Super Prestige 49 Darlington

Michael Yelton continues his exploration of municipal transport operation in the UK with this look at Darlington in NE England. Whilst well-known for its railway connections public street transport began with horse tramways The borough then operated electric trams which were replaced by an exclusively single-deck trolleybus system from 1930 until 1949 when 6 double-decker trolleybuses were acquired. Shortly after that motor buses followed and trolleybuses had all gone by 1957. Darlington's motor bus fleet was notable since the majority of the single-deckers operated were of centre-entrance construction. Various manufacturers models were operated and this led to a series of developments which provided more interest to the enthusiast than it did reliable transport for the townsfolk. Following the implementation of the 1985 Transport Act the Council was compelled by the Act to dispose of its undertaking to a limited company, named Darlington Transport Company Ltd which ultimately failed in November 1994.