Leeds City Transport Bus Routes

[Si]

Uno Hoo wrote: I thought I know Leeds pretty well, but where is Amen Corner? Bent and shaped, high in the sky in paradise???

[BLAKEY]

Uno Hoo wrote: I thought I know Leeds pretty well, but where is Amen Corner? It is the bad "double S" bridge at the bottom of Cockshott Lane/Armley Ridge Road on the road which leads to the Kirkstall Brewery (now student accommmodation). It crosses the canal at that point, and has recently been marked with a "give way" arrangement for those heading for Kirkstall - all very praiseworthy, but having "given way" you can't see if anything is coming or otherwise !!Looking back to 1961 I cringe when I see it to this very day. As a stranger to that part of Leeds I was taking my PSV test in a fine Leyland PD1 from Ledgard's Armley Depot. The Traffic Commissioner examiner, a very formidable Mr. Coxworth, had already tried to catch me out as we came down Armley Ridge Road from Stanningley Road in third gear - in a sarcastic tone he shouted through the cab rear window "there are four gears on this vehicle." I thought to myself "yes, and if I change up into top on this steep hill approaching a nasty T junction I've had it" and remained in third gear. Then it happened - I caught sight of the Amen Corner bridge and my heart sank at the thought of deep sea (or canal) divers recovering JUM 378 from the murky waters - but we made it I'm happy to say - I owe that bus a lot - it was 9.30am and it had just come in from a duplicate journey from Kingsley Drive at Adel - it was still fully warmed up, and the gearbox behaved like a dream.    

[BLAKEY]

nightrider wrote: Also remember Winston and Mel Harris (two brothers) as drivers, really nice blokes.I do remember the battery powered bus. In fact there were one or two other demonstrators that went on that route. One of them seemed to spend more time on the Car Park Service No.403 but I never caught one. I think they are included in a book called Buses in Leeds by Robert (Bob) F Mack who I used to work with at the Building Society. The Harris brothers are two grand lads - I still see Winston quite often at reunions and he hasn't changed a bit - still quietly humorous and always interesting to talk with - and a memory like a computer for Bramley matters.The battery bus was a successful experiment except for one major drawback - which persists to this day with most similar ventures, and that is the enormous and unacceptable weight and size of adequate batteries.

[Terrym]

Well remember Mel Harris and his conductress Dorothy Birkett.They were the very first crew I trained with on the 77 route way back in April 1974

[nightrider]

I guess that the Harris brothers must be nearing retiring age. It was interesting that they stayed on the crew buses as long as they could but although Mel did go one man (person) I think Winston went to be a parking driver at Kirkstall (works as it was then).Was also good mates with John Jackson who was another splendid fellow and drove on the 65 Central Bus Station to Pudsey. On one particular Saturday the 65 drivers did a duty which started on Service 83 and did a round trip from Bramley Town End - Austhorpe - Rodley and back to Bramley and in the afternoon they did two round trips on the 48 from Pudsey towards Calverley starting at 1331. John always wanted to drive the sole Leyland National (1301) in service but never did. Half way to Austhorpe the hand break on Atlantean No.459 stuck and we got a changeover which was........ AEC Swift No.1300 from Sovereign Street and that was the nearest he got ! In the afternoon he had his favourite single decker AEC Swift No.1251.I was also good friends with Peter Shakeshaft (65 route) and Nigel (Fred) Roberts who was a real character and drove on the 8/72/88 routes. We once left the Central Bus Station 30 mins late, stopped for Fish and Chips at Shelf and still arrived at Halifax Bus Station on time ! Happy Days !

[BLAKEY]

nightrider wrote: IWas also good mates with John Jackson who was another splendid fellow and drove on the 65 Central Bus Station to Pudsey. I was also good friends with Peter Shakeshaft (65 route) and Nigel (Fred) Roberts who was a real character and drove on the 8/72/88 routes. I still see "JJ" and Pete Shakeshaft quite regularly at gatherings. "JJ" is now at Independent Coachways, and Pete lives at Driffield. Fred Roberts lives at Helston in Cornwall. The Harris brothers have both retired. I bet you remember the driver with that most famous badge number - Arthur Buckle BB 44444.I must have known your goodself if you were at Bramley - I was latterly a bookman at Headingley (hated the job) but often had to do spare duties at Bramley with Les Camm, Norman Harrison, Frank Harrison and Gilbert Townend - and Sammy Clayton was the Senior Inspector.    

[BLAKEY]

Terrym wrote: Well remember Mel Harris and his conductress Dorothy Birkett.They were the very first crew I trained with on the 77 route way back in April 1974 Yes I thought the World of Dorothy - what a lovely person she was. I'm blushing now at the thought of one incident in Eastgate when I was on town point duty (hated that worse than the book job but in those days you couldn't go back driving under any circumstances). Dorothy arrived on the 77 for Gipton and Mel wasn't driving - it was a new direct driver who I can't remember. The bus was one of the famous ten 331 -340 with resr destination screens - and Dorothy still had Bramley Town End on the back. Well, I just nipped to the front door and quietly asked her to watch the destinations please and then wandered away again thinking that it hardly mattered just to Gipton and back. A minute later a horrified Dorothy rushed up to me nearby and explained that, aiming to be conscientious as always, she had nipped round to climb on the back and alter it and the bus had disappeared down Eastgate - and gone to Gipton. I told her not to be upset and the driver would manage eleven minutes each way on his own with front closing doors. Sure enough the Atlantean returned on time and to our amazement and amusement the new driver had in the tray a heap of money from honest passengers. Can't remember who he was, a small middle aged chap I think, but he must hold the record for rapid promotion from direct driver to "OMO" in his first couple of days

[BLAKEY]

Another absolute star Bramley character was the lovely Sandra Carroll - the nicest natured lass you could hope to meet and without any doubt at all one of the finest drivers I've ever had the pleasure to ride with. Her gear changing and braking were superbly smooth and she could do wonders with 331 -340 even on the tightly timed 23 Intake.

[Riponian]

The city centre bus was operated by some very rare beasts in the Metro stable - Bristol LHS's with ECW bodywork, similar to some that West Yorkshire had (they had the longer version). It was a way to save walking across town from Vicar Lane to the station.My forgotten route is the 43 - the Shadwell route variation that went up Birchwood Hill. I also remember the terminus being near Shadwell's chip shop and them carrying copies of the Evening Post on the platformto drop off at the shop in Shadwell near the cricket club.

[Trojan]

BLAKEY wrote: [I I bet you remember the driver with that most famous badge number - Arthur Buckle BB 44444.     That's something that always puzzled me. I can understand why drivers had an idenficiation badge - because they held the PSV licence, but why did conductors have one? Did the driver's badge have a green border and the conductor's a red one - or vice versa?