Comparing the 1930s map ...
The GREEN road running across the top of the picture is Raynesway, Derby's "outer" ring road (it was "outer" when it was built) which never completed its full circle. Below is an aerial view of one of its two ends at Spondon soon after opening.
The junction of Raynesway with the Melbourne Road was designated by "The Mitre" ...
... a pub now demolished ...
... but a noted junction on the trolleybus system. At first the route terminated at Allenton being later extended to that turning circle just short of the community of Shelton Lock. After the withdrawal of the trolleybuses, the turning circle remained but blocked off by distinctive railings.
The railings are still there, but the former trolleybus resting place is now a car park for the local shops.
Also no longer in place is the luxurious shelter to protect waiting passengers from the icy Derbyshire blasts.
But, back then, Shelton Lock was as far as Derby Corporation buses ran.
The pylon is the location clue!
Sadly, fbb's knowledge is lacking, but he guesses that buses on to Chellaston and Melbourne were originally in the hands of Trent as they ran outside the city boundary.
But, for the purposes of trying to understand the challenge of serving this rapidly expanding area, fbb must leap frenetically forward to year 2001.
By now, Arriva are running a 60 and 61 to Shelton Lock and Chellaston with a 68 and 69 southbound to Melbourne and on to Swadlincote..
Simplification came a few years later as exemplified by this 2010 Arriva leaflet, showing the whole service, through to Swadlincote, as routes 60 and 61.
In case you are unfamiliar with "Swad", it lies on the A514 beyond Melbourne.
The green and yellow road crossing at the top of the above map is the super A50 linking the Burton on Trent area with the M1.
Then, around 2016, Arriva had a jackpot idea. So they renumbered all the traditional Derby Corporation routes into single digits. There was a totally unsubstantiated theory that more passengers would flock to the buses if they had low route numbers.
Really?
So we have a route map of Shelton Lock and Chellaston, now showing 2 and 2A.
And by 2016 they had gathered a 2B! Confusted.com.
Although the above map is difficult to follow without a timetable (which fbb does not possess) at least we can start to understand the needs of the area and, perhaps (?) learn how Arriva has sought to address those needs.
Service 20?
Aaaaargh!
It MIGHT actually be a 2C which we will meet tomorrow.
Next Shelton Lock blopg : Wednesday 23td Nov
South of Shelton Lock was Trent territory. A predecessor began operating Derby-Melbourne in 1912, and this route was extended to Swad in 1927. There were several variations numbered 19, 22 or 23 post-war. I think the route was renumbered 68 in NBC days. Trent continued to operate the route post deregulation until it was swapped with Derby City's Derby - Spondon - Ilkeston service in the late 90's. That is now trentbarton's Ilkeston Flyer. My 1999 GBBT has Arriva running the 68.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of new housing built around Chellaston since 2000, and several route variations to serve these areas.
To go back to yesterday - I was out in the cold and windy rain and glad to have an enclosed bus station to change routes in. Only those who didn't use it liked the old one. It was also designed when buses were 27' long and 7'6 wide, so modern buses didn't fit the curves.
It was all to do with passenger recognition and a local identity . . . Arriva numbered each town's routes from 1 up so that passengers would say "I'm catching the 4" rather than say "I'm off to catch the four hundred and seventy four".
ReplyDeleteThey trialled this in Hertfordshire about 20-25 years ago . . . inter-urban routes continued to be numbered in three numbers, so 320 between Hemel Hempstead and Watford; 501 from Aylesbury and Watford and so on.
Did it work? I've never seen any numbers, but some of the town networks did have some considerable longevity, so I guess yes.
By looking at Bournemouth's efforts 6 years or so ago . . . if the Herts trial hadn't worked, then the numbers would've been wound back pretty smartish!!
In fact, Kentish Bus did it in 1987 in NE Kent . . . and DID wind some numbers back quite quickly.
There's nothing new under the sun . . . history can be jolly useful, sometimes!!