[TRIVIA] Longest continuous use of same number for a service

[OwlMan]

The Coventry to Bedworth Coventry Corporation service (now National Express Coventry) started life as a steam tramway in 1884. During the 1890s it was converted to electric tram and in 1919 converted to a bus route (number 20). It still runs as number 20.

 

[CatfordCat]

what route did the 2 to Sleaford take out of lincoln ? is the Washingborough -Heighington - Branston 2 just a short working of that route ?

No, route 2 was largely along the A 15.

2A Branston journeys were short workings of the Lincoln - Sleaford 2A (which broadly became the 631)

Route 2 (from both 1958 and 1974 timetables) timing points are

Lincoln
Bracebridge Heath (some journeys via The Mere)
Waddington Cross Roads (map suggests it stayed on the A 15 - maybe there was a cross roads before RAF Waddington was built!)
Metheringham Heath School
Temple Grange
Brauncewell School
Cranwell Lane End
Cranwell Village (some journeys served by connections with Sleaford - Cranwell route)
Leasingham
Holdingham
Sleaford

4 return journeys Mon-Sat in 1974

 

[daodao]

My nomination would be the 17 between Rochdale and Manchester - it began as a long Bacup - Flixton service on 3 March 1930, then was curtailed at both ends to the form it's still seen in to this day on 24 October 1932.

The number 17 dates back to 1925 when a through Rochdale-Manchester tram was introduced. Other Manchester bus route numbers also date back to the pre-WW2 tramways including numbers 41 (Manchester & West Didsbury, now extended to Sale), the 53 circular (whose route has been slightly revised) and 59 to Middleton via Half Way House. Tram route 26 (Manchester-Ashton via Ashton New Road) survives as bus route 216 (it was renumbered in the trolleybus era), despite a tramway having been rebuilt along the same route!

 

[AnonymousUser1]

<snip>
Waddington Cross Roads (map suggests it stayed on the A 15 - maybe there was a cross roads before RAF Waddington was built!)

There is a Mere Road in Waddington which leads to the 'old' RAF waddington main entrance and there is Mere Road Mere , which currently meets the A15 as a t Junction ( with a road/ track to a crash gate for waddington )


Mere road waddington turns into 'manchester road' but that is 'behind the wire' as many of the Waddington MQs are 'on camp'

It is entirely plausible looking at modern mapping that Mere road waddington is Mere road Mere without the intercession of the the V bomber era dimensioned Waddington runway , would need ot look on old maps

To serve The Mere one would turn off the A15 onto bloxholm lane follow that to the crossroad with mere road, mere and turn right heading back towards the A15 before rejoining it at the cut off 'crossroads' discussed above

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.1695323,-0.523693,14z

 

[zuriblue]

192 was 92 in Manchester & Stockport Corporations days and became 192 under Selnec.

I would have thought the 53 would be a contender. Although the route has changed around a bit over the years it's been going strong since the 1920s.

 

[jp4712]

The 53 no longer runs in its historic route, with it no longer running via Cheetham Hill and Moss Lane. It is a very pale shadow indeed of what it was was - arguably the most frequent service in the country at one time, it has fallen victim to demographic changes in the Manchester suburbs.

Someone mentioned the 8 service between Bolton and Manchester - this is disqualified because for quite a few years in the 1980s it was renumbered 28.

I'd like to count the Rochdale 17 back to 1925, especially as I own a Rochdale bus, but some may think it's cheating to include its time as a tram service.

 

[route101]

As far as Greater Glasgow is concerned, the No.34 (Govan - Castlemilk) & 46 (Easterhouse - Castlemilk) services have both used the same number continuously for over 50 years (since at least 1963) with little changes to the routes themselves.

Interestingly the 34 has served East Kilbride and the 5 too as variations .
Id say the 5 and the 31 to Carmunnock, not sure when the 31 was extended to East Kilbride!

 

[Strathclyder]

Interestingly the 34 has served East Kilbride and the 5 too as variations .
Id say the 5 and the 31 to Carmunnock, not sure when the 31 was extended to East Kilbride!

Not sure on that one myself, but I do know that the 31 was briefly extended from Osborne St to Milton via Springburn in the mid/late 2000s. The extension didn't last long at all.

 

[daodao]

I would have thought the 53 would be a contender. Although the route has changed around a bit over the years it's been going strong since the 1920s.

The number 53 was a tram route until 1930; the service is now very poor (half-hourly at best) and has been re-routed away from Moss Side and Brooks's Bar.

 

[Deerfold]

In my lifetime (42 years) I can remember the following services being the same;

25 Keighley-Burnley ... until recently. Now the Mr

Really? This route passes my house where I've lived for around 8 years. It's now the M4, previously the 25 Keighley to Burnley. However it's only a couple of years since it ran to/from Accrington or Padiham, using service number 25 towards Keighley but 20, 21 or 22 in the other direction. In the past 30 years it's also run as the 69, 669 and X43 - I've some timetables for it from the 80s and 90s.

508 Halifax - Leeds

This was a renumbering from the 8 in the late 70s. In the mid to late 80s this route continued past Halifax to Rishworth and Commons.

 

[SCH117X]

Some further elderly routes:-

The Harrogate to Pateley Bridge service started by Harrogate Carriage Company in 1923 and duplicated by the Harrogate Road Car Company the following year. The later became the Harrogate & District Road Car Company at the end of 1924. The service was numbered 24 in 1927. H&D combined with Blythe & Berwick to form the West Yorkshire Road Car Company in 1928 and HCC became an associate subsidiary. The service continues today under Transdev.

The South Notts route from Nottingham via Gotham to Loughborough which has operated since 1929 (since 1990 under NCT ownership). Prior to South Notts operating the route Barton has run between Gotham and Nottingham since 1922 - as a couple of services, one originating at Long Eaton, the other running by Keyworth and Hathern to Loughborough , the Long Eaton-Gotham section was withdrawn in 1923 and the Loughborough extensions beyond Gotham reduced to Wed and Sat only.1926 saw these rerouted on Sats and Suns via what became the South Notts route. South Notts themselves started a Gotham-Nottingham service in 1926 and took over the Loughborough service in 1929 when Barton agreed to withdraw their services in exchange for a 50% holding in South Notts.

 

[anti-pacer]

Really? This route passes my house where I've lived for around 8 years. It's now the M4, previously the 25 Keighley to Burnley. However it's only a couple of years since it ran to/from Accrington or Padiham, using service number 25 towards Keighley but 20, 21 or 22 in the other direction. In the past 30 years it's also run as the 69, 669 and X43 - I've some timetables for it.

I meant M4 not Mr. Predictive text!

Yes I do recall westbound journeys using different numbers on their through running to Accrington and Padiham.

The short-lived X43 extension to Keighley I believe ran in addition to the 25 service, but I don't ever remember a 69 or 669 running through Colne. When was this?

 

[Deerfold]

I meant M4 not Mr. Predictive text!

Yes I do recall westbound journeys using different numbers on their through running to Accrington and Padiham.

The short-lived X43 extension to Keighley I believe ran in addition to the 25 service, but I don't ever remember a 69 or 669 running through Colne. When was this?

I thought you probably meant M4.

1966-1977 it seems to have been the 9, then becoming the 669.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/66routes.htm

Then the 25 from 1982.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/82routes.htm

In 1997 the X43 did the whole journey (except via the Aire Valley by-pass), with the 25 only running Keighley - Colne (by Keighley and District).

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/97routes.htm

By 2003 the whole route was back to being the 25 run by Burnley and Pendle.

Somewhere between then and 2011 (possibly 2009) westbound services were renumbered 20-22. In 2011 it became the 25 both ways again but only as far as Burnley.

Some further elderly routes:-


The South Notts route from Nottingham via Gotham to Loughborough which has operated since 1929 (since 1990 under NCT ownership). Prior to South Notts operating the route Barton has run between Gotham and Nottingham since 1922 - as a couple of services, one originating at Long Eaton, the other running by Keyworth and Hathern to Loughborough , the Long Eaton-Gotham section was withdrawn in 1923 and the Loughborough extensions beyond Gotham reduced to Wed and Sat only.1926 saw these rerouted on Sats and Suns via what became the South Notts route. South Notts themselves started a Gotham-Nottingham service in 1926 and took over the Loughborough service in 1929 when Barton agreed to withdraw their services in exchange for a 50% holding in South Notts.

This didn't have the same route number for all this time did it? I thought the 1 was only used from 1991?

 

[anti-pacer]

I thought you probably meant M4.

1966-1977 it seems to have been the 9, then becoming the 669.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/66routes.htm

Then the 25 from 1982.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/82routes.htm

In 1997 the X43 did the whole journey (except via the Aire Valley by-pass), with the 25 only running Keighley - Colne (by Keighley and District).

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/97routes.htm

By 2003 the whole route was back to being the 25 run by Burnley and Pendle.

Somewhere between then and 2011 (possibly 2009) westbound services were renumbered 20-22. In 2011 it became the 25 both ways again but only as Burnley.

Aaaaaah, that explains it. We moved to Colne in December 1981, so only knew it as the 25, etc.

Thanks for the link to that website, it took me back. I actually remember the bus with the Jubilee Garage advert covering it. Also the "Eastenders" ex-LT Routemasters. I used to purposely wait for these if I was going to Nelson or Burnley. Those where the days!

I always remember the Keighley Hoppa minibuses, coming back from WY Day Rover trips with my mates, or trips to Rawdon to see my grandad. They were always faster, and one of my neighbours was a regular driver on them.

Happy days!

 

[Deerfold]

Aaaaaah, that explains it. We moved to Colne in December 1981, so only knew it as the 25, etc.

Thanks for the link to that website, it took me back. I actually remember the bus with the Jubilee Garage advert covering it. Also the "Eastenders" ex-LT Routemasters. I used to purposely wait for these if I was going to Nelson or Burnley. Those where the days!

I always remember the Keighley Hoppa minibuses, coming back from WY Day Rover trips with my mates, or trips to Rawdon to see my grandad. They were always faster, and one of my neighbours was a regular driver on them.

Happy days!

Like this?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/769343529847813/?fref=ts

 

[SCH117X]

This didn't have the same route number for all this time did it? I thought the 1 was only used from 1991?

Good point, forgot it had been numbered.

 

[KendalKing]

No it hasn't, Lancaster-Keswick was service 68 until the mid-70s until which time 555 was used for Kendal-Keswick short journeys. There are very few ex-Ribble services with original service numbers.

Sorry, but I disagree, as my late father used to conduct on the 555 from Lancaster depot in the 1960's.

 

[Class 33]

The number 1 in Bristol officially started in 1938 between Brislington and Westbury on Trym and has now been extended to operate between Broomhill and Cribbs Causeway.

The 1 was extended to Cribbs Causeway way back in 1957! Although of course the Cribbs Causeway back then was way different to what it is now. The service got cut back to Henbury back in 1965. And wasn't extended back to Cribbs Causeway for another 33 years later in 1998.

 

[route101]

Not sure on that one myself, but I do know that the 31 was briefly extended from Osborne St to Milton via Springburn in the mid/late 2000s. The extension didn't last long at all.

I far as i recall the City Centre to Milton bit was dropped early 2012 . Around the same time the East Kilbride to Linsayfield section was dropped .
The route to Milton was operating for many years .

 

[Strathclyder]

I far as i recall the City Centre to Milton bit was dropped early 2012. Around the same time the East Kilbride to Linsayfield section was dropped.
The route to Milton was operating for many years .

Ah, that's right. Completely forgot about the East Kilbride - Lindsayfield extension, to be honest. It must have been the now-withdrawn 37 I was thinking of...

 

[Jonny]

Some of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne route numbers have been the same for a long time, especially those that don't overlap with the Metro. I'm not sure exactly how long though.

 

[daodao]

The numbers of the main routes from Leeds up Chapeltown Road haven't changed for decades. I recall routes 2 (Leeds City Transport to Moortown, formerly tram route 2) and 36 (WYRCC to Harrogate and Ripon, with some joint working with UAS) from the early 1960s.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

And Manchester:
Another historical route is the 22, dating back to the 1930s, which was originally jointly operated with the North Western Road Car Company and Manchester Corporation and ran between Levenshulme and Eccles via Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The route has subsequently been extended northward to Bolton from Eccles, and diverted at the eastern end to terminate at Stockport rather than Levenshulme (Lloyd Road). It is still jointly operated, by First Bus and Stagecoach, with some subsidised late evening journeys by M/c Community Transport.

 

[jp4712]

The numbers of the main routes from Leeds up Chapeltown Road haven't changed for decades. I recall routes 2 (Leeds City Transport to Moortown, formerly tram route 2) and 36 (WYRCC to Harrogate and Ripon, with some joint working with UAS) from the early 1960s.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

And Manchester:
Another historical route is the 22, dating back to the 1930s, which was originally jointly operated with the North Western Road Car Company and Manchester Corporation and ran between Levenshulme and Eccles via Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The route has subsequently been extended northward to Bolton from Eccles, and diverted at the eastern end to terminate at Stockport rather than Levenshulme (Lloyd Road). It is still jointly operated, by First Bus and Stagecoach, with some subsidised late evening journeys by M/c Community Transport.

The 22 can't really be included as it spent near-on 25 years numbered 262...

 

[route101]

Ah, that's right. Completely forgot about the East Kilbride - Lindsayfield extension, to be honest. It must have been the now-withdrawn 37 I was thinking of...

37 and 31 ran alongside each other . 37 used to go from Milton to Rutherglen , was withdrawn late 2008

 

[Strathclyder]

37 and 31 ran alongside each other . 37 used to go from Milton to Rutherglen , was withdrawn late 2008

Shows how sketchy my memory is, as I knew that was the case, but I wasn't 100% sure. Cheers.

 

[Deerfold]

The numbers of the main routes from Leeds up Chapeltown Road haven't changed for decades. I recall routes 2 (Leeds City Transport to Moortown, formerly tram route 2) and 36 (WYRCC to Harrogate and Ripon, with some joint working with UAS) from the early 1960s.

Though the route the 36 takes through Harrogate was the 36A in the late 90s and early 2000s. The 36 then ran along Kings Road and Skipton Road instead of straight up the A61.

 

[ALEMASTER]

Sheffield's first bus route was to Lodge Moor and started in 1913. When route numbers in 1926 it was numbered 51, and the bus to Lodge Moor is still the 51, albeit with an extension through the city added on.

Another Sheffield route numbered in 1926 was the 57 to Stocksbridge which also survives, but with a different routing between Hillsborough & Oughtibridge.

There is a blog on the subject here (not mine I hasten to add): http://publictransportexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-fifty-one-unchanging-one.html