Centreline Domino.
Being on opposite sides of the city centre and effectively serving their own specific portions of the rail network, Manchester's two principal stations (Piccadilly and Victoria), at one time, required some form of frequent road link. Latterly, with modifications not only to the physical rail network, relocation of most services to Piccadilly and the return of the trams, 'Centreline' as we once knew it was deemed to be obsolete.
For many years, the principal performers on the service were specially built little Seddon Pennine IV 'midi-buses' which were effectively a heavy duty coach chassis shortened and fitted with a smaller engine and auto box. They weren't perhaps ideal in layout as city buses, but there was little else available at the time and certainly nothing as durable. When their time came for replacement, Dennis (who at the time would build almost anything you asked for as they strove to make inroads) came up with an equally heavy duty little bus in the form of the 'Domino'. The latter owed much to the firm's Dominator double decker which enjoyed reasonable success at the time, but its chassis was built like the proverbial battleship. Northern Counties, partially owned by Greater Manchester Transport at the time, built the neat, if slightly odd looking body in this case. Sadly the overall product proved to be something of a disappointment with poor reliability and horrendous fuel consumption. Because of those facts and that their purpose (ie The Centreline service) was about to evapourate, they were prematurely withdrawn and stored. None went for further service elsewhere, but thankfully an example was saved for preservation.
Here C766 YBA sits outside Piccadilly station when about three or four years old.
Centreline Domino.
Being on opposite sides of the city centre and effectively serving their own specific portions of the rail network, Manchester's two principal stations (Piccadilly and Victoria), at one time, required some form of frequent road link. Latterly, with modifications not only to the physical rail network, relocation of most services to Piccadilly and the return of the trams, 'Centreline' as we once knew it was deemed to be obsolete.
For many years, the principal performers on the service were specially built little Seddon Pennine IV 'midi-buses' which were effectively a heavy duty coach chassis shortened and fitted with a smaller engine and auto box. They weren't perhaps ideal in layout as city buses, but there was little else available at the time and certainly nothing as durable. When their time came for replacement, Dennis (who at the time would build almost anything you asked for as they strove to make inroads) came up with an equally heavy duty little bus in the form of the 'Domino'. The latter owed much to the firm's Dominator double decker which enjoyed reasonable success at the time, but its chassis was built like the proverbial battleship. Northern Counties, partially owned by Greater Manchester Transport at the time, built the neat, if slightly odd looking body in this case. Sadly the overall product proved to be something of a disappointment with poor reliability and horrendous fuel consumption. Because of those facts and that their purpose (ie The Centreline service) was about to evapourate, they were prematurely withdrawn and stored. None went for further service elsewhere, but thankfully an example was saved for preservation.
Here C766 YBA sits outside Piccadilly station when about three or four years old.