Leeds bus routes in the 1970s and 80s, especally those around Cross Green/East End Park

pyramar · Post by **pyramar** » Thu 18 Oct, 2012 10:23 am

Can anyone advise me on the perculiarities of the 39 bus route Central Bus Station to Whitkirk? Am I right in assuming that once these buses arrived in Whitkirk they changed destination to '39 Cross Gates' and set off on this new route along the Ring Road. Then presumably turned at Cross Gates Roundabout (?) to become '39 Whitkirk' again to return to the Selby Road roundabout where they became '39 Central Bus Station'. Is this really how it went? And how did the 41 route differ, apart from the obvious extension to Colton?

p · Post by p » Sat 20 Oct, 2012 8:13 pm

Ah judging by the replies (thanks for them by the way), and my own sketchy knowledge, by the sounds of it, it appears that some time between 1970 and the late 70s/early 80s the 30 became an evening and sunday route from Cross Green with daytime journeys replaced by the 28 extension from City to Cross Green. I also remember the 97, this was complemented in a complicated way in terms of routed taken around Cross Green by a 97a and briefly a 97b. Does anybody remember where the 94 went, this ran in the early 80s and had a common shared section with the 91 and 97 along Harehills Lane but that's all I know.

p · Post by p » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 2:58 pm

Now here's a spanner in the works what I've just come across, just been looking at another website (something like SCT61, theirs a link in another thread in the transport section, basically the website is a photographic collection of old bus companies including LCT) and their's a photo of a single decker daimler on route 63 to Cross Green, photo taken in 1972. It's amazing how this route number has been used for several route 63s and their A/B variants around Cross Green/East End Park from the 70s to now, it's a long shot but does anybody know what route the 63 took in 1972? Well remembered to anybody who knows and thanks.

pyramar · Post by **pyramar** » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 3:22 pm

Hi. I'm happy to help and quote you from an LCT timetable for Jan/Feb 1972. Service 63 ran from Vicar Lane to Cross Green (Wholesale Markets) and its fare stages were at Flax Place, South Accommodation Road and the Bridgefield Hotel

p · Post by p » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 5:43 pm

Could you imagine what First mamagement would say to all these routes serving Cross Green?

book · Post by **book** » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 6:15 pm

p wrote: Could you imagine what First mamagement would say to all these routes serving Cross Green? Yes but Cross Green was thriving at the time, much more housing on the way to the terminus and a lots of other drop off and pick up points. Leeds Collage of Building was up that way too.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 6:19 pm

p wrote: Could you imagine what First mamagement would say to all these routes serving Cross Green? There would have been a lot more demand for the services back then.In the early 70's few people had a car, so the only way to get to work at one of the many businesses on and around Cross Green Industrial Estate was the bus, unless you lived close enough to walk (or cycle).I know my late dad worked at Rank in the early 70's - I'm guessing the Industrial Estate opened in the late 60's / early 70's looking at most of the original buildings down there?

whippetgirl · Post by **whippetgirl** » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 8:32 pm

As a ten year old I would get on the 62 (61?) which was a circular and I used to ride around Leeds all the way to the terminus and back. I seem to recall it going to Miggy but I'm not really sure? Never once had a driver question what I was doing, I just travelled around for hours looking at the sights of Leeds. Seems unthinkable now for a young girl to be travelling all around Leeds on her own. But it seemed safe and I loved the journey each time I did it. No expensive computer games to amuse us in those days!

p · Post by p » Sun 21 Oct, 2012 9:09 pm

The locals up Cross Green back in the 80s used to tell stories about playing in rubarb fields in the 60s and these fields were where the Industrial Estate and old High School are and I remember the estate being there in the late 70s so it was built some time between those 2 periods. Just a note to Wippetgirl with regards to the 61/2 circulars, If it's the same era when you travelled all the way round on them as I did, I remember them being just 20p for a full circuit back in the mid 80s and the buses used to be a yellow and green livery. I have a vague recollection that they ran along Wellington Street, up past the Yorkshire Post building, past the gyratory and then entered Holbeck via a slip road behind where Readmans used to be. Back then they didn't serve Middleton but came close serving nearby Beeston and Hunslet. There are a few roads up Beeston what begin with Middleton (e.g Middleton Grove) so this may have got you thinking they served Middleton.