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York, Jorvik, Eboracum....

Page last updated on 9th November 2013

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The choice of names reflect the long history of the area, starting with the Roman town of Eboracum, later the Vikings changed it to Jorvik, and in turn has been gradually anglicised to the present name of York. I visited this fine city in 1995, visiting both it and the surrounding countryside, which has been the setting for some well-known TV programmes, including Emmerdale, Heartbeat and All Creatures Great and Small.

A well-known landmark is York Minster, a large and beautifully built cathedral visible from most parts of the city centre. The Shambles, a medieval street which remains largely unchanged since the 15th century, can be visited. Getting a bit more up to date, the city is approximately midway between London and Edinburgh on the east coast mainline railway, and close by the station is the National Railway Museum.

The origin of some of the vehicles seen during the visit was quite varied, with buses supplied from Wales, Edinburgh and Lancashire among others in evidence.

This 1988 Plaxton Derwent bus was a rebody of a ten year old Leyland Leopard. ABR 869S was originally new in the Sunderland area, possibly as a coach. City centre cycling in York is encouraged to prevent traffic congestion.

These two lowheight ECW bodied Olympians were new to West Yorkshire Road Car Company in 1983. The black bus advertises the York Dungeon, one of the city's many tourist attractions.

CBV 7S is an East Yorkshire Bristol VRT which came from t'other side of Pennines, being new to Ribble Motor Services in 1978.

Ex Hull City Transport Roe bodied Leyland Atlantean NAT 341M seen on a sunny afternoon at St. Leonard’s Place, but seeming to attract very little custom....

Viking Tours were running four blue painted Bristol VRTs. This one, WTH 962T was originally new in the Swansea area of South Wales.

Guide Friday in York had a maintenance and garaging facility with Rider York, so their local fleet comprised Bristol VRTs instead of the more usual Atlanteans found elsewhere. GHL 191L is a native Yorkshire bus.

The fourth opentop operator in York was Lothian who based a group of Atlanteans there. This is 912 (OFS 912M) named Viking Star. Lothian apparently started their York tour service in response to a competing Guide Friday service between Waverley station and Edinburgh Airport.

The preserved and scenic North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs from Pickering to Grosmont. This view is near Pickering station, and the NYMR was sometimes used in the TV series Heartbeat.

Seen on a private hire working to Pickering Castle is East Yorkshire Leyland Olympian 574 with a Northern Counties body. The bus was new in 1993.

Among several opentop buses on the Scarborough seafront service was this Bristol Lodekka. On the day it was the only rear entrance bus in use, and the service was being run by both Applebys and East Yorkshire.

The North Yorkshire market town of Ripon was visited on a hot summer's day, and the somewhat basic bus station there was mainly served by United Automobile Services based in Darlington. This coach seated ECW bodied Olympian was on service 143 to Boroughbridge.

Dobson's of Bedale also serve Ripon. An unusual vehicle was this 1981 Duple Dominant III bodied Bedford YNT, as most examples of this body were built on Leyland Leopard or Volvo B58s, many of which were used on overnight express services between Scotland and London.

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