of their tram services. Just goes to show that passenger pressure groups worked right back then.
The network then passed into the hands of the British Electric Traction Group in 1896 and the first electric trams made their appearance in
1899 as the ‘Potteries Electric Traction’ (PMT). But this operation was relatively short-lived as by 1913 the motor bus had replaced much of
the system and by 1930 along with that Road Traffic Act, the tram system had disappeared.
Train’s original company had by now been joined by many other independents in the Potteries area, but with a new identification, the
‘Potteries Motor Traction’ acquired much of the opposition. As the 1960s drew to a close a new era began in the shape of the National Bus
Company (NBC) amongst which was gathered the ‘Potteries’ operations. Later in the mid-1980s the NBC subsidiaries were all sold off into
private hands and eventually by the 2000s the various old liveries of PMT had all but disappeared. Subsequently PMT later became a subsidiary
of FirstGroup.
But like OK the livery from the latter years has been revived on three single-deckers which currently operate on routes through the
Potteries area.
The buses have been repainted into the 1980s red and yellow livery and operate over two routes the 25 (Keele University-Hanley) and the
26/26A (Hanley-Newcastle, no not the one served by OK, but the ‘-under-Lyme’ one in Staffordshire).
1. Two of OK Motors coaches open this set of images as they rested between duties in August 1987 in the car and coach park on the seafront
at Eyemouth. This large fishing community is located over the Border into Scotland about 10-miles north of Berwick-on-Tweed; the vehicles
having no doubt travelled north up the A1 trunk road from North East England. These were two of five DAFs with Duple bodywork acquired new
by the company in June 1987.
2. As the companies bus operations expanded a number of assorted vehicles were acquired secondhand. Amongst them was this Alexander bodied
Leyland Atlantean, one of fifty acquired new by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) between August 1979 and April 1980. Here
the bus operated a stage service in the Gateshead area during August 1991.
3. Since the 1990s the Dennis Dart has become the backbone for many a bus company. Initially these were step-entrance type such as this one
illustrated and run by PMT in October 1993. IDC 929 in the fleet displayed branding for route 260/X60 between Hanley, Stone and Stafford and
despite being many miles away in Derbyshire it swung onto Goose Green at the village of Baslow Nether End on route X23 between Sheffield and Hanley.
4. If memory serves correct this was a ‘Knype’, a Leyland chassis with a PMT built body. With dual-purpose seating and this rather austere
style, one wonders why so few were built. Perhaps the answer is clear. PMT’s number IWC 318 made tracks towards Hanley as it passed by the
JCB factory near Rocester from Uttoxeter in June 1994.
5-6. A rather aged and heavy but handsome looking Duple bodied Leyland Leopard from OK Motors is seen here against a backdrop of grey concreted
Newcastle city centre buildings in August 1994.
Slightly different body styling from the same source was placed upon this Leyland Leopard, one of fifteen originally supplied to the Alexander
(Fife) company between June and July in 1978, as their fleet numbers FPE 105-119. Here what had been FPE 114 headed out of Sunderland towards
Houghton-le-Spring, with older but perhaps more aesthetically pleasing buildings providing a background.
7. With the same set of buildings behind a younger company vehicle made much the same manoeuvre a few minutes later in August 1994. The Optare
Delta with DAF SB220 mechanics became a firm favorite with many operators during this period.
8-9. Leyland Atlantean became a favoured type double-decker for the company with such like GGR 103N here acquired from new in October 1974.
Northern Counties bodywork was also the company’s preference at the time as the bus departed from the bus station at Bishop Auckland in March 1995.
A similar but slightly longer later model was also acquired second-hand, this being one of thirty previously operated by the
Tyne & Wear PTE and built in 1979.
10. Succeeding the Atlantean came the Leyland Olympian and three models were acquired and included F107 UEF in 1989. Once again the bus
station played host to the bus as it departed in March 1995 on the long haul up to Newcastle via Low Fell, Birtley and Chester-le-Street.
11-12. The variety of second-hand acquisitions appeared to hold no bounds with buses coming from many parts of the United Kingdom. Originally
operated by Rhymney Valley were five of these East Lancs bus bodied Leyland PSU type. Supplied back in 1983 PWO 87Y here was that operator’s
number DC 91, but by April 1995 was with OK and operated as shown here on service 45 between Durham and Spennymoor. The nearside aspect
illustrated the presence of one of the main protagonists at the time, in the shape of an Optare Delta owned by United, the company with
which the original operator had conflict in years just after the First World War.
13-14. Moving south and to the North Yorkshire market town of Richmond on the same day and a minibus in the shape of a Mercedes-Benz
MB709D approached the town centre on a local service. The fine cobbled square of the town centre provided an ample area for bus services to
drop off and pick up passengers both local and from far afield. The bus was one of nine that were acquired from new in late 1994.
15. In contrast also seen as it approached the market square on the same day was this Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard supplied new to OK in
July 1979, on a longer service from Barnard Castle.
16-17. A competitor at the time to the Dennis Dart/Plaxton combination was the Volvo B6 midibus. L410 GPY was one of four of the latter
supplied new in April 1994, with the Plaxton Pointer style of body similar to that on the Dart. The proliferation of elegant street furniture
provided a backdrop in Stockton-on-Tees wide High Street in May 1995 with the bus bound for Thornaby.
The B6 was again a step-entrance design but unlike the Dennis could be supplied with various body options. M426 RDC was one of eight acquired
new to OK in late 1994 and supplied with an Alexander Dash body.
18. Another bus from the Alexander body building stable was this Strider version supplied onto a Volvo B10B chassis and mechanical bits. It
was one of five such vehicles supplied to OK in mid-1994 and L210 KEF paused in the large bus station alongside the vast Metro Centre
shopping complex in August 1995.
19-20. Several Eastern Coachworks (ECW) bodied Bristol LHs originally operated by London Buses were acquired during the mid-1990s. Among
them was what was fleet number BL 55 in London and along with another identical vehicle, was found on a rather wet September 1995 day among the
grassy green expanses of West Auckland. Here the bus displays the town names of Crook and West Auckland, one of the routes upon which the
revived and liveried buses now operate.
21. Bright sunshine in February 1996 brought out the best of the PMT livery in Newcastle-under-Lyme on this ECW bodied Leyland Olympian. Fleet
number DOG 741 with shades of Crosville about it pulled across the dual-carriageway in order to enter the bus station and was one of ten supplied
new in late 1983. By now though the PMT company was a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
22. The ‘f-in-Circle’ (so to speak!) was prominent alongside the large ‘PMT’ fleet name on the sides of this Plaxton bodied Dennis Dart, as
it swung itself through a road junction just outside Baslow in May 1998. IDC 964 also sported the words “The Potteries Connection” on the body
panels above the window lines on either side of the vehicle beneath leaden Derbyshire skies, as it made its way next to Bakewell, then onwards
to Buxton, Leek and Hanley on the long X23 service from Sheffield.
23. Back round the other side of the village later in the same year in October and a rather austere looking midibus paused at the Nether
End northbound bus stop with autumnal hues provided by the large tree on the green. By now the route had been re-numbered to be an X18 and
this Reeve Burgess bodied Mercedes-Benz MB811D was one of four acquired in September 1990.
24. In complete contrast the vehicle travelling back the other way on the same day was this Jonckheere Jubilee bodied Volvo B10M coach.
Previously registered F758 OJH it operated initially with the Berks Bucks Bus Company and later with FirstGroup on the Londonlink commuter
services from the Thames Valley townships in Berkshire.
25. And finally to complete a trio of quite different types of vehicles used by the PMT subsidiary in early 2002, a recently painted Leyland
Lynx. Number 854 glistened in February sunshine as it like others, paused at the northbound bus stop at Baslow Nether End.