Bartons Bus Services to Loughborough


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I was talking with friends about the old Barton Bus routes that use to run from Nottingham to Loughborough before they all changed with the introduction of the Indigo services.

There was the 3 and 10 that ran as far as Castle Donington before taking different routes around the villages to reach Loughborough and the combined 310 sercice that i believe ran on Sundays.

What we could not remember were details about the 3c service from Nottingham to Melbourne, we know it once carried onto Swadlincote before being cut back to Melbourne but we would like to know in its last years of operation on what days did it operate, what were the frequency of the buses and when was it axed.

If anyone knows this information and can help me and my friends would be most grateful.

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Noticed this online recently poster for the National Forest and Staunton Harold Reservoir which if you look closely still advises people to catch the irregular 3c service run by Barton buses.

IMG_20150407_171214.jpg

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I am deeply ashamed to admit that I don't know when the 3c was axed, or even when it was trimmed back to Melbourne! The only timetable I have goes back to the halcyon days of 1953, when the 3 (Nottingham to Castle Donington) ran hourly until 3 o clock in the afternoon, when it suddenly became roughly half-hourly until 10 o clock at night. It was extended roughly every two hours as route 3c to Swadlincote via Isley Walton, Breedon Corner, Wilson, Melbourne, Ticknall, Hartshorn and Woodville, the last one leaving Nottingham at 9 o clock, and returning from Swad. at 11.05 as far as Long Eaton garage. This pattern of service included Sundays, although the first bus didn't leave Nottingham until 10 o clock on Sunday morning.

At this time the only Nottingham - Loughborough Barton's service was the 10, which took the same route as the 3 from Nottingham to Old Sawley,then went via Kegworth, Sutton Bonington, Normanton on Soar and Hathern. There was also a 10A short working from Kegworth to Loughborough which was often a double decker. (The 10 itself had to be single deck because of the railway bridge at Long Eaton station - then Sawley Junction.)

There were several variations on both of these routes. Some of the 3 and 3c did a detour in Long Eaton via High Street to Manor Park and back. Certain of the 3c called at Tonge village. The 10 occasionally served Lockington, Hemington and Kingston on Soar.

The 310 which "sort of" combined both routes, ran to Castle Donington, and then, if I remember correctly, meandered round the developing East Midlands Airport complex, then through Long Whatton and Diseworth to Loughborough. I am pretty sure this absorbed a service previously run by a local operator - possibly Wheildon's of Castle Donington.

The 3 normally left from Mount Street bus station (platform 5), but an extra at rush hour started from Granby Street, which was also the usual starting point for the 10.

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I once made the mistake of taking the Barton service from Loughborough back to Nottingham, instead of the usual South Notts. Made the latter look like National Express in comparison, the trip took forever!

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Yes it is becoming an annyonance that can't seem to find the answer to this question of the 3c bus services final days but will continue hunting.

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  • 10 months later...

Can anyone remember the route 1a. It ran from West Crescent in Beeston Rylands to Nottingham Granby Street. It was jus an half hourly service. Later the number 29 ran on more or less the same route but veered off at the end of University Boulevard then turned left towards Boots, up Lilac grove onto Meadow Lane, left onto Roy Avenue then to its terminus on West Crescent

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Hi there imp..

What memories have come flooding back seeing a picture of that six wheeler. The doors were front for entering and rear for alighting, but this was very often ignored

I visited Staunton Harold reservoir some years ago. I wanted to take a photo of the large stained glass window in the church there but on seeing my camera round my neck I was told politely to leave as no photograph taking was allowed. I didn't put anything in the collection box that day lol

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I don't know the different body types or makers of these buses, but I do remember catching the double decker shown above to go to school.. At the time, they were streamlined as opposed to catching a GUY bus with no closing doors

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