A CENTURY OF TRANSPORT
A look at the Twentieth Century by Malcolm Keeley

©Copyright 2003 Malcolm Keeley for the Transport Museum, Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire B47 6JX, England.

This article looks back at the development of buses and commercial vehicles over the 20th century, with an emphasis on the English Midlands. It does not claim to be a complete history, indeed a vast number of books have been written on the subject. It intends to bring a smile of recognition to the faces of enthusiasts and provide a rough guide to those wishing to learn a bit more. It also offers several points of embarkation for educators; the Museum would be pleased to discuss with teachers their needs.

• Introduction & Early Developments
• Trolleybuses
• 1927-1937: A Decade of Progress
• Second World War
• Under the Floor
• The Return of Peace - a Drab or Dynamic Time?
• Peace brings boom time for buses
• Styling Developments
• Aftermath of Nationalisation - Who owned the Vehicles?
• Changing Towns and Cities
• Saving Weight and Saving Costs
• Other Design Developments
• Bigger Lorries
• House to House Deliveries
• Badge Engineering!
• Front to Back; A Rear-engined Revolution
• Rear Engines become Standard; Manufacturers Merge and Collapse
• More Recent Design Developments
• Passenger Transport Executives
• Stratford Blue

©Copyright 2003 Malcolm Keeley for the Transport Museum, Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire B47 6JX, England.
All rights reserved. Except for normal review purposes, no part of these website articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the Transport Museum.

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