Northern General Transport Co
of Darlington
1914 Northern General Transport Co Ltd was incorporated with the aim of developing transport facilities in the northern counties, including use of motor vehicles and electric trams. It absorbed Gateshead and District Tramways Co, Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Co, Jarrow and District Electric Traction Co[1]
1930 London and North Eastern Railway purchased a substantial interest in the company[2]
1931 Acquired Sunderland District Omnibus Co[3]
1933 The company was controlled jointly by British Electric Traction Co and the London and North Eastern Railway[4]
1936 Acquired Tyneside Tramways and Tramroads Co which operated motor bus services[5]
1948 The LNER's share of ownership was inherited by the British Transport Commission[6]
1936 Acquired Wakefield's Motors Ltd from the LNER. Absorbed General County Omnibus Co[7]
1950 The company's fleet consisted of 550 buses; in total they covered 25 million miles and carried 143 million passengers[8]
The company was jointly controlled by British Electric Traction Co and British Transport Commission[9]
1963 The BTC share of the company passed to the Transport Holding Co, a body that had no financial links with the railways[10]
1968 The Transport Holding Co acquired British Electric Traction Co's shares in UK bus companies, including Northern General [11]
1987 Privatised by the National Bus Co[12].
Buses and Coaches
In the 1930s Northern General Transport started to build their own chassis designs.
The reason for this was the growth of traffic - low bridges were dominant which prevented use, on many routes, of double-deckers. A new approach was needed in the form of high capacity single-deckers.
1933 saw the start of production for single engined single deckers.
1951 One bus and one coach were built.
The coach had an AEC Regal chassis with a 7.7 litre engine.
The bus had a 30ft by 8ft chassis frame also with a 7.7 litre engine.
1970 Northern General built double-deckers, the Tynesider and the Wearsider.
After the production of these buses no more vehicles were made.
Sources of Information
- Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, Jan 20, 1914
- ↑ The Times, Apr 17, 1961
- ↑ The Times , Apr 21, 1931
- ↑ The Times, Apr 03, 1933
- ↑ The Times, Apr 09, 1936
- ↑ The Times, Apr 24, 1962
- ↑ The Times Apr 14, 1937
- ↑ The Times Apr 17, 1950
- ↑ The Times, Dec 31, 1952
- ↑ The Times, Apr 19, 1963
- ↑ The Times, Jul 05, 1968
- ↑ Commercial Motor 16th May 1987