Destinations on the blind (that were never used) (Read 3,833 times)

[dougie]

The mention of

traction25 said:

YU52VYD on 94 Showing "Northern General Hospital - 94" -

has got me thinking...

Have there been any destinations listed on South Yorkshire blinds that the operator never ran to?

For example, I know that Lothian Buses in Edinburgh used to have places like Peebles on the blinds (they never ran to the town in the Borders, but I guess it was on incase they won a tender).

Of course these days, with electronic screens, it's easy to update them if the operator expands or wins a tender, but "back in the day", I suppose companies needed to plan ahead for potential routes. Did Yorkshire Terrier ever have Chesterfield listed (say)? Or Mainline have buses with Wath on the blinds?

[jswallow]

(pre YTC) Yorkshire Terrier blinds had quite a lot of speculative destinations on them. "Ecclesall" was on there for example. Why wouldn't Mainline have "Wath" on their blind? Their buses ran to there at some point (even if it was in SYT days).

[manclad]

Sheffield Omnibus has Penistone on theirs.

[djebelgoraa]

SYT / Mainline used to run a Service 67 Sheffield-Wath every hour in the late 1980s. This was basically the old X91 cut back from Thurnscoe to Wath. At this time the 67 was co-ordinated with the 69 to provide a bus every 20 minutes between Sheffield-Rotherham.

[ryansf]

I remember that Dominators and other older buses had Tickhill on the blinds, and this was before the 205. The only services I can think of were Edlington and McAuley school services, but more often that not these had 'School Bus' on the blind - anyone know why Tickhill was on? I also think Bawtry was on as well (the Doncaster ones, not the Rotherham ones which ran the 287).

[dougie]

jswallow said:

Why wouldn't Mainline have "Wath" on their blind? Their buses ran to there at some point (even if it was in SYT days).

Sorry, was trying to think of somewhere that Mainline/ SYT didn't run (obviously they served Barnsley, Penistone etc), but I'd obviously forgotton about the 67...

[jswallow]

There's a lot of routes to keep track of, let alone remember the history of.

The one that always used to get me was the myth that "Hunters Bar" was on the destination blind in PTE days. For some reason it wasn't until Sheffield Mainline came along ... instead some journeys ran to and turned outside Endcliffe Park (using the triangle) so showed a "Rustlings Road" display instead.

[dougie]

djebelgoraa said:

SYT / Mainline used to run a Service 67 Sheffield-Wath every hour in the late 1980s. This was basically the old X91 cut back from Thurnscoe to Wath. At this time the 67 was co-ordinated with the 69 to provide a bus every 20 minutes between Sheffield-Rotherham.

...which should be borne in mind whenever anyone suggests the 69's "frequent interval" service was always like that. I appreciate that the 24 probably ran alongside it at the time tough.

[dougie]

jswallow said:

There's a lot of routes to keep track of, let alone remember the history of.

The one that always used to get me was the myth that "Hunters Bar" was on the destination blind in PTE days. For some reason it wasn't until Sheffield Mainline came along ... instead some journeys ran to and turned outside Endcliffe Park (using the triangle) so showed a "Rustlings Road" display instead.

What turned at Endcliffe Park? Would it have been part journeys on the 2?

[Tom B]

I do seem to remember that blinds at Mainline in Doncaster have shown "Finningley" / "Wroot" for yonks (they only started running to Finningley in 2003, and only all day in 2005).

Of course, others may have had a reason through buses formerly serving there, but later being withdrawn. You could therefore find "West Bessacarr", "Weston Road", "Armthorpe", "Misson" on the ex-Leon buses with MASS right up until the end of service.

As for Edinburgh, having waited on a 25 many times of an evening to find a part-route bus turns up, I know that Peebles and South Queensferry to name but a few are there!

[busman3]

this thread could go on and on , there would have been a lot as they tended (no pun) to put stuff on that they could tender for. I seem to remember that sheafline had some stuff on the blinds that was for future use.

[jswallow]

What turned at Endcliffe Park? Would it have been part journeys on the 2?

No, short working on the 81 -- and really, really, early in the morning. The first working of the day was something like 04:30 Angel Street - Rustlings Road.

And, if you can remember service 40 back in '85/86 (City - Hanover Way - Hunters Bar - Ecclesall - Norton) that had two or three trips during the daytime that worked Arundel Gate - Rustlings Road too.

So buses would come up Ecclesall Road, not turn into Rustlings Road, but turn right onto the triangle (by the chip shop) and then turn right again in Rustlings Road and stand near the bus shelter facing town.

[tango]

Maltby & Kimberworth were on the YTC bus blinds at Rawmarsh a long time before they ran to these areas.

First Rotherham blinds from what I can remember have Swinton & Mexborough on them, but only on certain vehicles.

[manontheinside]

Its a wonderful thing scrolling through a proper Sheffield 'First' blind. You still get gems like Crich, Matlock, Heathlands, Greenland Garage, Halfway Garage and many besides. You also get Buxton on them, but - and someone will correct me doubtlessly - until the 218, did 'SYT and co' ever get there as a terminus?

Not sure that there has ever been a glut of places on the blinds never served, but there are plenty missing once served and now served again (Lane Top) and ones on the old blinds that haven't had a service so to speak for a long time (Oughtibridge for example).

I'd have to have a full run through on the likes of '813' or '830' or a Stocky Olympian to confirm if there was anything 'mad' on there though.

However, although for tender purposes and such, some operators may 'sepculate', its fair to say that as these things always cost money the more you add, few will go over the top on extras.

And to go back right to where this started, 61211 has a funny blind on it. I've seen it regularly going to Dyke Vale Road or such minus a number, but its there later. Think it must have a very strange programme on it.

[Tom B]

Does anyone have any ball-park figures on roughly how much a blind costs, out of interest? Is it a significant investment, or more a pain having to change a fleet-ful of them. If it cost an awful lot to buy fresh blinds, and there was a strong likelyhood of the company introducing a route to place X in the near future, it would make sense to include it.