Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports

[TheSel]

Having had my Bristol RE fetish 'found out' by @TheGrandWazoo (!), may I present another day from my archives - and yes, it features another couple of examples of that great marque. We're looking back 36 years, to Saturday 1 March 1986, and surprise, surprise, more snow on the ground! A relatively short day, as I was working "unsocial hours", which meant I'd been out late on the Friday night, and would be out working again this (Saturday) evening.

Just a short walk then, down to the Ribble Bus Station on Lord Street, Southport, in time for

0800 X47 Southport – Preston Ribble 2026 – DBV26W – ECW bodied Bristol VR ... on which I bought my ticket for the day - the much-missed Red Rose Rambler ticket, valid on all operators in Lancashire (and slightly beyond, hence my ability to buy and use in Southport).

0904 150 Preston – Blackburn Ribble 434 – NTC614M – Leyland National

0948 244 Blackburn – Rawtenstall Ribble 459 – NTC639M – Leyland National


Ribble 459 - NTC639M - Rawtenstall Bus Station.

1030 4 Rawtenstall – Waterfoot Rossendale 22 – ABN722V – East Lancs bodied Atlantean


Rossendale 22 - ABN722V - opposite Rawtenstall Bus Station, wearing an advert for the very ticket I was using this day.

1045 7 Waterfoot – Bacup, Windermere Road Rossendale 51 – SND551X – East Lancs bodied Bristol LHS

1115 7 Windermere Road – Bacup Town Centre Rossendale 51 – SND551X – East Lancs bodied Bristol LHS


Rossendale 51 - SND551X - at Cutler Green (Windermere Road). A curious, box-like machine, but the sound-effects were superb!

1122 4 Bacup – Rawtenstall Rossendale 18 – STE18S – East Lancs bodied Atlantean

Time now for my regular 'RE fix', with an hour-long circular round some hill-side villages!

1150 12 Rawtenstall – Haslingden (circular) Rossendale 14 – JDK914P – East Lancs bodied Bristol RESL6L


Rossendale 14 - JDK914P - in Haslingden - another one advertising the Red Rose Rambler ticket.

1250 6 Rawtenstall – Bacup Rossendale 11 – JDK911P – East Lancs bodied RESL6L


Rossendale 11 - JDK911P - Bacup.

1350 32 Bacup – Sharneyford Rossendale 2 – WTJ902L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard


Rossendale 2 - WTJ902L - at a rather chilly Sharneyford terminus

1400 32 Sharneyford – Bacup Rossendale 2 – WTJ902L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

… where for a reason I didn't record, it was changed over for similar

(continuing journey) 32 Bacup – Burnley Rossendale 5 – WTJ905L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

1441 236 Burnley – Rawtenstall Rossendale 5 – WTJ905L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard


Rossendale 5 - WTJ905L - Deerplay Moor.

1524 743 Rawtenstall – Burnley Ribble 2159 – A159OFR – ECW bodied Olympian (DP)



Ribble 2159 - A159OFR - Burnley Bus Station

... returning home to Southport on ...

1556 727 Burnley – Southport Ribble 1046 – UTF726M – Duple bodied Leyland Leopard

… and back home in time to grab a bite to eat, change, and go to work.

An enjoyable - if chilly - day out, taking some decent(?) sunny shots to annoy people with 30 odd years later!

More from @TheSel's archive in a few days, featuring more REs, with perhaps more familiar bodywork.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Having had my Bristol RE fetish 'found out' by @TheGrandWazoo (!), may I present another day from my archives - and yes, it features another couple of examples of that great marque. We're looking back 36 years, to Saturday 1 March 1986, and surprise, surprise, more snow on the ground! A relatively short day, as I was working "unsocial hours", which meant I'd been out late on the Friday night, and would be out working again this (Saturday) evening.

Just a short walk then, down to the Ribble Bus Station on Lord Street, Southport, in time for

0800 X47 Southport – Preston Ribble 2026 – DBV26W – ECW bodied Bristol VR ... on which I bought my ticket for the day - the much-missed Red Rose Rambler ticket, valid on all operators in Lancashire (and slightly beyond, hence my ability to buy and use in Southport).

0904 150 Preston – Blackburn Ribble 434 – NTC614M – Leyland National

0948 244 Blackburn – Rawtenstall Ribble 459 – NTC639M – Leyland National

View attachment 110885
Ribble 459 - NTC639M - Rawtenstall Bus Station.

1030 4 Rawtenstall – Waterfoot Rossendale 22 – ABN722V – East Lancs bodied Atlantean

View attachment 110886
Rossendale 22 - ABN722V - opposite Rawtenstall Bus Station, wearing an advert for the very ticket I was using this day.

1045 7 Waterfoot – Bacup, Windermere Road Rossendale 51 – SND551X – East Lancs bodied Bristol LHS

1115 7 Windermere Road – Bacup Town Centre Rossendale 51 – SND551X – East Lancs bodied Bristol LHS

View attachment 110887
Rossendale 51 - SND551X - at Cutler Green (Windermere Road). A curious, box-like machine, but the sound-effects were superb!

1122 4 Bacup – Rawtenstall Rossendale 18 – STE18S – East Lancs bodied Atlantean

Time now for my regular 'RE fix', with an hour-long circular round some hill-side villages!

1150 12 Rawtenstall – Haslingden (circular) Rossendale 14 – JDK914P – East Lancs bodied Bristol RESL6L

View attachment 110888
Rossendale 14 - JDK914P - in Haslingden - another one advertising the Red Rose Rambler ticket.

1250 6 Rawtenstall – Bacup Rossendale 11 – JDK911P – East Lancs bodied RESL6L

View attachment 110889
Rossendale 11 - JDK911P - Bacup.

1350 32 Bacup – Sharneyford Rossendale 2 – WTJ902L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

View attachment 110890
Rossendale 2 - WTJ902L - at a rather chilly Sharneyford terminus

1400 32 Sharneyford – Bacup Rossendale 2 – WTJ902L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

… where for a reason I didn't record, it was changed over for similar

(continuing journey) 32 Bacup – Burnley Rossendale 5 – WTJ905L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

1441 236 Burnley – Rawtenstall Rossendale 5 – WTJ905L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

View attachment 110891
Rossendale 5 - WTJ905L - Deerplay Moor.

1524 743 Rawtenstall – Burnley Ribble 2159 – A159OFR – ECW bodied Olympian (DP)


View attachment 110892
Ribble 2159 - A159OFR - Burnley Bus Station

... returning home to Southport on ...

1556 727 Burnley – Southport Ribble 1046 – UTF726M – Duple bodied Leyland Leopard

… and back home in time to grab a bite to eat, change, and go to work.

An enjoyable - if chilly - day out, taking some decent(?) sunny shots to annoy people with 30 odd years later!

More from @TheSel's archive in a few days, featuring more REs, with perhaps more familiar bodywork.

Thank you for that late pre-dereg picture. Again, it looks very chilly but some great photographs and recollections. One thing I'd forgotten, til seeing that National, was Ribble running through to Rochdale. Talking of destinations, the shot on Deerplay Moor with Ski Rossendale seems rather apt in the snowy backdrop.

However, of the vehicles shown, my two favourites wouldn't be the REs nor the Nationals, but the coach seated Olympians (which were a real step up from the VRs and Atlanteans of the NBC) and the LHS. I think they were unique with the East Lancs bodywork and yes, the sound effects were something with an LH though perhaps not the best for passengers. I did wonder if the Leopards were ones that ended up with Green Bus Service in Staffs and yes, both did, thanks to Flickr.

I remember that appalling bus station in Rawtenstall all too well. Good riddance to that.

 

[RELL6L]

Time for a contemporary report from me -

The weather forecast for last Friday was good so Thursday evening saw me headed up the M1 for a night at Woolley Edge services in Yorkshire. I headed off early on Friday morning and was at Thornton, west of Bradford, as the sun was coming up. The Keighley Bus Company website said – indeed as I draft this on Monday 28 Feb it still says – that the 67 is only running between Keighley and Cullingworth due to flooding, but as far as I can tell, thanks to bustimes, this was quickly sorted by the morning rush hour last Monday (21 Feb). Update Tuesday – gone now. If there was a theme to my trip it was viaducts and I had a quick look at the impressive disused railway viaduct just outside the village. My bus out was the 67 towards Keighley, a Volvo B7RLE although I did also see a Y-reg Volvo B7TL on the route. As soon as we climbed out of the valley of the village there was snow in the gardens beside the road and views of snow on the hills to the south and west. We went through Denholme and I alighted at Cullingworth, a small but attractive village to which the 67 does a short double-run.

Now although the weather forecast was for sun, there had been mention of a risk of showers in the early morning and at Cullingworth a brief shower duly appeared. Even though the sun stayed out, there was a little rain and a rainbow appeared as I took cover in the bus shelter. There wasn’t really anything to do here but wait for my next bus, a Keighley and District K17 to Bingley. This route gave a good view of the Hewenden viaduct, on the same line; as I understand it there is a walking route which you can take crossing this and the Thornton viaduct as well as a shorter viaduct at Cullingworth. The K17 was an Optare Solo – some buses on the route are Mellor Stratas - we picked up a few people as we headed into Bingley where I left the bus as it headed via an indirect route to Keighley.

I have explored Bingley before, including the attractive area around the church and the locks, this time I used the town merely to buy a coffee and bacon roll before moving on. The next leg was on the Keighley 60 (Aireline) to Shipley, this being a Volvo B9TL from the 2008 batch reregistered to X-VTD. A short journey to Shipley with a quick glimpse of Saltaire, somewhere I have also visited and thoroughly recommend. At Shipley there was another 60 broken down, this one being a B7TL with 05 registration, although it was back on the road by lunchtime. Only a brief stop here before continuing on the “Flyer” A3. This arrived about 5 minutes early but waited time before continuing its journey towards the airport. Shown as Transdev York the A1, A2 and A3 routes are run entirely with Optare Versas with Y-TDV registrations. Although not very old mine made rather concerning noises from the driveline. The A3 route takes a short circuit of Guiseley before heading to Yeadon where I alighted. I had identified that Yeadon appeared to be quite an attractive, if small, town and so it transpired. This and the A2 are the only links now from Bradford and Shipley across the River Aire to the A65 corridor towns whereas there used to be several routes. Not many passengers, I don’t know if there were / will be more when the airport and leisure travel are back to normal.

I didn’t have long at Yeadon but could see that my next bus, the First Leeds 34, was running a few minutes late. I wasn’t worried as my next connection was 23 minutes. The bus was a green Streetdeck and was a few more minutes late by the time it arrived bound for Otley and seemed to go pretty slowly – and then we hit roadworks between Guiseley and Menston which delayed us another 10 minutes. Suddenly 23 minutes was reducing fast. We made up a little time going round the village of Menston but by the time I got to Otley I had just 9 minutes before my next bus. I had hoped for somewhat more as I had never explored Otley before. It is amazing what you can do in 9 minutes if that’s your constraint and I did get around the very attractive town centre but I wasn’t able to get to the river.

My next bus was the Connexions X52 to Harrogate. This runs alongside the river Wharfe for a while and so, although I had missed out on Otley bridge, I did see the river, many flooded fields and the next bridge that we crossed at Pool. The X52 was a Scania Omnicity double decker with ageless registration, still in London red with HH garage code. The vehicle was bang on time, well loaded on arrival and took on several more at Otley and this seems to be a popular route, with deckers generally used throughout. Pleasant scenery along the river Wharfe and then up into Harrogate. A distant view of the Hornbeam viaduct which carries the railway into town from Leeds. Notably we didn’t pass any 36s headed towards Leeds on the long common section into town. I alighted in the one way system next to the famous Betty’s tea shop.

I have been to Harrogate before and explored it fully on a long trip in 2018 from Leeds-Harrogate-Ripon-Richmond-Darlington-Barnard Castle-Bishop Auckland-Durham, that time I visited around breakfast time with few people but many deliveries, waste trucks and road sweepers. So this time I did not stay for long and fairly soon headed across to the bus station. Here I saw some electric buses sitting on the stands for the local services with pantographs raised being charged, but I was now headed for Knaresborough and had the choice of the 1s from Transdev Harrogate every 7½ minutes or the X1a/X1b from Connexions every 15 minutes. Notably bustimes doesn’t show the X1a and X1b as existing most of the day although they run every 15 minutes between school times. Genuine on-the-road competition here with adjacent stands at the bus station, frequent services and low fares. Judging by the loads there seemed to be good custom for both operators. I arrived at 11.35 to see the next Transdev bus at 11.41 was cancelled and the next Connexions journey was at 11.45. The Connexions bus, a Scania Omnicity single decker also with ageless registration, pulled in at about 11.44 and I decided to get this. The traffic in Harrogate was bad but this driver was not going to be deterred from keeping to time and drove very positively. The Scania was a fast bus and we were either stationery, braking or accelerating at full throttle without being aggressive or uncomfortable. This enhanced the experience, a good bus driven as it should be, I don’t think there will be many like this before long! The Transdev buses were mainly B7RLEs but a couple of deckers too.

Knaresborough is a stunning small town. The town centre, around the small market square, is delightful. Then there is a castle from which there are great views, which include a glorious viaduct carrying the railway across the river Nidd. You can then walk down and alongside the river, under the viaduct and on to the road bridge with great views looking back the other way. Then struggle back up the steep hill and go past the railway station where there are quaint houses and a level crossing to get back up into the town. Allow at least an hour to see the town, I had nearly 90 minutes, including a brief stop on one of the benches in the market square next to a sculpture of Mother Shipton, a local 16th century soothsayer, to eat my lunch. A very small but serviceable bus station too. Quite a few people around being a sunny February day, I suspect a sunny summer day would have an awful lot more.

From Knaresborough I took the Transdev 8, a Volvo B7RLE which was running quite late. It had been delayed by traffic on its way into Harrogate, left late and was further delayed by road works and so arrived at Knaresborough 13 minutes late. A few passengers but they had all left by the time we had reached countryside and no more until we reached the first of many estates served in Wetherby. I suspect this route knits together a number of old services and the country section is under-used but almost incidental. A few passengers joined in Wetherby and I got off just before the last loop to walk into the town centre from the east. I had been here before, Wetherby is an attractive middle class town on the Wharfe with honey-coloured stone buildings. Although we were about 12 minutes late and I only had a 15 minute connection I could see the incoming First bus was 10 minutes late so I still had time for a brief wander around the town centre.

My next bus was the First Leeds X99, the village route to Leeds, on another green Streetdeck. By the time it finally reached Wetherby it was 14 minutes late, it turned straight round at the small bus station and left 12 behind. Now I know Streetdecks aren’t fast, and I assume they have automatic speed limiters at the prevailing limit, but my goodness this driver was incredibly slow. Maybe he was brand new or on a final warning, in which case understood, but he stopped for everything, gave way to everything, took ages crossing the narrow bridge over the river at Linton (good for a photo), took forever to turn right onto the main road in Collingham and then in a narrow steep downhill stretch with parked cars in East Keswick he waited for a bike coming the other way. The cyclist made a few brave efforts to cycle more quickly up the steep hill while the bus waited then thought better of it, dismounted and got out of the way. The roads were not slow, there were no hold-ups, but by the time we had got onto the main road at Scarcroft we were 16 minutes late. Maybe he was driving totally as instructed, health-and-safety set to ultra-cautious above all else, but surely getting the passengers where they want to go in a reasonable time must feature somewhere, or there will be no passengers. Quite attractive through the villages and then onto the main road. I am not sure why the X98 and X99 have the ‘X’ description as they seemed to stop at several places on the way into Leeds and we picked up and set down a few passengers as we headed into the town centre via Roundhay. At two traffic lights coming into central Leeds, with traffic busy but not solid, the driver was particularly non-responsive and both times, although only third or fourth in the queue when the light turned green, we didn’t make it through and had to wait for another long red, going from 10 to 17 minutes late in the last three stops before I got off at the Headrow.

I’ve been to Leeds a few times but explored different corners of the city centre on each occasion. This time I headed down to the Corn Exchange, a road called “The Calls”, the Centenary bridge and the regenerated area across the River Aire to the south east of the city centre. This part of the river was as far as we reached in a canal trip across the Leeds and Liverpool canal around 40 years ago and had changed significantly, from pretty run down to seriously gentrified, although I don’t know what the prices are of the apartments overlooking the river here. An attractive corner of the city.

I then headed back to the city centre. Traffic here was pretty chaotic here with part of Boar Lane being closed off and all traffic having to go past a pedestrian crossing on a busy footpath route from the station, hence being delayed. Cars, which appeared to have to go along The Calls, were even more delayed. I went to Boar Lane, intending to take a 4 to Pudsey, but there was no sign of any being imminent, so I carried on to the Wellington Street stop shared by the 4 and the X11. By this time most buses were running about half an hour late and the first that turned up was the X11 due to depart Leeds at 15.37 but which was running 23 minutes down. This was a Bradford based Streetdeck in standard First colours and the driver drove reasonably positively with no major traffic jams, but it was slow everywhere and we got progressively later. I had half intended to break at Pudsey but we were 34 minutes behind here and the following journey was also pretty late so I carried on the whole way to Bradford. Apart from a brief section early on the X11 was all stops with quite a bit of local traffic, in fact it is now the only route into Bradford from Pudsey and from Thornbury into Bradford along the Leeds Old Road. We were 38 minutes late by the time I got off at Market Street in Bradford, had a quick look at Centenary Square opposite and went to the stop on Sunbridge Road shared by the 607 and 67 to Thornton. The first First 607 was cancelled but the 67 was bang on time, a Keighley Volvo B7RLE with a good load, and even though the traffic was heavy we had to wait time at Four Lane Ends before arriving back at Thornton. I had been away from Thornton between 7.09 and 17.40, almost precisely sunrise and sunset. At Thornton there was a view of the viaduct with a red sky behind it to round off the day before the long drive home.

On the buses it was not an expensive day out with a Metro ticket for £5.50 covering everything within West Yorkshire and I paid standard fares on the buses to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby but these did not seem expensive. Petrol the biggest cost – but its what I enjoy doing and will continue as best I can! A thoroughly enjoyable day.

A few 'postcard' pictures of my day. I couldn't choose just one of Knaresborough and Leeds...


Thornton at sunrise with snow on the hills to the south


Rainbow at Cullingworth


Hewenden viaduct near Cullingworth


Yeadon


Otley


Harrogate, including a 'Harrogate Electrics' bus


Four views of Knaresborough, Market Place and the River Nidd


Four views of Leeds, the Corn Exchange and down by the River Aire


Bradford, with a First Volvo B9TL


Sunset at Thornton viaduct

 

[TheSel]

Time for a contemporary report from me -

The weather forecast for last Friday was good so Thursday evening saw me headed up the M1 for a night at Woolley Edge services in Yorkshire. I headed off early on Friday morning and was at Thornton, west of Bradford, as the sun was coming up. The Keighley Bus Company website said – indeed as I draft this on Monday 28 Feb it still says – that the 67 is only running between Keighley and Cullingworth due to flooding, but as far as I can tell, thanks to bustimes, this was quickly sorted by the morning rush hour last Monday (21 Feb). Update Tuesday – gone now. If there was a theme to my trip it was viaducts and I had a quick look at the impressive disused railway viaduct just outside the village. My bus out was the 67 towards Keighley, a Volvo B7RLE although I did also see a Y-red Volvo B7TL on the route. As soon as we climbed out of the valley of the village there was snow in the gardens beside the road and views of snow on the hills to the south and west. We went through Denholme and I alighted at Cullingworth, a small but attractive village to which the 67 does a short double-run.

Now although the weather forecast was for sun, there had been mention of a risk of showers in the early morning and at Cullingworth a brief shower duly appeared. Even though the sun stayed out, there was a little rain and a rainbow appeared as I took cover in the bus shelter. There wasn’t really anything to do here but wait for my next bus, a Keighley and District K17 to Bingley. This route gave a good view of the Hewenden viaduct, on the same line; as I understand it there is a walking route which you can take crossing this and the Thornton viaduct as well as a shorter viaduct at Cullingworth. The K17 was an Optare Solo – some buses on the route are Mellor Stratas - we picked up a few people as we headed into Bingley where I left the bus as it headed via an indirect route to Keighley.

I have explored Bingley before, including the attractive area around the church and the locks, this time I used the town merely to buy a coffee and bacon roll before moving on. The next leg was on the Keighley 60 (Aireline) to Shipley, this being a Volvo B9TL from the 2008 batch reregistered to X-VTD. A short journey to Shipley with a quick glimpse of Saltaire, somewhere I have also visited and thoroughly recommend. At Shipley there was another 60 broken down, this one being a B7TL with 05 registration, although it was back on the road by lunchtime. Only a brief stop here before continuing on the “Flyer” A3. This arrived about 5 minutes early but waited time before continuing its journey towards the airport. Shown as Transdev York the A1, A2 and A3 routes are run entirely with Optare Versas with Y-TDV registrations. Although not very old mine made rather concerning noises from the driveline. The A3 route takes a short circuit of Guiseley before heading to Yeadon where I alighted. I had identified that Yeadon appeared to be quite an attractive, if small, town and so it transpired. This and the A2 are the only links now from Bradford and Shipley across the River Aire to the A65 corridor towns whereas there used to be several routes. Not many passengers, I don’t know if there were / will be more when the airport and leisure travel are back to normal.

I didn’t have long at Yeadon but could see that my next bus, the First Leeds 34, was running a few minutes late. I wasn’t worried as my next connection was 23 minutes. The bus was a green Streetdeck and was a few more minutes late by the time it arrived bound for Otley and seemed to go pretty slowly – and then we hit roadworks between Guiseley and Menston which delayed us another 10 minutes. Suddenly 23 minutes was reducing fast. We made up a little time going round the village of Menston but by the time I got to Otley I had just 9 minutes before my next bus. I had hoped for somewhat more as I had never explored Otley before. It is amazing what you can do in 9 minutes if that’s your constraint and I did get around the very attractive town centre but I wasn’t able to get to the river.

My next bus was the Connexions X52 to Harrogate. This runs alongside the river Wharfe for a while and so, although I had missed out on Otley bridge, I did see the river, many flooded fields and the next bridge that we crossed at Pool. The X52 was a Scania Omnicity double decker with ageless registration, still in London red with HH garage code. The vehicle was bang on time, well loaded on arrival and took on several more at Otley and this seems to be a popular route, with deckers generally used throughout. Pleasant scenery along the river Wharfe and then up into Harrogate. A distant view of the Hornbeam viaduct which carries the railway into town from Leeds. Notably we didn’t pass any 36s headed towards Leeds on the long common section into town. I alighted in the one way system next to the famous Betty’s tea shop.

I have been to Harrogate before and explored it fully on a long trip in 2018 from Leeds-Harrogate-Ripon-Richmond-Darlington-Barnard Castle-Bishop Auckland-Durham, that time I visited around breakfast time with few people but many deliveries, waste trucks and road sweepers. So this time I did not stay for long and fairly soon headed across to the bus station. Here I saw some electric buses sitting on the stands for the local services with pantographs raised being charged, but I was now headed for Knaresborough and had the choice of the 1s from Transdev Harrogate every 7½ minutes or the X1a/X1b from Connexions every 15 minutes. Notably bustimes doesn’t show the X1a and X1b as existing most of the day although they run every 15 minutes between school times. Genuine on-the-road competition here with adjacent stands at the bus station, frequent services and low fares. Judging by the loads there seemed to be good custom for both operators. I arrived at 11.35 to see the next Transdev bus at 11.41 was cancelled and the next Connexions journey was at 11.45. The Connexions bus, a Scania Omnicity single decker also with ageless registration, pulled in at about 11.44 and I decided to get this. The traffic in Harrogate was bad but this driver was not going to be deterred from keeping to time and drove very positively. The Scania was a fast bus and we were either stationery, braking or accelerating at full throttle without being aggressive or uncomfortable. This enhanced the experience, a good bus driven as it should be, I don’t think there will be many like this before long! The Transdev buses were mainly B7RLEs but a couple of deckers too.

Knaresborough is a stunning small town. The town centre, around the small market square, is delightful. Then there is a castle from which there are great views, which include a glorious viaduct carrying the railway across the river Nidd. You can then walk down and alongside the river, under the viaduct and on to the road bridge with great views looking back the other way. Then struggle back up the steep hill and go past the railway station where there are quaint houses and a level crossing to get back up into the town. Allow at least an hour to see the town, I had nearly 90 minutes, including a brief stop on one of the benches in the market square next to a sculpture of Mother Shipton, a local 16th century soothsayer, to eat my lunch. A very small but serviceable bus station too. Quite a few people around being a sunny February day, I suspect a sunny summer day would have an awful lot more.

From Knaresborough I took the Transdev 8, a Volvo B7RLE which was running quite late. It had been delayed by traffic on its way into Harrogate, left late and was further delayed by road works and so arrived at Knaresborough 13 minutes late. A few passengers but they had all left by the time we had reached countryside and no more until we reached the first of many estates served in Wetherby. I suspect this route knits together a number of old services and the country section is under-used but almost incidental. A few passengers joined in Wetherby and I got off just before the last loop to walk into the town centre from the east. I had been here before, Wetherby is an attractive middle class town on the Wharfe with honey-coloured stone buildings. Although we were about 12 minutes late and I only had a 15 minute connection I could see the incoming First bus was 10 minutes late so I still had time for a brief wander around the town centre.

My next bus was the First Leeds X99, the village route to Leeds, on another green Streetdeck. By the time it finally reached Wetherby it was 14 minutes late, it turned straight round at the small bus station and left 12 behind. Now I know Streetdecks aren’t fast, and I assume they have automatic speed limiters at the prevailing limit, but my goodness this driver was incredibly slow. Maybe he was brand new or on a final warning, in which case understood, but he stopped for everything, gave way to everything, took ages crossing the narrow bridge over the river at Linton (good for a photo), took forever to turn right onto the main road in Collingham and then in a narrow steep downhill stretch with parked cars in East Keswick he waited for a bike coming the other way. The cyclist made a few brave efforts to cycle more quickly up the steep hill while the bus waited then thought better of it, dismounted and got out of the way. The roads were not slow, there were no hold-ups, but by the time we had got onto the main road at Scarcroft we were 16 minutes late. Maybe he was driving totally as instructed, health-and-safety set to ultra-cautious above all else, but surely getting the passengers where they want to go in a reasonable time must feature somewhere, or there will be no passengers. Quite attractive through the villages and then onto the main road. I am not sure why the X98 and X99 have the ‘X’ description as they seemed to stop at several places on the way into Leeds and we picked up and set down a few passengers as we headed into the town centre via Roundhay. At two traffic lights coming into central Leeds, with traffic busy but not solid, the driver was particularly non-responsive and both times, although only third or fourth in the queue when the light turned green, we didn’t make it through and had to wait for another long red, going from 10 to 17 minutes late in the last three stops before I got off at the Headrow.

I’ve been to Leeds a few times but explored different corners of the city centre on each occasion. This time I headed down to the Corn Exchange, a road called “The Calls”, the Centenary bridge and the regenerated area across the River Aire to the south east of the city centre. This part of the river was as far as we reached in a canal trip across the Leeds and Liverpool canal around 40 years ago and had changed significantly, from pretty run down to seriously gentrified, although I don’t know what the prices are of the apartments overlooking the river here. An attractive corner of the city.

I then headed back to the city centre. Traffic here was pretty chaotic here with part of Boar Lane being closed off and all traffic having to go past a pedestrian crossing on a busy footpath route from the station, hence being delayed. Cars, which appeared to have to go along The Calls, were even more delayed. I went to Boar Lane, intending to take a 4 to Pudsey, but there was no sign of any being imminent, so I carried on to the Wellington Street stop shared by the 4 and the X11. By this time most buses were running about half an hour late and the first that turned up was the X11 due to depart Leeds at 15.37 but which was running 23 minutes down. This was a Bradford based Streetdeck in standard First colours and the driver drove reasonably positively with no major traffic jams, but it was slow everywhere and we got progressively later. I had half intended to break at Pudsey but we were 34 minutes behind here and the following journey was also pretty late so I carried on the whole way to Bradford. Apart from a brief section early on the X11 was all stops with quite a bit of local traffic, in fact it is now the only route into Bradford from Pudsey and from Thornbury into Bradford along the Leeds Old Road. We were 38 minutes late by the time I got off at Market Street in Bradford, had a quick look at Centenary Square opposite and went to the stop on Sunbridge Road shared by the 607 and 67 to Thornton. The first First 607 was cancelled but the 67 was bang on time, a Keighley Volvo B7RLE with a good load, and even though the traffic was heavy we had to wait time at Four Lane Ends before arriving back at Thornton. I had been away from Thornton between 7.09 and 17.40, almost precisely sunrise and sunset. At Thornton there was a view of the viaduct with a red sky behind it to round off the day before the long drive home.

On the buses it was not an expensive day out with a Metro ticket for £5.50 covering everything within West Yorkshire and I paid standard fares on the buses to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby but these did not seem expensive. Petrol the biggest cost – but its what I enjoy doing and will continue as best I can! A thoroughly enjoyable day.

A few 'postcard' pictures of my day. I couldn't choose just one of Knaresborough and Leeds...

View attachment 110897
Thornton at sunrise with snow on the hills to the south

View attachment 110898
Rainbow at Cullingworth

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Hewenden viaduct near Cullingworth

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Yeadon

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Otley

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Harrogate, including a 'Harrogate Electrics' bus

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Four views of Knaresborough, Market Place and the River Nidd

View attachment 110908
Four views of Leeds, the Corn Exchange and down by the River Aire

View attachment 110909
Bradford, with a First Volvo B9TL

View attachment 110910
Sunset at Thornton viaduct

What an excellent day! Many thanks for your splendid report, and for the fantastic photography that's we've all come to expect now, to accompany your words. Nice to see the good burghers of Yeadon are getting the signs ready for next Christmas, too. Only another 299 days to wait, folks!

 

[Ken H]

Time for a contemporary report from me -

The weather forecast for last Friday was good so Thursday evening saw me headed up the M1 for a night at Woolley Edge services in Yorkshire. I headed off early on Friday morning and was at Thornton, west of Bradford, as the sun was coming up. The Keighley Bus Company website said – indeed as I draft this on Monday 28 Feb it still says – that the 67 is only running between Keighley and Cullingworth due to flooding, but as far as I can tell, thanks to bustimes, this was quickly sorted by the morning rush hour last Monday (21 Feb). Update Tuesday – gone now. If there was a theme to my trip it was viaducts and I had a quick look at the impressive disused railway viaduct just outside the village. My bus out was the 67 towards Keighley, a Volvo B7RLE although I did also see a Y-reg Volvo B7TL on the route. As soon as we climbed out of the valley of the village there was snow in the gardens beside the road and views of snow on the hills to the south and west. We went through Denholme and I alighted at Cullingworth, a small but attractive village to which the 67 does a short double-run.

Now although the weather forecast was for sun, there had been mention of a risk of showers in the early morning and at Cullingworth a brief shower duly appeared. Even though the sun stayed out, there was a little rain and a rainbow appeared as I took cover in the bus shelter. There wasn’t really anything to do here but wait for my next bus, a Keighley and District K17 to Bingley. This route gave a good view of the Hewenden viaduct, on the same line; as I understand it there is a walking route which you can take crossing this and the Thornton viaduct as well as a shorter viaduct at Cullingworth. The K17 was an Optare Solo – some buses on the route are Mellor Stratas - we picked up a few people as we headed into Bingley where I left the bus as it headed via an indirect route to Keighley.

I have explored Bingley before, including the attractive area around the church and the locks, this time I used the town merely to buy a coffee and bacon roll before moving on. The next leg was on the Keighley 60 (Aireline) to Shipley, this being a Volvo B9TL from the 2008 batch reregistered to X-VTD. A short journey to Shipley with a quick glimpse of Saltaire, somewhere I have also visited and thoroughly recommend. At Shipley there was another 60 broken down, this one being a B7TL with 05 registration, although it was back on the road by lunchtime. Only a brief stop here before continuing on the “Flyer” A3. This arrived about 5 minutes early but waited time before continuing its journey towards the airport. Shown as Transdev York the A1, A2 and A3 routes are run entirely with Optare Versas with Y-TDV registrations. Although not very old mine made rather concerning noises from the driveline. The A3 route takes a short circuit of Guiseley before heading to Yeadon where I alighted. I had identified that Yeadon appeared to be quite an attractive, if small, town and so it transpired. This and the A2 are the only links now from Bradford and Shipley across the River Aire to the A65 corridor towns whereas there used to be several routes. Not many passengers, I don’t know if there were / will be more when the airport and leisure travel are back to normal.

I didn’t have long at Yeadon but could see that my next bus, the First Leeds 34, was running a few minutes late. I wasn’t worried as my next connection was 23 minutes. The bus was a green Streetdeck and was a few more minutes late by the time it arrived bound for Otley and seemed to go pretty slowly – and then we hit roadworks between Guiseley and Menston which delayed us another 10 minutes. Suddenly 23 minutes was reducing fast. We made up a little time going round the village of Menston but by the time I got to Otley I had just 9 minutes before my next bus. I had hoped for somewhat more as I had never explored Otley before. It is amazing what you can do in 9 minutes if that’s your constraint and I did get around the very attractive town centre but I wasn’t able to get to the river.

My next bus was the Connexions X52 to Harrogate. This runs alongside the river Wharfe for a while and so, although I had missed out on Otley bridge, I did see the river, many flooded fields and the next bridge that we crossed at Pool. The X52 was a Scania Omnicity double decker with ageless registration, still in London red with HH garage code. The vehicle was bang on time, well loaded on arrival and took on several more at Otley and this seems to be a popular route, with deckers generally used throughout. Pleasant scenery along the river Wharfe and then up into Harrogate. A distant view of the Hornbeam viaduct which carries the railway into town from Leeds. Notably we didn’t pass any 36s headed towards Leeds on the long common section into town. I alighted in the one way system next to the famous Betty’s tea shop.

I have been to Harrogate before and explored it fully on a long trip in 2018 from Leeds-Harrogate-Ripon-Richmond-Darlington-Barnard Castle-Bishop Auckland-Durham, that time I visited around breakfast time with few people but many deliveries, waste trucks and road sweepers. So this time I did not stay for long and fairly soon headed across to the bus station. Here I saw some electric buses sitting on the stands for the local services with pantographs raised being charged, but I was now headed for Knaresborough and had the choice of the 1s from Transdev Harrogate every 7½ minutes or the X1a/X1b from Connexions every 15 minutes. Notably bustimes doesn’t show the X1a and X1b as existing most of the day although they run every 15 minutes between school times. Genuine on-the-road competition here with adjacent stands at the bus station, frequent services and low fares. Judging by the loads there seemed to be good custom for both operators. I arrived at 11.35 to see the next Transdev bus at 11.41 was cancelled and the next Connexions journey was at 11.45. The Connexions bus, a Scania Omnicity single decker also with ageless registration, pulled in at about 11.44 and I decided to get this. The traffic in Harrogate was bad but this driver was not going to be deterred from keeping to time and drove very positively. The Scania was a fast bus and we were either stationery, braking or accelerating at full throttle without being aggressive or uncomfortable. This enhanced the experience, a good bus driven as it should be, I don’t think there will be many like this before long! The Transdev buses were mainly B7RLEs but a couple of deckers too.

Knaresborough is a stunning small town. The town centre, around the small market square, is delightful. Then there is a castle from which there are great views, which include a glorious viaduct carrying the railway across the river Nidd. You can then walk down and alongside the river, under the viaduct and on to the road bridge with great views looking back the other way. Then struggle back up the steep hill and go past the railway station where there are quaint houses and a level crossing to get back up into the town. Allow at least an hour to see the town, I had nearly 90 minutes, including a brief stop on one of the benches in the market square next to a sculpture of Mother Shipton, a local 16th century soothsayer, to eat my lunch. A very small but serviceable bus station too. Quite a few people around being a sunny February day, I suspect a sunny summer day would have an awful lot more.

From Knaresborough I took the Transdev 8, a Volvo B7RLE which was running quite late. It had been delayed by traffic on its way into Harrogate, left late and was further delayed by road works and so arrived at Knaresborough 13 minutes late. A few passengers but they had all left by the time we had reached countryside and no more until we reached the first of many estates served in Wetherby. I suspect this route knits together a number of old services and the country section is under-used but almost incidental. A few passengers joined in Wetherby and I got off just before the last loop to walk into the town centre from the east. I had been here before, Wetherby is an attractive middle class town on the Wharfe with honey-coloured stone buildings. Although we were about 12 minutes late and I only had a 15 minute connection I could see the incoming First bus was 10 minutes late so I still had time for a brief wander around the town centre.

My next bus was the First Leeds X99, the village route to Leeds, on another green Streetdeck. By the time it finally reached Wetherby it was 14 minutes late, it turned straight round at the small bus station and left 12 behind. Now I know Streetdecks aren’t fast, and I assume they have automatic speed limiters at the prevailing limit, but my goodness this driver was incredibly slow. Maybe he was brand new or on a final warning, in which case understood, but he stopped for everything, gave way to everything, took ages crossing the narrow bridge over the river at Linton (good for a photo), took forever to turn right onto the main road in Collingham and then in a narrow steep downhill stretch with parked cars in East Keswick he waited for a bike coming the other way. The cyclist made a few brave efforts to cycle more quickly up the steep hill while the bus waited then thought better of it, dismounted and got out of the way. The roads were not slow, there were no hold-ups, but by the time we had got onto the main road at Scarcroft we were 16 minutes late. Maybe he was driving totally as instructed, health-and-safety set to ultra-cautious above all else, but surely getting the passengers where they want to go in a reasonable time must feature somewhere, or there will be no passengers. Quite attractive through the villages and then onto the main road. I am not sure why the X98 and X99 have the ‘X’ description as they seemed to stop at several places on the way into Leeds and we picked up and set down a few passengers as we headed into the town centre via Roundhay. At two traffic lights coming into central Leeds, with traffic busy but not solid, the driver was particularly non-responsive and both times, although only third or fourth in the queue when the light turned green, we didn’t make it through and had to wait for another long red, going from 10 to 17 minutes late in the last three stops before I got off at the Headrow.

I’ve been to Leeds a few times but explored different corners of the city centre on each occasion. This time I headed down to the Corn Exchange, a road called “The Calls”, the Centenary bridge and the regenerated area across the River Aire to the south east of the city centre. This part of the river was as far as we reached in a canal trip across the Leeds and Liverpool canal around 40 years ago and had changed significantly, from pretty run down to seriously gentrified, although I don’t know what the prices are of the apartments overlooking the river here. An attractive corner of the city.

I then headed back to the city centre. Traffic here was pretty chaotic here with part of Boar Lane being closed off and all traffic having to go past a pedestrian crossing on a busy footpath route from the station, hence being delayed. Cars, which appeared to have to go along The Calls, were even more delayed. I went to Boar Lane, intending to take a 4 to Pudsey, but there was no sign of any being imminent, so I carried on to the Wellington Street stop shared by the 4 and the X11. By this time most buses were running about half an hour late and the first that turned up was the X11 due to depart Leeds at 15.37 but which was running 23 minutes down. This was a Bradford based Streetdeck in standard First colours and the driver drove reasonably positively with no major traffic jams, but it was slow everywhere and we got progressively later. I had half intended to break at Pudsey but we were 34 minutes behind here and the following journey was also pretty late so I carried on the whole way to Bradford. Apart from a brief section early on the X11 was all stops with quite a bit of local traffic, in fact it is now the only route into Bradford from Pudsey and from Thornbury into Bradford along the Leeds Old Road. We were 38 minutes late by the time I got off at Market Street in Bradford, had a quick look at Centenary Square opposite and went to the stop on Sunbridge Road shared by the 607 and 67 to Thornton. The first First 607 was cancelled but the 67 was bang on time, a Keighley Volvo B7RLE with a good load, and even though the traffic was heavy we had to wait time at Four Lane Ends before arriving back at Thornton. I had been away from Thornton between 7.09 and 17.40, almost precisely sunrise and sunset. At Thornton there was a view of the viaduct with a red sky behind it to round off the day before the long drive home.

On the buses it was not an expensive day out with a Metro ticket for £5.50 covering everything within West Yorkshire and I paid standard fares on the buses to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby but these did not seem expensive. Petrol the biggest cost – but its what I enjoy doing and will continue as best I can! A thoroughly enjoyable day.

A few 'postcard' pictures of my day. I couldn't choose just one of Knaresborough and Leeds...

View attachment 110897
Thornton at sunrise with snow on the hills to the south

View attachment 110898
Rainbow at Cullingworth

View attachment 110899
Hewenden viaduct near Cullingworth

View attachment 110900
Yeadon

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Otley

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Harrogate, including a 'Harrogate Electrics' bus

View attachment 110907
Four views of Knaresborough, Market Place and the River Nidd

View attachment 110908
Four views of Leeds, the Corn Exchange and down by the River Aire

View attachment 110909
Bradford, with a First Volvo B9TL

View attachment 110910
Sunset at Thornton viaduct

I would have upticked you if allowed. But nice trip and pix. thanks

 

[RELL6L]

I'm beginning to suspect that @TheSel has a liking for REs!

Nothing wrong with that!

Having had my Bristol RE fetish 'found out' by @TheGrandWazoo (!), may I present another day from my archives - and yes, it features another couple of examples of that great marque. We're looking back 36 years, to Saturday 1 March 1986, and surprise, surprise, more snow on the ground! A relatively short day, as I was working "unsocial hours", which meant I'd been out late on the Friday night, and would be out working again this (Saturday) evening.

Just a short walk then, down to the Ribble Bus Station on Lord Street, Southport, in time for

0800 X47 Southport – Preston Ribble 2026 – DBV26W – ECW bodied Bristol VR ... on which I bought my ticket for the day - the much-missed Red Rose Rambler ticket, valid on all operators in Lancashire (and slightly beyond, hence my ability to buy and use in Southport).

0904 150 Preston – Blackburn Ribble 434 – NTC614M – Leyland National

0948 244 Blackburn – Rawtenstall Ribble 459 – NTC639M – Leyland National


Ribble 459 - NTC639M - Rawtenstall Bus Station.

1030 4 Rawtenstall – Waterfoot Rossendale 22 – ABN722V – East Lancs bodied Atlantean


Rossendale 22 - ABN722V - opposite Rawtenstall Bus Station, wearing an advert for the very ticket I was using this day.

1045 7 Waterfoot – Bacup, Windermere Road Rossendale 51 – SND551X – East Lancs bodied Bristol LHS

1115 7 Windermere Road – Bacup Town Centre Rossendale 51 – SND551X – East Lancs bodied Bristol LHS


Rossendale 51 - SND551X - at Cutler Green (Windermere Road). A curious, box-like machine, but the sound-effects were superb!

1122 4 Bacup – Rawtenstall Rossendale 18 – STE18S – East Lancs bodied Atlantean

Time now for my regular 'RE fix', with an hour-long circular round some hill-side villages!

1150 12 Rawtenstall – Haslingden (circular) Rossendale 14 – JDK914P – East Lancs bodied Bristol RESL6L


Rossendale 14 - JDK914P - in Haslingden - another one advertising the Red Rose Rambler ticket.

1250 6 Rawtenstall – Bacup Rossendale 11 – JDK911P – East Lancs bodied RESL6L


Rossendale 11 - JDK911P - Bacup.

1350 32 Bacup – Sharneyford Rossendale 2 – WTJ902L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard


Rossendale 2 - WTJ902L - at a rather chilly Sharneyford terminus

1400 32 Sharneyford – Bacup Rossendale 2 – WTJ902L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

… where for a reason I didn't record, it was changed over for similar

(continuing journey) 32 Bacup – Burnley Rossendale 5 – WTJ905L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard

1441 236 Burnley – Rawtenstall Rossendale 5 – WTJ905L – East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard


Rossendale 5 - WTJ905L - Deerplay Moor.

1524 743 Rawtenstall – Burnley Ribble 2159 – A159OFR – ECW bodied Olympian (DP)



Ribble 2159 - A159OFR - Burnley Bus Station

... returning home to Southport on ...

1556 727 Burnley – Southport Ribble 1046 – UTF726M – Duple bodied Leyland Leopard

… and back home in time to grab a bite to eat, change, and go to work.

An enjoyable - if chilly - day out, taking some decent(?) sunny shots to annoy people with 30 odd years later!

More from @TheSel's archive in a few days, featuring more REs, with perhaps more familiar bodywork.

Another wonderful report from the archive. I always liked the East Lancs bodies REs, especially the latest ones - the P-reg ones, mainly supplied to North West municipal operators, were a good couple of years after the main supply to the NBC was cruelly stopped by the powers that were. Was always less keen on the high floor Leyland Leopards that preceded them, I always thought these rather unsuitable for urban operations (not that some of the pictures look very urban!). As for the hideous LHS, well the less said the better! Please keep them coming!

What an excellent day! Many thanks for your splendid report, and for the fantastic photography that's we've all come to expect now, to accompany your words. Nice to see the good burghers of Yeadon are getting the signs ready for next Christmas, too. Only another 299 days to wait, folks!

Ha! I didn’t notice that at the time!

 

[Geordie driver]

Hi all - thought I'd share my experience of travelling in the cold North as opposed to all these Southern orientated posts of late. I hope you find it interesting.

I am originally from the North East and so it was a welcome opportunity to reacquaint myself with places from my distant youth. I began the day from my luxury accommodation at Wideopen. I paid just over a tenner for my Explorer North East; considerably more that the £3.10 they were when in my youth but with more availability in the North East. My first bus was one of the reasonable batch of e400mmc that Arriva purchased for Ashington depot in 2017 in one of the last vestiges of investment in the area. These were early arrivals in the new Sapphire livery albeit with the old style fleetname on the headrests. These are decent vehicles and we made our way through the Northumberland countryside as the sun barely began to impinge on the day.
View attachment 110014View attachment 110015

I could've stayed on my X21 but I alighted at Ashington to soak in the atmosphere of the town. To be honest, this is one of those places that has been left behind over the last 36 years since I first visited and needs levelling up. The closure of the last mine and the aluminium smelter saw lots of well paid jobs disappear and the town has a depressed feel to it. The bus station does it no favours, being the third incarnation I can recall in that time and all being a motley collection of stands. The relocation of the depot to a nearby industrial estate has seen some redevelopment but the area is cold and bleak!

I had chance for a short explore before I travelled to Newbiggin by the Sea. Now, I've been here twice before and can remember neither experience. It's actually not a bad little place and the coastal views are now beginning to attract new people in new homes.



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The town is served by two services, the X21 and 35 that both link Newbiggin to Ashington before heading to Newcastle and Morpeth respectively. It also had a bleak set of bus shelters but the sea front was pleasant enough but was definitely "bracing". I wandered back to grab a coffee and head back to Ashington. Unlike the two Sapphire mmcs I'd already had, this was on of a pair of ALX B7TLs that Arriva bought for the last days of the 723 in Durham. It had the pistachio interior albeit with new moquette and it wasn't a bad old machine to take me to Ashington, where I decamped and headed off to the nearby Cooplands for a bacon roll.
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I did contemplate staying on my ALX to Morpeth but I fancied a change of operator and Go North East now visit Ashington which was once previously solely Arriva except the odd independent. Go Ahead now have a tendered route and the 19 that runs from Wallsend. This duly arrived for an uneventful trip to Cramlington on a dull Solo. For the uninitiated, Cramlington is one of five new towns in the north east. I've visited a few down south recently (e.g. Basildon, Harlow, Stevenage) and they have much more character, good or bad, than Cramlington. I had a quick explore but disappointed, I had a short hop to Dudley (not that one) on an aging Arriva Sapphire e400 on the 43 that was showing all its 14 years and had definitely lost its Sparkle! Dudley wouldn't be a natural interchange but it meant I could get the GNE 42A, a Solo that duly arrived wearing its Little Coasters livery; certainly this corner of Northumberland that was almost exclusively Arriva is much more varied. A few passengers were on board but they soon thinned out as we bounded across open countryside and approached Newcastle Airport.

The Solo continued on its way to Kingston Park whilst I made my way through the terminal building to catch the Metro. I've travelled on the network a bit in the past but can't recall ever going to the Airport on it so this was a new experience. It was probably a last day that I will travel on the old Metrocars as they are due for replacement. Having passed Kingston Park (and seeing my earlier Solo), we passed the metro depot at Heaton and the new facility being built for the new trains. They've had a hard life and reliability is now such that their time has more than come.

View attachment 110020
I decamped into central Newcastle via Monument Metro. There was the usual protest group by the Monument, this week being in support of Cuba and Socialism. Makes a change from the Peruvian folk band and the Pan Pipes that always used to be there. I had a very short explore, wandering round to see the yawning gap on Market Street where the Odeon used to stand, but sadly the rain had begun to make a real impression. I made a short trip now onto the Crusader 27 which is now a DD operated service (though no one seems to know why as passenger figures don't justify that) with some smartly refurbished B9s that I fancied having a look at. It was just a short hop to Gateshead with a quick change onto the 25, operated by a former Lothian B9. This had been retrimmed but was still recognisable. The 25 is a real hidden gem of a route, as it leaves via Low Fell but then drops down to Allerdene before climbing up into the hills to Wrekenton. This affords views across the area as we made our past the remnants of the Bowes Incline (a former coal railway) and then down through the outskirts of Birtley like Vigo and Portobello (appropriate for an ex Lothian bus) before we rejoined the A167 into Chester le Street. I continued on as the 25 left Chester le Street and again climbed up in the drizzle towards Edmondsley and Sacriston, a pit village that I can recall having a colliery albeit by then closed and ready for redevelopment - you'd struggle to spot where it was now. We continued on, by now in tandem with the Citaro that would be my next bus. Not confident of my geography and the local routes, I bailed at Witton Gilbert to await the Citaro as it would return back from its final stop of Langley Park. It duly arrived as the rain got worse!

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It was operating the X20 via Durham to Sunderland. It was a perfectly respectable journey in the rain though I never quite get the excitement that some gricers have with Citaros. They're heavyweight but they're nothing particularly exceptional. We splashed our way through to the Arnison Centre, a retail park on the outskirts of Durham with a delay as we encountered a queue to get through the McDonalds drive thru! We then made our way past County Hall (due for demolition) and into Durham City. Now Durham bus station has long been a dive of a place despite several refurbishments since its 1977 construction but it has now been swept away and a new facility will be built. In the meantime, buses are relegated to North Road and Milburngate and it's a bit of a bun fight as these were stops already used by local services. It was a bit of a mosh pit with pedestrians, passengers and drivers milling about and barely enough room for buses to layover. My next trip was an unapologetic double run to Brandon for no other reason but to see that level of competition on that route; Arriva used to operate every 10 mins but now its every 15 whilst Go Ahead have extended two of their 21s to run there from Newcastle. Only myself and one other enjoyed the Go Ahead Streetdeck as it made its way on the short trip to Brandon, a large estate on the edge of the city where a colliery once existed. One observation was the random level of vehicle allocations that Arriva Durham were experiencing. My return journey was on a former London e200. A long wheelbase version, it had received an interior upgrade of leather seats and plug sockets. It was an absolute shed compared with my Streetdeck as we clattered out of Brandon and back to Durham. I don't know if there's enough trade for Go Ahead though.
View attachment 110030

Back to Durham and a service I'd not experienced for years. Back then, it was the 154 to Seaham but its now the 65; a former Arriva service number for a route that goes through an area in Belmont that was once Arriva but is now exclusively Go Ahead. It was a Streetlite, one of a number bought in the mid 2010s. To be honest, it wasn't that bad and even the emergency door handle didn't rattle. After leaving Belmont and Carrville, it was another climb and a last view of the Durham countryside as the light fade and we made our way to one of the North East's most bizarre bus stations. In the village of Hetton le Hole, they have a fairly substantial bus interchange...bigger than in many busier towns. I've been there before but I still haven't worked out why it has a bus station! I left my Streetlite behind and waited for my connection, the 55 to Sunderland. It was another Citaro and was perfectly fine to take me to Sunderland.

View attachment 110026View attachment 110027
Now Tyne and Wear PTE (Nexus) has a patchy with bus stations. The Newcastle ones are iffy, and whilst South Shields looks very impressive at night, they built it without welfare facilities for drivers! The worst is Sunderland, a draughty windswept hellhole that is peripheral from the city centre. It is terrible. I walked through the streets to find my Stagecoach E2 to South Shields.... a bad move as having got on my e300, it was evident that traffic would be appalling through Whitburn and Roker and denying the driver to chance to give the e200 some oomph; to be honest, that's a route that looks like it could do with some investment even if the machine wasn't too bade. We ground our way to reach Shields where I then caught the Metro back to Newcastle (perhaps my last trip on a Metrocar?) and finally, another decent Arriva Streetlite to Wideopen.

My observations... the usual Arriva observations in that the operations are crying out for some TLC. The operations in Northumberland were noticeably better but the way in which the network has withered over the last 20 years is quite something. Go Ahead have been the main beneficiaries and they are clearly on the front foot. However, they have their own challenges and they are doing some odd things; the competition is one thing but some of the investments they have made have been a little odd. As for Stagecoach, they keep on plodding along. The levelling up agenda proposed by the government had clearly resonated with red wall seats and when you go to hitherto hard core Labour areas that are desperately in need of investment, you can see why people voted as they did. Irrespective of your political allegiances, they need inward investment in jobs and infrastructure.

I hope this is of interest. The photos aren't as scenic as @RELL6L nor as historic as @carlberry or @TheSel but hope they illustrate a lovely day in the drizzly, damp but fantastic North East. And all for under £11.

In real terms I suspect your explorer is better value now than it was years ago, a rarity theses days.

A very interesting read for me as it covers much of my old stomping ground as a driver and my new stomping ground as I live at Seaton Burn.


May I ask where you boarded your first bus, as no Ashington services serve Wideopen?


Regarding Ashington, or Ashghanistan as it is known colloquially, spot on, even Blyth has a better vibe. Cramlington is ok but a bit soulless, like most new towns. Mind, I used to live in Newton Aycliffe, so I know soulless.

Newbiggin by the sea, on my very first " Late" week as a driver I did the last bus from there, Saturday night, 23 05 service 401 ( I think, it was a long time ago), I can still hear the sea lapping the shore, it felt like I was on edge of the world. Soon brought down to earth as the first stop after the terminus was outside the pubs, 60 people got on, perhaps half paid, even fewer waited for their ticket, most of them were going to a nightclub at Bedlington Station.

You will have traveled by my house on either the 43 or the 42 through Seaton Burn, or North Gosforth as it now claims to be.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Time for a contemporary report from me -

The weather forecast for last Friday was good so Thursday evening saw me headed up the M1 for a night at Woolley Edge services in Yorkshire. I headed off early on Friday morning and was at Thornton, west of Bradford, as the sun was coming up. The Keighley Bus Company website said – indeed as I draft this on Monday 28 Feb it still says – that the 67 is only running between Keighley and Cullingworth due to flooding, but as far as I can tell, thanks to bustimes, this was quickly sorted by the morning rush hour last Monday (21 Feb). Update Tuesday – gone now. If there was a theme to my trip it was viaducts and I had a quick look at the impressive disused railway viaduct just outside the village. My bus out was the 67 towards Keighley, a Volvo B7RLE although I did also see a Y-red Volvo B7TL on the route. As soon as we climbed out of the valley of the village there was snow in the gardens beside the road and views of snow on the hills to the south and west. We went through Denholme and I alighted at Cullingworth, a small but attractive village to which the 67 does a short double-run.

Now although the weather forecast was for sun, there had been mention of a risk of showers in the early morning and at Cullingworth a brief shower duly appeared. Even though the sun stayed out, there was a little rain and a rainbow appeared as I took cover in the bus shelter. There wasn’t really anything to do here but wait for my next bus, a Keighley and District K17 to Bingley. This route gave a good view of the Hewenden viaduct, on the same line; as I understand it there is a walking route which you can take crossing this and the Thornton viaduct as well as a shorter viaduct at Cullingworth. The K17 was an Optare Solo – some buses on the route are Mellor Stratas - we picked up a few people as we headed into Bingley where I left the bus as it headed via an indirect route to Keighley.

I have explored Bingley before, including the attractive area around the church and the locks, this time I used the town merely to buy a coffee and bacon roll before moving on. The next leg was on the Keighley 60 (Aireline) to Shipley, this being a Volvo B9TL from the 2008 batch reregistered to X-VTD. A short journey to Shipley with a quick glimpse of Saltaire, somewhere I have also visited and thoroughly recommend. At Shipley there was another 60 broken down, this one being a B7TL with 05 registration, although it was back on the road by lunchtime. Only a brief stop here before continuing on the “Flyer” A3. This arrived about 5 minutes early but waited time before continuing its journey towards the airport. Shown as Transdev York the A1, A2 and A3 routes are run entirely with Optare Versas with Y-TDV registrations. Although not very old mine made rather concerning noises from the driveline. The A3 route takes a short circuit of Guiseley before heading to Yeadon where I alighted. I had identified that Yeadon appeared to be quite an attractive, if small, town and so it transpired. This and the A2 are the only links now from Bradford and Shipley across the River Aire to the A65 corridor towns whereas there used to be several routes. Not many passengers, I don’t know if there were / will be more when the airport and leisure travel are back to normal.

I didn’t have long at Yeadon but could see that my next bus, the First Leeds 34, was running a few minutes late. I wasn’t worried as my next connection was 23 minutes. The bus was a green Streetdeck and was a few more minutes late by the time it arrived bound for Otley and seemed to go pretty slowly – and then we hit roadworks between Guiseley and Menston which delayed us another 10 minutes. Suddenly 23 minutes was reducing fast. We made up a little time going round the village of Menston but by the time I got to Otley I had just 9 minutes before my next bus. I had hoped for somewhat more as I had never explored Otley before. It is amazing what you can do in 9 minutes if that’s your constraint and I did get around the very attractive town centre but I wasn’t able to get to the river.

My next bus was the Connexions X52 to Harrogate. This runs alongside the river Wharfe for a while and so, although I had missed out on Otley bridge, I did see the river, many flooded fields and the next bridge that we crossed at Pool. The X52 was a Scania Omnicity double decker with ageless registration, still in London red with HH garage code. The vehicle was bang on time, well loaded on arrival and took on several more at Otley and this seems to be a popular route, with deckers generally used throughout. Pleasant scenery along the river Wharfe and then up into Harrogate. A distant view of the Hornbeam viaduct which carries the railway into town from Leeds. Notably we didn’t pass any 36s headed towards Leeds on the long common section into town. I alighted in the one way system next to the famous Betty’s tea shop.

I have been to Harrogate before and explored it fully on a long trip in 2018 from Leeds-Harrogate-Ripon-Richmond-Darlington-Barnard Castle-Bishop Auckland-Durham, that time I visited around breakfast time with few people but many deliveries, waste trucks and road sweepers. So this time I did not stay for long and fairly soon headed across to the bus station. Here I saw some electric buses sitting on the stands for the local services with pantographs raised being charged, but I was now headed for Knaresborough and had the choice of the 1s from Transdev Harrogate every 7½ minutes or the X1a/X1b from Connexions every 15 minutes. Notably bustimes doesn’t show the X1a and X1b as existing most of the day although they run every 15 minutes between school times. Genuine on-the-road competition here with adjacent stands at the bus station, frequent services and low fares. Judging by the loads there seemed to be good custom for both operators. I arrived at 11.35 to see the next Transdev bus at 11.41 was cancelled and the next Connexions journey was at 11.45. The Connexions bus, a Scania Omnicity single decker also with ageless registration, pulled in at about 11.44 and I decided to get this. The traffic in Harrogate was bad but this driver was not going to be deterred from keeping to time and drove very positively. The Scania was a fast bus and we were either stationery, braking or accelerating at full throttle without being aggressive or uncomfortable. This enhanced the experience, a good bus driven as it should be, I don’t think there will be many like this before long! The Transdev buses were mainly B7RLEs but a couple of deckers too.

Knaresborough is a stunning small town. The town centre, around the small market square, is delightful. Then there is a castle from which there are great views, which include a glorious viaduct carrying the railway across the river Nidd. You can then walk down and alongside the river, under the viaduct and on to the road bridge with great views looking back the other way. Then struggle back up the steep hill and go past the railway station where there are quaint houses and a level crossing to get back up into the town. Allow at least an hour to see the town, I had nearly 90 minutes, including a brief stop on one of the benches in the market square next to a sculpture of Mother Shipton, a local 16th century soothsayer, to eat my lunch. A very small but serviceable bus station too. Quite a few people around being a sunny February day, I suspect a sunny summer day would have an awful lot more.

From Knaresborough I took the Transdev 8, a Volvo B7RLE which was running quite late. It had been delayed by traffic on its way into Harrogate, left late and was further delayed by road works and so arrived at Knaresborough 13 minutes late. A few passengers but they had all left by the time we had reached countryside and no more until we reached the first of many estates served in Wetherby. I suspect this route knits together a number of old services and the country section is under-used but almost incidental. A few passengers joined in Wetherby and I got off just before the last loop to walk into the town centre from the east. I had been here before, Wetherby is an attractive middle class town on the Wharfe with honey-coloured stone buildings. Although we were about 12 minutes late and I only had a 15 minute connection I could see the incoming First bus was 10 minutes late so I still had time for a brief wander around the town centre.

My next bus was the First Leeds X99, the village route to Leeds, on another green Streetdeck. By the time it finally reached Wetherby it was 14 minutes late, it turned straight round at the small bus station and left 12 behind. Now I know Streetdecks aren’t fast, and I assume they have automatic speed limiters at the prevailing limit, but my goodness this driver was incredibly slow. Maybe he was brand new or on a final warning, in which case understood, but he stopped for everything, gave way to everything, took ages crossing the narrow bridge over the river at Linton (good for a photo), took forever to turn right onto the main road in Collingham and then in a narrow steep downhill stretch with parked cars in East Keswick he waited for a bike coming the other way. The cyclist made a few brave efforts to cycle more quickly up the steep hill while the bus waited then thought better of it, dismounted and got out of the way. The roads were not slow, there were no hold-ups, but by the time we had got onto the main road at Scarcroft we were 16 minutes late. Maybe he was driving totally as instructed, health-and-safety set to ultra-cautious above all else, but surely getting the passengers where they want to go in a reasonable time must feature somewhere, or there will be no passengers. Quite attractive through the villages and then onto the main road. I am not sure why the X98 and X99 have the ‘X’ description as they seemed to stop at several places on the way into Leeds and we picked up and set down a few passengers as we headed into the town centre via Roundhay. At two traffic lights coming into central Leeds, with traffic busy but not solid, the driver was particularly non-responsive and both times, although only third or fourth in the queue when the light turned green, we didn’t make it through and had to wait for another long red, going from 10 to 17 minutes late in the last three stops before I got off at the Headrow.

I’ve been to Leeds a few times but explored different corners of the city centre on each occasion. This time I headed down to the Corn Exchange, a road called “The Calls”, the Centenary bridge and the regenerated area across the River Aire to the south east of the city centre. This part of the river was as far as we reached in a canal trip across the Leeds and Liverpool canal around 40 years ago and had changed significantly, from pretty run down to seriously gentrified, although I don’t know what the prices are of the apartments overlooking the river here. An attractive corner of the city.

I then headed back to the city centre. Traffic here was pretty chaotic here with part of Boar Lane being closed off and all traffic having to go past a pedestrian crossing on a busy footpath route from the station, hence being delayed. Cars, which appeared to have to go along The Calls, were even more delayed. I went to Boar Lane, intending to take a 4 to Pudsey, but there was no sign of any being imminent, so I carried on to the Wellington Street stop shared by the 4 and the X11. By this time most buses were running about half an hour late and the first that turned up was the X11 due to depart Leeds at 15.37 but which was running 23 minutes down. This was a Bradford based Streetdeck in standard First colours and the driver drove reasonably positively with no major traffic jams, but it was slow everywhere and we got progressively later. I had half intended to break at Pudsey but we were 34 minutes behind here and the following journey was also pretty late so I carried on the whole way to Bradford. Apart from a brief section early on the X11 was all stops with quite a bit of local traffic, in fact it is now the only route into Bradford from Pudsey and from Thornbury into Bradford along the Leeds Old Road. We were 38 minutes late by the time I got off at Market Street in Bradford, had a quick look at Centenary Square opposite and went to the stop on Sunbridge Road shared by the 607 and 67 to Thornton. The first First 607 was cancelled but the 67 was bang on time, a Keighley Volvo B7RLE with a good load, and even though the traffic was heavy we had to wait time at Four Lane Ends before arriving back at Thornton. I had been away from Thornton between 7.09 and 17.40, almost precisely sunrise and sunset. At Thornton there was a view of the viaduct with a red sky behind it to round off the day before the long drive home.

On the buses it was not an expensive day out with a Metro ticket for £5.50 covering everything within West Yorkshire and I paid standard fares on the buses to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby but these did not seem expensive. Petrol the biggest cost – but its what I enjoy doing and will continue as best I can! A thoroughly enjoyable day.

A few 'postcard' pictures of my day. I couldn't choose just one of Knaresborough and Leeds...

View attachment 110897
Thornton at sunrise with snow on the hills to the south

View attachment 110898
Rainbow at Cullingworth

View attachment 110899
Hewenden viaduct near Cullingworth

View attachment 110900
Yeadon

View attachment 110901
Otley

View attachment 110902
Harrogate, including a 'Harrogate Electrics' bus

View attachment 110907
Four views of Knaresborough, Market Place and the River Nidd

View attachment 110908
Four views of Leeds, the Corn Exchange and down by the River Aire

View attachment 110909
Bradford, with a First Volvo B9TL

View attachment 110910
Sunset at Thornton viaduct

Being spoilt today with a bit of history and now this....

First of all, the photos are superb. Glad you had the weather for it (you always do) and it was good to see some places I know well (like Knaresborough) and other places that I don't think I've visited, or have only vague recollections. It's been a long time since I went to Yeadon, whilst Thornton (?) and Cullingworth probably back in the mid-1990s. Beautiful shots and shows some of the beauty of some parts of Yorkshire that are perhaps a little overlooked, being outside the National Parks.

In real terms I suspect your explorer is better value now than it was years ago, a rarity theses days.

A very interesting read for me as it covers much of my old stomping ground as a driver and my new stomping ground as I live at Seaton Burn.


May I ask where you boarded your first bus, as no Ashington services serve Wideopen?


Regarding Ashington, or Ashghanistan as it is known colloquially, spot on, even Blyth has a better vibe. Cramlington is ok but a bit soulless, like most new towns. Mind, I used to live in Newton Aycliffe, so I know soulless.

Newbiggin by the sea, on my very first " Late" week as a driver I did the last bus from there, Saturday night, 23 05 service 401 ( I think, it was a long time ago), I can still hear the sea lapping the shore, it felt like I was on edge of the world. Soon brought down to earth as the first stop after the terminus was outside the pubs, 60 people got on, perhaps half paid, even fewer waited for their ticket, most of them were going to a nightclub at Bedlington Station.

You will have traveled by my house on either the 43 or the 42 through Seaton Burn, or North Gosforth as it now claims to be.

I stayed at the delightful Travelodge at Seaton Burn and got on there!

The Explorer is slightly better value in a North East sense in that you can also travel on Busways and Transit (Stagecoach) services as well as Travelsure, the Metro and Ferry as well as Stagecoach in Carlisle. Of course, you could also use on other NBC firms to the south when I first started travelling in 1986

 

[TheSel]

Just a short nostalgic piece from me today, looking back 38 years to Saturday 3 March 1984. and a Crosville 'Wanderbus'. I didn't really have much of a plan, but started out in fairly usual fashion with a couple of Merseyrail class 507/8 EMUs to Liverpool and under the river to Birkenhead, where I bought my ticket on a pretty new:


0838 C3 Woodside – Ellesmere Port Crosville DOG143 – A143SMA – ECW bodied Olympian


Almost new DOG143 at Ellesmere Port bus station.

Here, I was tempted out of my upstairs front-seat 'viewing gallery' by the sight of one of my favourites - yes, a Bristol RE - working the scenic F59 to Neston. The full return trip entertained me for 80 minutues or so, with a decent level of comfort, some nice countryside (@RELL6L includes the village of Neston in his usual excellent photography in post #194), and superb sound effects

0920 F59 Ellesmere Port – Neston Crosville ERL307 – SFM307M – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

1000 F59 Neston – Ellesmere Port Crosville ERL307 – SFM307M – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L


ERL307 pauses for a photo-stop between Neston and Willaston.

On arrival back in Ellesmere Port, I found what was by now a rare specimen in the Crosville fleet - a Pennine bodied Seddon RU - working a free bus (sponsored by Asda) to Birkenhead, so this had to be sampled.

Contract Ellesmere Port – Birkenhead, Asda Crosville SPG766 – KFM766J – Pennine bodied Seddon RU


SPG766 at Ellesmere Port, about to depart to Birkenhead, Asda.

Originally one of 50 similar vehicles (plus another 50 with - allegedly - dual purpose seats, which, frankly, weren't much better), these were very much the poor man's RE. Many lasted less than ten years, although the majority had their engines removed and subsequently fitted to Crosville's Leyland Nationals. This particular example was one of ten converted from dual- to single- door configuration, in 1977.

This, then, returned me to Birkenhead - collecting a healthy load of passengers on the way, who chose this free bus rather than paying to use the C3/C4 service. It was free to all towards Birkenhead (although the expectation was that you'd patronise the Asda supermarket), and free to returning passengers by showing your till receipt to the driver. I suppose it was rather a waste, then, for me to use this, as I'd already got my 'Wanderbus', but it was an enjoyable ride on an increasingly rare class of vehicle.

From Birkenhead, I returned to Liverpool by train, and by chance, encountered a friend who was similarly 'armed' with a Wanderbus ticket, so together, we hatched a plan that saw us catch a bus to Warrington.

1305 H5 Liverpool – Warrington Crosville DVL394 – FTU394T – ECW bodied Bristol VR

A standard-enough vehicle for the route - Crosville's Liverpool depot had many similar for their intensive suburban network of services - but this one was just a little different, being all white.


DVL394 pauses for a photo stop in Huyton.

No, not awaiting the application of 'Go Faster Stripes', or reseating with coach seats as was suggested, but rather pressed into service after returning from repaint in all over white prior to receiving an overall advert for - wait for it - Y fronts!


DVL394 a couple of weeks later at Edge Lane depot, with overall advertising for 'Y-front'.

Of the several routes connecting Liverpool to Warrington, the H5 was the most direct and quickest, taking almost exactly an hour. So we took a few bus pictures in Warrington, and then set off to Northwich on one of the jointly (with Warrington Corporation) operated services. Our steed was one of the Leyland engined REs that served briefly with North Western before that company was split:

1445 44 Warrington – Northwich Crosville SRL249 – SJA384K – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L


SRL249 at Bartington.

Northwich was something of a hot-spot for this batch, and we enjoyed more similar sound effects with a short run on one of the Town services on which these were standard fare:

1545 E52 Northwich – Rudheath (Circular) Crosville SRL253 – SJA388K – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L


SRL253 at Rudheath.

So, by soon after four o-clock, I'd clocked up three Leyland engined Bristol REs. Not bad. But wait - what's that emerging from Northwich Depot (which, at the time, was adjacent to the Bus Station). Oh, yes, please! Another downgraded coach - and on a lengthy, and quite scenic run, too.

1624 K31 Northwich – Leighton Hospital Crosville ERL267 – TFM267K – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L


ERL267 poses for the camera at Church Minshull.

After a thoroughly enjoyable hour passing through the Cheshire countryside, we arrived at Leighton Hospital, on the outskirts of Crewe, where one of that depot's dual-doored REs was awaiting its departure time, so we left the comfort of our former coach, and travelled into Crewe with slightly more mellow sound effects from this Gardner engined specimen

1722 K7 Leighton Hospital – Crewe Bus Stn Crosville SRG203 – HFM203J – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

With the light now fading, there were no more photographs, but to complete the day, I can report the following journeys:

1730 C84 Crewe – Crewe Railway Stn Crosville DVG485 – WTU485W – ECW bodied Bristol VR

1747 K7 Railway Stn – Bus Stn Crosville SRG203 – HFM203J – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

1815 K45 Crewe – Nantwich Crosville SNL583 – JTU583T – Leyland National 'B' series

1845 C84 Nantwich – Chester Crosville DVL380 – FTU380T – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... and then as a change from my more usual run up the Wirral on one of the C1/3/4 Chester - Birkenhead services, I returned via Runcorn on

1945 X1 Chester – Runcorn Crosville ELL506 – OMA506V – Duple bodied Leyland Leopard

2042 H20 Runcorn – Liverpool Crosville DVL391 – FTU391T – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... before a Merseyrail EMU (class 507/8 - sorry, I didn't record which) back to Sunny Southport.

Not a bad day out - five Bristol REs, four Bristol VRs, a Seddon, a Leopard, an Olympian and just the one Leyland National - a B series at that.

More from the archives of my mis-spent youth in a few days.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Just a short nostalgic piece from me today, looking back 38 years to Saturday 3 March 1984. and a Crosville 'Wanderbus'. I didn't really have much of a plan, but started out in fairly usual fashion with a couple of Merseyrail class 507/8 EMUs to Liverpool and under the river to Birkenhead, where I bought my ticket on a pretty new:


0838 C3 Woodside – Ellesmere Port Crosville DOG143 – A143SMA – ECW bodied Olympian

View attachment 110985
Almost new DOG143 at Ellesmere Port bus station.

Here, I was tempted out of my upstairs front-seat 'viewing gallery' by the sight of one of my favourites - yes, a Bristol RE - working the scenic F59 to Neston. The full return trip entertained me for 80 minutues or so, with a decent level of comfort, some nice countryside (@RELL6L includes the village of Neston in his usual excellent photography in post #194), and superb sound effects

0920 F59 Ellesmere Port – Neston Crosville ERL307 – SFM307M – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

1000 F59 Neston – Ellesmere Port Crosville ERL307 – SFM307M – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

View attachment 110986
ERL307 pauses for a photo-stop between Neston and Willaston.

On arrival back in Ellesmere Port, I found what was by now a rare specimen in the Crosville fleet - a Pennine bodied Seddon RU - working a free bus (sponsored by Asda) to Birkenhead, so this had to be sampled.

Contract Ellesmere Port – Birkenhead, Asda Crosville SPG766 – KFM766J – Pennine bodied Seddon RU

View attachment 110987
SPG766 at Ellesmere Port, about to depart to Birkenhead, Asda.

Originally one of 50 similar vehicles (plus another 50 with - allegedly - dual purpose seats, which, frankly, weren't much better), these were very much the poor man's RE. Many lasted less than ten years, although the majority had their engines removed and subsequently fitted to Crosville's Leyland Nationals. This particular example was one of ten converted from dual- to single- door configuration, in 1977.

This, then, returned me to Birkenhead - collecting a healthy load of passengers on the way, who chose this free bus rather than paying to use the C3/C4 service. It was free to all towards Birkenhead (although the expectation was that you'd patronise the Asda supermarket), and free to returning passengers by showing your till receipt to the driver. I suppose it was rather a waste, then, for me to use this, as I'd already got my 'Wanderbus', but it was an enjoyable ride on an increasingly rare class of vehicle.

From Birkenhead, I returned to Liverpool by train, and by chance, encountered a friend who was similarly 'armed' with a Wanderbus ticket, so together, we hatched a plan that saw us catch a bus to Warrington.

1305 H5 Liverpool – Warrington Crosville DVL394 – FTU394T – ECW bodied Bristol VR

A standard-enough vehicle for the route - Crosville's Liverpool depot had many similar for their intensive suburban network of services - but this one was just a little different, being all white.

View attachment 110989
DVL394 pauses for a photo stop in Huyton.

No, not awaiting the application of 'Go Faster Stripes', or reseating with coach seats as was suggested, but rather pressed into service after returning from repaint in all over white prior to receiving an overall advert for - wait for it - Y fronts!

View attachment 110990
DVL394 a couple of weeks later at Edge Lane depot, with overall advertising for 'Y-front'.

Of the several routes connecting Liverpool to Warrington, the H5 was the most direct and quickest, taking almost exactly an hour. So we took a few bus pictures in Warrington, and then set off to Northwich on one of the jointly (with Warrington Corporation) operated services. Our steed was one of the Leyland engined REs that served briefly with North Western before that company was split:

1445 44 Warrington – Northwich Crosville SRL249 – SJA384K – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L

View attachment 110991
SRL249 at Bartington.

Northwich was something of a hot-spot for this batch, and we enjoyed more similar sound effects with a short run on one of the Town services on which these were standard fare:

1545 E52 Northwich – Rudheath (Circular) Crosville SRL253 – SJA388K – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L

View attachment 110992
SRL253 at Rudheath.

So, by soon after four o-clock, I'd clocked up three Leyland engined Bristol REs. Not bad. But wait - what's that emerging from Northwich Depot (which, at the time, was adjacent to the Bus Station). Oh, yes, please! Another downgraded coach - and on a lengthy, and quite scenic run, too.

1624 K31 Northwich – Leighton Hospital Crosville ERL267 – TFM267K – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

View attachment 110993
ERL267 poses for the camera at Church Minshull.

After a thoroughly enjoyable hour passing through the Cheshire countryside, we arrived at Leighton Hospital, on the outskirts of Crewe, where one of that depot's dual-doored REs was awaiting its departure time, so we left the comfort of our former coach, and travelled into Crewe with slightly more mellow sound effects from this Gardner engined specimen

1722 K7 Leighton Hospital – Crewe Bus Stn Crosville SRG203 – HFM203J – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

With the light now fading, there were no more photographs, but to complete the day, I can report the following journeys:

1730 C84 Crewe – Crewe Railway Stn Crosville DVG485 – WTU485W – ECW bodied Bristol VR

1747 K7 Railway Stn – Bus Stn Crosville SRG203 – HFM203J – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

1815 K45 Crewe – Nantwich Crosville SNL583 – JTU583T – Leyland National 'B' series

1845 C84 Nantwich – Chester Crosville DVL380 – FTU380T – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... and then as a change from my more usual run up the Wirral on one of the C1/3/4 Chester - Birkenhead services, I returned via Runcorn on

1945 X1 Chester – Runcorn Crosville ELL506 – OMA506V – Duple bodied Leyland Leopard

2042 H20 Runcorn – Liverpool Crosville DVL391 – FTU391T – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... before a Merseyrail EMU (class 507/8 - sorry, I didn't record which) back to Sunny Southport.

Not a bad day out - five Bristol REs, four Bristol VRs, a Seddon, a Leopard, an Olympian and just the one Leyland National - a B series at that.

More from the archives of my mis-spent youth in a few days.

Thanks again for those recollections.

Despite @RELL6L chiding me slightly, there's nothing wrong with Bristol REs and you had a fair selection. Interesting that there were so many Leyland engined ones - understandable with the former coaches. However, the four VRs featured three Leyland engined ones too and I always found the comparison with the more sedate and refined Gardners interesting.

Hailing from close to Darlington, I have had the joys of a Seddon RU - not the best machines though Darlington did get a longer life out of theirs.

Cracking photos - must have a raid of the archive myself (when I've time)

 

[RELL6L]

Despite @RELL6L chiding me slightly, there's nothing wrong with Bristol REs and you had a fair selection. Interesting that there were so many Leyland engined ones - understandable with the former coaches. However, the four VRs featured three Leyland engined ones too and I always found the comparison with the more sedate and refined Gardners interesting.

Not chiding you at all - there's certainly nothing wrong with Bristol REs!

Another fantastic report from @TheSel - love the REs - thanks again.

My turn - another trip from the archives, still in February as I was going to post this last week but my actual trip got in the way. Vaguely topical as it covers some of the area in @TheSel’s recent post.

After my trip in North Wales in the warmest February day ever, back in 2019, the following day I moved east to Lancashire. As the sun rose this time I was parking in Rochdale. This was somewhere I had been the previous summer on a Lancashire-Yorkshire trip so I did not spend long here. My first journey was on the Rosso 464 to Bacup. For a departure around 7am I thought this had a pretty good load with passengers joining and alighting all the way along. The bus was a purple Optare Versa, standard fare for the route.

I had visited Bacup before on one of my shortest and oddest trips. My sons were massive fans of a certain Russian-owned football team and back in 2014 their first game of the season was a midweek evening game away to Burnley. Dad somehow agreed to act as chauffeur but not go to the game. I made sure we arrived in good time, let them get on with their things and then did a brief circuit Burnley to Todmorden to Bacup to Rawtenstall and back to Burnley, getting back just as it got dark. But I’d not had long in Bacup and I had longer to explore this time as well as stock up with coffee and a bacon roll. From here I took what was then the Rosso 8 to Burnley, running through from Todmorden. This was a double decker with plenty of Burnley college students. The route crosses quite a bit of high Pennine scenery between the towns with good views both ways.

Having seen some of Burnley in 2014, this time I moved on quickly to Nelson using the Burnley Mainline, another Versa. A small mill town with an interesting 39 foot high sculpture in the shape of a weaving shuttle. Quite an attractive town centre. From here I took the most fabulous ride on the Pilkington (row Rosso) 67 to Clitheroe. This route, with its sister the 66, give an hourly service via Barley and Chatburn, passing by Pendle Hill in the process. This is a really scenic route, it still runs – definitely one to do. I could fill my allowance of 10 pictures from this leg alone! I’m afraid I have no recollection as to what sort of bus it was, I was looking out of the window not into the bus.

I had been to Clitheroe before as well but this is also a very attractive town, with the castle at one end of the High Street and attractive architecture throughout the town centre. Another former mill town but now very middle class. From here I took the Transdev Blackburn 22 to Blackburn. I can remember what sort of bus this was – one of the remaining Volvo B10BLEs with B10Yxx registrations. As I check today the four of them are out right now as the four bus allocation on the 22 with five slightly newer ones also around and about. Great buses, class and totally competent and probably much less trouble than the newfangled stuff!

Not been to Blackburn for ages and wasn’t expecting much, so very pleasantly surprised. The town centre had several attractive areas, all round the cathedral, around Blackburn college, the edges of the shopping precinct and around the town hall were all well presented and looked after. From here I got an E200 on the 1 for a brief stop in Darwen, not at its best as the central area was all being dug up, and then another one on to Bolton. I’ve always liked Bolton around the Town Hall and Market Place, but didn’t spend long before heading off into new territory on the First (then) 471 to Bury, a double decker but I can’t remember what. I don’t think I’d ever been to Bury and I alighted first to explore the north end of the town centre around and near the East Lancs railway station, an attractive but relatively quiet corner.

My next journey was to visit the town of Ramsbottom, somewhere I had never been. At this time First and Rosso were still competing on this corridor with buses every 15 minutes each on the direct route via Holcombe Brook. First ran as 472 and 474 in a circuit, as Diamond still do, while Rosso ran the “red 4” via the direct route. I opted for the 474 simply because it came first, spent half an hour at Ramsbottom and continued on another 474 to return via Walmersley, pretty sure both were Volvo B7RLEs. Ramsbottom is a delightful town with sculptures of an urn and a tilted vase in the town square drawing on the town’s industrial heritage. Fine municipal buildings in the local style and an impressive church in the centre, then I walked down Bridge Street to the East Lancs Railway station, an attractive crossing of the River Irwell and good views of Peel Tower overlooking the town (albeit that with afternoon sun this was very difficult to photograph).

So I completed the loop back to Bury and this time I looked around the bus station area at the south end of the town centre and some more splendid municipal buildings. I found Bury an attractive town centre as are many of the Lancashire and Manchester towns - its just some of the outer parts of the towns that aren’t as nice. Back to the 471 bus stop to return to Rochdale but no sign of any imminent on the First tracker (long before bustimes!), so I took a Rosso 467 – the 467 and 468 were then and still are marketed as Trax but I think they were every 10 minutes then as against every 20 now. This was another Optare Versa and I alighted near the edge of Rochdale town centre, back to my car and home. Another warm sunny day from the glorious February of 2019!


Bacup


From the A671 between Weir and Burnley


Nelson


Above Barley, near Pendle Hill


Pendle Hill - couldn't help the sun!


Clitheroe


Blackburn


Bolton


Bury


Ramsbottom

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Not chiding you at all - there's certainly nothing wrong with Bristol REs!

Another fantastic report from @TheSel - love the REs - thanks again.

My turn - another trip from the archives, still in February as I was going to post this last week but my actual trip got in the way. Vaguely topical as it covers some of the area in @TheSel’s recent post.

After my trip in North Wales in the warmest February day ever, back in 2019, the following day I moved east to Lancashire. As the sun rose this time I was parking in Rochdale. This was somewhere I had been the previous summer on a Lancashire-Yorkshire trip so I did not spend long here. My first journey was on the Rosso 464 to Bacup. For a departure around 7am I thought this had a pretty good load with passengers joining and alighting all the way along. The bus was a purple Optare Versa, standard fare for the route.

I had visited Bacup before on one of my shortest and oddest trips. My sons were massive fans of a certain Russian-owned football team and back in 2014 their first game of the season was a midweek evening game away to Burnley. Dad somehow agreed to act as chauffeur but not go to the game. I made sure we arrived in good time, let them get on with their things and then did a brief circuit Burnley to Todmorden to Bacup to Rawtenstall and back to Burnley, getting back just as it got dark. But I’d not had long in Bacup and I had longer to explore this time as well as stock up with coffee and a bacon roll. From here I took what was then the Rosso 8 to Burnley, running through from Todmorden. This was a double decker with plenty of Burnley college students. The route crosses quite a bit of high Pennine scenery between the towns with good views both ways.

Having seen some of Burnley in 2014, this time I moved on quickly to Nelson using the Burnley Mainline, another Versa. A small mill town with an interesting 39 foot high sculpture in the shape of a weaving shuttle. Quite an attractive town centre. From here I took the most fabulous ride on the Pilkington (row Rosso) 67 to Clitheroe. This route, with its sister the 66, give an hourly service via Barley and Chatburn, passing by Pendle Hill in the process. This is a really scenic route, it still runs – definitely one to do. I could fill my allowance of 10 pictures from this leg alone! I’m afraid I have no recollection as to what sort of bus it was, I was looking out of the window not into the bus.

I had been to Clitheroe before as well but this is also a very attractive town, with the castle at one end of the High Street and attractive architecture throughout the town centre. Another former mill town but now very middle class. From here I took the Transdev Blackburn 22 to Blackburn. I can remember what sort of bus this was – one of the remaining Volvo B10BLEs with B10Yxx registrations. As I check today the four of them are out right now as the four bus allocation on the 22 with five slightly newer ones also around and about. Great buses, class and totally competent and probably much less trouble than the newfangled stuff!

Not been to Blackburn for ages and wasn’t expecting much, so very pleasantly surprised. The town centre had several attractive areas, all round the cathedral, around Blackburn college, the edges of the shopping precinct and around the town hall were all well presented and looked after. From here I got an E200 on the 1 for a brief stop in Darwen, not at its best as the central area was all being dug up, and then another one on to Bolton. I’ve always liked Bolton around the Town Hall and Market Place, but didn’t spend long before heading off into new territory on the First (then) 471 to Bury, a double decker but I can’t remember what. I don’t think I’d ever been to Bury and I alighted first to explore the north end of the town centre around and near the East Lancs railway station, an attractive but relatively quiet corner.

My next journey was to visit the town of Ramsbottom, somewhere I had never been. At this time First and Rosso were still competing on this corridor with buses every 15 minutes each on the direct route via Holcombe Brook. First ran as 472 and 474 in a circuit, as Diamond still do, while Rosso ran the “red 4” via the direct route. I opted for the 474 simply because it came first, spent half an hour at Ramsbottom and continued on another 474 to return via Walmersley, pretty sure both were Volvo B7RLEs. Ramsbottom is a delightful town with sculptures of an urn and a tilted vase in the town square drawing on the town’s industrial heritage. Fine municipal buildings in the local style and an impressive church in the centre, then I walked down Bridge Street to the East Lancs Railway station, an attractive crossing of the River Irwell and good views of Peel Tower overlooking the town (albeit that with afternoon sun this was very difficult to photograph).

So I completed the loop back to Bury and this time I looked around the bus station area at the south end of the town centre and some more splendid municipal buildings. I found Bury an attractive town centre as are many of the Lancashire and Manchester towns - its just some of the outer parts of the towns that aren’t as nice. Back to the 471 bus stop to return to Rochdale but no sign of any imminent on the First tracker (long before bustimes!), so I took a Rosso 467 – the 467 and 468 were then and still are marketed as Trax but I think they were every 10 minutes then as against every 20 now. This was another Optare Versa and I alighted near the edge of Rochdale town centre, back to my car and home. Another warm sunny day from the glorious February of 2019!

View attachment 111011
Bacup

View attachment 111012
From the A671 between Weir and Burnley

View attachment 111013
Nelson

View attachment 111014
Above Barley, near Pendle Hill

View attachment 111015
Pendle Hill - couldn't help the sun!

View attachment 111016
Clitheroe

View attachment 111017
Blackburn

View attachment 111018
Bolton

View attachment 111019
Bury

View attachment 111020
Ramsbottom

Thanks for sharing those photos from East Lancashire. I did a similar trip in late 2019 and, with deference to Eric Morecambe, did many of the same but not necessarily in the same order. I started in Bury (so didn't really explore) and travelled to Ramsbottom but on the soon to expire Red 4! It's quite a sweet little town and one that used to have its own municipal bus fleet. Can't remember the significance of the chalice?

As with near neighbours like Halifax or Todmorden, there's some lovely little towns and some fine Victorian architecture if a little shabby now. Glad you snapped the art deco cinema in Bacup - a real fave of mine. Sadly, it was lashing down when I was there.

I feel I have to defend myself. I do like Bristol REs.... I just have a lesser but grudging respect for Nationals. My fave is really the Bristol LH for sentimental reasons. To equate to your footballing reference, it's a bit like saying that I know I like Liverpool, you have a grudging respect for Chelsea, but I really like the rough and ready approach of Mansfield Town

Cracking shots - love this thread.

 

[route101]

Great pics and reports, I cant match I'm afraid.

Not been out on the buses much last few weeks but did manage a trip few weeks back.

Reading Buses X4 Reading to Bracknell E400

New route for and first time to Bracknell. Quite an urban route with no high speed running. Wokingham was the highlight of this trip.

Greenline 703 Bracknell to Heathrow T5 E400MMC

After a short break in Bracknell I made my way back to the rather bleak bus station. The 703 showed up around ten minutes late and we made are way towards Ascot. We passed Royal Ascot racecourse and an interesting detour into Legoland. Windsor and Slough were next where I surprised to see a London bus out this far. Eventually we made it to Heathrow after a tight squeeze through Colnbrook.

Megabus M3 Victoria Bus Station to Southampton Levante Coach

Decided to book the Megabus at short notice back home. The megabus M3 only runs a few times a day and I usually go for National Express as they run at better times.

The M3 is run by yellow buses and today it was a white unbranded example. We left ten minutes with around ten people onboard. Most people got off Heathrow airport, so they must be a valid connection at Victoria Bus Station. An uneventful journey down the M3 before diverting via the airport and the University. I was miffed where the M3 goes after Southampton as the board at Victoria said Weymouth but google said Poole!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Just conscious that we've not had any Caledonian input on this thread thus far so thought I'd share one from 2013. I'd been working in Glasgow with a social event in the evening and taking the Friday off to return South. However, that meant a relaxed start but the chance for an explore.

I left my hotel which was located not far from the former SBG bus station at Anderston. I never had the privilege of getting a bus from there. Whilst the general structure and some associated buildings remain (though some did get demolished), the now sanitised location bears only slight resemblance to the stories I've heard of it being a hell hole. I don't mind a bit of brutalism and with something like this, it's almost as important as the architecture of the fine Victorian city. Whilst Anderston was a brutalist centrepiece, it perhaps justifies its existence on that basis, rather than the single standalone buildings that can sit uncomfortably next to more classic buildings. Snapped a few interesting buildings and it was also good to capture the transition as Arriva had just sold to McGills but the old fleet was still about for the time being with fleetnames amended. I wandered through the city and to Buchanan bus station to start my day with a First Day ticket.

It was a later than usual start so I wanted to get some mileage in and elected for the X37 to Cumbernauld, always associated with Gregory's Girl to my mind. The machine was a once impressive Volvo Olympian 30826 with Alexander Royale bodywork. Once the pride of the First Leeds fleet, it was clearly looking rather rough with evident corrosion on the front bulkhead upstairs and very faded seating. It made its way quite nicely and I hopped off in Cumbernauld in the truly awful set of roadside stops beneath the shopping centre that constitute a bus station. It's like a location from Blade Runner - horrendous - the photo shared doesn't convey the misery. I was feeling a bit jaded from the previous night's drinking so grabbed a coffee and then watched the various all red midibuses (can't recall the operator) heading out to various new town suburbs. I had a wander to get a view of the Brutalist monstrosity that I had been inside, winner of the Plook on a Plinth award for terrible Scottish towns. After 30 mins, it was time to continue on the associated X39 service and headed to Stirling on 65751, a perfectly fine Wright Solar. It was a non-descript journey through some rather average territory.

Sadly, I couldn't stay in Stirling as I had a short day and plans afoot. Instead, it was a short walk in the bus station and the 32 to Balfron. I don't think this service operates now as it was definitely the lesser route to the 10. My machine was a very elderly B10B, 62382 that had begun life in York on the Park and Ride and 17 years later, was eking out its last few years at Balfron. It was a reasonably loaded journey with pensioners returning home as we headed out past the Gargunnock Hills and rolling countryside. An area I'd never visited (and haven't since). We arrived in Balfron and I had enough time to wander to the First depot that remarkably still survives in what is really just a village. Plenty of older fleet there with plenty of deckers for local schools. I then wandered back out to catch the main 10 service back to Glasgow. It was operated, appropriately enough, by a former Glasgow Olympian in 30745. I recall it cleaner than my earlier Olympian (a reflection on the pride of the Balfron depot staff) but the spec was rather spartan. We then headed to skirt the Campsie Fells and eventually, enjoyed fantastic views across to Glasgow, and so being able to spy my next traffic objective. The 10 (now X10) is an interesting route as it goes from intensely rural to then join the conurbation and through relatively middle class areas in Milngavie before becoming a very urban route especially through Maryhill (which looked quite down at heel).

On arrival into the city centre, I had to navigate to Hope Street to catch a shortish local journey, but not for just racking up a tick against a couple of buses. Instead, I took the 56 to/from Balornock (courtesy of B9s 37537 and 37189) and a trip specifically to the Red Road Flats. For the uninitiated, these were the highest high rise flats in Glasgow at 28/31 storeys high and a scheme that had a level of notoriety for crime and deprivation. Two of the eight buildings had already been demolished and the rest were due to go so it was the last chance for me to visit and explore before their demise. These buildings that dominate the skyline from afar dwarf the individual when up close. It was a pilgrimage that I was pleased I made as they were dropped just a few years later.

Back in the city, it was time for a chance to experience the newly relaunched ONE, with its then recently delivered e300s. Now it's worth saying that the First spec (eLeather, Urban livery etc) was very recently introduced so that partly influenced my choice in seeing the brave new world. It was onto 67725 to Old Kilpartick but, for reasons unknown, we were asked to change onto 67733 at Scotstoun depot and so made my way to OK, with passengers beginning to peter out as we headed past Clydebank and the city until it dropped me off outside the former Central SMT/Kelvin depot that had closed in 1996 and was now home to various small businesses. It was an unremarkable yet interesting ride to the outskirts of the city. The light was fading now as it was Feb so another e300 in 67717 took me back part of the way to Clydebank in the descending gloom.

I had chance to view one of the most depressing bus stations in Christendom there (really just a huge turning circle) before electing to get my last bus, and again chosen because it was novel. At that time, hybrid deckers were still a novelty and so I though e400 33908 fitted the bill for my enquiring mind. It wore the special pink and silver livery that First had for such vehicles and we made our way through the rush hour traffic and back into the city centre but sadly, it was just a standard vehicle confusingly,

Despite a short day, it was a really good trip getting the beauty of the hills to the north juxtaposed with the urban decay that had come after the brave new world of 1960s Glasgow. And the vehicles were pretty interesting too. Hope you enjoyed this travelogue from the distant past of NINE years ago, and some of the photos too.

 

[TheSel]

North Wales, today - a look back exactly 36 years, to Saturday, 5 March 1988.

The first Saturday of meteorological spring found me having an early start, and driving from Southport to Llandudno Junction, parking outside the former Crosville - by now Crosville Wales - depot, and buying a Gwynedd Dayrider ticket, which gave excellent value on just about all services, by all operators, in the county of Gwynedd.

My first trip, along the coast, enjoying views of Anglesey was from the upper deck of:

0841 5 Llandudno Junction – Bangor Crosville Wales DVG531 – DCA531X – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... at which point I alighted, and crossed the Menai (Suspension) Bridge onto Anglesey on:

0930 4 Bangor – Llangefni Crosville Wales DOG134 – A134SMA – ECW bodied Olympian


DOG134 after I alighted in Llangefni and 'legged it' up the hill before the driver had chance to get away!

My next target was to cross the Island up to the Northern coastal town of Amlwch. This former Western National Bristol LH arrived:


Ellis of Llangefni Bristol LH / ECW - VOD117K - in Llangefni

... which I initially thought might be my means of transport (and would have pleased @TheGrandWazoo), but it wasn't to be. Instead I was treated to:

1055 32 Llangefni – Amlwch Ellis – MSF730P – Alexander bodied Bedford YRT


Ellis of Llangefni Alexander bodied Bedford MSF730P in Llangefni.

A pleasant, rural run, through some of the lesser known parts of Anglesey.

From Amlwch, I headed back towards the mainland (service destined for Bangor) on:

1140 62 Amlwch – Pentraeth Crosville Wales SNL570 – HMA570T – Leyland National 'B' series

... but cut my journey short in Pentraeth, in order to sample another 'round the lanes' run back to Llangefni on board a former Crosville machine:


1230 55 Pentraeth – Llangefni Ellis – OCA622P – ECW bodied Bristol LH6L


Ellis of Llangefni (former Crosville) Bristol LH / ECW - OCA622P, at Talwrn.

Time now to head off back to Bangor, on board:

1337 4 Llangefni – Bangor Crosville Wales DVL291 – RLG291P – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... which I left outside the Railway Station:


Crosville Wales DVL291 - Bristol VR / ECW - outside Bangor Railway Station

... in order to 'cut the corner' and ensure a connection onto the next Caernarfon-bound bus, which turned out to be:

1430 5 Bangor – Caernarfon Crosville Wales DVG531 – DCA531X – ECW bodied Bristol VR

Quite a hilly start to the route, serving Upper Bangor and the (then new) Hospital, before returning to the old main road, through Felinheli, and on to Caernarfon, passing the Crosville Wales depot shortly before arriving at the then-terminus, Castle Square. Next up, a short run to Penygroes, on an ex East Midland VR:

1525 1 Caernarfon – Penygroes Maldwyn Jones – PRR116L – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Maldwyn Jones' former East Midlands ECW bodied Bristol VR PRR116L at Penygroes.

... to intercept, and return to Caernarfon, on

1600 80 Penygroes – Caernarfon Silver Star – JWU335J – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

... which I'd seen earlier, while in Caernarfon:


Silver Star Bristol RE JWU335J alongside Maldwyn Jones' Bristol VR PRR116L. Unmistakably Caernarfon. Such a shame vehicles no longer depart from here.

One of the joys of this multi-operator ticket was that you didn't have to worry about who operated what, and I was delighted, a few minutes later, when the next Porthmadog service arrived in the form of a rather tatty:

1625 1 Caernarfon – Tremadog Express Motors – TBD278G – ECW (bus) bodied Bristol RELH6G


Express Motors ECW bodied Bristol RE - TBD278G - Caernarfon.

This vehicle has now been beautifully preserved, as can be seen on Flickr, here amongst other places.

As you can tell from my picture of TBD278G in Caernarfon, the light was now fading, so no more photographs as I made my way back to my parked car using:

1719 1 Tremadog – Caernarfon Crosville Wales SNL594 – JTU594T – Leyland National 'B' series

... connecting into

1835 5 Caernarfon – Llandudno Junction Crosville Wales DVG500 – YWM500W – ECW bodied Bristol VR

A very enjoyable day out, with some splendid scenery, interesting vehicles, and giving excellent value for money!

More from 'The Diary of a transport-obsessed Youth' in a few days.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Now for another trip of mine

26/02/2022 - Gloucestershire

Off I go to Gloucestershire, as usual I get my local route 10 to City Centre onboard Stagecoach Oxford's E400 hybrids. 12002 OU10GGE was my bus.

Then the lovely and scenic 853 to Cheltenham, onboard Stagecoach West Scania Enviro300 28688 YN64AOU. Bus is rather ordinary, but I loved the views, and also the pretty towns and villages the route goes through (Northleach and Witney in particular).

Then the rather ordinary 97 to Gloucester, onboard a really nice Stagecoach West Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15362 YT21DVP. Lovely and comfortable bus, a rather nice livery, but announcements sadly were not working.

Then the now withdrawn 132 (one reason for going to Gloucestershire on this date was to ride the last day of the 132, which has sadly now been withdrawn due to low passenger numbers) to Ledbury. A lovely, scenic bus route, going through nice towns and villages, so really sad to see this route gone. I had a MAN Enviro300, 22753 GX58MVS. Unpopular opinion I know, but I actually don't mind these MAN E300s, very comfortable buses.

I stayed on the same bus back to Newent, where I then got off and got a 32 to the really nice Ross-on-Wye, onboard ADL Enviro200 36135 SF10BZY. Another nice scenic route, and I'm glad the 32 is still staying, albeit on a reduced frequency!

And then the 33 to Gloucester, on Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15874 VX13FLA. Omg, now I really want to do the full 33 to Hereford, the section between Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye was spectacular to say the least, with amazing views, and really nice villages. Probably one of my favourite Stagecoach West routes!

I was a bit bored, so whilst waiting for my train back to Oxford (going via Swindon and Reading), I decided to ride the 10 to Lower Tuffley and back to Town Centre, onboard Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15363 YT21DVR. This has got to be my favourite in the batch - lots of kickdowns and amazing performance. 10 is alright, can be good in some bits but there's far better routes in Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed Gloucestershire so much that I really want to go back there again at somepoint!

 

[route101]

Now for another trip of mine

26/02/2022 - Gloucestershire

Off I go to Gloucestershire, as usual I get my local route 10 to City Centre onboard Stagecoach Oxford's E400 hybrids. 12002 OU10GGE was my bus.

Then the lovely and scenic 853 to Cheltenham, onboard Stagecoach West Scania Enviro300 28688 YN64AOU. Bus is rather ordinary, but I loved the views, and also the pretty towns and villages the route goes through (Northleach and Witney in particular).

Then the rather ordinary 97 to Gloucester, onboard a really nice Stagecoach West Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15362 YT21DVP. Lovely and comfortable bus, a rather nice livery, but announcements sadly were not working.

Then the now withdrawn 132 (one reason for going to Gloucestershire on this date was to ride the last day of the 132, which has sadly now been withdrawn due to low passenger numbers) to Ledbury. A lovely, scenic bus route, going through nice towns and villages, so really sad to see this route gone. I had a MAN Enviro300, 22753 GX58MVS. Unpopular opinion I know, but I actually don't mind these MAN E300s, very comfortable buses.

I stayed on the same bus back to Newent, where I then got off and got a 32 to the really nice Ross-on-Wye, onboard ADL Enviro200 36135 SF10BZY. Another nice scenic route, and I'm glad the 32 is still staying, albeit on a reduced frequency!

And then the 33 to Gloucester, on Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15874 VX13FLA. Omg, now I really want to do the full 33 to Hereford, the section between Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye was spectacular to say the least, with amazing views, and really nice villages. Probably one of my favourite Stagecoach West routes!

I was a bit bored, so whilst waiting for my train back to Oxford (going via Swindon and Reading), I decided to ride the 10 to Lower Tuffley and back to Town Centre, onboard Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15363 YT21DVR. This has got to be my favourite in the batch - lots of kickdowns and amazing performance. 10 is alright, can be good in some bits but there's far better routes in Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed Gloucestershire so much that I really want to go back there again at somepoint!

Nice one. That 853 is on my list (Strange number) is it usually operated by a single decker? I hope not. Not been that way apart from Hereford, so very much on the to do list. What ticket did you use?

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Nice one. That 853 is on my list (Strange number) is it usually operated by a single decker? I hope not. Not been that way apart from Hereford, so very much on the to do list. What ticket did you use?

853 is always single deckers (mostly Scania K230UB ADL Enviro300s but sometimes also ADL Enviro200 MMC), and I used a £10 Stagecoach West 853 Explorer ticket.

 

[route101]

853 is always single deckers (mostly Scania K230UB ADL Enviro300s but sometimes also ADL Enviro200 MMC), and I used a £10 Stagecoach West 853 Explorer ticket.

E200MMC would be preferable. I looked at the app and hope to do a trip that way when I get the chance.

 

[RELL6L]

Now for another trip of mine

26/02/2022 - Gloucestershire

Off I go to Gloucestershire, as usual I get my local route 10 to City Centre onboard Stagecoach Oxford's E400 hybrids. 12002 OU10GGE was my bus.

Then the lovely and scenic 853 to Cheltenham, onboard Stagecoach West Scania Enviro300 28688 YN64AOU. Bus is rather ordinary, but I loved the views, and also the pretty towns and villages the route goes through (Northleach and Witney in particular).

Then the rather ordinary 97 to Gloucester, onboard a really nice Stagecoach West Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15362 YT21DVP. Lovely and comfortable bus, a rather nice livery, but announcements sadly were not working.

Then the now withdrawn 132 (one reason for going to Gloucestershire on this date was to ride the last day of the 132, which has sadly now been withdrawn due to low passenger numbers) to Ledbury. A lovely, scenic bus route, going through nice towns and villages, so really sad to see this route gone. I had a MAN Enviro300, 22753 GX58MVS. Unpopular opinion I know, but I actually don't mind these MAN E300s, very comfortable buses.

I stayed on the same bus back to Newent, where I then got off and got a 32 to the really nice Ross-on-Wye, onboard ADL Enviro200 36135 SF10BZY. Another nice scenic route, and I'm glad the 32 is still staying, albeit on a reduced frequency!

And then the 33 to Gloucester, on Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15874 VX13FLA. Omg, now I really want to do the full 33 to Hereford, the section between Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye was spectacular to say the least, with amazing views, and really nice villages. Probably one of my favourite Stagecoach West routes!

I was a bit bored, so whilst waiting for my train back to Oxford (going via Swindon and Reading), I decided to ride the 10 to Lower Tuffley and back to Town Centre, onboard Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15363 YT21DVR. This has got to be my favourite in the batch - lots of kickdowns and amazing performance. 10 is alright, can be good in some bits but there's far better routes in Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed Gloucestershire so much that I really want to go back there again at somepoint!

Good trip. I toyed with the idea of heading there to sample the 132, shame that this is going from a 2 hourly service to nothing without replacement.

Yes the 33 is a splendid route with good scenery all the way. Once the 538 jointly run between Bristol Omnibus and Red and White, I think, with almost guaranteed REs for a number of years. Now it has been double deckers for a good long time and I hope it remains so now it is all run by Gloucester.

Yes the 853 is all single deckers and is scenic albeit mostly on the main road. There was talk of it being merged in with the S2 fast route from Oxford to Witney and Carterton, not sure how that would have worked but it might have meant double deckers as the S2 is now. Not sure if the proposal is dead or not.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Good trip. I toyed with the idea of heading there to sample the 132, shame that this is going from a 2 hourly service to nothing without replacement.

Yes the 33 is a splendid route with good scenery all the way. Once the 538 jointly run between Bristol Omnibus and Red and White, I think, with almost guaranteed REs for a number of years. Now it has been double deckers for a good long time and I hope it remains so now it is all run by Gloucester.

Yes the 853 is all single deckers and is scenic albeit mostly on the main road. There was talk of it being merged in with the S2 fast route from Oxford to Witney and Carterton, not sure how that would have worked but it might have meant double deckers as the S2 is now. Not sure if the proposal is dead or not.

Apologies for my delay in replying @SouthEastBuses. Echo @RELL6L in that it's a sad loss for the 132 and good on you for doing it before it disappeared. The 853 is usually an e300 which is a bit of a comedown from the days when Swanbrook did it when they had a Scania/Irizar on there that I enjoyed for too short a journey (from Burford bypass to Northleach). I don't know who complains about e300s including the Gold ones in terms of comfort; the problem that the MAN versions have had has been their poor reliability, hence why a number have met an early end or have been re-engined. I seem to recall doing the route from Ross to Ledbury (46?) that were nothing more than placement journeys and then the 132 to Gloucester.

I can confirm that the 33 north of Ross is a lovely run and is almost exclusively a decker - been a long time since I recall anything else. There's just rolling lush countryside as you head across Herefordshire. It was indeed the 538 and then became the Red and White 38 until probably 15 years ago when the route was split and then reattached. Whilst it was run by Bristol REs during the 1970s, service revisions from the NBC Wyedean scheme saw deckers appear to remove schoolday duplication. That brings me neatly onto the Forest of Dean and to be honest, either of the main routes from the Forest give stunning views across the Severn Estuary so would recommend a trip to Hereford on the 33, back to Monmouth on the 36, 35 to Coleford and then the 23 via Lydney back to Gloucester, assuming timings permit.

I do have to disagree with @SouthEastBuses (but it IS subjective and just my view) but I find the 10 very dull with little to grab my attention and I still can't buy into the new Stagecoach colours of which description.

 

[RELL6L]

Slightly different trip to report. A week ago the weather forecast for this week had looked quite promising and I had thought I might have been up north basking in sunshine for a couple of days. It changed though and I was just left with yesterday (Tuesday) and good weather through the day only in the far east of the country. In the end I also had to fit in with being out on both Monday and Tuesday evening.

So a not very early start to East Anglia for a trip on buses large and small, dusting off a two-centre trip I had on the shelf, not something I had done since 2016. The first part started in Chatteris. This was a town I had passed through but not stopped at and I thought it had looked a bit quiet, but it seems the time I had been through it I had missed out on the proper town centre which was quite lively at 9.00. The predominant colour of bricks in Cambridgeshire, especially in older buildings, is a pale yellow due to the nature of the clay locally, and this impacts significantly on the appearance of the area. I can’t say I find it that appealing personally but the town of Chatteris was OK. This colour can be seen in my first picture below in the larger building in the distance partly hidden by the memorial.

My first bus was the Stagecoach 35 towards Huntingdon, which arrived having run empty from Huntingdon in time for a prompt departure. A fair number of takers here in Chatteris and more joined in Warboys, where we wandered around a number of back streets. The bus was an 09 registered Wright Eclipse bodied Volvo B7RLE in Busway green. The scenery was not very interesting and no hills anywhere in sight. I got off in Hartford which is just a suburb of Huntingdon with nothing of note.

From Hartford I took the Stagecoach service B towards Cambridge, this being the large bus, a Volvo B8L with Enviro 400XLB body (I keep wanting to say 6LXB…), one of the giant three axled beasts now found on the Busway, also in the light green colours. I have to say these are impressive vehicles, it seemed pretty powerful on the short amount of open road and presumably can maintain a good lick on the busway itself. The B, from Huntingdon to Cambridge, is now only every 30 minutes, supplemented by the A from St Ives to Cambridge also every 30 minutes and a handful of faster journeys called C in peak hours. The B takes substantial detours round estates in Huntingdon and again in St Ives, while the A takes a different route in St Ives and only the C runs direct. The C uses four vehicles which seem to do nothing all day, just one peak hour run each way. These routes must be tedious for direct travellers from central Huntingdon to central Cambridge although they do provide a local service and direct journeys from where people live to Cambridge. A good load on this too and I alighted in St Ives, with some chaos as they were digging up the road right outside the bus station.

St Ives – the Cambridgeshire one – is a delightful little town (as is the Cornwall one in a very different way!). The pale yellow brick is again common but there is such a lovely area down by the river with an old bridge, long since pedestrians only. Nothing tacky and a number of people just taking in the scene. After half an hour here I took the Villager V2 back to Chatteris, another 09-reg Volvo B7RLE in the same green. Sadly I was the only passenger on this service, which I believe to be ‘experimental’, I suspect it will not survive long. We passed another V2 coming into St Ives and this only appeared to have one passenger.

Back at Chatteris I then drove to Newmarket. This took me past Ely and with more time I would be very pleased to explore that city again, the cathedral is very fine as is the area down by the river. But I didn’t have time and stuck to the bypass, parking up just outside Newmarket town centre around 12.30 after getting behind half the tractors of Cambridgeshire.

Newmarket is in Suffolk, with a distinctly different architectural style, and is a town dedicated to horses. They roam some of the streets, there are statues of famous horses and the National Horseracing Museum, it is a busy but attractive town. My target here was the small bus, the Tuesday only 46 run by AtoB Bus and Coach. This is not a company I had come across before but they seem to have grown to 12 routes stretching from Newmarket to Stevenage. At the bus station I saw a bus parked over the road which said AtoB on the front of it so I went over and said I was looking for the 46. This was a small front-engined vehicle, possibly a Fiat, with a lady driver and a route-learning instructor and they confirmed it was indeed the 46. They couldn’t take my money as they had not brought their ticket machine! They let me on and shortly it went over to the stand in the bus station where seven more passengers joined – average age I would say well over 80. Quite an impressive load for an obscure weekly service and clearly mostly regulars. We then set off for Linton via some of the villages which are supposed to be on the route but not necessarily in the same order… and a couple of villages clearly not on the official route! For all practical purposes this was the return leg of a taxi ride and we went accordingly, dropping passengers in West Wickham, West Wratting, Balsham (4) and Linton, slightly tricky for the driver to be instructed when the route may vary from week to week. This was through very empty countryside, albeit with more hills and more interesting and some of the villages were quite attractive, being more Suffolk style than Cambridgeshire.

We reached Linton about 10 minutes early. Linton is in Cambridgeshire but looked much more like it was in Suffolk with attractive colours on generally more interesting houses, a really pleasant village. I had intended to spend 40 minutes here, 10 not being enough, but having arrived 10 minutes early I had the choice of 20 or 50 minutes before heading to Cambridge on the Stagecoach 13/13A. Now I know Bustimes gets a few knocks on this forum but most of the time I think it is really very useful. Here it showed me that the 13A headed to Haverhill which should have come back to form my trip after 50 minutes in Linton had obviously had some form of problem around Little Abington and headed back to the depot, so I really didn’t have much choice. To its credit, the live departure board at the main Linton High Street stop showed the 14.44 as cancelled, fair play to it. So I took the earlier one, a Gold-liveried Scania/E400 into Cambridge. Much of this is on the main road but it does divert to Great Abington which was attractive, then heads into Cambridge past Addenbrooks along with many other buses. Interesting to see some ex-London Scania Omnicity deckers on Cambridge city services.

So then I had just under an hour in Cambridge and there’s always new corners of the city centre to explore, so I wandered around the Market Square and Kings College area, together with an increasing number of tourists. Back to the small Drummer Street bus station to take the 11 back to Newmarket. This was another Scania/E400 but this time repainted into the light green colours. Not sure why as it was not a busway vehicle and this green seems to have become the predominant colour scheme now in the city, with few buses in the new ‘local’ colours and none in the yellow (the 905 – former X5 east – coming in from Bedford is yellow). The 11 is the back-road route to Newmarket via Bottisham, Swaffham Prior and Burwell. The route was for many years run by Burwell and District and I vaguely recall them being early operators of Daimler Fleetlines, although I never travelled with them. No hills on this route either and very much back to Cambridgeshire brick colours but a reasonable route. In Newmarket we toured every imaginable road in the north and west of the town before getting into the town centre. Again, years ago, these would have been town services, but they’ve gone and on the plus side the route takes people directly into Cambridge. The 11 was quite well loaded with people alighting all along the route, including in Newmarket, despite a much quicker direct route. Then back to the car and home. The sun had remained with me all day, albeit with a cold wind, but a few miles down the road I met the cloud heading east so I think I had done the right thing being here.

As usual a choice of 10 pictures:

Chatteris


St Ives


St Ives


St Ives


Newmarket


Newmarket


Linton


Linton


Cambridge


Cambridge

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thanks @RELL6L for the report...but first, views of the one that @TheSel posted of North Wales

Apologies to @TheSel for not responding to his excellent write-up of 1988 North Wales. I'm less familiar with Anglesey though I know that corner of the mainland very well! Good to see a Crosville Wales Olym - in a few years, Drawlane would spirit those away and they'd head from Holyhead to Midland Fox. Looking that one up, it seems to see survive, converted to O/T and exported subsequently. By the time I got to experience the 4, it was operated by ex Stevensons 811s - a low point - and it's not exactly a beautiful route. The best bits of Anglesey are on the coast whilst it goes through the rather dull interior and ends up in Holyhead which is hardly attractive either! I have been to Amlwch as well which wasn't exactly captivating but around the area (Cemmaes Bay, Paris Mountain), it's quite interesting so think a trip round there would've been interesting in a lightweight bus.

I have travelled on some of the independents but missed out on Silver Star (and their LHs) and whilst you've indulged your RE fetish, it's good to see you eschewed the relative luxury in favour of an LH!! In fact, by the time I eventually enjoyed Express Motors, they were a relatively modern fleet... how did they pay for that fleet Cracking photos and a nice smattering of Crosville Wales VRs; I might have even have travelled on one of those. Just a bit surprised that you didn't try Clynnog and Trefor, who always had an interesting fleet.

Thanks to the usual top-notch photos from @RELL6L and his musings on Cambs/Suffolk. Strangely, whilst an area some distance from home, I've had a few trips in the last 10 years to that part of the world. First of all, you're missing out with Ely. It's a fabulous little city and well worth an explore. Chatteris though.... I remember killing an hour one afternoon (think I'd arrived from Ely and was heading to Huntingdon) and it was a warm, sultry afternoon. Nothing open except pubs where swivel-eyed yokels stare at strangers. The only plus point is the cute ex Eastern Counties depot still stands (or it did in July when I last stopped off). I've also done the run from Chatteris to March and that's a pleasant thrash across the Fens! I've also been to Newmarket and been in the National Horse Racing museum; you can even ride an automated horse if you want!! I'm not interested in racing but I thought it was good.

St Ives is a lovely little town and so much better than Huntingdon, which is sadly, a dive! I've not explored it much (but there's not much to explore) but it seemed a nice place when cycling in the area and then continuing along the busway to Cambridge. You really can't go wrong with Cambridge in terms of scenery. Too many cars (Oxford is much better) but pleasant. Can only assume your green e400 is an ex Busway vehicle made spare by service reductions and awaiting repaint?

Thanks to you both, once again.

 

[GusB]

I think it's time we had a bit of clarification on what constitutes a "bus trip". A brief report on a single journey, while technically a trip on a bus, does not really fall within the spirit of the thread.

Please feel free to post about specially planned days out, or even if you happened to make a spur of the moment decision to go for a jaunt just for the sake of it. I'd rather not provide an exhaustive list of what is acceptable, but posts like this will be removed:

Took the 22 into town today. It was 15 minutes late and it rained.

 

[RELL6L]

Thanks to the usual top-notch photos from @RELL6L and his musings on Cambs/Suffolk. Strangely, whilst an area some distance from home, I've had a few trips in the last 10 years to that part of the world. First of all, you're missing out with Ely. It's a fabulous little city and well worth an explore. Chatteris though.... I remember killing an hour one afternoon (think I'd arrived from Ely and was heading to Huntingdon) and it was a warm, sultry afternoon. Nothing open except pubs where swivel-eyed yokels stare at strangers. The only plus point is the cute ex Eastern Counties depot still stands (or it did in July when I last stopped off). I've also done the run from Chatteris to March and that's a pleasant thrash across the Fens! I've also been to Newmarket and been in the National Horse Racing museum; you can even ride an automated horse if you want!! I'm not interested in racing but I thought it was good.

St Ives is a lovely little town and so much better than Huntingdon, which is sadly, a dive! I've not explored it much (but there's not much to explore) but it seemed a nice place when cycling in the area and then continuing along the busway to Cambridge. You really can't go wrong with Cambridge in terms of scenery. Too many cars (Oxford is much better) but pleasant. Can only assume your green e400 is an ex Busway vehicle made spare by service reductions and awaiting repaint?

I was only missing out on Tuesday with Ely, I have been there three times on past trips and I agree it is fabulous. I didn't have the same experience as you in Chatteris but I agree there isn't much there. I didn't know there was an ex EC depot to be found or I might have looked. Agree on St Ives and Cambridge but equally I also prefer Oxford.

I think many Cambridge deckers are ex Busway but there is a huge batch of Scania/E400s based at Cambridge (as opposed to Fenstanton, which runs the Busway) in various shades of green forming the backbone of routes from Cambridge such as the 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 18 which have no connection with the Busway. It seems vehicles are gradually being repainted from old Busway green to new Stagecoach green, none are in the new local colours. The 1 uses mainly Scania OmniCities in old normal livery while the 13 is mainly still run with Gold vehicles. They might have guide arms fitted - possibly why they are green. Also all the Volvo B7RLE and B8RLE based at Fenstanton are green even though a lot operate on non-Busway routes (eg 30, 35, 66, 904, V-routes).

Some pictures from trips to Ely in 2014, 2015 and 2018:

 

[TheSel]

Many Thanks, @RELL6L for another excellent report, complete with fantastic photography. How do you manage to get such superb weather? You really must be a 'Goody Two Shoes' if 'the sun always shines on the righteous' as we're told!!! It's nearly twenty years since I visited Cambridge, and longer since Newmarket and St Ives. I really do need to 'get out more'.

As promised / threatened, here's another report from 'this day in history' - Saturday 10 March 1984. An area I've reported on before, but a different selection of routes and vehicles. Again, a mix of Class 507/508 units would have taken me from Southport to Birkenhead, in order to start my Crosville day out on:


0748 C1 Woodside – Chester Crosville DVL322 – TMA322R – ECW bodied Bristol VR

0850 C56 Chester – Farndon Crosville SNL393 – GMB393T – Leyland National



Crosville SNL393 near Aldford

Farndon was an unusual place for me to change buses - normally I'd be going through to Wrexham - and probably on the direct and the more frequent D1 service, but today I had my eye on the Saturdays only Shocklach Circular, which - I'd worked out - I could intercept by alighting at Farndon. Sure enough, after about ten minutes in Farndon - somewhere I'd once been to as part of a Geography Field Trip, to study 'Ox Bow Lakes' (and that's about all I remember from that trip, other than the bus we used was one of Crosville's ECW bodied Bristol MWs!) - I was rewarded with

0934 D45 Farndon – Shocklach – Wrexham Crosville ENL923 – HFM179N – Leyland National (DP)


Crosville ENL923 at The Bull in Shocklach - pretty much the 'terminal point', although in practice this service ran as a circular - out from Farndon via the B5069, and back via Tilston and Stretton.

A very enjoyable trip 'round the lanes' - in fact the only time I ever did the route on the bus, although I did pop out in the car once or twice to capture more rural views. This took me into Wrexham, and I nipped up to the depot for a quick look round, using:

1035 D13 Bus Station – Mold Road depot Crosville SNL356 – CFM356S – Leyland National

... to get there. I've recorded pretty much the usual handful of REs, Nationals and VRs present on that visit - at that time on a Saturday many vehicles would have been out in service, of course.

I walked back to the Bus Station, and then enjoyed a trip into Wrexham's hinterland on one of Crosville's last batch of Bristol VRs:

1112 D4 Wrexham – Penycae Crosville DVG529 – DCA529X – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG529 in Rhosllanerchrugog, on its way to Penycae


... returning on the same vehicle as:

1140 D4 Penycae – Wrexham Crosville DVG529 – DCA529X – ECW bodied Bristol VR

I mentioned in post #249 that most of Crosville's Seddons had short lives, but that many gave up their engines in Crosville's large programme to fit Gardner engines to Leyland Nationals. Well, one such conversion was sat waiting when I got back to the Town Centre, so I had a short run round the Borras Park Estate on:

1220 D35 Wrexham – Borras Park Crosville ENG976 – MMB976P – Leyland National (DP – Gardner)


Crosville ENG976 in the Borras Park Estate

... returning on the same vehicle as:

1235 D35 Borras Park – Wrexham Crosville ENG976 – MMB976P – Leyland National (DP – Gardner)

Time now to pander to my Bristol RE fetish, with a similar local service, this time:

1250 D24 Wrexham – Barker's Lane (circular) Crosville SRG181 – EFM181H – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G


Crosville SRG181 on Chester Road, having served the Barker's Lane Estate (despite the destination display!) - famous for very little other than having been home to one of my girlfriends during my two years living in Wrexham in the late 1970s!

As an aside, this particular vehicle - after a spell in Belfast with Citybus - is now very nicely preserved, and I was privileged to be offered a ride round on it shortly before Christmas 2021


Preserved former Crosville SRG181 at Birch Hill (OS SJ518739) on 4 December 2021.

Back to the day in question, and I had just left the bus station again on SRG181 - this time on a D11 to Minera,

1325 D11 Bus Station – Mold Road depot Crosville SRG181 – EFM181H – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

... when we passed the D27 coming in from the depot to pick up the next Mold working. Well, of course, being another RE it had to be sampled, so I bade farewell to 181 and it's friendly driver outside Mold Road depot, and after about five minutes was picked up by:

1333 D27 Wrexham, Crosville depot – Mold Crosville ERG280 – YFM280L – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G (DP)


Crosville ERG280, at the top of Ffrith hill.

This took me 'the pretty way' to Mold - a route I have reported on before (see post #214) in very wintry conditions.

Time for a change from REs, now, so I boarded:

1435 B1X Mold – Chester Crosville DVG446 – UDM446V – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG446 at Mold Bus Station.

... where I found my third RE of the day, in the shape of the former coach:

1535 X2 Chester – Manchester Crosville ERL263 – TFM263K – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

... one of several similar Northwich based vehicles that could often be found on that depot's more interurban operations, indeed, in post #249 I have illustrated ERL267 from the same batch.

By the time I got to Manchester, it was dusk, so no more photos. Just for the sake of completeness, my journey home then took in the Motorway (M56) service back to Chester:

1805 X1 Manchester – Chester Crosville ELL27 – DDM27X – Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard

... returning on the same vehicle as far as Runcorn:

1945 X1 Chester – Runcorn Crosville ELL27 – DDM27X – Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard

... before another VR - the second [late edit - correction] Leyland engined one of the day - back to Liverpool

2042 H20 Runcorn – Liverpool Crosville DVL368 – BTU368S – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... and then the train home to Southport.


More from the archives tomorrow, featuring weather more associated with @RELL6L 's reports! Oh - and surprise, surprise, an RE or two!

 

[RELL6L]

Many Thanks, @RELL6L for another excellent report, complete with fantastic photography. How do you manage to get such superb weather? You really must be a 'Goody Two Shoes' if 'the sun always shines on the righteous' as we're told!!! It's nearly twenty years since I visited Cambridge, and longer since Newmarket and St Ives. I really do need to 'get out more'.

As promised / threatened, here's another report from 'this day in history' - Saturday 10 March 1984. An area I've reported on before, but a different selection of routes and vehicles. Again, a mix of Class 507/508 units would have taken me from Southport to Birkenhead, in order to start my Crosville day out on:


0748 C1 Woodside – Chester Crosville DVL322 – TMA322R – ECW bodied Bristol VR

0850 C56 Chester – Farndon Crosville SNL393 – GMB393T – Leyland National



Crosville SNL393 near Aldford

Farndon was an unusual place for me to change buses - normally I'd be going through to Wrexham - and probably on the direct and the more frequent D1 service, but today I had my eye on the Saturdays only Shocklach Circular, which - I'd worked out - I could intercept by alighting at Farndon. Sure enough, after about ten minutes in Farndon - somewhere I'd once been to as part of a Geography Field Trip, to study 'Ox Bow Lakes' (and that's about all I remember from that trip, other than the bus we used was one of Crosville's ECW bodied Bristol MWs!) - I was rewarded with

0934 D45 Farndon – Shocklach – Wrexham Crosville ENL923 – HFM179N – Leyland National (DP)


Crosville ENL923 at The Bull in Shocklach - pretty much the 'terminal point', although in practice this service ran as a circular - out from Farndon via the B5069, and back via Tilston and Stretton.

A very enjoyable trip 'round the lanes' - in fact the only time I ever did the route on the bus, although I did pop out in the car once or twice to capture more rural views. This took me into Wrexham, and I nipped up to the depot for a quick look round, using:

1035 D13 Bus Station – Mold Road depot Crosville SNL356 – CFM356S – Leyland National

... to get there. I've recorded pretty much the usual handful of REs, Nationals and VRs present on that visit - at that time on a Saturday many vehicles would have been out in service, of course.

I walked back to the Bus Station, and then enjoyed a trip into Wrexham's hinterland on one of Crosville's last batch of Bristol VRs:

1112 D4 Wrexham – Penycae Crosville DVG529 – DCA529X – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG529 in Rhosllanerchrugog, on its way to Penycae


... returning on the same vehicle as:

1140 D4 Penycae – Wrexham Crosville DVG529 – DCA529X – ECW bodied Bristol VR

I mentioned in post #249 that most of Crosville's Seddons had short lives, but that many gave up their engines in Crosville's large programme to fit Gardner engines to Leyland Nationals. Well, one such conversion was sat waiting when I got back to the Town Centre, so I had a short run round the Borras Park Estate on:

1220 D35 Wrexham – Borras Park Crosville ENG976 – MMB976P – Leyland National (DP – Gardner)


Crosville ENG976 in the Borras Park Estate

... returning on the same vehicle as:

1235 D35 Borras Park – Wrexham Crosville ENG976 – MMB976P – Leyland National (DP – Gardner)

Time now to pander to my Bristol RE fetish, with a similar local service, this time:

1250 D24 Wrexham – Barker's Lane (circular) Crosville SRG181 – EFM181H – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G


Crosville SRG181 on Chester Road, having served the Barker's Lane Estate (despite the destination display!) - famous for very little other than having been home to one of my girlfriends during my two years living in Wrexham in the late 1970s!

As an aside, this particular vehicle - after a spell in Belfast with Citybus - is now very nicely preserved, and I was privileged to be offered a ride round on it shortly before Christmas 2021


Preserved former Crosville SRG181 at Birch Hill (OS SJ518739) on 4 December 2021.

Back to the day in question, and I had just left the bus station again on SRG181 - this time on a D11 to Minera,

1325 D11 Bus Station – Mold Road depot Crosville SRG181 – EFM181H – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G

... when we passed the D27 coming in from the depot to pick up the next Mold working. Well, of course, being another RE it had to be sampled, so I bade farewell to 181 and it's friendly driver outside Mold Road depot, and after about five minutes was picked up by:

1333 D27 Wrexham, Crosville depot – Mold Crosville ERG280 – YFM280L – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G (DP)


Crosville ERG280, at the top of Ffrith hill.

This took me 'the pretty way' to Mold - a route I have reported on before (see post #214) in very wintry conditions.

Time for a change from REs, now, so I boarded:

1435 B1X Mold – Chester Crosville DVG446 – UDM446V – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG446 at Mold Bus Station.

... where I found my third RE of the day, in the shape of the former coach:

1535 X2 Chester – Manchester Crosville ERL263 – TFM263K – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

... one of several similar Northwich based vehicles that could often be found on that depot's more interurban operations, indeed, in post #249 I have illustrated ERL267 from the same batch.

By the time I got to Manchester, it was dusk, so no more photos. Just for the sake of completeness, my journey home then took in the Motorway (M56) service back to Chester:

1805 X1 Manchester – Chester Crosville ELL27 – DDM27X – Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard

... returning on the same vehicle as far as Runcorn:

1945 X1 Chester – Runcorn Crosville ELL27 – DDM27X – Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard

... before another VR - the first Leyland engined one of the day - back to Liverpool

2042 H20 Runcorn – Liverpool Crosville DVL368 – BTU368S – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... and then the train home to Southport.


More from the archives tomorrow, featuring weather more associated with @RELL6L 's reports! Oh - and surprise, surprise, an RE or two!

Another great report - thank you. Love the REs, as always. SRG181 looks fantastic in the preserved shot. The Crosville Gardner re-engined Nationals, especially the later ones numbered in SNG3xx (I think) were my favourite National 1s, they just seemed to have some class that the noisy smoky 510-engined ones didn't.

I can't claim any righteousness, more simple than that, I only go out if the weather forecast says it is going to be sunny. Not always right of course but usually a good guide.

 

[TheSel]

OK, as promised, here's another historical report from 'this day in history' - this time looking back 37 years to Monday, 11 March 1985. I'd booked a couple of days off work to make for a long weekend, and by pure luck, it's a glorious day – the first really warm day of the year.

Unusually for me, I had 'A Plan'. I didn't often bother planning Crosville days in too much detail - rather I tended to pick on a particular area, and choose the vehicles/routes that appealed on the day. However, today I had planned 'The Big Circle' - an anti-clockwise circular tour from Wrexham, taking in Corwen, Bala, Dolgellau, over the tops to Machynlleth, and back via Newtown, Welshpool and Oswestry. This tended to be seen as the longest tour (as opposed to an 'out and back') that could reasonably be done in a day. However, the plan got changed very early on, as we shall see.

I set out rather earlier than usual on this particular morning using Merseyrail services:

0633 BIRKDALE – LIVERPOOL CENTRAL 508143

0718 LIVERPOOL CENTRAL – HAMILTON SQUARE 508134

... with the idea of catching the 0728 C4 off Woodside to get me to Chester, for onward connection to Wrexham. However, just before the C4 showed up, there appeared a UXB. Yes - the fabled UneXpected Bus! Working the 0730 F11 to Mold was Liverpool depot's ERL309 - on loan to Rock Ferry to cover a vehicle shortage. By 1985, REs were distinctly rare on the Wirral, so 'B*gger the plan!', this just had to be sampled. Thus I bought my Wanderbus ticket on board:

0730 F11 Woodside – Mold Crosville ERL309 – SFM309M – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L


Crosville (Liverpool depot) ERL309 at Birkenhead Woodside, about to work Rock Ferry's 0730 to Mold, with a distinctly makeshift destination display!

'Well, that's nice', I thinks to myself. The unexpected bonus of an RE to Mold, and then I should still have enough time to get a D26 or D27 to Wrexham in time for the 1100 D94 towards Barmouth. 'Ah – wait a moment', he says, thumbing through his timetable – I can do better than that, with …

0910 B7 Mold – Ruthin Crosville DVL412 – ODM412V – ECW bodied Bristol VR

A scenic route, particularly the section descending the Clwydian Hills along the twisty A494 from Moel Gyw. As an aside, for anyone who has a copy of Martin Jenkins & Charles Roberts book 'Crosville in Colour 1965-1986', that is the location of the cover shot.

However, my particular favourite section was the double run to/from Llanarmon-yn-Ial. Easy enough to photograph on a 'car tour' with ample parking, and in those days, simple enough with a friendly driver. The bus does a 'double run', in and out of the village over the bridge in the picture below, so most drivers were happy to drop me off, go into the village, and pick me up on the way back having taken this scenic shot.


Crosville DVL412 at one of my favourite locations in the area, Llanarmon-yn-Ial bridge.

This scenic run gets me to Ruthin for about ten o'clock, nicely in time for one of the half dozen or so daily trips on the M51 to reach Corwen. Nominally a through service Corwen - Ruthin - Denbigh - Rhyl, at this time very few, if any, journeys actually ran through - most or all involving a 'kiss and turn' at Ruthin. Hence I was expecting one of Corwen's pair of 'B' series Leyland Nationals, SNL599 or 600. What actually arrived was even better - one of only two or three short Bristol RESL6Gs then remaining in the fleet.

1020 M51 Ruthin – Corwen Crosville SRG75 – XFM75G – ECW bodied Bristol RESL6G

This then continued beyond Corwen, to cover the D95 to and from Carrog, so, naturally, I stayed on:

1105 D95 Corwen – Carrog Crosville SRG75 – XFM75G – ECW bodied Bristol RESL6G

1115 D95 Carrog – Corwen Crosville SRG75 – XFM75G – ECW bodied Bristol RESL6G

... complete with the obligatory photo stop on the return journey:


Crosville SRG75 leaving Carrog on its return working to Corwen.

Time now for a self-satisfied coffee in Corwen, reflecting on my (so far) 100% Bristol/ECW adventure! Oh - and I'd now just about returned to 'Plan A', because readers may recall that this plan involved the 1100 D94 from Wrexham towards Barmouth, which is due through Corwen shortly before noon. Happy Days!

The 'Happy Days' feeling was then amplified when the D94 showed up. What was it? Well, of course, on this special day it just had to be ...

1155 D94 Corwen – Dolgellau Crosville ERG276 – YFM276L – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G (DP)


Crosville ERG276, picking up a passenger near Pont Rhyd-ddwl, on a surprisingly quiet A494, between Bala and Dolgellau.

Although by now the D94 was generally in the hands of B Series Leyland Nationals, Bristol REs were not uncommon substitutes, so this doesn't really come into the category of a rare working - but I was a very Happy Boy, nonetheless, enjoying this excellent, and in parts very scenic route, which today forms the basis for the TrawsCambria T3 service.

Dolgellau, then, by about twenty past one, and I've spent since half past seven on, or awaiting, ECW bodied Bristols all the way, covering something like 80 miles. Naturally it couldn't last, but the next trip's scenery made up for the fact that it was operated by a 'B' series Leyland National:

1345 S13 Dolgellau – Machynlleth Crosville SNL569 – HMA569T – Leyland National 'B' series

A lovely run, particularly in this spring sunshine, with the long climb out of Dolgellau, up to the Cross Foxes Inn, and then right, along the A487, with glorious views down to the coast, passing through Minffordd (for Tywyn), and on through pretty Corris before a more tree-lined section prior to arrival in Machynlleth. This service, too, is now part of the TrawsCambria network, as the T2.

I took a couple of photos of the bus that day, but the 'photo limit' of 10 per post means I can only include this one, at Minffordd.


Crosville SNL569 at Minffordd.


Not much time to look around Machynlleth today, though, if I am to complete 'The Big Circle', so within a few minutes I am back on my travels, and whay-hey, back on a Bristol / ECW bus. Crosville's very last VR, in fact.

1432 S22 Machynlleth – Newtown Crosville DVG534 – DCA534X – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG534 poses outside the Wynnstay Arms at Llanbrynmair. Note all the windows are open. Yes, it really was that warm! Just a pity that the destination blind did not include 'Newtown'. I know, I checked!


Crosville DVG534 crosses the River Severn at Caersws.

There were very few passengers on board, so I have to assume the scheduling of a double decker was to do with its return working which would have left Newtown around 1600, and served Newtown College. Certainly this was one of a pair of VRs at Machynlleth at the time - the other being a flat screened ex United example. But if I was disappointed that this was not the second hand one, any such feelings disappeared on arrival in Newtown with the sighting of a former Southdown one on the local service:

1545 D82 Newtown – Barnsfield (circular) Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR - ex Southdown


Crosville DVG541 - formerly Southdown 501 - on the Barnsfield Estate. What was it about 'Newtown' that kept it off Crosville's destination blinds?!?

Unsurprisingly, Crosville Wanderbus tickets were not frequently seen on Newtown local services, so it was pretty obvious to the driver that I was an enthusiast (the request for a photo stop might have been relevant, too!), and as such, he was quite happy for me to remain on the bus while he ran [officially] empty up to the Technical College (where we met up with DVG534 again), to start his next trip, and similarly to get back to Welshpool after he'd dropped off the last college student in Middletown.

Out of Service Newtown Bus station – Technical College Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR

1600 D75 Newtown Technical College – Middletown Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG541 at Middletown. This just had to be photographed in order to include the Austin A40!

Out of Service Middletown – Welshpool Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR

'The Plan' (remember that?) was for me then to catch a D71 up to Oswestry, and from there a D2 through Wrexham to Chester, but sometimes things just happen that mean you have to abandon The Plan. And so it was when the 1730 D75 to Shrewsbury appeared in the shape of:

1730 D75 Welshpool – Shrewsbury Crosville ERL261 – TFM261K – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

I mean, I just couldn't resist, could I?


Crosville ERL261 on Welshpool High Street, with the setting sun catching the rear quarters - about to be my fourth RE (and seventh ECW/ Bristol product) of a splendid day.

It was getting dark by the time this splendid machine, complete with fantastic sound track, arrived in Shrewsbury. More to the point, it was now impossible for me to get home solely by bus, so I must confess, I cheated, and bought a (very cheap) evening Rover ticket - I think it cost me the princely sum of £1 - valid all stations Shrewsbury - Chester. Cheaper than a single!

1850 SHREWSBURY – CHESTER M54058 (Class 101, MetCam)

Of course, once back in Chester, I could use my Crosville Wanderbus ticket again, and catch a slightly-later-than-planned:

2048 C1 Chester – Woodside Crosville DVL357 – YTU357S – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... before the connecting Merseyrail services back home:

2143 HAMILTON SQUARE – LIVERPOOL CENTRAL 508131

2202 LIVERPOOL CENTRAL – BIRKDALE 507030


All in all, a very satisfying day, spoiled only by the absence of correct destination displays in a surprisingly high number of three cases, but this was more than compensated for by the vehicles and the scenery.


Another 'Historical Spotting' report tomorrow, featuring - would you believe it? - a long trip on a Bristol RE!

 

[RELL6L]

OK, as promised, here's another historical report from 'this day in history' - this time looking back 37 years to Monday, 11 March 1985. I'd booked a couple of days off work to make for a long weekend, and by pure luck, it's a glorious day – the first really warm day of the year.

Unusually for me, I had 'A Plan'. I didn't often bother planning Crosville days in too much detail - rather I tended to pick on a particular area, and choose the vehicles/routes that appealed on the day. However, today I had planned 'The Big Circle' - an anti-clockwise circular tour from Wrexham, taking in Corwen, Bala, Dolgellau, over the tops to Machynlleth, and back via Newtown, Welshpool and Oswestry. This tended to be seen as the longest tour (as opposed to an 'out and back') that could reasonably be done in a day. However, the plan got changed very early on, as we shall see.

I set out rather earlier than usual on this particular morning using Merseyrail services:

0633 BIRKDALE – LIVERPOOL CENTRAL 508143

0718 LIVERPOOL CENTRAL – HAMILTON SQUARE 508134

... with the idea of catching the 0728 C4 off Woodside to get me to Chester, for onward connection to Wrexham. However, just before the C4 showed up, there appeared a UXB. Yes - the fabled UneXpected Bus! Working the 0730 F11 to Mold was Liverpool depot's ERL309 - on loan to Rock Ferry to cover a vehicle shortage. By 1985, REs were distinctly rare on the Wirral, so 'B*gger the plan!', this just had to be sampled. Thus I bought my Wanderbus ticket on board:

0730 F11 Woodside – Mold Crosville ERL309 – SFM309M – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L


Crosville (Liverpool depot) ERL309 at Birkenhead Woodside, about to work Rock Ferry's 0730 to Mold, with a distinctly makeshift destination display!

'Well, that's nice', I thinks to myself. The unexpected bonus of an RE to Mold, and then I should still have enough time to get a D26 or D27 to Wrexham in time for the 1100 D94 towards Barmouth. 'Ah – wait a moment', he says, thumbing through his timetable – I can do better than that, with …

0910 B7 Mold – Ruthin Crosville DVL412 – ODM412V – ECW bodied Bristol VR

A scenic route, particularly the section descending the Clwydian Hills along the twisty A494 from Moel Gyw. As an aside, for anyone who has a copy of Martin Jenkins & Charles Roberts book 'Crosville in Colour 1965-1986', that is the location of the cover shot.

However, my particular favourite section was the double run to/from Llanarmon-yn-Ial. Easy enough to photograph on a 'car tour' with ample parking, and in those days, simple enough with a friendly driver. The bus does a 'double run', in and out of the village over the bridge in the picture below, so most drivers were happy to drop me off, go into the village, and pick me up on the way back having taken this scenic shot.


Crosville DVL412 at one of my favourite locations in the area, Llanarmon-yn-Ial bridge.

This scenic run gets me to Ruthin for about ten o'clock, nicely in time for one of the half dozen or so daily trips on the M51 to reach Corwen. Nominally a through service Corwen - Ruthin - Denbigh - Rhyl, at this time very few, if any, journeys actually ran through - most or all involving a 'kiss and turn' at Ruthin. Hence I was expecting one of Corwen's pair of 'B' series Leyland Nationals, SNL599 or 600. What actually arrived was even better - one of only two or three short Bristol RESL6Gs then remaining in the fleet.

1020 M51 Ruthin – Corwen Crosville SRG75 – XFM75G – ECW bodied Bristol RESL6G

This then continued beyond Corwen, to cover the D95 to and from Carrog, so, naturally, I stayed on:

1105 D95 Corwen – Carrog Crosville SRG75 – XFM75G – ECW bodied Bristol RESL6G

1115 D95 Carrog – Corwen Crosville SRG75 – XFM75G – ECW bodied Bristol RESL6G

... complete with the obligatory photo stop on the return journey:


Crosville SRG75 leaving Carrog on its return working to Corwen.

Time now for a self-satisfied coffee in Corwen, reflecting on my (so far) 100% Bristol/ECW adventure! Oh - and I'd now just about returned to 'Plan A', because readers may recall that this plan involved the 1100 D94 from Wrexham towards Barmouth, which is due through Corwen shortly before noon. Happy Days!

The 'Happy Days' feeling was then amplified when the D94 showed up. What was it? Well, of course, on this special day it just had to be ...

1155 D94 Corwen – Dolgellau Crosville ERG276 – YFM276L – ECW bodied Bristol RELL6G (DP)


Crosville ERG276, picking up a passenger near Pont Rhyd-ddwl, on a surprisingly quiet A494, between Bala and Dolgellau.

Although by now the D94 was generally in the hands of B Series Leyland Nationals, Bristol REs were not uncommon substitutes, so this doesn't really come into the category of a rare working - but I was a very Happy Boy, nonetheless, enjoying this excellent, and in parts very scenic route, which today forms the basis for the TrawsCambria T3 service.

Dolgellau, then, by about twenty past one, and I've spent since half past seven on, or awaiting, ECW bodied Bristols all the way, covering something like 80 miles. Naturally it couldn't last, but the next trip's scenery made up for the fact that it was operated by a 'B' series Leyland National:

1345 S13 Dolgellau – Machynlleth Crosville SNL569 – HMA569T – Leyland National 'B' series

A lovely run, particularly in this spring sunshine, with the long climb out of Dolgellau, up to the Cross Foxes Inn, and then right, along the A487, with glorious views down to the coast, passing through Minffordd (for Tywyn), and on through pretty Corris before a more tree-lined section prior to arrival in Machynlleth. This service, too, is now part of the TrawsCambria network, as the T2.

I took a couple of photos of the bus that day, but the 'photo limit' of 10 per post means I can only include this one, at Minffordd.


Crosville SNL569 at Minffordd.


Not much time to look around Machynlleth today, though, if I am to complete 'The Big Circle', so within a few minutes I am back on my travels, and whay-hey, back on a Bristol / ECW bus. Crosville's very last VR, in fact.

1432 S22 Machynlleth – Newtown Crosville DVG534 – DCA534X – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG534 poses outside the Wynnstay Arms at Llanbrynmair. Note all the windows are open. Yes, it really was that warm! Just a pity that the destination blind did not include 'Newtown'. I know, I checked!


Crosville DVG534 crosses the River Severn at Caersws.

There were very few passengers on board, so I have to assume the scheduling of a double decker was to do with its return working which would have left Newtown around 1600, and served Newtown College. Certainly this was one of a pair of VRs at Machynlleth at the time - the other being a flat screened ex United example. But if I was disappointed that this was not the second hand one, any such feelings disappeared on arrival in Newtown with the sighting of a former Southdown one on the local service:

1545 D82 Newtown – Barnsfield (circular) Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR - ex Southdown


Crosville DVG541 - formerly Southdown 501 - on the Barnsfield Estate. What was it about 'Newtown' that kept it off Crosville's destination blinds?!?

Unsurprisingly, Crosville Wanderbus tickets were not frequently seen on Newtown local services, so it was pretty obvious to the driver that I was an enthusiast (the request for a photo stop might have been relevant, too!), and as such, he was quite happy for me to remain on the bus while he ran [officially] empty up to the Technical College (where we met up with DVG534 again), to start his next trip, and similarly to get back to Welshpool after he'd dropped off the last college student in Middletown.

Out of Service Newtown Bus station – Technical College Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR

1600 D75 Newtown Technical College – Middletown Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR


Crosville DVG541 at Middletown. This just had to be photographed in order to include the Austin A40!

Out of Service Middletown – Welshpool Crosville DVG541 – SCD501H – ECW bodied Bristol VR

'The Plan' (remember that?) was for me then to catch a D71 up to Oswestry, and from there a D2 through Wrexham to Chester, but sometimes things just happen that mean you have to abandon The Plan. And so it was when the 1730 D75 to Shrewsbury appeared in the shape of:

1730 D75 Welshpool – Shrewsbury Crosville ERL261 – TFM261K – ECW bodied Bristol RELH6L

I mean, I just couldn't resist, could I?


Crosville ERL261 on Welshpool High Street, with the setting sun catching the rear quarters - about to be my fourth RE (and seventh ECW/ Bristol product) of a splendid day.

It was getting dark by the time this splendid machine, complete with fantastic sound track, arrived in Shrewsbury. More to the point, it was now impossible for me to get home solely by bus, so I must confess, I cheated, and bought a (very cheap) evening Rover ticket - I think it cost me the princely sum of £1 - valid all stations Shrewsbury - Chester. Cheaper than a single!

1850 SHREWSBURY – CHESTER M54058 (Class 101, MetCam)

Of course, once back in Chester, I could use my Crosville Wanderbus ticket again, and catch a slightly-later-than-planned:

2048 C1 Chester – Woodside Crosville DVL357 – YTU357S – ECW bodied Bristol VR

... before the connecting Merseyrail services back home:

2143 HAMILTON SQUARE – LIVERPOOL CENTRAL 508131

2202 LIVERPOOL CENTRAL – BIRKDALE 507030


All in all, a very satisfying day, spoiled only by the absence of correct destination displays in a surprisingly high number of three cases, but this was more than compensated for by the vehicles and the scenery.


Another 'Historical Spotting' report tomorrow, featuring - would you believe it? - a long trip on a Bristol RE!

Wonderful report again - what an awesome day! Love the REs of course, also the VRs on some of these really rural routes with barely a passenger in sight. Those were the NBC days - never mind about making any money! It would have been about the same time, I think, that I recall getting an early morning bus from Caersws to Machynlleth and that was a flat fronted mark 1 VR, pretty sure it was second hand (I don't think Crosville had any new ones), might well have been either the United or Southdown one. It was a decker as it was a school run but for some reason the schools were unexpectedly off so I had it all to myself - a pretty scenic run. And Mold to Ruthin! Mind you we do get some deckers now on the T3 - D94 as was - so its not all bad.

I will look out some old March reports, but I can't go anywhere near this far back!

 

[86247]

Some really fabulous pictures of crosville buses there. I always find the rural routes most enjoyable, and there is some pretty fine scenery. Never really remember travelling on REs but anything Bristol ECW are fantastic.