Difference between a depot, sub depot and outstation

[TheGrandWazoo]

Tycroes - A new maintenance bay was opened earlier this year to take some of the pressure off Ravenhill, particularly as the allocation is around 21 vehicles; Llanelli - No maintenance has been carried out there since the depot was downgraded a few years ago and the responsibility passed to Ravenhill; Bridgend - Basic engineering work is carried out there, though Port Talbot carries out the major work.

Thanks for that - explains things. I used to head through Ammanford fairly regularly but not since the other half's mother died nearly two years ago. Tycroes works in a similar fashion to Bridgend?

 

[DunsBus]

Ah yes - the old days when every town had a depot seemingly. Across the border, United Auto maintained a large number of depots in Northumberland. Berwick had its depot as did Alnwick with maintenance facilities, albeit limited. As regards Alnwick.....

Nearby Wooler had a depot building with an enquiry office (!) for 8 vehicles but can't recall if it performed any maintenance. It seemed to act as a sub depot as Alnwick provided spare vehicles. It was subsequently vacated in Northumbria days; the 4 remaining vehicles parked up in the bus station as an outstation of Alnwick. Meanwhile, Alnwick always maintained an open air outstation at Seahouses in the public car park that lasted into Arriva times for 1 vehicle (I think).

United also had some substantial facilities elsewhere. Rothbury had a large depot building and enquiry office https://www.flickr.com/photos/25854...p-YvCzdm-YvCy8q-J9bNnn-26qx4gK-XuPkf5-27Ng8NP
but it didn't have a fixed allocation, just rotating 3/4 vehicles through Morpeth. It closed c.1989/90 (I think) replaced by open parking in the auction mart. Despite the size of it, it was classed as an outstation.

Meanwhile, the similar sort of facility at Pickering had just 5 vehicles but no maintenance or spare vehicles. However, it had a fixed allocation (latterly 5 Leyland Leopards) but with no spares, Scarborough provided a vehicle fairly regularly. https://www.flickr.com/photos/77751...ist-UihRkt-fvEENA-cXZwq1-dNfDVn-cXqFMj-cXqE5m

The Wooler depot's demise came in June 1989 when a bunch of bored schoolkids burnt it to the ground, taking with it the four vehicles parked inside at the time - VRs 532/45, LH 628 and Metrorider 808. Needless to say, the culprits were given the ultimate punishment for this by their school, with their schooldays promptly being brought to an abrupt halt.
I don't think the depot building was rebuilt, with Northumbria thereafter keeping their Wooler allocation in the town's bus station.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The Wooler depot's demise came in June 1989 when a bunch of bored schoolkids burnt it to the ground, taking with it the four vehicles parked inside at the time - VRs 532/45, LH 628 and Metrorider 808. Needless to say, the culprits were given the ultimate punishment for this by their school, with their schooldays promptly being brought to an abrupt halt.
I don't think the depot building was rebuilt, with Northumbria thereafter keeping their Wooler allocation in the town's bus station.

The depot building at Wooler was damaged but not gutted (unlike the vehicles) though the back shed had to be rebuilt. It still stands on South Road. It was a farm merchants (Farmway) but is now Railtons auctioneers.

Most of the large (in area) NBC firms had extensive numbers of depots, subdepots and outstations. Southdown (pre-1971) and Eastern Counties had small sheds for 2-4 vehicles dotted all over the place. They've all gone nowadays (mostly gone completely but a few replaced with open parking) but a few of them are still standing.

 

[DunsBus]

The depot building at Wooler was damaged but not gutted (unlike the vehicles) though the back shed had to be rebuilt. It still stands on South Road. It was a farm merchants (Farmway) but is now Railtons auctioneers.

Most of the large (in area) NBC firms had extensive numbers of depots, subdepots and outstations. Southdown (pre-1971) and Eastern Counties had small sheds for 2-4 vehicles dotted all over the place. They've all gone nowadays (mostly gone completely but a few replaced with open parking) but a few of them are still standing.

Ah, thanks TGW. I'd always thought that the depot had perished along with the buses. So it still stands.

I live fairly near to Wooler, so will keep a look out for it when I'm next out that way.

 

[cnjb8]

Don't some of the Solars stay up at Matlock overnight after doing the 6.1?

Another outstation for trentbarton is Ashboune on the swift which is on a retail park.

Thinking about it now, yes they do and I forgot about Ashbourne, I thought it was Uttoxeter now.

 

[Roilshead]

The depot building at Wooler was damaged but not gutted (unlike the vehicles) though the back shed had to be rebuilt. It still stands on South Road. It was a farm merchants (Farmway) but is now Railtons auctioneers.

Most of the large (in area) NBC firms had extensive numbers of depots, subdepots and outstations. Southdown (pre-1971) and Eastern Counties had small sheds for 2-4 vehicles dotted all over the place. They've all gone nowadays (mostly gone completely but a few replaced with open parking) but a few of them are still standing.

Western Welsh was a similarly enthusiastic user of outstations, much more so than Crosville despite their similar operating territories.

Thames Valley had a couple of outstations where buses were parked at part-time drivers houses, who drove them on works services, before doing their day job, and then driving back home - but these went in the 1960s I think. London Transport's "Country Bus and Coach" section had a couple - Rickmansworth (which survived into the LCBS era, with cash paid in at the station booking office), and one in the Guildford-area for the route joint with Tillingbourne. Sheffield United Tours outstationed a couple of coaches at Bradwell in the Peak District (this lasted long enough to pass to National Travel [North East]), and Maidstone & District oustationed a coach in Oxted during the summer months for its local excursion programme. Sheffield Transport had a one one-bus outstation in Manchester for the LMS "C" fleet Manchester-Woodhead-Sheffield service until WWII, but a two-bus outstation in the East Midland garage at Retford for the LNER/BR/NBC "C" fleet Sheffield-Retford-Gainsborough service was maintained until after dissolution of the "C" fleet in 1970 - for several months the long-serving Sheffield Transport crews continued to work out of the Retford outstation, but took their buses into Sheffield to work local services, this was allowed to continue until the crews retired. After closure of its small Liverpool depot in the late late 1960's LUT outstationed three coaches and one bus in Liverpool Corporation Transport's Edge Lane garage.

Of course, outstations can bring their own problems if they aren't subject to adequate supervision. On taking over North Western's Castleton outstation, when that company was dismembered in 1972, Trent discovered that the driving staff were parking their vehicles in the open, having "let out" the building for use as a motor vehicle repair shop - the fact that they felt able to do this must say something for Buxton depot's supervision of its outstation. North Western also maintained an outstation in Warrington Corporation Transport's depot for its Altrincham/Urmston-Warrington services.

Anybody interested in past/current garaging arrangements of major bus and coach operators should refer to the regional " . . . .MOG" publications produced by David Domain and marketed though the Omnibus Society. (They do contain errors, but any brought to David's attention are incorporated into the next print run.)

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Anybody interested in past/current garaging arrangements of major bus and coach operators should refer to the regional " . . . .MOG" publications produced by David Domain and marketed though the Omnibus Society. (They do contain errors, but any brought to David's attention are incorporated into the next print run.)

There used to be a book called the Bus Depot Directory that had details of locations of depots and outstations etc across the country. That the same thing?

Crosville didn't have many outstations but again, had a network of major depots and sub-depots/outstations. So they had Aberystwyth depot as their South Cambrian centre doing the heavy-ish stuff for places like Newcastle Emlyn, Aberaeron and New Quay that had small depots. These buildings had fuelling and cleaning with fixed vehicle allocations. They will have had some limited maintenance but not certain how much happened latterly as the cuts came in the 1970s. Then you had Llanidloes which was open parking but with a crew room building - one of the few, true outstations.

 

[43055]

Thinking about it now, yes they do and I forgot about Ashbourne, I thought it was Uttoxeter now.

I think only 1 of the buses used Uttoxeter each night but the timetable changed at the weekend so all the buses start and finish at Ashbourne now.

 

[Statto]

There used to be a book called the Bus Depot Directory that had details of locations of depots and outstations etc across the country. That the same thing?

Crosville didn't have many outstations but again, had a network of major depots and sub-depots/outstations. So they had Aberystwyth depot as their South Cambrian centre doing the heavy-ish stuff for places like Newcastle Emlyn, Aberaeron and New Quay that had small depots. These buildings had fuelling and cleaning with fixed vehicle allocations. They will have had some limited maintenance but not certain how much happened latterly as the cuts came in the 1970s. Then you had Llanidloes which was open parking but with a crew room building - one of the few, true outstations.

Crosville was one of those operators that had a depot in almost every town, i certainly remember Heswall & West Kirby depots, plus as well as the depot in Liverpool Road Chester, they had a head office & engineering facility at Crane Wharf

Speaking of Wales, seems Arriva have moved the Holyhead outstation to Gwynedd Shipping, it used to be round the corner from there in that mini retail park on Cyttir Road.

I'm sure Pwllheli outstation is in Caelloi's depot, or used to be.

Also Arriva Llandudno outstation is in Alpines yard, with another outstation in Amlwch

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Crosville was one of those operators that had a depot in almost every town, i certainly remember Heswall & West Kirby depots, plus as well as the depot in Liverpool Road Chester, they had a head office & engineering facility at Crane Wharf

Speaking of Wales, seems Arriva have moved the Holyhead outstation to Gwynedd Shipping, it used to be round the corner from there in that mini retail park on Cyttir Road.

I'm sure Pwllheli outstation is in Caelloi's depot, or used to be.

Also Arriva Llandudno outstation is in Alpines yard, with another outstation in Amlwch

Ellesmere Port didn't have a depot but parked up in the old bus station and when it was redeveloped, they had secure compound in Meadow Lane. It was classed as a depot but had no maintenance.

Think Arriva vacated that Holyhead one a while ago (if it's the one I think you're referring to). Arriva do park in Alpine's Llandudno yard (though it is segregated) having closed LJ depot. Pwllheli depot closed, moved to a yard in Glan y Don Ind Est (another coach firm?) and then parking round the back of Caelloi's garage. However, they then moved to a compound out the back of the petrol station on Caernarfon Road where there was an arson attack a few years back, destroying a couple of buses. Don't know if they're still there now. Crosville did have a compound at Nefyn near Pwllheil for one outbased vehicle and it was literally a single bus sized compound (3m x 11m) with a gate on the front of it.

 

[Busaholic]

Ellesmere Port didn't have a depot but parked up in the old bus station and when it was redeveloped, they had secure compound in Meadow Lane. It was classed as a depot but had no maintenance.

Think Arriva vacated that Holyhead one a while ago (if it's the one I think you're referring to). Arriva do park in Alpine's Llandudno yard (though it is segregated) having closed LJ depot. Pwllheli depot closed, moved to a yard in Glan y Don Ind Est (another coach firm?) and then parking round the back of Caelloi's garage. However, they then moved to a compound out the back of the petrol station on Caernarfon Road where there was an arson attack a few years back, destroying a couple of buses. Don't know if they're still there now. Crosville did have a compound at Nefyn near Pwllheil for one outbased vehicle and it was literally a single bus sized compound (3m x 11m) with a gate on the front of it.

I never went on a Crosville bus, but this Londoner spent a summer holiday with his parents in Nefyn when quite young (1954 or 1955) and was amazed to see a little single deck bus parked in what looked like a lock-up in the centre of what was then a village, I guess. What's more, you got on this bus at the back, whereas I assumed it was a law that single deck buses had to have forward or front entrances!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I never went on a Crosville bus, but this Londoner spent a summer holiday with his parents in Nefyn when quite young (1954 or 1955) and was amazed to see a little single deck bus parked in what looked like a lock-up in the centre of what was then a village, I guess. What's more, you got on this bus at the back, whereas I assumed it was a law that single deck buses had to have forward or front entrances!

That shed did pre-date the compound (but I've never seen a picture of it).

 

[Busaholic]

That shed did pre-date the compound (but I've never seen a picture of it).

And I was too young to have taken a pic of it: my first (and only) Welsh bus pic, which I still have, is of Western Welsh Haverfordwest depot circa 1961, with various dds and an Albion Nimbus, the latter exciting me as much, if not more, than the Leyland Titans.

 

[Andyh82]

I think only 1 of the buses used Uttoxeter each night but the timetable changed at the weekend so all the buses start and finish at Ashbourne now.

Where is the depot in Ashbourne?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Where is the depot in Ashbourne?

UNIT A, WATERSIDE BUSINESS PARK, OFF CLIFTON ROAD, ASHBOURNE, DE6 1DX

 

[Whiteway215]

Sorry wrong thread.