Farewell to the direct Red Arrow

[Kendaldrac 40]

Just been reading how from the 3rd May the TrentBarton Red Arrow service is to be split into two separate services meaning an end to the direct Nottingham to Chesterfield bus service.

"Service RA (Trent Barton 'Red Arrow'): This service will be split at Derby to run in two parts. The Derby to Chesterfield part will have a revised timetable, and some additional stops including Denby Pottery and Swanwick Church. The Derby to Nottingham part will have a revised timetable."

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Whatever happened to these? (On left):

[StephenFord 866]

Actually, the answer to Merthyr Imp's question, is that a rather similar service to the East Midland 12A (or Trent 63) still runs very frequently. It is not exactly the same. The present day "Pronto" service (whatever was wrong with route numbers?) uses what used to be the Trent 62 via Ravenshead as far as Mansfield, whereas the old 12A/63 went through Hucknall and Sutton in Ashfield. Beyond Mansfield it is the old route, through Pleasley, Glapwell and Heath. Between Nottingham and Mansfield it runs every 10 minutes during the day, and every third bus (i.e. every half hour) is extended to and from Chesterfield. It drops back to hourly in the evenings. The journey takes an hour and 25 minutes, compared with an hour and 40 by the Red Arrow - not surprising really, when you remember that RA first runs 16 miles due west before setting course for Chesterfield which is to the north !

[Kendaldrac 40]

So much change and loss in terms of bus services over the last twenty years old Barton 32 from Nottingham to Bulwell, the 10 going through Attenborough and now the 18 further cut back to just Beeston to Stapleford when used to be Nottingham to Ilkeston.

[StephenFord 866]

Yes indeed, but my reply above to Merthyr Imp shows that there IS still a regular Nottingham - Chesterfield bus service, that is actually a quarter of an hour quicker than the very indirect Red Arrow route through Derby. Mansfield is the original and obvious route. Traditionally Nottingham - Derby express was the X42, and Derby to Chesterfield was the 44, run jointly by Trent, East Midland and Midland General. So in this case, splitting the route in two is really going to back to how it used to be.

[ChrisB 150]

StephenFord, you ask whatever happened to service numbers? I think the answer is that 'Marketing and Image Consultants' were brought in and convinced the management that bus services should be marketed like soap powder or breakfast cereals. The only tangible consequence is that they have fortunes out of turning up a lot of silly names - nice work if you can get it!

The problem with 'Pronto' is, it's a jointly operated service shared by Trent and Stagecoach. If you buy a Trent all-day rover ticket, it's not valid on Pronto. Likewise, if you buy a Stagecoach all day rover ticket, that's not valid on Pronto either.

Trent and Stagecoach need their heads knocking together, why they can't accept each others tickets is beyond comprehension!

[notty ash 370]

Although Pronto is supposedly a joint service, the internet timetables show the TrentBarton and Stagecoach services separately.

http://www.stapleford-notts.co.uk/stagecoach-pronto-nottingham-mansfield-chesterfield-bus-timetable.htm

and

http://www.stapleford-notts.co.uk/trent-barton-stagecoach-pronto-bus-timetable.htm

There is also a train service taking around 35-40 minutes from Chesterfield to Nottingham.

[StephenFord 866]

Interesting - I hadn't realised that it was jointly operated until I looked again carefully at the TrentBarton website. (So, as Stagecoach is the successor to East Midland, it is even more like the old days!)

I suspect the reason for non-co-ordination of ticketing is the aftermath of anti-competition legislation, rather than unwillingness on the part of the operators. At the time, following bus deregulation by the infamous Nicholas Ridley, "those who know best" (ahem...) considered it more advantageous to "the public" that two operators should compete, forbid the use of return tickets on each other's buses, and generally act as though the other partner in what had always been "joint" services had ceased to exist. They weren't even encouraged to maintain the same fares (that was regarded as collusion as wicked as running a cartel). So common sense, and convenience to passengers went out of the window. With this sort of silliness, it is a surprise to me that we do still have a reasonable level of bus services.

[Kendaldrac 40]

Am I right in thinking there used to be a 700 numbered service run by Stagecoach and TrentBarton that used to go from Sheffield to Mansfield to Nottingham then onwards to Leicester?

[notty ash 370]

Am I right in thinking there used to be a 700 numbered service run by Stagecoach and TrentBarton that used to go from Sheffield to Mansfield to Nottingham then onwards to Leicester?

I seem to remember catching a Trent bus in Sheffield in the early 1970s - it was more like a limited stop service - via Renishaw and presumably on to Mansfield and Nottingham? That was a double decker of some sort.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

The X53 was introduced in the late 1960s and ran from Nottingham to Sheffield. I remember it ran via Bulwell, but forget the rest of the route. I don't ever remember it being operated by double deckers, but of course that's not to say it never was. I travelled on it occasionally and saw it frequently in the time from when it first started running (this photo probably dates from 1969) until I suppose about 1973 or so. No doubt double deckers could have appeared on it after that date.

The non-standard pink lower portions of this Leyland Leopard, by the way, were just a one-off - it was running around partly in undercoat for some reason.

[bamber 128]

A four years old - C reg - bus and it looks knackered. Just goes to show that not everything was better in the good old days.

[StephenFord 866]

...and a Lincolnshire Road Car Bristol Lodekka behind on the 33C to Grantham.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Yes, that 33C being in that part of the bus station indicates the photo was taken on a summer Saturday when its usual bay would have been occupied by all the extra coaches on such as Barton's Skegness service.

[Arrowhead 3]

The X53 was introduced in the late 1960s and ran from Nottingham to Sheffield. I remember it ran via Bulwell, but forget the rest of the route. I don't ever remember it being operated by double deckers, but of course that's not to say it never was. I travelled on it occasionally and saw it frequently in the time from when it first started running (this photo probably dates from 1969) until I suppose about 1973 or so. No doubt double deckers could have appeared on it after that date.

The non-standard pink lower portions of this Leyland Leopard, by the way, were just a one-off - it was running around partly in undercoat for some reason.

I used to work as a conductor with Trent Motor Traction and remember the X53 from the the mid 1970's. Route was from Nottingham (Victoria Bus Station), Upper Parliament Street, Derby Road, Alfreton Road, Bentinck Road, Radford Road, Vernon Road, Highbury Road, Bulwell Main Street, Hucknall Lane, Nottingham Road, Portland Road, Hucknall High Street, Baker Street, Annesley Road, Derby Road, Nottingham Road, Kingsway, Diamond Avenue, Derby Road, Nottingham Road, Portland Road, Mansfield, Chesterfield Road South, Chesterfield Road North, Chesterfield Road, Mansfield Road, Doe Lea, onto the M1 at J29, off M1 at J30, Renishaw, Eckington, Birley Moor Road, to Sheffield (Victoria Bus Station).

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Welcome to Nottstalgia, Arrowhead. I look forward to reading your posts and sharing your memories.

[Trevor S 2,003]

Welcome to Nottstalgia, Arrowhead. I look forward to sharing your memories..

[MelissaJKelly 2,121]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy!

[carni 10,094]

Welcome to Nottstalgia Arrowhead.There are quite a few bus enthusiasts on Nottstalgia, so plenty of posts that may interest you.