TRANSPORT buff G.E. Potts was much taken by my recent flashback photo featuring a trolley bus and a motor bus standing in line at a town-centre pick-up point,

Confirming that the location was the old Helena House (St Helens Co-op) terminus, our correspondent from Clipsley Lane, Haydock, throws in a few technicalities for good measure.

For it reminds him of a time when 'Made in Britain' was a proud motto, before the invasion of imported public transport from places such as Italy, France and Sweden.

During the middle of the century there were no bus imports, with trolleys getting their electric motive power from GEC at Trafford Park, and probably Kerrs of Preston, too. Bodywork was created at St Helens transport department's own base, or by Duple of Preston.

Overhead trolley wire systems, support poles and control boxes disappeared from the local routes around the late 1950s.

The motor bus featured in the earlier flashback picture is recognised, by G.E., as being an AEC Regal, forerunner of the renowned London bus, the Routemaster, still to be seen on inner-city streets and occasionally on holiday travel films featuring Canada, Singapore, Japan and China.

SO you see, there's more to an old St Helens bus than just a bus!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.