(05 Sep 2015, 9:09 pm)thetravelman wrote I'm old enough to remember travelling on Northern and GoAhead Northern - Leyland Atlantean's as I was growing up!
In fact I'm sure when I left school in 1992 ! and got my first job in Newcastle, a Leyland Atlantean was still a regular vehicle allocated to my route into Newcastle from Blaydon, as well as the then popular MCW Metrobus - however although all buses were/are very slow to climb Blaydon Bank and Shibdon Bank etc, the MCW Metrobus were absolutely terrible, in fact I remember being on a scholar service climbing Blaydon Bank and the bus came to a stop, the driver could not get it to move away again without slipping backwards down the bank, in the end he had to get a lot of kids off the bus, including myself and get us to walk up the hill to where the Huntsman Pub is, so that he could lighten the load enough for the bus to pull away up hill again!
The Leyland Olympian's tended to be on 648 & 649 to Gateshead. I Like these vehicles too, I remember the bi-folding entrance doors used to fly open with a bit of a bang! when the driver pressed the button to Open.
I also remember, while still attending Junior school when De-regulation came around, and Northern changed livery from Yellow to Red & White - that we were all taken into the school hall and had a talk about how Go Ahead Northern was now a private company and no longer governed by the local PTE authority, and that everyone should be respectful and behave themselves when travelling on any GoAhead Northern service.
My growing up Atlanteans were Hull blue buses!
Those bus backs were pretty distinctive.
ETA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss42V34bvmM
Not sure it warrants the emotive Snowpatrol stuff, mind!
Another edit for the Grandways ad. Now Sainsburys locals!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=273084422794875&set=o.285803718201751&type=1&theater