Huntingdon Street bus station

[Cliff Ton 10,449]

I recall catching a Ribble bus in Manchester as a change service on the route back to Scotland from Nottingham with my parents as a lad. The bus was a double decker and seemed the height of sophistication at the time (mid-sixties) as they served teas on there which you could pop on the little pull-out table in front of you! The name 'Ribble' has always conjured up the though 'luxury bus' to me since.

One of these? http://www.sct61.org.uk/rb1248

[.... 23]

Nice bus. No, it was certainly a double-decker bus with a closing door at the front.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Nice bus. No, it was certainly a double-decker bus with a closing door at the front.

One of these?

This particular one was actually part of the Standerwick fleet which was a subsidiary of Ribble. They were a common sight belting up and down the M1 on Lancashire to Londons services. This photo was taken at Victoria Coach Station in London.

They were Leyland Atlanteans with coach seats, and as you say a stewardess would come round with refreshments. There was also a toilet on board at the back of the lower deck.

They were branded as the 'Gay Hostess' services - they wouldn't be today!

[Merthyr Imp 729]

I recently acquired a copy of this book on Ebay:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buses-Sixties-Colour-Prestige-Banks/dp/1898432813/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362005084&sr=1-4

I can recommend it for photos of Huntingdon Street and elsewhere in the Nottingham area, which form the majority of the photos in it as the photographer G H F Atkins was a local man.

[.... 23]

That looks and sounds like the one from my childhood memories, MI. Many thanks.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Here's one of NCT AEC Regent V no. 268 on route 25. This must have been in 1962 or 1963.

[DAVIDW 1,681]

Love that photo of the number 25 . Brings back memories as that used to be our only bus for many years to get to Westdale Lane area .

Later the 65 ran from Valley Road , Carlton , as more houses were built and was more popular for us , as it went straight to the Square .

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Here's another photo from the same period - Midland General no. 89, an AEC Regent lll dating from 1948.

I was puzzled by its showing route A1 as I can only really remember B8s at Huntingdon Street, but I've done a search and according to the website below, the Ripley service that replaced the A1 trolleybuses was numbered B1 and ran to Mouint Street. It then says: 'A new peak hour bus service was introduced on weekdays and Saturdays. It was numbered A1 and followed the trolleybus route through the city but was extended to Huntingdon Street bus station.' It goes on to say that in 1971 the A1 peak hour service only ran on weekdays and was diverted to Mount Street bus station'

http://focustransport2011.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/ripley-to-nottingham.html

[StephenFord 866]

The B1 always ran from Mount Street and took over in 1953 as the main Ripley service. It went along Alfreton Road and Nuthall Road (the routing shown on the blind was "Bobbersmill, Eastwood, Heanor). It was my impression that there was always a residual A1 service. I don't remember it being diverted to Mount Street, but I think it may have been extended to the old Broad Marsh (as the F2 Ilkeston via Basford and Kimberley, and F4 Hucknall via Basford and Watnall were). I believe some journeys actually started or finished at the Bairnswear factory in Basford, and some only went as far as Heanor.

[ChrisB 150]

Almost all Midland General buses displayed three intermediate points as part of the destination. You will see that this one is showing BASFORD, EASTWOOD, HEANOR. The A1 left Nottingham by way of Sherwood Rise, Basford and joined the road to Ripley at the end of Stockhill Lane.

The B1 displayed BOBBERS MILL, EASTWOOD, HEANOR, just to show that it left Nottingham by Alfreton Road.

I've often wondered why they kept one or two journeys on the A1 when the trolleys were withdrawn, perhaps a few workers from Heanor, Eastwood etc. needed to go to Basford. Or perhaps they felt the need to maintain a presence on that route rather than give it up completely.

[mick2me 3,033]

My girlfriend at the time lived at Nottingham Road Nuthall near to the motorway bridge.

Would the bus she used to catch from mount Street be B1 or B2 or similar?

It stopped right outside her house.

[bamber 128]

One of these?

This particular one was actually part of the Standerwick fleet which was a subsidiary of Ribble. They were a common sight belting up and down the M1 on Lancashire to Londons services. This photo was taken at Victoria Coach Station in London.

They were Leyland Atlanteans with coach seats, and as you say a stewardess would come round with refreshments. There was also a toilet on board at the back of the lower deck.

They were branded as the 'Gay Hostess' services - they wouldn't be today!

The British long distance "coaches" look primitive in comparison with the American Greyhound Scenicruisers of the 1950s.

My parents subscribed to National Geographic so, as a child, I was very familiar with the Scenicruiser from the many photo-features it appeared in. How many times did I see a Skill's Scenicruiser and wonder when they would be getting some with a proper stepped roofline and loo in the back

Here's a 1954 Greyhound for comparison:

[StephenFord 866]

My girlfriend at the time lived at Nottingham Road Nuthall near to the motorway bridge.

Would the bus she used to catch from mount Street be B1 or B2 or similar?

It stopped right outside her house.

B1 Ripley, B3 or C5 Alfreton, or B4 South Normanton. (The B2 and C6 also went to Ripley, but went along Russell Drive, Wollaton, then Trowell, Ilkeston and Cotmanhay to Heanor).

[BulwellBrian 107]

Some of the Midland General buses were actually branded Notts & Derby Traction Company.

[Limey 242]

Didn't "Notts & Derby" pre-date "Midland General"? I have a vague recollection that the depot at Langley Mill bore the "Notts & Derby" banner at one time.

[StephenFord 866]

Notts & Derby Traction Co. was originally the trolleybus company (previously Notts & Derby Tramways). Notts & Derby, Midland General Omnibus and Mansfield District Traction constituted the Midland General Group, which was part of Balfour-Beatty. (Are you confused yet? You soon will be!) Accordingly the A1 (and probably the A2 and A3 locals in Ilkeston) were NDT rather than MGO. However, as mentioned earlier, on the demise of the Ripley trolleybuses in 1953, the main Nottingham - Ripley service became the B1. It might already have been, and certainly became, Notts & Derby. The replacements for the trolleys were a batch of 15 Gardner-engined Bristol KSW6Gs, which were all branded Notts & Derby and for a few years were rarely seen on any other route than the B1. There must have been some logic why the two companies were not amalgamated, but I never understood what it was. Buses were lent or transferred with gay abandon, for which some internal accounting might have taken place. I understand that certain routes were transferred to NDT, such as the Wollaton locals (D9, E1 and F5) on which the Bristol KSWs later appeared. Again, there were probably arcane accounting reasons for this.

[Limey 242]

A pity my dad isn't around - his first job, when he left school (age 14) was painting buses at the Langley Mill Depot!

[Bloo 0]

I was a mechanic at Barton's, Huntingdon St in the early 70s and I have fond memories of the bus station across the road. We always had a few buses parked up there and when we needed to skive off we'd take a needle and thread and go looking for imaginary ripped upholstery, get the head down for an hour. Every lunch time I was across the road to Hughies for the best sausage, egg & tomato sarnies known to man.

[ladyinred 3]

I lived at Bunny and remember the bus numbers as 60 and 66, not 65.

[tomlinson 879]

I proposed and was accepted in a Huntingdon St bus station. I suppose now it's too late to sue someone!

[StephenFord 866]

I lived at Bunny and remember the bus numbers as 60 and 66, not 65.

No, the 60 went from Mount Street to Hucknall, with later variants 60A and 60B to Ruffs Estate and Beauvale Estate respectively.

[Blondie 1,392]

Thanks CT.

The Hucknall bus in the 1960s was the number 84 if I remember rightly J. I used to catch it with mum to go to her mum's house in the centre of Hucknall every Saturday. Seemed to take forever as a kid (are we there yet?!)

I lived in Hucknall and caught the 84 bus to Huntingdon Street to get to school..........I prefered Mount Street as there was more buses ...60A 60B 61.62

[Blondie 1,392]

Mount Street picture : the platforms were numbered (from the bottom of the pic) 4, 5 and 6 - not sure where 1, 2 and 3 got lost! 4 was all Midland General, 5 was mostly Bartons (but also Midland General A4 and F9), 6 was mainly Trent, but also the Midland Red X99 to Birmingham.

For Hucknall, where my grandparents lived, there was surprising variety - no less than five different routes. From Huntingdon Street, the 84 (Sutton in Ashfield) was the most frequent, via Hucknall Road and Moor Bridge. The 63 Chesterfield via Mansfield (joint with East Midland 12A) went the same way, until it was merged much later with the 62 (Mansfield direct). Alternatively you could catch the Midland General B8 (Mansfield) via Bestwood Village, or F4 which started from Broad Marsh but stopped on Huntingdon Street itself. This went to Beauvale Estate, via Basford and Watnall. From Mount Street there was the 60 (HUcknall Market), 60A (Ruffs Estate), 60B (Beauvale Estate) or 61 Mansfield - which all went via Radford Road and Bulwell Market. Finally there was the 83 (East Kirkby) - which started about 1952 and was quickly re-numbered 61B. This went along Nuthall Road and Cinderhill Road to Bulwell.

I lived in Hucknall, born 1945 and can remember all those buses you mentioned, caught everyone of them in my time........... I probably knew your grandparents as well

[Blondie 1,392]

No, the 60 went from Mount Street to Hucknall, with later variants 60A and 60B to Ruffs Estate and Beauvale Estate respectively.

Caught all of them as I lived in Hucknall, worked and socialised in Nottingham back in the 60's...........

[briyeo 56]

Just catching up on this thread, Post # 84, there is a photo of a MGO A1 at Broadmarsh.