How Is Anyone Meant to Fathom It?
Regular blog readers will have learned very quickly that PTE (Travel South Yorkshire) maps are largely a waste of space if you want to work out where the buses go. So fbb has created a simple, but hopefully understandable map of Stagecoach 219. Investigations begin with the daytime standard route, the one that most passengers will use.
We will return to the oddities in due course.
The first wiggle on the 219 comes at Darfield. In the 1930s it was a small village with assorted collieries nearby and just off the main road.
The relatively modern through road (A635) by-passed the village. Even further back the "by-pass" road simply did not exist, the lane that it replaced fizzled out at the gates to Middlewood Hall.
Which explains why today's main road at Darfield is not named Barnsley Road, but the original is!
The by-pass is now named Saltersgate Road and carries the X19 which runs direct (but serving all stops) between Barnsley and Doncaster. It used to be every 30 minutes but is now hourly.
Next is the aforementioned Barnsley Road along which runs the 218 and 218A eventually finding their merry way to Rotherham on a combined half hourly headway.
Finally we come to Upperwood Road ...
... a large 1960s (?) development wrapped round the southern edge of greater Darfield. This is served by our faithful friend the 219 and the enigmatic 219A. Darfield did have three "convenience stores" in close proximity ...
... but the garish Shayams (top right) is now closed and the post office transferred to Snape Hill Stores, top left. But for "big" shopping you would go to Barnsley or, maybe, to Stairfoot retail park about half way between the two.
Just spotted the bludner - too late to change. It should be Saltersbrook Road. Sorry, pardon!
Ideally you would expect at least a half hourly service but it seems unlikely that this will return for the foreseeable future. Hourly is all you get.
The 219 now turns north off the A635 to serve the small community of Middlecliffe ...
... older terraces plus 1930s council houses and a convenience store. Middlecliffe Lane ...
... leads to Little Houghton now served by a very occasional Stagecoach route 203.
But the 219 continues to a more substantial ex-colliery settlement at Great Houghton.
Since for ever, the buses have done a double run to the extremities of the village where they have a sweet little turning rectangle.
It is worth noting that independent operator Larratt Pepper had its key bus route similar to the 219 - except via Barnsley Road at Darfield because Upperwood Road did not exist!
The company bought the above vehicle new and the back rows of seats were 3+2 - good for squeezing in as many passengers as possible but a bit too tight for the more ample forms of the "twenties".
As you can see, they carried good loads. A route variant ran via Little Houghton ...
... which was (and still is) near the end of a no through road. At the very end is a smart turning circle ...
... where the winding wheel marks the site of Houghton Main Colliery.
But back to Great Houghton, then and now ...
... at the junction of Rotherham Road and High Street where our 219 (and 219A, of course) bear slightly left for Thurnscoe - which will feature in tomorrow's blog. fbb cannot identify the bus.
Mr Tennent wants to make the 219 faster, to attract more passengers. How does he propose to do this, fbb wonders.
The diversion up to Thurnscoe takes 30 minutes on its own; to go by car from Goldthorpe to Darfield only takes 5-10 minutes! No one with their own transport is going to take this bus.
So how to solve the problem? Make the route more direct, and cut the diversions which tout for passengers.
Maybe our clever readers can spot the several flaws in his argument!
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Mrs fbb came home from PEOC yesterday morning.
She will be on crutches for several weeks but, hooray,
she is glad to be back.
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Next 219 Is Fine blog : Wednesday 27th April
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