Trivia - preserved in aspic

[TheGrandWazoo]

Aside from all the virus stuff, another trivia thread to hopefully get the assembled minds going. I was looking at something else non transport related that referred to Leek in Staffordshire. It got me thinking though about Leek bus station - a place seemingly caught in a timewarp so you could park a refurbed Omnicity, or a preserved vehicle from any era from the 1960s, the NBC era, etc and it wouldn't look out of place.

What are those buses, operators, locations or forgotten corners where it feels that they have that retro feel (and no, I'm not talking about <insert jibe about an operators oldish fleet>)?

 

[Contains Nuts]

Aside from all the virus stuff, another trivia thread to hopefully get the assembled minds going. I was looking at something else non transport related that referred to Leek in Staffordshire. It got me thinking though about Leek bus station - a place seemingly caught in a timewarp so you could park a refurbed Omnicity, or a preserved vehicle from any era from the 1960s, the NBC era, etc and it wouldn't look out of place.

What are those buses, operators, locations or forgotten corners where it feels that they have that retro feel (and no, I'm not talking about <insert jibe about an operators oldish fleet>)?

You can add Crewe Bus Station to the list - around the same age as Leek but bigger and significantly more run down. It’s allegedly going to be demolished in the next year or so.

 

[A0wen]

Difficult in some ways because changes in street furniture like bus shelters and lamp-posts make it easy to date things.

But a couple which are easily identifiable and haven't changed much I can think of are:

Stevenage bus station - the layout was changed in the late 70s but with the right angle you can get pictures that are more difficult to date.

Hitchin St Mary's Square - the terminus for LT / London Country and a number of the other 'rural' services in the area - I've got pictures which are 30 years old that you can easily identify the location.

I notice the old Hemel Hempstead bus station has now closed but that's like Stevenage - same sort of style and easy to get a picture which would look very similar to one taken several years earlier.

Last one - Ryde Esplanade - still looks much like it did when I first went there 40 or so years ago......

 

[James101]

Seaton Carew Art Deco bus station. Pioneering at the time as the first structure to use curved concrete, now pleasantly restored and protected with listed status.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Seaton Carew Art Deco bus station. Pioneering at the time as the first structure to use curved concrete, now pleasantly restored and protected with listed status.

Not been there for ages - must go there when the lockdown finally eases

 

[Man of Kent]

Malton bus station and depot. A perfect example of a small town facility, of which there are very few left. I was particularly struck by the access to the toilets being through the middle of the workshops.
Notwithstanding that the Yorkshire Coastliner vehicles are both smart and comfortable, a fleet of red Tilling-style vehicles would still feel right at home here.

 

[GusB]

Inverness bus station has been modernised a bit over the years and the stances have been re-aligned, but other than that I reckon you could stick a few poppy red Fords or Leopards in there and they wouldn't look all that out of place.

 

[RELL6L]

I was thinking about this and most places have had some sort of refresh over the years.

My mind may be playing tricks both on the present and the past but some bus stations that don't feel to have changed much are:
Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouth
Hereford Country bus station
Lichfield
Nuneaton
Ashbourne
Chichester
Cromer
Spalding
Boston
Bridlington
Bishop Auckland
Taunton (until recently)

And some more modern ones that actually haven't changed much in say 30 years:
Nottingham Victoria
Preston
Skipton
Stockport

Apologies if any of these are completely wrong!

 

[carlberry]

I was thinking about this and most places have had some sort of refresh over the years.

My mind may be playing tricks both on the present and the past but some bus stations that don't feel to have changed much are:
Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouth
Hereford Country bus station
Lichfield
Nuneaton
Ashbourne
Chichester
Cromer
Spalding
Boston
Bridlington
Bishop Auckland
Taunton (until recently)

And some more modern ones that actually haven't changed much in say 30 years:
Nottingham Victoria
Preston
Skipton
Stockport

Apologies if any of these are completely wrong!

Merthyr had a refresh at some point, however you wouldn't really call it an improvement and it's now dire.
Monmouth mostly dates from the mid 1980s when the depot became a supermarket.
Preston is now 52 years old and listed.

 

[Simon75]

Winchester, Basildon, Harlow ?

 

[delt1c]

Winchester, Basildon, Harlow ?

Harlow was refurbished in the 90’s and bears no resemblance now to the old bus station

 

[bussnapperwm]

Dudley Bus Station. Apart from the doors being put to stop people walking in the carriageway, a Metrobus (or even a Merry Hill Lynx) wouldn't look out of place

 

[Sandy Drew]

Aside from all the virus stuff, another trivia thread to hopefully get the assembled minds going. I was looking at something else non transport related that referred to Leek in Staffordshire. It got me thinking though about Leek bus station - a place seemingly caught in a timewarp so you could park a refurbed Omnicity, or a preserved vehicle from any era from the 1960s, the NBC era, etc and it wouldn't look out of place.

What are those buses, operators, locations or forgotten corners where it feels that they have that retro feel (and no, I'm not talking about <insert jibe about an operators oldish fleet>)?

It’s got to be Workington Bus Station - hands down, nostalgic affair!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I was thinking about this and most places have had some sort of refresh over the years.

My mind may be playing tricks both on the present and the past but some bus stations that don't feel to have changed much are:
Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouth
Hereford Country bus station
Lichfield
Nuneaton
Ashbourne
Chichester
Cromer
Spalding
Boston
Bridlington
Bishop Auckland
Taunton (until recently)

And some more modern ones that actually haven't changed much in say 30 years:
Nottingham Victoria
Preston
Skipton
Stockport

Apologies if any of these are completely wrong!

Merthyr may have had a light cosmetic touch but it's still very much as it was in the 1970s. Supposed to be getting replaced soon and not a moment too soon.

Of the others, I'm not certain if Ashbourne wasn't be redeveloped? However, Lichfield does feel like a Midland Red North Transit will arrive any second! Spalding is also a very good shout.

Don't know about Bridlington - it isn't that old and I remember the one that closed in the early 1980s that survived in closed state until redeveloped.

Bishop Auckland did cross my mind as half of it is as it was. The other half was redeveloped so an Aldi could be built but yeah, it does still retain the miserable windswept feel of yesteryear.

Winchester, Basildon, Harlow ?

Winchester was but it's now been extensively remodelled. They've demolished the depot buildings and the flow is now reversed. The cafe is still resolutely like something out the 1970s though

Dudley Bus Station. Apart from the doors being put to stop people walking in the carriageway, a Metrobus (or even a Merry Hill Lynx) wouldn't look out of place

That's a very good call. In a time when the PTE have been busy upgrading various bus stations like Wolverhampton or Halesowen, Dudley is still much the same as when I first went there in the mid 1990s.

It’s got to be Workington Bus Station - hands down, nostalgic affair!

Can't deny that - can almost imagine Tilling red deckers loading in there

 

[James101]

How about Middlesbrough? It’s had a little refresh recently with some automatic doors at the stands but it’s a kind of modern classic of the dereg era. One of the best by far for the passenger.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Worcester, Redditch, Kidderminster and Bromsgrove near enough remain (except RTI Screens) the same as they did 10-15 years ago. Shove a load of ex MRW Lances or Plaxton Beavers and you'd not see much difference

 

[Hophead]

You mentioned "buses, operators, locations or forgotten corners where it feels that they have that retro feel", but everyone seems to have gone straight after your reminiscences about Leek Bus Station with example of their own. In that vein, I'll give you Lewes (streetview).

But for operators, surely Delaine is the prime example, with a strictly traditional blue and cream livery and, so far as I know, pretty much keeping to the same territory as ever.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

You mentioned "buses, operators, locations or forgotten corners where it feels that they have that retro feel", but everyone seems to have gone straight after your reminiscences about Leek Bus Station with example of their own. In that vein, I'll give you Lewes (streetview).

But for operators, surely Delaine is the prime example, with a strictly traditional blue and cream livery and, so far as I know, pretty much keeping to the same territory as ever.

In terms of operators, I struggle to think of a better example than Delaine. Pulhams is another one that fits the same profile though they now used buses for their stage service rather than "grant coaches".

Lewes is a good example - I assume that it was sold by Stagecoach and that some property firm is sitting on the asset or can't get permission for some development?

 

[GusB]

If we're talking about operators, surely Lothian deserves a mention. After a period of time with that awful hurl-equin livery they went back to the traditional madder and white, albeit with a modern twist. They've also reintroduced the gold lining which was missing for a good few years.

As far as locations go, Edinburgh's definitely a place where you could probably recreate a scene from years gone by simply by running a Titan or Atlantean down the street.

 

[PG]

As far as locations go, Edinburgh's definitely a place where you could probably recreate a scene from years gone by simply by running a Titan or Atlantean down the street.

At first I thought you meant Olympian or Atlantean since I didn't recall a B15 Titan ever running in Edinburgh but then realised you were going back a wee bit further in time to the original Titan

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Just thought of another though things are changing.... East Yorkshire Motor Services. Being stood in somewhere like Pocklington and you think a 501 engined VR might appear...

 

[rg177]

+1 for Middlesbrough Bus Station. Even has a pretty old-school cafe inside with rather brash service, but a damn good bacon sandwich.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

+1 for Middlesbrough Bus Station. Even has a pretty old-school cafe inside with rather brash service, but a damn good bacon sandwich.

Thing is that Middlesbrough is 40 years old and it's still a superb facility. They got it right though I've not seen a bus station with its own butchers..... However, I reckon you could have a clattering National going up the ramps and it would be as if the last 25 years never happened

Sadly, it doesn't stop the council wanting to relocate the bus station to a smaller site or as they say, an "Enhanced Bus Station WHICH WILL ACT AS A HIGH QUALITY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
INTERCHANGE IN THE HEART OF THE CITY CENTRE, FURTHER SUPPORTED BY SUPERSTOPS" which has all the hallmarks of....

Move to a smaller site with a few bus stops outside on the road (e.g. Northampton) whilst we can redevelop the existing bus station on a prime site (prime because it's convenient to the main town centre objectives). Of course, the new bus station can be badged as part of some integrated transport vision located with the hookers on the far side of the train station....