Things you miss about the old Leeds. . .

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 12 Dec, 2008 9:51 pm

tyke bhoy wrote: BLAKEY wrote: You weren't on your own there Reggie - believe me when "Kerchingers" were first introduced (1968/9 if my memory serves) the number of forgeries was enormous and, before the advent of "Code strips" on the back of the tickets, they worked perfectly. Was it reallly as early as that or were they phased out for a while and brought back when security was a bit tighter? I wouldn't have thought there was much need for them while two man services were still the norm as the general idea was to spee up boarding. I don't remember them in use until at least my very late school days (early eighties) and definitely do remember them in use in my early working days probably through to the late eighties. Yes they definitely were introduced one "One Man" services in 1967 or 1968 which is just before I joined LCT, and I bought and used them myself to travel. I joined LCT in November 1969 and they were in use then, and when I began One Man duties myself we had the infernal things - well there was nothing wrong with the idea of reduced price tickets, but to have to sell them on the bus was quite ridiculous. They were originally ten journey tickets - the passenger bought them from the driver, but did NOT cancel the ticket for that journy, but only on the successive nine trips - those with a "tender touch" could and did manage an extra trip or two by letting the "Kerching" machine stamp the journey while the ticket was not fully engaged wiith the internal stop. Monday mornings were murder, when all the regular "five day week" workers got their tickets. The tickets were stored on the bus dashboard - packs of 100 (later reduced to 50) of eight different values in a tailor made wooden rack. The system involved a second collossal waybill to be filled in at each terminus in time that we didn't have, in addition to the existing waybill for the six values of tickets in the huge ghastly Solomatic ticket machines - the latter were incorrectly fitted with six heavy ticket rolls like the conductors used - but the Solomatic was designed to use concertina "cinema" packs which the mechaism could handle - consequently you were faced with ticket jams at every other stop, when the machine ripped straight through the sprocket holes between each ticket because the full roll beneath was too heavy to turn and the paper was too thin !!Combined with criminally inadequate running times on some of the busiest routes it was a traumatic time for drivers and was not for the faint hearted. The first really busy route to be optimistically converted was the 44 from Halton Moor to Stanningley - always impossible even with a conductor, the extra running time granted was just two minutes !! The route, shared by Headingley and Torre Road depots, immediately gained the sinister nickname "World War 3."

nobbyslass · Post by **nobbyslass** » Thu 05 Mar, 2009 2:54 pm

wayniac wrote: Adlemans outfitters. Going there to get my first school uniform. Another trip to get my cubs gear (woggle, tabs and green jumper).The old co-ops, especially the big one on Commercial Street with the air tubes taking the money to the accounts department. Spending the "divi".Club cards to buy shoes.The pet shop and the toy shop in the Grand Arcade.Neville Hill sidings and "cabbing" a locomotive.Grandma saying, "one day we'll go to the Queens Hotel". Meaning when we get rich (never!)".Range Rider lucky bags.penny bangers. Actually did stay at the Queens about 12 years ago had the room over the clock looking across city square . Costs sixpence to speak to me these days!

zip55 · Post by **zip55** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 2:58 am

Hey Blakey, do you remember a Gordon Wearmouth from Torre Rd depot in the 70's and 80's ... ?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 9:27 am

zip55 wrote: Hey Blakey, do you remember a Gordon Wearmouth from Torre Rd depot in the 70's and 80's ... ? Not just immediately I'm afraid, although I was occasionally sent there "on the book" for one reason or another. There were some fabulous characters at "Torry." The wonderful Arthur Gateley (The Major), "Fergy" with spotted dickie bow tie which he stubbornly wore despte many warnings, lovely Cissie Storrer (the elderly conductress with the croaky voice) Edna Holsworth, whose language would make a Royal Marine blush - oh there were so many. Behind the counter was Inspector Bill Bagley, whose sole priority was the score and goings on at Headingley Rugby - whether or not any buses were running was secondary - and his immortal slogan was "If in doubt pull 'em out" - and he meant it !!Can you perhaps jog my memory about Gordon Wearmouth - an unusual name which I ought to remember ??Aaah - sudden afterthought - I wonder if you've spelt it slightly wrong ? - I seem to remember someone called LearmoNth - would that be right ??

whippetgirl · Post by **whippetgirl** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 10:21 am

I miss Saturday mornings in Leeds market. My friend lived at the other side of Leeds to me so we used to meet under the Guiness clock. We'd buy a Jackie to get our David Cassidy fix and then go upstairs in the market (to the balcony outside the ladies loo) and spend the rest of the morning watching the boys walk by below us! As we leaned over the balcony we flirted with every teenage boy entering the market! Happy days! Beneath us there was a knitwear shop and we used to laugh at the stock on display and swear we would kill ourselves if we ever bought anything from that shop. I wonder what my mate would think now that we are over 50 and I am currently in possession of two items of knitwear from that very stall.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 10:50 am

You're not on your own there whippetgirl don't worry. In my younger days I used to happily think "Oh I wouldn't ever wear a hat, scarf, gloves, thick vest" etc etc - now at 72 I'm like a walking Damart catalogue, and insist that they put the good weather forecasts in writing Well not quite but you know what I mean

simong · Post by **simong** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 12:59 pm

Cardiarms wrote: Kerchingers The Saverstrip jingle has just reappeared in my head, damn you. Fortunately it's not on YouTube.

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 9:25 pm

simong wrote: Cardiarms wrote: Kerchingers The Saverstrip jingle has just reappeared in my head, damn you. Fortunately it's not on YouTube. Kerchinger shop. Kerchinger work. Kerchinger cheaper. Kerchinger saverstrip!And if I remember correctly they pre-empted Asda's pocket tapping gesture by years.

Post by **chameleon** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 10:27 pm

Geordie-exile wrote: simong wrote: Cardiarms wrote: Kerchingers The Saverstrip jingle has just reappeared in my head, damn you. Fortunately it's not on YouTube. Kerchinger shop. Kerchinger work. Kerchinger cheaper. Kerchinger saverstrip!And if I remember correctly they pre-empted Asda's pocket tapping gesture by years. With the Saver Strip? I think you're right. Wonderful things they were, more often than not they wouldn't chop in the right place which let you get an extra journey at the end of it - quite inocently of course

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 06 Mar, 2009 10:32 pm

The original cancellors were purely mechanical, and the "multi journey tickets" (before Saverstrips) had no electronic coding. The amount of fiddling by the dishonest and enterprising fraternity was enormous, and some of the methods were quite impressive.