... And Not That Lynx Either!
Bournemouth Bus Beefy Budge!
For this episode of links, the last for the time being, fbb takes you to Bournemouth, to the late lamented Bournemouth Corporation Transport absorbed by More Bus when the Yellows went bust!
Now fbb knew about the trolley turntable at Christchurch, but did not know that, after the trolleybuses were withdrawn, it was still used by motor buses. Route 21 was originally a trolleybus route that terminated at and used the famous turntable.
One picture exists of the "works" of the turntable but fbb knows not whether it was being installed, repaired or removed.
You could, way back, have had an open top trolleybus ride!
Nice!
Pulchritudinous Pulhams Pictures
Both pictures are of route 801 from Cheltenham to Bourton-on-the-Water and ...
... and on to Chipping Norton - a truly glorious ride through England's beautiful Cotswold countryside and villages.
Pulhams has been taken over by GoAhead and the business is managed from Oxford. The 801 has recently been increased form every 90 minutes to hourly.
Mt Booth's book has just one picture of a Pulhams bus, not very well taken ...
... well shaded by trees
But where is it?
The script for the picture just says "Cheltenham" but fbb thinks he has ferreted out the actual location. Most country buses terminate at the the Royal Well bus station in the town.
Here are buses at their stands adjacent to the main road ...
... and below is a bevy of Pulhams motors quietly awaiting their next trips.
The coach below is stood at the "U" turn end of the bus station ...
... which may be where the Pulhams singleton is pictured in the 1970s book.
fbb has tried to read the blind on the 1970s picture and he thinks it days "Bourton", so probably awaiting a trip on the predecessor of the 801.
Exeter City Expedition
Before being Stagecoach-ised and before being Blundred-ised, Exeter City buses ..._leaving_the_bus_station_for_Hill_Barton.jfif)
... were green and proudly carried the city crest. The routes were mostly lettered as, indeed, they are now. But the city did run on some numbered routes, possibly with the agreement of, or on behalf of, the country operator, Devon General.
So here, in young Gavin's publication, is an Exeter City single decker on route 4 to the Airport.
Over the years, buses to the airport have been poor and hardly frequent, the more recent effort being journeys in route 56 which continued to Exmouth.
Much to fbb's surprise, the 56 was always announced on the platforms at Exeter St Davids railway station.
Recent developments have seen a major change and a twenty minute frequency.
The 4 runs evey 20 to the new town of Cranbrook whilst a 4A offers the same much improved headway to the airport.
fbb does not know how frequent the Exeter City service 4 might have been in 1970, but he guesses, not very!
===============================
Technology Warning
fbb has lost his arrows! (Not his marbles, yet!). To be specific none of the "back" arrows on his laptop now appear and if he wants to go "back" he has to start again.
This is infuriatingly tedious.
To make matters worse, technical support a k a Number 3 son, inconsiderately went camping yesterday.
Apparently he has not taken his vast collection of powerful computer technology with him.
Shameful.
Blogs may be curtailed until the kindly son proffers some helpful advice; possibly later today on his return.
NORMAL SERVICE
WILL BE RESUMED
AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE
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Next (dis) integrated transport blog : Tues 3 June
Exeter City and Devon General had a joint operating agreement from 1947, this included Exeter's green buses running on numbered routes up to ten miles from the City Centre, whilst Devon General's maroon buses could be seen on certain lettered routes within the city. This lasted until Exeter City sold out to the National Bus Company in 1970 and was integrated with Devon General (by that time a subsidiary of Western National).
ReplyDeleteReputedly, Exeter City painted its buses to a high standard and some of its vehicles were still operating in the green and cream livery in 1980. Two even managed a summer season in Torquay.
Western National was extremely slow repainting buses into the NBC liveries, so that some were still running in the pre-NBC liveries even 4 or 5 years after the corporate identity scheme had been introduced in 1972.
ReplyDeleteRC169
The photograph directly above this text:
ReplyDelete"The motor bus was pictured in Gavin Booth's book. The site of the turntable now lies in the courtyard of a block of flats on Wick Lane ..."
... is not a motor bus! It is a Sunbeam MF2B trolleybus, with the exit door ahead of the front axle. Bournemouth had 39 of these vehicles, and the final batch was (as far as I know) the last batch of trolleybuses built for service in the UK.
RC169
But PD3 158 (8158 EL) several pictures earlier up the page is definitely a motor bus on the turntable!
DeleteYes, indeed. Unfortunately, FBB's comment under the photo of the trolleybus refers to a motor bus, but he had already mentioned that - directly under the photo of the PD3!
DeleteRC169
Devon General 4 to the airport in 1968 was at approx 8, 9, 10 gap 3,4,5,6,7 - That 4 today is the 44/44A.
ReplyDeleteToday the airport service is the 4A from St David's Station every 30 mins, plus 58A student journey and 356 shoppers journey.
The 4 is a separate route every 15 mins from the University via St David's Sta to Cranbrook.