1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238 
GOLDEN JUBILEE OF TRENT MOTOR TRACTION
Page 65
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
'FIFTY years to the day when the Trent
1 Motor Traction Co. Ltd. was formed, 208 people assembled in the King's Hall, Derby, last week to attend a celebration luncheon. Many prominent guests were ..present, and all branches of the'industry were represented, together with many local authorities, the Press and employees of the Company. Speakers were the Mayor of Derby, CoOncillor Mrs. E. J. Mack; Mr. R. J. Ellery, chairman of the Company: and Mr, C. R. Hodgson, chairman of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners.
The history of the company can be traced hack to the summer of 1909, when the owner of Osmaston Manor, near Ashbourne, hired a bus from the firm of Commercial Car Hirers. Ltd., to transport guests and staff to and from Ashbourne and Derby. Neighbours frequently borrowed the bus for similar reasons, and so great was the demand that a second vehicle was obtained 'and regular bus services begun. In 1913 it was decided to form a local company to finance extensions to the bus services, and the Trent Motor Traction Company Ltd, carne into being on October 31 of that year, with a capital of £20,000. From this beginning grew the present Trent network. •
One of the interested parties, was the British Automobile Traction Company (formed by the British Electric Traction Co. ltd. to expand its bus interestsl. The other company, Commercial Car Hirers Ltd., later withdrew from Trent. This company. incidentally, was an offshoot 'of Commercial Cars Ltd., who later became Commer Cars, of Luton.
By 1919 the fleet had increased to 26 buses, partly through the acquisition of the Loughborough Road Car Co. Ltd.
Today the company's fleet totals 390 buses and coaches, and typical-examples of the latest models were exhibited on the day of the luncheon. The vehicles' concerned were a 31-ft. 10-in. 40-seat
• Harrington coach,. one of five .to, he placed in service nest year; a 49-seat coach with Plaxton 36-ft. body, one of three similar vehicles to enter service next year; and a 51-seat Willowbrook 36-ft. dual-purpose coach, one of 20 which entered 'service last May, all mounted on Leyland Leopard chassis. Doubledeckers were represented by one of 10 Daimler Fleetlines with 77-seat Northern Counties bodies which went into operation last March.
An excellent commemorative brochure, written by Mr. Charles F. Klapper was issued to all guests to mark the occasion,