The depots of United Automobile services

[robertclark125]

New thread, based on two questions I have to ask.

Firstly, a friend claims that UAS used to have a depot in Edinburgh. However, I can find no evidence at the moment of such premises. However, I was told that they ran a joint service to and from Edinburgh with Eastern Scottish, so could it be that UAS vehicles were outstationed in an eastern Scottish depot? Or was there a full depot in Edinburgh belonging to UAS?

Secondly, of all the UAS depots in existence at nationalisation, which ones are still used as bus depots, and which ones have been closed, and of the closed ones, what are they now?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

New thread, based on two questions I have to ask.

Firstly, a friend claims that UAS used to have a depot in Edinburgh. However, I can find no evidence at the moment of such premises. However, I was told that they ran a joint service to and from Edinburgh with Eastern Scottish, so could it be that UAS vehicles were outstationed in an eastern Scottish depot? Or was there a full depot in Edinburgh belonging to UAS?

Secondly, of all the UAS depots in existence at nationalisation, which ones are still used as bus depots, and which ones have been closed, and of the closed ones, what are they now?

No United depot there. They ran to Newcastle from Alnwick, Berwick and Wooler.

Of United depots still in use, there's Blyth, Hexham, Jesmond.

Still standing (AFAIK) are Allenheads, Wooler, Peterlee, Bishop Auckland, Ferryhill, Gayle, Northallerton, Ripon, Pickering, Scarborough, Sedgefield (1 of 2), Middlesbrough. Don't know if Sunderland still stands...

 

[jp4712]

I suspect it's a case of United having a depot in Edinburgh, in the same way that Ribble formerly had a depot in Middlesbrough. In other words it's likely that UAS shedded a coach at SMT's Edinburgh garage in the summer season, with lodgings for a driver or two, to handle Scottish tours or reduce dead mileage on express services.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I suspect it's a case of United having a depot in Edinburgh, in the same way that Ribble formerly had a depot in Middlesbrough. In other words it's likely that UAS shedded a coach at SMT's Edinburgh garage in the summer season, with lodgings for a driver or two, to handle Scottish tours or reduce dead mileage on express services.

United may have occasionally stabled a vehicle or two overnight at New Street but not a consistent allocation (as when West Yorkshire RCC used to park up in United's Scarborough depot).

As regards which ones still standing and what they're used for...

• Allenheads - craft centre
• Wooler - was a farm supplies depot but think it's something else
• Peterlee - don't know
• Bishop Auckland - derelict awaiting redevelopment
• Ferryhill - commercial garage
• Gayle - private storage
• Northallerton - KwikFit depot
• Ripon - carpet showroom
• Pickering - carpet showroom
• Scarborough - parking for adjacent hotel
• Sedgefield (1 of 2) - light industry
• Middlesbrough - carpet wholesaler

Don't know if Sunderland still stands...still on Streetview with a Sep 2014 image. Hope it helps.

As an aside, the recently vacated Ashington depot was heavily rebuilt in the early 1990s - part of it might still be the original depot but don't know if it's like Triggers Broom

 

[robertclark125]

Where was theirn Sunderland depot? I thought that the city was in Northern territory?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Where was theirn Sunderland depot? I thought that the city was in Northern territory?

The depot was in Toward Road. Traditionally, it worked the cross Co Durham services to Darlington, Bishop and Middlesbrough/Stockton. It closed in 1989 with operations largely moved to Peterlee (though 3 vehicles were outbased at Busways depot for a while).

The reason it existed in Northern territory involved the creation of Durham District Services in the 1950s to work around a legal agreement between United and Northern from the 1930s.

That said, there were lots of blurred lines. West Yorkshire had a Scarborough depot, Durham bus station (the old pre-1970s one) was actually a Northern bus station, Carlisle had depots for Western SMT, Cumberland, United and Ribble.

LATE EDIT: forgot that Loftus depot is still standing albeit it's just a roofless shell

 

[robertclark125]

Is the old Toward road depot now a discount motor supplies shop? Looks like a garage building

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is the old Toward road depot now a discount motor supplies shop? Looks like a garage building

Assume you're looking on streetview - you need to be further towards Villette Road. It has a gated compound and might still have signage for some sort of 5 a side business?

It was built in the late 1950s for DDS, and in later United years (1980s) it had an allocation of about 8 buses and a similar number of coaches that worked the 526 to London.

The coaching arm was sold in 1988 to Durham Travel Services and the allocation of 10 buses that were operating there was clearly too small so the depot closed. However, it was later taken on by Go Ahead's Wear Buses subsidiary as overflow storage and maintenance but only for a few years.

 

[robertclark125]

See it now. Next to the medical centre, and with the five a side signage. Can't find photos of it working as a depot in United days though!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

See it now. Next to the medical centre, and with the five a side signage. Can't find photos of it working as a depot in United days though!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/16314639@N02/6772691777/

Not the best picture but that was it in use. That Tiger was one of a pair delivered in late 1987, the last new vehicles allocated to the depot.

In the mid 1980s, the bus allocation was 5 Mk1 Nationals, 2 Mk2 Nationals, 2 Leopards and an LH. However, at dereg, they shipped out the buses in favour of DP vehicles that were better suited to the longer runs (theoretically). These were Willowbrook and Duple Leopards, but also a pair of knackered Alexander Leopards bought from United Counties and the pair of brand new Tigers!

 

[DunsBus]

The depot was in Toward Road. Traditionally, it worked the cross Co Durham services to Darlington, Bishop and Middlesbrough/Stockton. It closed in 1989 with operations largely moved to Peterlee (though 3 vehicles were outbased at Busways depot for a while).

The reason it existed in Northern territory involved the creation of Durham District Services in the 1950s to work around a legal agreement between United and Northern from the 1930s.

That said, there were lots of blurred lines. West Yorkshire had a Scarborough depot, Durham bus station (the old pre-1970s one) was actually a Northern bus station, Carlisle had depots for Western SMT, Cumberland, United and Ribble.

LATE EDIT: forgot that Loftus depot is still standing albeit it's just a roofless shell

Don't forget Berwick - the Eastern Scottish and United depots there were right next to each other and both operators had a share of the town services.

I seem to recall that in Northumbria days the Wooler depot was burnt to the ground by several bored schoolboys, taking out two VRs, an LH and a Metrorider in the process. Then the school which the boys attended (Berwick High) in turn took them out: all of the culprits were expelled.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Don't forget Berwick - the Eastern Scottish and United depots there were right next to each other and both operators had a share of the town services.

I seem to recall that in Northumbria days the Wooler depot was burnt to the ground by several bored schoolboys, taking out two VRs, an LH and a Metrorider in the process. Then the school which the boys attended (Berwick High) in turn took them out: all of the culprits were expelled.

I hadn't forgotten Berwick. The Berwick depot was, as you know, a single building but with a dividing wall/offices. Fine when services were jointly operated but not so harmonious when Northumbria kicked off the bus war in 1987. Not long before it was demolished, I was there and took a load of photos of it.

I did visit the Wooler depot in United days (with its massive allocation of 8) and remember it getting torched. Certainly a couple of VRs and a Metrorider were lost I can recall.

 

[DunsBus]

I hadn't forgotten Berwick. The Berwick depot was, as you know, a single building but with a dividing wall/offices. Fine when services were jointly operated but not so harmonious when Northumbria kicked off the bus war in 1987. Not long before it was demolished, I was there and took a load of photos of it.

I did visit the Wooler depot in United days (with its massive allocation of 8) and remember it getting torched. Certainly a couple of VRs and a Metrorider were lost I can recall.

Ah - so you hadn't forgotten Berwick!
It also had a booking office at one time which sat in front of the the depot. That had gone by the time I was born. Have to agree that things did get a bit messy after 1987 until the truce was called by Lowland and Northumbria in early 1995.

 

[plcd1]

New thread, based on two questions I have to ask.

Firstly, a friend claims that UAS used to have a depot in Edinburgh. However, I can find no evidence at the moment of such premises. However, I was told that they ran a joint service to and from Edinburgh with Eastern Scottish, so could it be that UAS vehicles were outstationed in an eastern Scottish depot? Or was there a full depot in Edinburgh belonging to UAS?

Secondly, of all the UAS depots in existence at nationalisation, which ones are still used as bus depots, and which ones have been closed, and of the closed ones, what are they now?

Not sure about a garage in Edinburgh. It was certainly the case that there used to be several Anglo Scottish bus routes which United had a share in. I can certainly recall the 510 and 515 which ran to Glasgow, the latter from Whitley Bay. These were largely Summer workings because the Scots used to holiday at Whitley Bay! The through Newcastle - Edinburgh service ceased many years ago - I assume due to declining ridership and reliability issues. I've dug out an old 1978 Tyne and Wear PTE timetable which has the Anglo Scottish services in it.

505/506 - Newcastle to Edinburgh via Berwick
508 - Newcastle to Edinburgh via Jedburgh
510 - Newcastle to Edinburgh via Kelso
515 - Whitley Bay to Glasgow via Jedburgh

These services ran Daily with a few trips each way. They've now all gone in terms of regular bus routes into Scotland. Some National Express workings still serve the Jedburgh corridor. There are a couple of once a day bus services from Kelso and Jedburgh to Newcastle. Arriva still run Newcastle - Berwick / Northumbria coast services but these have been rationalised and merged multiple times in recent years.

In terms of garages there used to be one in Whitley Bay but it was closed and is now the Park View shopping centre. It survived into the days of Northumbria Motor Services but eventually money won out over operating bus services.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Ah - so you hadn't forgotten Berwick!
It also had a booking office at one time which sat in front of the the depot. That had gone by the time I was born. Have to agree that things did get a bit messy after 1987 until the truce was called by Lowland and Northumbria in early 1995.

I'd only seen that separate office building in photos. It had gone by 1986 when I first visited though there were other offices with the central part of the building.

I suspect that old building may have had the public toilets. I only remember the portacabin toilets - now that was like something out of Trainspotting!!
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Not sure about a garage in Edinburgh. It was certainly the case that there used to be several Anglo Scottish bus routes which United had a share in. I can certainly recall the 510 and 515 which ran to Glasgow, the latter from Whitley Bay. These were largely Summer workings because the Scots used to holiday at Whitley Bay! The through Newcastle - Edinburgh service ceased many years ago - I assume due to declining ridership and reliability issues. I've dug out an old 1978 Tyne and Wear PTE timetable which has the Anglo Scottish services in it.

505/506 - Newcastle to Edinburgh via Berwick
508 - Newcastle to Edinburgh via Jedburgh
510 - Newcastle to Edinburgh via Kelso
515 - Whitley Bay to Glasgow via Jedburgh

These services ran Daily with a few trips each way. They've now all gone in terms of regular bus routes into Scotland. Some National Express workings still serve the Jedburgh corridor. There are a couple of once a day bus services from Kelso and Jedburgh to Newcastle. Arriva still run Newcastle - Berwick / Northumbria coast services but these have been rationalised and merged multiple times in recent years.

In terms of garages there used to be one in Whitley Bay but it was closed and is now the Park View shopping centre. It survived into the days of Northumbria Motor Services but eventually money won out over operating bus services.

The depot and bus station in Whitley Bay was a lovely design but was never looked after. Think it had a nightclub above the travel office, IIRC. It also never had a very big allocation - only about 22/23 in NBC days after the Metro came along.

That said, there were some smaller depots - Wooler may only have had 8 vehicles but Pickering had only 5!

 

[robertclark125]

Someone mentioned Carlisle having depots belonging to both Ribble and Cumberland. In fact, the depot was transferred in 1985 from Ribble to Cumberland.

Great to see a picture of the depot at Toward road when in use. It's still standing, so possibly hope for it being used again as a bus depot, albeit a very slim hope!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Someone mentioned Carlisle having depots belonging to both Ribble and Cumberland. In fact, the depot was transferred in 1985 from Ribble to Cumberland.

Great to see a picture of the depot at Toward road when in use. It's still standing, so possibly hope for it being used again as a bus depot, albeit a very slim hope!

No problem - glad to have helped.

Cumberland had a depot in Carlisle until the 1960s IIRC though can't recall where. United had a depot in Scotch Street AFAIK until 1969 and the formation of the NBC. Western SMT had depot until the mid 80s.

https://flic.kr/p/eJVuaW
https://flic.kr/p/dDte4e

Ribble had a depot which was then replaced by Willowholme depot to accommodate the United and Ribble ops and it was that which passed to Cumberland in 1986.

 

[AndyW33]

No problem - glad to have helped.

Cumberland had a depot in Carlisle until the 1960s IIRC though can't recall where. United had a depot in Scotch Street AFAIK until 1969 and the formation of the NBC. Western SMT had depot until the mid 80s.

https://flic.kr/p/eJVuaW
https://flic.kr/p/dDte4e

Ribble had a depot which was then replaced by Willowholme depot to accommodate the United and Ribble ops and it was that which passed to Cumberland in 1986.

I always thought the pre-NBC Cumberland depot in Carlisle was on part of the bus station site, as the foundations for a building large enough to hold two buses were visible for several years at one end in the parking area. They certainly had an enquiry and parcels office at the bus station up to 1972, when NBC resolved the strange situation of having two large enquiry offices, one Cumberland and one Ribble, glowering at each other from either side of the bus station entrance. Around the same time the duplicate office situation in Keswick was also resolved.

 

[madannie77]

I always thought the pre-NBC Cumberland depot in Carlisle was on part of the bus station site, as the foundations for a building large enough to hold two buses were visible for several years at one end in the parking area. They certainly had an enquiry and parcels office at the bus station up to 1972, when NBC resolved the strange situation of having two large enquiry offices, one Cumberland and one Ribble, glowering at each other from either side of the bus station entrance. Around the same time the duplicate office situation in Keswick was also resolved.

In Cumberland (British Bus Systems No. 1) by Harry Postlethwaite it is stated that Cumberland had a small depot within the confines of the bus station, which corresponds with your thoughts.

Long before my time in Carlisle, so I can only go by what others have written.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

In Cumberland (British Bus Systems No. 1) by Harry Postlethwaite it is stated that Cumberland had a small depot within the confines of the bus station, which corresponds with your thoughts.

Long before my time in Carlisle, so I can only go by what others have written.

Think we're in alignment and have been able to answer Robert's points. FWIW, I think the Cumberland Carlisle depot was closed and the vehicles operated instead from Wigton.

With the creation of the NBC, the United depot (and associated dormy shed at Alston) passed to Ribble in 1969.

 

[Statto]

Pic here of the VR that was lost at Wooler owned by UAS but in full TWPTE livery https://www.flickr.com/photos/nedbasher/6660742189

 

[DunsBus]

Think we're in alignment and have been able to answer Robert's points. FWIW, I think the Cumberland Carlisle depot was closed and the vehicles operated instead from Wigton.

With the creation of the NBC, the United depot (and associated dormy shed at Alston) passed to Ribble in 1969.

IIRC, Western SMT had a depot at Lonsdale Street in Carlisle until 1981. This was originally a sub-depot of Dumfries but was later elevated to full depot status. After the Lonsdale Street premises closed, Western SMT stationed its Carlisle allocation at Ribble's depot.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I'd only seen that separate office building in photos. It had gone by 1986 when I first visited though there were other offices with the central part of the building.

I suspect that old building may have had the public toilets. I only remember the portacabin toilets - now that was like something out of Trainspotting!!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


The depot and bus station in Whitley Bay was a lovely design but was never looked after. Think it had a nightclub above the travel office, IIRC. It also never had a very big allocation - only about 22/23 in NBC days after the Metro came along.

That said, there were some smaller depots - Wooler may only have had 8 vehicles but Pickering had only 5!

The central booking office at Berwick had gone by the end of the seventies as I can only ever remember it with the space where the office building was. And as for the Portakabin toilets, I remember them too. They were the ones you avoided using at all costs!

Later, Lowland and Northumbria shared a shop premises in Marygate - the Berwick Bus Shop.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

IIRC, Western SMT had a depot at Lonsdale Street in Carlisle until 1981. This was originally a sub-depot of Dumfries but was later elevated to full depot status. After the Lonsdale Street premises closed, Western SMT stationed its Carlisle allocation at Ribble's depot.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


The central booking office at Berwick had gone by the end of the seventies as I can only ever remember it with the space where the office building was. And as for the Portakabin toilets, I remember them too. They were the ones you avoided using at all costs!

Later, Lowland and Northumbria shared a shop premises in Marygate - the Berwick Bus Shop.

I do remember the Berwick bus shop - the signage was there for a long time after closure. And of course, you'll know that if you wander up the back of the old depot site, you can still see the retaining wall which was the bus station boundary wall and pick out where the brackets for the shelters were.