1969 Timetable Snapshot of Bradford

[lct4me]

1969 Timetable Snapshot of Bradford

At a recent event I acquired a copy of Bradford City Transport’s Autumn 1969 timetable and found it interesting reading, especially the ‘vanished routes’. I thought the odd note from it might be of interest to forum members as the previous discussion on a WYPTE timetable was well received. I’m no Bradford expert so if there are historical questions then perhaps others may be able to answer. I’ll give the fullest detail for Monday to Friday and summarise weekends.

The 10.75x 16.5cm booklet has 229 pages and thin card covers in blue and white. When published it cost 9d (almost 4p in modern terms). As well as bus times, full fare tables, a map, a full index to places served BCT’s regulations are included with complex details for ‘Elderly Person’s Concessionary Travel’. It makes no differentiation between Motorbus and Trolleybus services.

Service 1 City Circle (Anti-Clockwise)
BANKFOOT to BANKFOOT via Rooley Lane, Sticker lane, Laisterdyke, Killinghall Road, Dudley Hill Road, Undercliffe Road, Bolton Road, Queen’s Road, Manningham Lane, Oak Lane, St. Mary’s Road, Skinner Lane, Conduit Street, Carlisle Road, Whetley Lane, Ingleby Road, Horton Grange Road, Gt. Horton Road, Horton Park Ave, Little Horton Lane, Thornton Lane, Smiddles Lane, Manchester Road.

Running time 55 minutes

Mon – Fri

First bus (from Bankfoot) 0530 and next two to Bolton only
0625 Lister Park to Bankfoot
Circular service from Bankfoot
0600 and every ten mins to 0900, from 0810 alternate buses terminated at Bankfoot
0900 every twenty mins to 1140
1155 then every fifteen mins to 1540
1540 to 1800 every ten mins, from 1710 alternate buses terminated at Bankfoot
1800 to 2240 every twenty minutes, 2240 was last ‘right round’ bus
2255 to Bolton
2320 to Laisterdyke

(Short workings suggest vehicles running in to Bankfoot, Thornbury and Bolton Depots.)

Service 2 City Circle (Clockwise)
BANKFOOT to BANKFOOT via Manchester Rd, Smiddles Lne, Thornton Lne, Little Horton Lne, Horton Park Ave, Gt Horton Rd, Horton Grange Rd, Ingleby Rd, Whetley Lne, Carlisle Rd, Conduit St, Skinner Lane, St Mary’s Rd, Oak lane, Manningham Lane, Queen’s Rd, Bolton Rd, Idle Rd, Pelham Rd, Dudley Hill Rd, Killinghall Rd, Laisterdyke, Sticker lne, Rooley Lne.

Running time 55 minutes

Mon – Fri

First buses from Bolton 0555, 0615, 0625, from Bankfoot 0551 (to Lister Park)
Circular service from Bankfoot
0601 then every ten minutes until 0901, from0811 alternate buses terminated at Bankfoot
0901 then every twenty minutes until 1141
1141 then every fifteen minutes until 1541
1541 then every ten minutes until 1801, from 1711 alternate buses terminated at Bankfoot
1801 then every twenty minutes until 2241 (last ‘right round’ bus)
2320 Bolton to Bankfoot
The last four buses of the day terminated at Bankfoot

Saturday
Each full service started from about 0600, running every 15 mins until about 1100 and then every 10 minutes until around 1800. Evening service was every 15 minutes with last bus each way at around 2300.
Sunday
Each service started at about 0940 and every 30 minutes until late morning, every 15 minutes through the afternoon and until the end of service. The last full journeys at around 2255.

FARES – One stage was 3d (just over 1p) eg Brigella Mills to Horton Park and the full round trip from anywhere on the route was one shilling and four pence (about 11 and a half pence)

[Bradford Traveller]

Bolton Depot was closed by then (the building was demolished in 1969).

[bradfordgary]

Oct 13, 2014 0:02:40 GMT 1 Bradford Traveller said:

The Bolton depot was closed by then (the building was demolished in 1969).

Has anyone got a potted history ( routes,vehicles etc) as I was bus spotting from 1966 onwards and I don`t remember this depot at all.

Regards

Gary

[ratty]

I may be wrong, but BCT's depots from what I remember were:-
Motorbus..Bankfoot, Horton Bank Top, Ludlam Street, Thornbury, with Saltaire later on.
Trolleybus... Thornbury, Duckworth Lane, Saltaire, and I believe, one at Bowling, could this be the 'Bolton' one??

[lct4me]

I'd forgotten Bowling Depot but as I said my knowledge of BCT isn't broad. But I did work for ten years near Bolton Junction. Bolton Depot was at the top of Bolton Road, on the left just before the traffic lights. I didnt know when it closed.

For me as a Leeds lad, the City Circle was interesting because the LCT Circular 9 was so far out of the city in comparison. The Bradford counterpart was a fairly intense service serving industry as well as other useful places such as hospitals and parks. The intra-suburban links in Bradford are, i think, largely history.

[ratty]

Well being a Halifax man myself I confess I never knew of the Bolton Depot. You learn something every day!!! I mentioned Bowling because it seemed to just about fit in with the date 1969, I believe, although could be wrong, but it was where trolley drivers started their training and either was not a bus garage long, or closed when Duckworth and Thornbury became the last two with trolleys.

[Bradford Traveller]

The rather small Bolton Depot closed 2/11/58 when larger trolleybuses were introduced in Bradford. Another factor, trolleybuses leaving the depot had to reverse straight onto the main Bolton Road, which was not ideal from a road safety aspect.
Trips terminating (or starting) at Bolton Junction may have been survivors from the old trolleybus route 34 between Bolton and Bankfoot.
The Bowling Yard (off Wakefield Road) did indeed have a training circuit for drivers. The circuit was not directly connected to the main road wiring, and a trolleybus requiring access would have had to have its booms transferred to the yard wiring to get into the yard. Until 1/4/67, Wakefield Road was used as a trolleybus route to Holme Wood or Tong Cemetery, and following this date a pool of motorbuses based at Bowling served these routes. Wiring remained on the main road for a few months and BUT vehicle No. 060 continued to wend its solitary way there every weekday. When the main road wiring was removed for road reconstruction, 060 remained within the yard until February 1968, when the power was switched off and the vehicle became 745 and used on passenger work, and the depot closed when road reconstruction made it increasingly difficult to get in & out.

[ratty]

So BT, let me get this right, the main road was wired, but to get to the depot, it was trolleys down and coast to regain wires. Seems like one of those really strange operational quirks that seem to crop up, from time to time and there is no apparent reasoning for it. Suppose it was the transport department saying 'we can save a few bob 'ere lads' when in reality it saved nothing at all but created an operational inconvenience. Just cannot get my head round it. But thanks BT for your post, I've certainly learnt summat

[Bradford Traveller]

Oct 22, 2014 7:45:56 GMT 1 ratty said:

So BT, let me get this right, the main road was wired, but to get to the depot, it was trolleys down and coast to regain wires. Seems like one of those really strange operational quirks that seem to crop up, from time to time and there is no apparent reasoning for it. Suppose it was the transport department saying 'we can save a few bob 'ere lads' when in reality it saved nothing at all but created an operational inconvenience. Just cannot get my head round it. But thanks BT for your post, I've certainly learnt summat

I've edited the post above. The Bowling Yard was a depot for motorbuses but just a training ground for trolleybuses so the movement was only one a day. Looking at the map, it appears the wiring went up to the main road, but not directly connected, so there wasn't any "coasting" involved for this one daily journey.

There's all sorts of interesting stuff in the books by the late J.Stanley King.

[Bradford Traveller]

Meanwhile, back at the story. Services 1 & 2 had been re-numbered from 50 & 49 around 1965 ?
Trips terminating (or starting) at Bolton Junction may have been survivors from the old trolleybus route 34 between Bolton and Bankfoot via Laisterdyke (finished 1964), as the old City Circle route 50 did not serve Bolton Junction before 1964.
In 1969 there seems to be a fairly intensive service but I think this was the standard pattern across most routes at the time as we will see in future chapters.

[ratty]

Agreed BT, his Halifax book was good. Have always wanted to get some of his Bradford stuff, but when I have found some, its either been hideously overpriced, or when I have not had the cash to spare for some reason. I am now trying to remember if Bowling actually survived until the Interchange opened or not. Finally wasn't the 34 the original trolley route in 1911?Those are my last questions on the story so far!!!!!!!!!!

[Bradford Traveller]

Oct 22, 2014 16:05:30 GMT 1 ratty said:

Agreed BT, his Halifax book was good. Have always wanted to get some of his Bradford stuff, but when I have found some, its either been hideously overpriced, or when I have not had the cash to spare for some reason. I am now trying to remember if Bowling actually survived until the Interchange opened or not. Finally wasn't the 34 the original trolley route in 1911?Those are my last questions on the story so far!!!!!!!!!!

The reconstruction of Wakefield road in the late 60s made access to & from Bowling Yard hard and it ceased to be a full-time depot although I do remember the odd bus parked up there, but this was well before the Interchange.
Yes, the 34 was the original route, I don't think numbers were used at the time and originally it was only Laisterdyke-Dudley Hill. Not seen the Halifax book but Bradford Central Library has the 'big' books on Bradford Transport (tram, trolleybus & motorbus) - not got these but have various books at home (they don't have an index so a bit hard to find random facts).
You could always pop on to the monthly meetings of the Bradford Trolleybus Association details here (second Friday - 1930 until 2145 hrs at the Midland Hotel) where there will be someone who knows a bit more than me in attendance!

[lct4me]

Service 4 Bradford to Dewsbury (joint service BCT and Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Co. Ltd)

Via Dudley Hill, Birkenshaw, Gomersal Bridge, Birstall and Batley

Running time 38 minutes

Having family in Birkenshaw I quite often saw vehicles on service 4 (and a later 4A) but never rode on them. This timetable interests me because of the changes in frequency during the day and the late start on Sunday. It also had protective fares when leaving Bradford or Dewsbury presumably to prevent local passengers from crowding off through travellers. I presume Arriva still run this service in a watered down format.


Mon – Fri

From Bradford (Nelson St)
0545 then every fifteen minutes until 0915
then every thirty mins until 1215
1240 then every twenty mins until 1620
Then every fifteen mins until 1920
1945 then every thirty mins until 2300

From Dewsbury (Bus Station)
0530, 0600 then every fifteen mins until 0900
0900 then every thirty mins until 1200
Then every twenty mins until 1520
Then every fifteen mins until 1905
1930 then every thirty mins until 2230

Saturday
From Bradford (Nelson St) as Monday to Friday until late morning, then every fifteen mins to 1820, then every twenty mins to 2300
From Dewsbury Bus Station as Monday to Friday until late morning, then every fifteen mins to 1820, then every twenty mins to 2240

Sunday
From Bradford (Nelson St) 1015 and every ninety minutes to 1320, 1340 then every twenty mins until 2240

From Dewsbury Bus Stn 0930 and every ninety mins to 1230, 1320 then every twenty mins until 2220

FARES
Through journey 2 shillings (10p). Higher fares than normal were charged leaving each end presumably to discourage local passengers who could use other services.
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[Bradford Traveller]

The Service does not exist as described above.
There was a later occasional 4A for a while.
Then alternate journeys ran as a 4B.
Service 4 & 4B became 604 & 603, which became 251 & 252.
Then 251 was discontinued, leaving the 252.
Then the 252 ceased, with the 283 extended through to Bradford as a replacement.
The present running time is 56 mins?