A former Crossley Motors test engineer who has just celebrated his 90th birthday would love to hear from anyone associated with or holding a fascination for the manufacturer which finally ceased production 60 years ago.
“I would hope we could swap information and memories and keep in touch as an association,” said Tony Melia, who joined Crossley as a 14-year-old apprentice in July 1942. “I was terrified. It was a big, loud factory. My father was the foreman at Manchester Corporation’s Princess road depot and said I grew up around buses, and it was suggested I apply to Crossley.”
Tony was called up for military service later in 1946 despite this being after the war, returning to Crossley in 1949 working mainly on vehicle testing. “By this time, Crossley had moved from its Gorton factory to new premises at Errwood Park, Stockport,” he recalled. “We would drive buses and lorries in chassis form. We had a test route from the Stockport factory via Snake Pass and it was freezing in winter.” Crossley, set up in 1906, produced high quality cars until 1937 as well as buses, military and commercial vehicles. In 1948 it became a member of the AEC-controlled ACV Group. The last Crossley bus chassis was built in 1953, but bodywork manufacture took place until 1958.
Tony switched to a career in the motor industry but always maintained a big interest in Crossleys and other commercial vehicles. In retirement he has teamed up with preservationist John Jackson and carried out two major rebuilds of Crossley double-deckers.
Former Sunderland Corporation 1947 Crossley DD42/3, GR9007 is generally recognised as one of the most ambitious restorations ever undertaken in private hands, and was a seven year project.
The second vehicle, former Northampton Roe-bodied Crossley DD42/3 VV9146 was, said Tony, in many ways almost as difficult a restoration and indeed took eight years.
This bus was used to carry guests from the Crossley and preservation world to a birthday celebration for Tony, who had been spending the day before his 90th celebration working on a Crossley gearbox!
Tony can be contacted on 07989 040221.
