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]
1931 Acquired Sunderland District Omnibus Co[2]
1933 The company was controlled jointly by British Electric Traction Co and the London and North Eastern Railway[3]
1936 Acquired Tyneside Tramways and Tramroads Co which operated motor bus services[4]
1936 Acquired Wakefield's Motors Ltd from the LNER. Absorbed General County Omnibus Co[5]
1950 The company's fleet consisted of 550 buses; in total they covered 25 million miles and carried 143 million passengers[6]
1968 The Transport Holding Co acquired British Electric Traction Co's shares in UK bus companies, including Northern General [7]
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