Garages/outstations that closed and reopened on the same site

[RDP]

Two interesting ones from Kent.

In NBC days the East Kent Road Car Co. opened a new depot at Cobbs Wood, Ashford with the existing Station Road site becoming an outstation. Cobbs Wood only lasted a few years before closing and the depot moving back to Station Road. After the Stagecoach takeover it was decided to close the Station Road site and move to an out of town site. The site that stagecoach bought without knowing its history was Cobbs Wood garage.

A more recent one concerns Sycamore Farm, Old Romney. This is where Smiths Coaches relocated to after vacating their premises at Brenzett only to cease trading a few months later. Following the acquisition of some East Sussex Rye area contracts Stagecoach initially worked them from its Cobbs Wood and Silverhill depots but after a few weeks opened a new outstation at Sycamore Farm. Although its initial purpose has long gone the outstation is still operational.

 

[MotCO]

Maybe of interest is that Swanley Garage is now fully operational as Go Coach have refurbished the original shed after being vacated following non PSV use. LCBS and Go Coach had used the yards around the garage (and possibly the separate operating block) in recent times. Now the garage is back as LT/LCBS intended.

Didn't First use it as a base pending their own garage being prepared near St Mary Cray for the Roundabout services back in 1995?

 

[Roger1973]

Isn't that a continuation, rather than a closure and reopening? Timpsons becoming part of National Travel (South East), which was then reconstituted as National Travel (London), which was then put under the control of London Country, and then separated off with London Country (South East) - the premises being used by a continuation of successor operators until closed as part of a redevelopment scheme.

You may be right - my recollection is that the site closed (as a base for coaches) before route P4 moved in, and then closed again before Black Horse used it (I think they only used the rear yard), but it was a while ago, and I can't find any reference to either, so my recollection may be wrong. Much of the 'Catford Island' was under planning blight for possible re-alignment of the South Circular for some years so many of the buildings were disused for some time.

Although thinking about it, the site had at one time been a (horse) tram depot which closed at electrification in the early 1900s and was bought by Timpsons c. 1920, so did close and re-open at least once.

On a similar tack, Rye Lane bus garage (opened 1951/2, closed 1969) was on the site of a horse tram depot, which also closed around electrification, and was used by LCC Tramways / LT as a base for permanent way maintenance vehicles.

Didn't First use it as a base pending their own garage being prepared near St Mary Cray for the Roundabout services back in 1995?

'London Bus Route Histories' lists route 61 operated from Swanley between December 1995 and March 1996.


Edit to add - having failed to come up with something earlier, I just tried a different search in Flickr and found this and this (not mine, of course) which makes it fairly clear that Leyland Nationals for route P4 and National coaches did co-exist at the Catford site, so I was wrong in thinking it had closed first.

 

[Roilshead]

And I'm sure there were some changes to Wallace Arnold premises in the Stanningley (Leeds) area. I'm vague on dates here, and currently redecorating, so have temporarily boxed my stuff away. But WA acquired premises in Stanningley with the acquisition of the Farsley Omnibus Co. Larger premises, on Richardshaw Lane (still standing, and in use as a climbing centre), came with the purchase of coach operator JW Kitchin (which was retained as a subsidiary), at which point the Farsley Omnibus operations moved to the Kitchin premises. In 1968 WA disposed of its Leeds-area stage carriage operations to Leeds City Transport and, with the Farsley Omnibus operations gone, the ex-Kitchin premises were felt to be too large and the JW Kitchin coach operations moved into the ex-Farsley Omnibus premises. Eventually, with the declive in local coaching, the Kitchin operations moved to share space in the WA/Feather Bros garage in Bradford.

It seems my recollection here was wrong: WA/Kitchin remained at the Kitchin garage after the sale of Farsley Omnibus for a short time before moving to the Bradford and/or Leeds garage(s).

But here's another one. The Yorkshire depot at Frost Hill, Liversedge, closed as a Yorkshire bus garage in August 1971 with the service changes/reductions of that month. It then became the base for Hebble after that company had divested itself of its stage-carriage services and closed its Halifax and Bradford garages to become the coaching operator for the "West Riding Group" (West Riding, Yorkshire, Hebble). It was also planned for Frost Hill to become the training centre for the West Riding Group by renovating the old office facilities (a Victorian bathrrom was still in place), but that came to nothing with the creation of National Travel and the merger of Hebble and Sheffield United Tours as National Travel (North East) and the transfer of the Frost Hill premises to National Travel.

And here's a second. Eastern National's Kelvedon depot, acquired with Moore Bros (late 1960s) was closed (early 1970s) when the ex-Moore's operations were integrated into the eastern National Network. It subsequently became a garage/works for National Travel (South East), closing when NBC restructured that operation as National Travel (London). Eastern National had an outstation at Silver End which closed in the early 1970s, but then became a store for National Travel (South East), only to reopen operationally on the closure of National Travel (South East).

 

[Simon75]

It seems my recollection here was wrong: WA/Kitchin remained at the Kitchin garage after the sale of Farsley Omnibus for a short time before moving to the Bradford and/or Leeds garage(s).

But here's another one. The Yorkshire depot at Frost Hill, Liversedge, closed as a Yorkshire bus garage in August 1971 with the service changes/reductions of that month. It then became the base for Hebble after that company had divested itself of its stage-carriage services and closed its Halifax and Bradford garages to become the coaching operator for the "West Riding Group" (West Riding, Yorkshire, Hebble). It was also planned for Frost Hill to become the training centre for the West Riding Group by renovating the old office facilities (a Victorian bathrrom was still in place), but that came to nothing with the creation of National Travel and the merger of Hebble and Sheffield United Tours as National Travel (North East) and the transfer of the Frost Hill premises to National Travel.

And here's a second. Eastern National's Kelvedon depot, acquired with Moore Bros (late 1960s) was closed (early 1970s) when the ex-Moore's operations were integrated into the eastern National Network. It subsequently became a garage/works for National Travel (South East), closing when NBC restructured that operation as National Travel (London). Eastern National had an outstation at Silver End which closed in the early 1970s, but then became a store for National Travel (South East), only to reopen operationally on the closure of National Travel (South East).

Kelvedon was taken over by Headington, and is still use today by Go Ahead

 

[Chris Hamilton]

Overtown.

Closed when Hutchison Coaches (Overtown) was bought by First Glasgow with all services reallocated to Blantyre. (The sale went through around the same time Motherwell closed, unsure if Traction House was ever used for ex-Hutchy services). A couple of years later, First took over the old Overtown depot and moved most Motherwell and Wishaw local services to it. Blantyre was near capacity and there was a lot of empty running to places like Shotts which would be eliminated. Also, a lot of ex-Hutchy drivers would jump at the chance of being closer to their home base.

Someone told me that the Anderson family still own Overtown and First are merely tenants, which explains why it’s a bit of a dump compared to the usual shiny First depots.

 

[A0]

Stagecoach Biggleswade outstation closed a few years back (not sure when), belive Grant Palmer has taken it over

Wasn't that the site of Charles Cook's depot originally? Next to the A1?

 

[LUYMun]

I believe Cardinal Buses occupies the same industrial site at New Haw in Surrey as the one used by Thamesbus in the early 2000s.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I believe Cardinal Buses occupies the same industrial site at New Haw in Surrey as the one used by Thamesbus in the early 2000s.

It is indeed the same industrial site (Canal Bridge), but I believe a different plot within it. Cardinal are based down the far end by Stantons & Wey Plastics, who own the overall site, with Thamesbus I believe having been based on the right hand side nearer the site entrance (most recently occupied by a haulage firm).

That said, Cardinal do also rent the land directly opposite that (on the left as you come in) for additional vehicle and driver parking. This was previously used by Abellio Surrey for their former The Green Bus St Peter’s School ‘Bus2’ operation, so that bit would count!

A whole host of bus and coach companies have come and gone over the years running out of the same industrial site, so while your example may have been different plots within the same overall industrial estate, there will almost certainly be several examples of individual plots there that will have been used by more than one operator. Even now there are a few other small coach operators based in there - White Lion Coaches (x6), Surrey Lions (x4), Cheetah Travel (x3), A&T Coaches (x2) and DP Coaches (x1).

 

[Surreyman]

Not sure if this really counts, London Country opened their central overhaul works sometime in the mid/late seventies in Crawley at the junction of Tinsley Lane north and Wheatsheaf close, I remember going to an open day in summer 1980.
Later they built/opened their new Crawley depot at the other end end of Wheatsheaf close @1982, this evolved over time to become the current Metrobus depot.
The central works was closed and was used for a time as a depot for National Express, this later closed down.
Recently, Metrobus have been using/leasing? the parking area for unit 3A/B, (they have a separate operators licence for 12 vehicles), the building used to be part of the Central works.

 

[Roilshead]

London Transport's Nunhead garage later became the base for Banfield's Coaches.

Bristol's original Cheltenham depot, closed when they moved up to Cheltenham District's premises in the mid-1950s (after nationalisation of that company as part of the Red & White group, and its transfer to Bristol management), then became a coach garage for Red & White . . . until they moved their Cheltenham-based coach fleet up to the Black & White premises at St Margaret's Coach Station (early 1960s?).

Oh! In the late 70s/early 80s Trent were required to vacate the ex-North Western outstation in Castleton (from which they ran their share of the 272 Sheffield-Bradwell/Castleton service). National Travel (East) had a garage in Bradwell, which had been acquired by Sheffield United Tours in the late 50s/early 60s with the purchase of a local coach operator, but which had been unused for some time. That garage was was transferred to Trant, who were then able to vacate the Castleton premises.

 

[Simon75]

First Southampton, reopening soon by Bluestar

 

[Surreyman]

First Southampton, reopening soon by Bluestar

Most of the Eastleigh allocation moved in last Sunday.

 

[Simon75]

Arriva Macclesfield (closed April 2023), has reopened with D&G

 

[Simon75]

Litchfield City Coaches now operate from the original Midland Classic depot in Burton on Trent