Figuring The Fifty and Fifty, Eh?

Way Back When ...

In the 1930s Sheffield Tramways and Motors (later Sheffield Transport) ran bus service 30 straight down the A616 (as was) to Eckington.

Later this was extended to Chesterfield by linking with pre-existing routes via Staveley or Whittington.

The routes were numbered 62 (via Whittington) and 64 (via Staveley). [HEALTH WARNING : beware of fbb's aged brain  cells!]

In so doing, the services became joint with East Midland and Chesterfield Corporation.

Despite several hundred hours of trawling the deepest and remotest parts of the interwebnet, above is the only picture the old bloke could find of these services.

East Midland buses used to be brown (?) or was it light tan? (on a heritage bus below) ...

... then a deep red ...

... then National leaf green ...

... and finally a different green in privatisation.

The Corporation went from distinguished green and cream (as above) to garish blue and yellow.

No matter, they both became Stagecoach!

At some time in the tortuous privatisation and sale process, the 62 and 64 became 50, running every 30 minres via Whittington. fbb thinks [that warning again] the 50A came much later.

So How Now?

Todays timetable looks like this (extract only) ...

... easier to follow than  the Stagecoach version. Travel South Yorkshire does not include the 25 because it does not enter South Yorkshire. But, possibly for the same reason, the 50 and 50A are shown as identical until Marsh Lane or Birk Hill.

They aren't.

But exactly the same inadequacy emanates from the PDF on the Stagecoach web site. In this case all THREE services are identical until "Old Whittington Brearley Park" ...

... which is utter nonsense, Here is Derby County Council's map of the three services with the two time points added.

The 50 and 25 differ from the 50A before Brearley Park

The 25 takes a different route to The Wellington

The 50 and 50A go different ways after The Wellington.

In reality everything in togetherness approaches the big A61 roundabout at Whittington Moor ...

... and here is one just beyond en route to, well, somewhere.

Then the 25 and 50 leave the 50A and veer off right here ...

... to rejoin the 50A just before Brearley Park.

The 25 leaves, turning right just after the park, and rejoins the medley after The Wellington having looped terminally!

But there are still two different routes for the 50 and 50A after The Wellington.

The 50 turns up Stone Lane ...

... to regain the main road, whilst the 50A (with fbb on board and feeling confused) uses the more recently developed Highland Road.

We enjoy a very pleasant rural ride until the next split here ...

... where the 50A turns left and the 50 goes straight on.

But that excitement will be part of the usual weekend mixture.

Unusuall however, the Stagecoach printed timetable leaflet gives better information ...

... as can be seen in this extract.

Of course several of the time points have different names, some are removed and some are added - but who wants consistency?

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The fbbS arrived back home yesterday at 1530 weary but encouraged by their different expeditions and experiences.

 Next Variety blog : Sat 28 June