219 - It Is Fine! (3)

How To Confuse A Non-Dom! 

The colliery at Thurnscoe, an enterprise which changed a quiet rural village into a bustling industrial community, isn't called Thurnscoe Colliery. It is named after Hickleton a mile or more to the east.

This is probably because Thurnscoe was firmly penned in by railways and only spread east of the lines to provide housing for the colliers.

Called "Thurnscoe East" on the above map, it was where many of the 3000 colliery employees lived.

To the west of the railway, properties were somewhat superior with gardens and some greenery.

Much of the older housing stock has been replaced or modernised as seen here, before and after.

The 219 (and, not forgetting the 219A) serves both housing blocks ...

... but, oddly, the route doesn't use the traditional roads south to Goldthorpe (Shepherd Lane and Thurnscoe Bridge Lane) ...

... but goes "round the back" to use a new-ish Barrowfield Lane which borders Phoenix Park, developed from the slag heaps of Hickleton and Goldthorpe Collieries.

The road serves light industrial premises ...

... and trees!

Strange.

Next up are Barnburgh and a wiggle via Harlington ...

... also complete with colliery in the good old days. 

But from these villages, folk are more likely to use the 219 to get to Doncaster rather than the delights of Barnsley.

There are unlikely to be many takers for the 219 at posh High Melton ...

... and Sprotborough is, in theory, Doncaster commuter territory but mostly by car. Here the 219 meets up with the barely existent 49, once a "real" route by Yorkshire Traction ...

 ... then First Bus ...

... then Powells.

But, since January this year it is now nominal, although still on tender with Powells.

We will look at why the 49 still exists in minimalist form when we deal with the multiplicity of 219 "oddments".

Our Twittering friend from York Uni Business School ...

... is right when he says the 219 does lots of wiggles.

So how to solve the problem? Make the route more direct, and cut the diversions which tout for passengers out.

Touting for passengers? No, sir! Touting for passengers, in theory a no-go legally for a bus company, usually means "attempting to persuade passengers to travel with your company rather than a competitor". Stagecoach is NOT "touting" with route 219; it is attempting to serve as many passengers as possible and make a profit.

That is what a commercial bus company MUST do to survive!

So young Kev wants to make the router more direct - and here is his suggested route map.

He retains the big bulge at Darfield

Omits the Great Houghton "double run"

Omits the two estates at Thurnscoe

But retains the bulge at Harlington

Does this make sense?

Of course it doesn't!

We will investigate further tomorrow.

The fbb Quiz

The fbb monthly leaflet is distributed today and will be received received with boundless enthusiasm. Well some enjoy it. The quiz itself is purely secular but has a tenuous link to a Biblical message. 

Try it for yourself.

For the keen Biblical scholar (?) the references are from the book of Deuteronomy (Old Testament) Chapter 30.

 Next 219 Is Fine blog (the oddments) : Thurs 28 April