WATSON'S OF DUNDEE TDC203X
TDC203X was a Ford R1114 / Plaxton Supreme C53F purchased new by Ellerman-Beeline of Middlesbrough in April 1982. Bee-Line was founded in West Hartlepool in 1934. The company provided holiday tours to resorts around the UK, later into Europe and was actually owned the Royal York Hotel on the Isle of Wight. They were also known for day trips, mystery tours and were hired for private tours, as well as running bus services for the local corporation. The company had large garage premises in Oxford Road until closure in 1986. Control passed to Glasgow based Ellerman Travel, before passing to Cotter's Tours, also based in the city.
Ellerman Lines was incorporated in 1892, by the businessmen John Ellerman, Christopher Furness and Henry O'Hagan, who bought the assets of the Liverpool based shipping firm Frederick Leyland and Co Ltd. The company started with an initial capital of £800,000 to buy the fleet of 22 vessels from the executors of Frederick Leyland, the former head of Frederick Leyland and Co. Ellerman was initially the managing director, and Furness the chairman, but Ellerman had taken on the role of chairman himself by 1893. By 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War the fleet had been successfully rebuilt and expanded, to the extent that the Ellerman groups owned a total 105 ships with a combined capacity of 920,000 tons. This made Ellerman's one of the biggest shipping fleets in the world. Trading was however becoming more difficult with newly independent nations, such as India, setting up their own shipping companies. The nature of shipping was also changing, with the advent of containerisation. In 1966 Ellerman Lines joined the Associated Container Transportation (ACT) Group consortium and started the successful containerisation of its Mediterranean services. By the early 1970s the Ellerman group had expanded its commercial interests into other areas, including hotels, brewing, printing and coach tours. In 1973 it merged all its shipping companies into one division.
Ten years later its profitability had plummeted and it was making heavy losses. The whole business was then sold to the Barclay brothers. In 1985 the shipping business was bought by its management, then sold to the Trafalgar House conglomerate, which merged it with its ownership of the Cunard Line to form Cunard-Ellerman in 1987. In 1991 they passed it to the Andrew Weir Shipping Group, who sold it to Hamburg Süd in 2003. In 2004 the name was dropped and Ellerman Lines ceased to exist.
Watson's Tours was originally a family business who built up a good coach tours operation based on Dundee. The fleet usually numbered around nine vehicles at any time. The company was taken over in 1973 by Thomas Meadows and Co. Ltd of London. They continued to operate as Watson's Tours and the fleet was increased to a dozen coaches at any time with Bedford as the chosen supplier.
The business was purchased by Cotter's Tours of Glasgow in the 1980's.
WATSON'S OF DUNDEE TDC203X
TDC203X was a Ford R1114 / Plaxton Supreme C53F purchased new by Ellerman-Beeline of Middlesbrough in April 1982. Bee-Line was founded in West Hartlepool in 1934. The company provided holiday tours to resorts around the UK, later into Europe and was actually owned the Royal York Hotel on the Isle of Wight. They were also known for day trips, mystery tours and were hired for private tours, as well as running bus services for the local corporation. The company had large garage premises in Oxford Road until closure in 1986. Control passed to Glasgow based Ellerman Travel, before passing to Cotter's Tours, also based in the city.
Ellerman Lines was incorporated in 1892, by the businessmen John Ellerman, Christopher Furness and Henry O'Hagan, who bought the assets of the Liverpool based shipping firm Frederick Leyland and Co Ltd. The company started with an initial capital of £800,000 to buy the fleet of 22 vessels from the executors of Frederick Leyland, the former head of Frederick Leyland and Co. Ellerman was initially the managing director, and Furness the chairman, but Ellerman had taken on the role of chairman himself by 1893. By 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War the fleet had been successfully rebuilt and expanded, to the extent that the Ellerman groups owned a total 105 ships with a combined capacity of 920,000 tons. This made Ellerman's one of the biggest shipping fleets in the world. Trading was however becoming more difficult with newly independent nations, such as India, setting up their own shipping companies. The nature of shipping was also changing, with the advent of containerisation. In 1966 Ellerman Lines joined the Associated Container Transportation (ACT) Group consortium and started the successful containerisation of its Mediterranean services. By the early 1970s the Ellerman group had expanded its commercial interests into other areas, including hotels, brewing, printing and coach tours. In 1973 it merged all its shipping companies into one division.
Ten years later its profitability had plummeted and it was making heavy losses. The whole business was then sold to the Barclay brothers. In 1985 the shipping business was bought by its management, then sold to the Trafalgar House conglomerate, which merged it with its ownership of the Cunard Line to form Cunard-Ellerman in 1987. In 1991 they passed it to the Andrew Weir Shipping Group, who sold it to Hamburg Süd in 2003. In 2004 the name was dropped and Ellerman Lines ceased to exist.
Watson's Tours was originally a family business who built up a good coach tours operation based on Dundee. The fleet usually numbered around nine vehicles at any time. The company was taken over in 1973 by Thomas Meadows and Co. Ltd of London. They continued to operate as Watson's Tours and the fleet was increased to a dozen coaches at any time with Bedford as the chosen supplier.
The business was purchased by Cotter's Tours of Glasgow in the 1980's.