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Post by nick on Oct 5, 2008 18:01:36 GMT 1
As the title says, remembering the good old days. This is not as such as 'Routes You Can Remember', an everything you can remember to independent little company's, to the big ones.
One memory is Yorkshire traction used to share with Arriva todays present 219/229 and 202/203 routes. I remember that the 202/203 was also shared along with fellow route 201. Now if memory serves me correctly it was Mirfiled when the routes went there separate ways before meeting back up on Leeds Road.
Another memory is Black Prince. I know they were around 3 years ago, but hey 3 years has soon passed. Why do i remember it, well it seemed more like a Family Bus company rather than a money grabbing company (First and Arriva Spring to mind). The drivers knew most passengers who were regular on that service. Also the fact that there fleet was a mix of old and new made it feel more homely. Imagine if they were around in 10 years time when the Volvo Olympians Belfast and Alexander Royales had left the First Fleet. Seeing either or both in a Black Prince Livery ;D.
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Post by angrycommuter on Oct 6, 2008 13:40:43 GMT 1
Tracky used to route share on the 201/2/3, with the 3 route different in Mirfield and the 201/2 and 203 having separate routes out of Dewsbury towards Leeds. Tracky/County Motors also used to share on the 220, as I remember travelling on a County Motors "Summer Wine" Holmfirth minibus from Cleckheaton to Leeds (I'm sure there is a pic of a similar event on fotopic or similar site somewhere). The two companies also shared the X22 service before it was withdrawn.
In Huddersfield there was the short lived Yorkshire Travel that competed with Tracky on virtually all services. They were buses in an all white livery with blue writing, mostly using then new "N" reg Darts with later arrivals been Optare Metroriders and Renault minibuses (mostly used on service 262/272 between Mirfield and Huddersfield). I do vaguely remember Yorkshire Travel operating the 128 or 129 in Dewsbury with yellow buses with blue writing (used to remind me of the old British Telecom colours). I can't remember if the services went to Wakefield or Thornhill.
Blue bus were also operating in Huddersfield at the time, before First (then Kingfisher) forced them off the road. I think they mostly ran to Balmoral Avenue and Brackenhall Estate, towards the end of their time, they purchased new darts with personalised plates "M2 BLU" etc.
In Wakefield there was the Wakefield City Bus using Leyland National Mk1's. I think this was part of the Taylor's/K-Line company. They expanded into Dewsbury and ran the 214 and 274 services, along with a parasite service 281 (operated by a green National Mk1). These services stopped when Arriva bought out Taylors in the 1990's. There was also a once daily early morning service 3xx (not sure of the service number - was definately 3xx though), that went from Huddersfield to Dewsbury vis Mirfield to get the bus to Dewsbury.
I remember Black Prince operating the Sunday and evening 205 service from Pudsey to Dewsbury, often with a Volvo Alisa.
West Riding used to share service 279 to Halifax with Yorkshire Woollen - it's the only West Riding bus I've ever seen that side of Dewsbury (except when the final West Riding Lynx worked from Heckmondwike for a while before withdrawal and the Dewsbury Bus Museum shuttle).
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Post by jackh on Oct 6, 2008 15:59:53 GMT 1
Who is this manufacturer called Belfast you keep talking to us about Nick? Anyway, it wouldn't be likely that they would end up with an independant company due to First's policy on sale of their buses where they can't have futher use as PCVs in the UK. Also, it would be illegal by then for any operator to be operating step entrance buses in service in ten years time!
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SF07
Forum Member
Posts: 3,216
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Post by SF07 on Oct 6, 2008 16:31:51 GMT 1
Blue bus were also operating in Huddersfield at the time, before First (then Kingfisher) forced them off the road. I think they mostly ran to Balmoral Avenue and Brackenhall Estate, towards the end of their time, they purchased new darts with personalised plates "M2 BLU" etc. Blue Bus ran a few services in Bradford as well in Huddersfield. A few pictures shows that ran the 617 and X6 services. In Huddersfield, they ran the 316 to New Mill, 320 to Meltham, 332 to Golcar, 353 to Marsden plus a competitive 365 to Oldham and Manchester, which saw Kingfisher run two buses an hour to Oldham to try and beat them. On some occasions, both Blue Bus and Kingfisher would be at Oldham Clegg St bus station at the same time. bluebus.fotopic.net/c430472_1.htmlsaddleworthbuses.fotopic.net/c1057163.htmlsaddleworthbuses.fotopic.net/p48035797.html
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Post by jimbob90 on Oct 12, 2008 15:56:27 GMT 1
I think if Black Prince were still around, they might have invested in some second-hand Daf DB250 Optare Spectras. A pretty solid, reliable double-decker, perfect to replace the Scania N113s on the X49, X51, 54 routes etc.
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Post by 576 Gemini 2 on Dec 13, 2008 11:22:52 GMT 1
Blue Bus also operated the 621 service in Bradford to the Haworth Road estate back in 1995/96 usually with a ex SBG leopard Y type. I remember seeing one of the Duple bodied Tiger from the A658-672KUM batch they had working against it"s former owner! in Bradford possibly the old 1666,1667or1668. I think Blue Bus had at least two of buses.
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Post by jabbott1987 on Dec 14, 2008 13:54:14 GMT 1
Longstaff's used to share the 205 to Morley during the day time which went to mirfield. I think they used a double deck and some Leyland Nationals.
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Post by olympian on Dec 14, 2008 16:02:06 GMT 1
Am not 100% sure on this but i do rember a independent which i think he called him self gold rider or something like that and his dubble decker bus was or looked like a ex bradford bus and it use to run along the 281 it was short lived but i think it was about 1997/8 ish if any can shed some light on this, and dident yorkshire travel bus depot use to be in Dewsbuy i rember the darts coming through middlestown and Thornhill in darknes on the way home, it was the street after mill street east towards Thornhill. The yellow buses with blue writing with Yorkshire Travel did go all the way to Wakefiled on the 128/9, I just rember catching them
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Post by Craig on Dec 14, 2008 17:44:38 GMT 1
Longstaff's used to share the 205 to Morley during the day time which went to mirfield. I think they used a double deck and some Leyland Nationals. Longstaff's never ran to Morley, they have only ever operated the Dewsbury to Mirfield part of the 205.
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Post by angrycommuter on Dec 15, 2008 13:48:14 GMT 1
Longstaff's used to share the 205 to Morley during the day time which went to mirfield. I think they used a double deck and some Leyland Nationals. Longstaff's never ran to Morley, they have only ever operated the Dewsbury to Mirfield part of the 205. The section of route between Mirfield and Dewsbury has been operated by Longstaff for 80 odd years, but there have also been a couple of other operators. Joe (Go) Woods used to use an old single decker on the route. If I remember rightly, the seats were a vivid purple/magenta with black fern shapes all over. The bus reminded me of the seats in a working men's club. The working men's club atmosphere was also helped by the smoking on buses during the 80's. Abbeyways also used to run a service using Atlanteans with leatherette seats - when Dewsbury bus station was been rebuild, one of these buses crashed into the shelter roofs that are on the wall next to the main road (opposite B+Q). Longstaff's Atlantean was the best though.
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