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Conway Street

Something scary and magical
by Martin Nimmo

If you hadn't aleady guessed, because there's not a lot else in Conway Street, I'm a transport enthusiast - or more properly a transport historian!

When a teenager, I used to visit Conway Street to see if I could spot new and old buses of the then Brighton, Hove and District Omnibus Company in the garage or on the surrounding streets. Contriving to come home from school after dark on a winter's afternoon, there was something both scary and magical for a twelve year old in the dark streets with pools of yellow light, and the revving of diesel engines as buses left the garage or arrived back after a turn.

At New Year, 1965, I peered into the west garage to see three new Bristol Lodekka buses, not yet registered (to become DAP 62-4C) among a collection of old, cream open-toppers withdrawn from service. Many years later, I was on holiday from Yorkshire shortly after fire had destroyed new and old buses in the same garage, and could see vehicles reduced to knee-height which but a few days earlier had been double-deckers in service.

sent to the website by e-mail 6-11-2002
This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

Thanks Martin for the memories. Left school in 1964 and being a transport enthusiast applied for a job as a fitter on the buses. Was accepted by the BH&D and started in the overhaul shops at Conway Street, near to what interested me. Worked on KS, KSW and Lodekkas. Great workmates (one had a bronze-coloured Jowet Javalin which we used to run around in). Moved on after 6 months as I thought that I was learning too little. But great memories though. Can you tell me when the fire was? Have been in Sweden since 1969 and have specialised on trolleybuses. You know quite a bit about them too, don't you? Best regards from Lund in Sweden.
By Terry Brown (10/04/2005)
I would love to get in contact with the two correspondents with regard to their memories of the bus garage. I have built a representational diorama and have an interest in collating personal memories of the bus companies during the 1960s and 1970s. I have two web-sites that deal with aspects of this. These are http://batsaboutbuses.moonfruit.com and http://batsaboutbrightonbuses.moonfruit.com. The diorama is pictured and described on the former web-site.
By Siegmund De Reuther (08/08/2005)
My father was a mechanic before the 2nd World War, he came back after the war and became a bus driver, driving the route 1 to Whitehawk and Portslade. Later in my life, after serving 22 years in the Army, I became a bus driver and later became a driver conductor in 1976 for a couple of years. At that time we were driving semi automatic and fully automatic buses.
By Derek Frape (12/10/2005)

Another of my many jobs as a teenager was working at the Brighton, Hove and District bus garage in Conway Street. My job was not a very clean occupation, I was a chassis cleaner. When the buses came in for their five year overhaul they were stripped right down to the bones and refurbished. My job after the axles and all the other bits and pieces were taken off was to scrape the mud and all the detritis from underneath and clean it ready for painting. It never took me long to finish as I was a hard worker, even more so when I learn't that I could help the mechanics cleaning and stripping down axles, gearboxes and loads of other interesting bits of work. It stood me in good stead as I have been a mechanic all my life from then on, I have never had to take any of my long list of cars and lorries to a garage to get fixed. I also met a lad that I sat next to in school. He worked in the laundry in Conway Street, and we went to the same school in Woodingdean, St. John The Baptist, later Fitzeherbert. So Joe Downey if you are still out there somewhere, hallo.

Mick Peirson

By Mick Peirson (06/11/2006)

I remember a strange incident in Rottingdean when a mobile crane ripped away large sections of a BH&D Lodekka. I've never understood how this happened - anyone know the circumstances and causes?

By Bish Bosh (15/11/2006)

Yes, I recall the incident at Rottingdean. The victim was one of the cream Bristol Lodekkas (No 1, OPN 801), but with its roof on rather than off. The back offside was indeed ripped open by a crane which had run away. The bus was happily empty apart from the crew and no-one was injured (though shocked I daresay!). I have a photo of the bus from the "Brighton and Hove Herald"; the vehicle was later repaired and returned to service. I also saw something very similar happen at the Old Steine many years later, when a crane appeared to have jumped the lights northbound and went through an empty Bristol VR doubledecker outside Electricity House, No 619 I think. This was also repaired. Tough buses in those days!

By Martin Nimmo (17/11/2006)

Thanks for the update Martin. Re Rottingdean I'd remembered The Argus reporting that the crash could never happen again, so if the crane ran away that would explain it.Presumably it was involved in work on either the White Horse hotel or the clifftop area?

By Bish Bosh (10/12/2006)

We seem to be getting rather off the subject of Conway Street. There is of course more even today to the street than a large bus garage, with a Salvation Army citadel at the west end and a flight of steps at the east end, which lead up to (near) Hove Station. The site was chosen for a bus garage, at least partly because the railway bridge over Sackville Road was originally low, unable even to let open-topped horse buses to pass. That was rectified in the immediate pre-War years, and services like the 5 could be extended to the growing areas of West Hove, such as Hangleton, as double-deckers.

By Martin Nimmo (23/02/2007)

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