SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Blakey remarked on another thread that it was many years since the last number 65 bus ran from Pudsey - and it got me thinking. What is the oldest route number still in use in the Leeds area? Or ( as I have been away for time time) has everything been renumbered?I know that the 14 route was in use in the tram era right through to the LCT omnibus and I think beyond .....

This is actually now quite an enormous subject Patexpat about which a book could well be written. Going back to Local Government reorganisation in 1974, and the formation of Metro, a very commendable County wide route numbering system was brought in - this though had minimal effect on the former Leeds City Transport routes or numbers. Then with Deregulation in 1986 things immediately altered dramatically and have continued to do so continuously ever since. Almost all services, which had previously been both local authority and Company/Group operated, have been altered (some many times and extensively) both in route number and in roads and areas served.As I say, it is a massive subject, and a fascinating one to those of us particularly interested - but a total nightmare of confusion to the majority of the travelling public. In summary though, there are quite a few services which have retained recognisable features for a long long time. I wouldn't like to quickly hazard a guess as to the record holder in this without a lot of time consuming research, but some are instantly familiar - for example in Leeds service 1 has long been Beeston to Lawnswood (Holt Park these days) and the 72 Leeds - Bradford Direct certainly goes back to prewar days. Conversely, the routes and numbers involved in the Roundhay/Moortown/City/Hunslet/Belle Isle/Middleton system have been rejigged in minor and major ways so often that they have even folk like me, who are supposed to be "transport savvy", baffled.

The 4 route pops up in lots of old photos, but a passenger from those days wouldn't recognise the route nowadays (certainly not to the East of Leeds). And the 4 isn't what would be classed as a really old route I'd guess.As to what the 'oldest' route number still in use and serving what would recognisably be the original route? Well, I've no idea!

Don't know about the oldest route number, but how about this for being an old newspaper transport supplement

Phil, your porn disturbs me! ;-D

but oh, it's SO good!! ;-)Would love to flick thru those pages!

Hi everyone,Have done a bit of digging regarding route numbers and have discovered that route numbers came into use in Leeds with tramcar fleet number 400 which was shown to the press and transport committee members 28th October 1925.

For those interested a run down of tramway routes and numbers from 1926 can be found in:Leeds Transport Vol2 1902 - 1931 ISBN 0-95102-801-4Pages 391/2

I believe the oldest number still in use on First Leeds buses is 2.In the 1910 Leeds Tramways guide, the number 2 was given to the Moortown via Chapeltown tram route, though route numbers were not then carried on the trams.It remained thus in the 1926 numbering and 1929 numbering. The tram replacement b us of September 1957 remained numbered 2, though it included the former 9 tram along Dewsbury Road, with which Leeds-bound trams from Moortown via Chapeltown had been through routed since about 1954. It remains attached to Moortown via Chapeltown Road (and Dewsbury Road) First buses. The present eastern extension of the 2 bus to Roundhay Park via Street Lane, in tram days was also numbered 2 (from 1926 to 1929) and then 2 circular, (3 circular coming back westbound on Street Lane to Moortown corner). However, the custom was to change the destination blinds coming up Harrogate Road to Moortown corner to show the tram's next destination (at Roundhay Park for trams going west on Street Lane to Moortown Corner) so one never normally saw cars marked 2 circular or 3 circular much on Street Lane itself.In a time when public transport services in and around Leeds have changed beyond recognition since the 1950s (and why would they not have?) it's an odd survivor. A. D. Young

I can't go back as far as Blakey, but we used to catch the no 1 tram from Headingley about 60 years ago.The 52 and 53 routes, Morley (Tingley Mills and Cross Hall) to Leeds and then Meanwood were in use at the same time, but I don't see them any more - 55 and 51 are more common. The route 55 used to be Sovereign Street to Bruntcliffe via Dewsbury Road and Wide Lane. It's now Moor Allerton via Vicar Lane, Cottingley, Churwell to Morley Town Hall When I saw "oldest number" I thought it meant telephone numbers. I certainly remember when I first started work in the sixties Morley had a manual exchange and the Midland Bank was Morley 2 and I believe even with all today's additions it still ends in "2"