Numbers Game - Not All Bad?
Travelling north east from Doncaster you would have used the A18 via Thorne and Goole, now somewhat supplanted by the M18. Most of the communities as far as Thorne were once mining villages.
Their interest to bus watchers was that they were served by a bunch of independent companies operating in rota to ensure that each company got its fair share of the good times and the less good. This warrants a guest chapter in the new "Shades of Brown and Cream" book.
Slowly but surely the PTE bought out these independents much to the chagrin of the bus enthusiasts and, fbb suspects, even more to the chagrin of the passengers. fbb has written about this area at least twice before and will not try to give a detailed historic background because it hurts the old man's brain
The above book does contain part of a timetable leaflet after the PTE absorbed these routes.
The leaflet also provided a map which appiears to have been updated by hand!
In very basic terms, simplified for an elderly or non-expert brain, one group of services ran via Barnby Dun (above map, upper left) and the other group went via more of the A18 and Dunsville (roughly centre, above).
Over the years, the detail changed but the broad pattern remained. Lindholme Aerodrome (blind on the bus at the top) became RAF Limdholme and then just Lindholme.
The route numbers shown above were consistent with the SYPTE policy because the 18x routes remained resolutely in South Yorkshire, but the 2xx service numbers applied to buses (and the associated service pattern) that continued to Goole. Goole, of course, is in East Yorkshire (where be dragons) hence the "out of county" numbers.
After privatisation, the county-wide numbering scheme was abandoned by the operators and Doncaster area routes reverted two digits. Buses to Goole later acquired the number 88.
... and one such is pictured in the former Corporation "SuperStripe" aka "Purple Toothpaste" livery!
Buses to Goole have disappeared from the South Yorkshire catalogue.
The 88 route number remains as a local East Yorkshire service between Goole and Rawcliffe Bridge.
So today's 87 to Thorne and 87a shorts to Stainforth are relatively simple (Saturday timetable below).
The map shows the tricky bits, Thorne and Moorends are off the map top right.
It is worth noting that the renumbering to 387 and 388 is also straightforward; but First never miss a trick. Under the generic heading of "revised timetable" is hidden a reduction from four buses an hour to three on Saturdays. The current frequency remains for the Monday to Friday schedule.
The 87a has become 388 rather than 387a to allow the latter number to be used for occasional evening and Sunday journeys which have a portmanteau route, different from the daytime 87.
Don't ask!
Buy here is a much earlier version of the privatised 87 ...
... every 10 minutes with half hourly to Thorne and hourly to Goole.
Which brings us to the 84 group.
We will start at the outer end as currently shown.
Which leaves is with the elephant in the room question.
Where once buses to various destinations ran through from Doncaster, the core service 84 only tuns as far as Barnby Dun ...
... just off the top of the above map. Evening journeys continue to Thorne also as 84 ...
... whilst 84a is used for buses to Lindolme (now "Prison") which shuttle from Barnby Dun with no journeys through from Doncaster. 
The Lindholme service is operated by David Goodfellow Travel. 
He also operates the Thorne town service 86 and 86a.
84b is used for another shuttle, this time from Barnby Dun to Sykehouse. 
The timetable presentation is economical with the truth as the 84b is a very large lollipop, not shown on the PTE map, but available for the current routes on the PTE non-leaflet.
It should be shown as a circular with point times as follows:-
At least, then, you would know which way the buses go round the loop.
As far as fbb can tell, there are no timetable changes for this group.
Once again the 84a becomes 385 and not 384a, leaving the latter for a renumbered evening service as with the 387. Former 84b buses to Sykehouse will show 386.
Why is First Bus spreading possible confusion by adding 300 to most of their Doncaster routes? What will it achieve except a period of uncertainty for passengers, exacerbated by having no printed timetables and no maps.
Crackpot!
Maybe yesterday's blog was not too far-fetched after all?
Factoid?
There are two "institutions" on the site at Lindholme.
The original (called Lindholme) is lower right. The newer facility is called HMP Moorland and is the part served by the 84a/385.
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Jesus was, of course on his way to JERUSALEM but don't tell the residents of Sale that fbb called iy a "suburb of Manchester" in the clue. Residents fought tooth and pitchfork to remain in Cheshire! A bit posh is Sale!
The determination of Jesus going to Jerusalem even though he knew he would die a horrible and unjust death is surely indicative of a real purpose rather than a dose of bad luck.
So what really matters in life?
Did he obey them all? Or did he have things which were more important to him than his relationship with God?
Did he duck the issue and did he feel the sweaty embarrassment of Jesus' challenge?
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Next Weekend Variety blog : Saturday 23td March
FBB hasn't done his homework on this. The 84 currently runs Doncaster to Barnby Dun every 70ish minutes. The 384 will extend beyond Barnby Dun to Hatfield via Stsinforth every 30 minutes Monday to Friday. The new 388 is not simply the 87a but will serve Hatfield Woodhouse and Thorne. If FBB wants to have a dig at First at least get the facts right.
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