Expresses Expunged

The X Files Part 2

One feature of bus services in Sheffield that began back in Sheffield Transport days was the White Rose Express group of longer distance routes

Sheffield even bought some snazzy Alexander bodied coaches for the launch. They carried the Sheffield Transport logo in stainless steel.

Routes operated hourly from Sheffield to Leeds and Bradford (as above) giving a 30 minute headway to Barnsley. There were also services from Rotherham. The M1 was used where appropriate.

The network was still intact in PTE days, but the Alexander coaches became just general-use vehicles.

By 1989 the X68 had morphed into an X38 and X39. But the White Rose services, joint with the "Yorkshire" companies, seemed in decline. Vehicles were looking tired ...

... and the livery did not really do justice to the idea of a premium service.

The SYPTE allocation was, well, grim! They tended to be in general use with sticky labels, as here ...

... on the X48 to Manchester which had disappeared from the timetable by 1989. But overall, the White Rose image lost its distinctiveness and the services were eventually withdrawn.

Probably the pressures of commercialism and the need to concentrate on a company's core market under privatisation caused their ultimate demise.

In 2025, Stagecoach's X17 is all that is left of buses via the M1. This runs between Wirksworth, Matlock, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Barnsley. 

It is, sure thing, a long 'un!

Between Chesterfield and Sheffield, it uses the stopless Dronfield by pass (below map in MUD GREEN)_...

... continuing via the M1 between Meadowhell (below MAUVE) ...

... and on to the Birdwell junction south of Barnsley (MID GREEN).

For Manchester and equivalent routes north, your only option now is National Express. One significant difference between now and 1989 is that train services are much better and more frequent.

The 1989 timetable book offers nearly 60 services with the prefix "X"; but what constitutes the "X" is varied. The X77 and X78 between Sheffield and Doncaster, for example, call at all stops all the way, so not "X" at all.

But, over the years, the PTE had developed a brand for most of its "X" rated routes. There were called "Fastline". Mostly, they had sections of "Limited Stop" running, usually in the traditional city area, as with Stocksbridge X66 ...

... then they reverted to all stops in the outer suburbs. Mostly they were double deck, but through services to the Dearne Valley (X19 and X20) remained single deck as they were when they began under the auspices of Sheffield Transport.

One area that benefited from a super-abundance of Fastlines was the "new town" of Mosborough, a Sheffield Council initiative on the south east of the city. 

Here is the core service running every ten minutes.

You needed good knowledge or good eyesight to differentiate between  an X55 and X56. But, at least the timetable book had a full road-by-road route description.

The route was Limited Stop in "old" Sheffield and, to add to the fun ...

... there was setting down restrictions on services from the city.

Note that a journey from City to Halfway via Hackenthorpe (e.g. X55 at 0900) did the journey in just 32 minutes.

In 2025 the whole Mosborough service is now all stops all the way and has become the busy cross-city route 120 joint between First and Stagecoach. 

A similar morning trip at 0839 from Interchange to Halfway ...

... takes about 50 minutes.

Yes, fbb knows that the traffic is worse; but nearly 20 minutes worse? The service has deteriorated significantly since 1989 although the 2025 version is now every 7/8 minutes.

Other services at various times have used the Sheffield Parkway which links the city centre with the A57 to Handsworth, with the M1 and with the A631 Bawtry Road near Canklow.

An enlargement shows several routes that use part of this route, but only the occasional X7 was in place until recently, now joined by an X5 and, most recently, the odd-ball X11. What goes around, comes around!

The other non X services only run to the A57 at Handsworth. Of course, back in 1989 they would have all been branded Fastline.

Interestingly, back in 1989, there was an X5 to Dinnington and an X7 to Maltby (see below) which used the Parkway route but they were works commuter services.

These service numbers have only recently returned to the list - BUT the Monday to Saturday X3 and X4 to Dinnington did not reappear!

This was just a taste of the plethora of "X" services in 1979, most of which have long since vanished.

The next post from 1979 (not sure when) is about the onslaught of Sheffield's renowned little nippers.

Ah, those were the days!

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 The Easter Jigsaw 

Famous Last Words

The final event in Jesus' presence on earth is his return to heaven, called his Ascension. Here is how Luke records it in his writing part 2 which we call "The Acts of the Apostles". Jesus is speaking to his followers' saying a meaningful farewell.

"But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

That's Pentecost, which we, rather stupidly, call Whitsun.

After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

Some illustrations of the Ascension are ludicrous, like something from a cheap and nasty science fiction film. And why is Jesus, a swarthy weather beaten Jew, pictured as some white clothed western film star with long beautifully coiffured hair?

The best way of interpreting Luke's words is that Jesus dissolved into eternity.

Even better to think of him as he probably really was ...

... a Jewish bloke, sent from God to change the world and to change those who have the sense to let him!

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 Next Variety blog : Sunday 27th April