Celebrating 50 years of working at Stagecoach West

1974 was the year of two General Elections, the end of the three-day-week and the UK launch of Lada cars. It was also the beginning of Brian Dallaway’s impressive 50-year stint working for the bus company now known as Stagecoach.

Upon leaving secondary education, as so many others did at that time, Brian looked for an apprenticeship in one of several traditional industries and was excited to receive a positive response from Les Carter at Bristol Tramways. Taken on as the sole apprentice fitter that year, Brian was stationed at the previous bus depot in Old Town, Swindon and lived in nearby Stratton.

Brian recalls, “Back then, technical apprenticeships were really popular and places with well-known companies were always in high demand. It was very much a case of learning on the job, and I would spend hours of each day, watching and assisting a bus fitter or mechanic. We’d be stripping down an engine or maybe helping rebuild a fuel pump, which had to be carried out in a specialist pump-room.

Bristol Tramways, subsequently Bristol Omnibus operated a variety of vehicles in the 1970’s and 80’s, including the Bristol Lodekka FLF, Bristol MW and Bristol RE. They were a mixture of single and double-deckers, with engines at the front or rear of the bus and in those days, most running with on-board conductors.

Brian continues “So many things have changed since those early years, including that we now wear gloves when working on engines and gearboxes. Back then, we’d end each day pretty much covered in oil and muck!”.

Alongside the changing face of the bus operator, Brian’s role has also changed over the years, with his current responsibilities including ensuring vehicles leaving the yard each morning to enter service, are defect free. Reflecting on his many years of service, Brian cites personal highlights, including attending national and local bus rallies and being able to utilise his photography skills to capture the many different buses in operation.

Swindon Fleet Engineer for Stagecoach West, Iain Forrest commented “It’s relatively unusual nowadays for someone to work for one company for such a long time and Stagecoach is lucky to have kept hold of Brian for 50 years. As a depot, we are grateful for his long service and dedication. Thank you, Brian!”