Surviving Leeds city transport buses

Terrym · Post by **Terrym** » Sat 10 Nov, 2007 12:16 pm

Hi all,Back again,I was not based at Seacroft, I started at Bramley and transferred to Headingley later.Some more memories for you are of ex Sammy Ledgard route which was operated by Bramley and ran between Troydale and Calverley( service 48 This was normally operated by senior rota drivers but spare drivers sometimes got the chance to cover. The last journey from Troydae always made a un scheduled stop just past Kent Road at the fish shop, and then continued on to Bradford Road.This was the terminal point for the last trip before running back to the depot. However some passengers were carried a little bit further and paid for this with a bottle of beer for the driver.The other service we operated from Bramley which we enjoyed was the ex Farsley Omnibus service between Pudsey and Horsforth.Normally operated by AEC Swifts it was common practice to freewheel on the section between Horsforth and Rodley on the Ring Road to see how fast you could go.My transfer to Headingley may have been a big mistake as the main road route for the depot was the 93 & 96 services which ran past the University. Nice and steady during holidays but chaos during term time.We used to operate what were called "swingers".This was a service 93 which ran from Headingley depot to the Bus Station, jst in front of the normal 93 Cookridge service bus. It was common practice for the bus station inspector to pull you off service on your first trip into the station, and put you on any route that was short of bus crews. The result was that you ended up operating services you had no idea about, and totally relied on passengers to help you out.Finally.Sunday duties from Headingley on the 93/96 services had something like 25 minutes standing time at the Bus Station on every trip.It was common practice for crews to arrive a few minutes early, shut the doors, and then ajourn to the Klondike cafe which was just over the road for the greasy bacon sandwich and a strong cup of tea.Hope you enjoy these memories.PS.Services normally operated by Bramley in the early 70s were as follows.5. Greenthorpe - Seacroft Town Centre (Joint)6 Half Mile Lane - Halton Moor11. Swinnow - Whinmmor (Joint)14 Half Mile Lane - Halton ( Irwin Arms)15 Bramley Town End - Seacroft Town Centre (Joint)16 Bramley Town End - Seacroft Town Centre. (Joint)17 Bramley Town End - Seacroft (Limewood Approach)23 Bus Station Intake.24 Horsforth - Swarcliffe ( Joint)25 Horsforth - Swarcliffe. (Joint)26 Horsforth - Swarcliffe (Joint)27 Horsforth - Swarcliffe ( Joint)40 Raynville - Stanks ( Joint)48 Troydale - Calverley49 Hyde Park - Old Farnley65 Bus Station PudseyX65 Bus Station - Pudsey ( Fastaway)73 Greenthorpe - Moor Grange77 Bramley - Gipton.78 Bus Station - Bradford via Pudsey79 Pudsey - Horsforth80 Pudsey - Horsforth via Coal Hill ( Peak Only)83 Rodley - Austhorpe84 Rodley - Colton102 Bramley - Elland Road ( Football Special)103 Bus Station - Brown Lane Trading Estate (Short Lived Service)405 Swinnow Lane - Half Mile Lane ( Shoppers service)Bramley also operated 1 Mon - Fri duty on the 52/53 Morley - Moortown service.They also supplied a spare conductor to Swinegate for late turn Saturdays, used as required.Services shown in brackets as "Joint" shared duties with Seacroft.All others were operated exclusivley by BramleyPPS.The superb picture shown on a earlier post of the AEC Regent on Service 41 is pictured at the Colton terminus.

Post by **cnosni** » Sat 10 Nov, 2007 2:59 pm

roundhegian wrote: cnosni wrote: wiggy wrote: it was 2d to town on the 77 from coldcotes circus,or on the 16 or 15 from the fairway,long before the 50 started from gipton,which turned in to the 42 in the late 70s. and long before the flyover at st pats was built.what they did to lct and their buses is akin to what the council...or corporation did to the city in the 60s and 70s......urban destruction!! the chuffing 77!!,what about the 14,wasnt that from Seacroft?It was magic getting on a bus then,not now ,pile of toss.Any way wiggy i thought you were east end park,not upper class Compton/foundry Lane like myself ,ahem.. Spent the first eighteen years of my life living within 100 yards of Compton Road library . Not sure what my reaction is on learning that it was upper-class !Do remember travelling on a bus from Compton Road on the first day they replaced the trams . Oh yes,the Compton was quite exclusive dont you know!!

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 7:57 pm

I've been looking at some of the old tram pictures and a thought occured to me.How did trams negotiate round-abouts?

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 8:09 pm

really ste? Do you mean how they kept contact with the overhead wires?

roundhegian · Post by **roundhegian** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 8:25 pm

stevief wrote: I've been looking at some of the old tram pictures and a thought occured to me.How did trams negotiate round-abouts? Through the middle , not round .

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 9:10 pm

roundhegian wrote: stevief wrote: I've been looking at some of the old tram pictures and a thought occured to me.How did trams negotiate round-abouts? Through the middle , not round . Is that the flippant answer or the serious one!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 9:13 pm

I think it's the right one Ste

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 9:21 pm

Phill_d wrote: I think it's the right one Ste In that case,thank you roundhegian.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Fri 23 Nov, 2007 9:45 pm

I've some pics how they went through them. i'll bang them up when i get the scanner fired up..

Leedslad · Post by **Leedslad** » Sun 25 Nov, 2007 8:36 pm

Terrym wrote: Hi all,Back again,I was not based at Seacroft, I started at Bramley and transferred to Headingley later.Some more memories for you are of ex Sammy Ledgard route which was operated by Bramley and ran between Troydale and Calverley( service 48 This was normally operated by senior rota drivers but spare drivers sometimes got the chance to cover. The last journey from Troydae always made a un scheduled stop just past Kent Road at the fish shop, and then continued on to Bradford Road.This was the terminal point for the last trip before running back to the depot. However some passengers were carried a little bit further and paid for this with a bottle of beer for the driver.The other service we operated from Bramley which we enjoyed was the ex Farsley Omnibus service between Pudsey and Horsforth.Normally operated by AEC Swifts it was common practice to freewheel on the section between Horsforth and Rodley on the Ring Road to see how fast you could go.My transfer to Headingley may have been a big mistake as the main road route for the depot was the 93 & 96 services which ran past the University. Nice and steady during holidays but chaos during term time.We used to operate what were called "swingers".This was a service 93 which ran from Headingley depot to the Bus Station, jst in front of the normal 93 Cookridge service bus. It was common practice for the bus station inspector to pull you off service on your first trip into the station, and put you on any route that was short of bus crews. The result was that you ended up operating services you had no idea about, and totally relied on passengers to help you out.Finally.Sunday duties from Headingley on the 93/96 services had something like 25 minutes standing time at the Bus Station on every trip.It was common practice for crews to arrive a few minutes early, shut the doors, and then ajourn to the Klondike cafe which was just over the road for the greasy bacon sandwich and a strong cup of tea.Hope you enjoy these memories.PS.Services normally operated by Bramley in the early 70s were as follows.5. Greenthorpe - Seacroft Town Centre (Joint)6 Half Mile Lane - Halton Moor11. Swinnow - Whinmmor (Joint)14 Half Mile Lane - Halton ( Irwin Arms)15 Bramley Town End - Seacroft Town Centre (Joint)16 Bramley Town End - Seacroft Town Centre. (Joint)17 Bramley Town End - Seacroft (Limewood Approach)23 Bus Station Intake.24 Horsforth - Swarcliffe ( Joint)25 Horsforth - Swarcliffe. (Joint)26 Horsforth - Swarcliffe (Joint)27 Horsforth - Swarcliffe ( Joint)40 Raynville - Stanks ( Joint)48 Troydale - Calverley49 Hyde Park - Old Farnley65 Bus Station PudseyX65 Bus Station - Pudsey ( Fastaway)73 Greenthorpe - Moor Grange77 Bramley - Gipton.78 Bus Station - Bradford via Pudsey79 Pudsey - Horsforth80 Pudsey - Horsforth via Coal Hill ( Peak Only)83 Rodley - Austhorpe84 Rodley - Colton102 Bramley - Elland Road ( Football Special)103 Bus Station - Brown Lane Trading Estate (Short Lived Service)405 Swinnow Lane - Half Mile Lane ( Shoppers service)Bramley also operated 1 Mon - Fri duty on the 52/53 Morley - Moortown service.They also supplied a spare conductor to Swinegate for late turn Saturdays, used as required.Services shown in brackets as "Joint" shared duties with Seacroft.All others were operated exclusivley by BramleyPPS.The superb picture shown on a earlier post of the AEC Regent on Service 41 is pictured at the Colton terminus. Hi to everyone on this Forum - just discovered it. I remember very well the 23 from living in St Ann's Lane, Headingley in the early 70's. Though it ran past the bottom of our Lane we could not catch in the rush hour as it ran "Limited" - there is a post on here about the limited sign hanging from the front of back loaders - that is the only route I ever knew to have it lit.Much later we moved to Summerfield Road at Intake - by then the 23 did not run and we were largely stuck with the 16 - which ran all round Armley or the 71 to Bradford which got tangled up in the Kirkstall Road traffic>In between St Anns Lane and Intake we lived on the Raynville estate - two stops before the terminus of the 40. I loved the Seacroft buses that plied that route with our own Bramley buses, and more the 73 which often produced a "slanty windowed" AEC single decker with impossibly small front entrance door. The 73 ran up "outgang" a major hill climb at the time - but with the opening of Bramley Centre (when was that) it diverted from that route as the top of Outgang became blocked off as a result.Also before the shopping cnetre I remember double decker back loaders coming down Outgang hill with a mechanic in the cab - sounded like they were testing the brakes?Does anyone remeber the Bramley lady driver - early 50's. blonmd permed hair, always wore black gloves - ever so nice to us kids! I thought she was the bees knees driving a bus - she must have been the first lady driver???