Every cloud has a silver lining - a photo on Flickriver

In 1965, Oldham Corporation Passenger Transport Department had a brush with the Ministry of Transport when, prompted by test failures and other concerns, Ministry inspectors performed a full fleet check and as a result placed prohibitions on a significant proportion of the fleet. Buses had to be borrowed from other operators and some second-and purchases were made.

Fortunately, Oldham was expecting new buses and they arrived in the form of a new standard for the town - Leyland Atlantean models with stylish bodies by Charles Roe of Leeds. Number 125 was one of that batch, and at some point the Transport Department arranged for this photo showing a member of the garage staff spraying the chassis with silver paint.

Paint is good on a bus chassis: it's not really for appearance, although it's a lot easier to maintain a clean bus than a dirty one. The main purpose is to protect it from the elements, especially in a town like Oldham that's quite high up and so each winter has to lay liberal amounts of salt on the roads to combat ice.

This is one example where technology has moved on since the 1960s: ordinary paint has been mainly replaced by sealant applied by the manufacturer when the bus is being built, and in most cases this maintains protection for the full life of the bus.

The Museum of Transport Greater Manchester has several Oldham Corporation buses in its collection. If you'd like to know more about the Museum of Transport and its collection of vintage buses, go to www.motgm.uk.

© Greater Manchester Transport Society. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is strictly prohibited and may result in action being taken to protect the intellectual property interests of the Society.

Taken in: UK / England / Oldham (show map)

Taken on: January 1, 1968

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Sets appears in: • Depots and Garages • Oldham

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