(25 Oct 2015, 8:49 pm)Andreos1 wrote Blimey, my memory must be going.
Can't remember the 301 doing that at all.

Gonna have to check over the timetables in the 'bygone era'.

As far as I could remember, the only PTE buses along Durham Road, were the following:
24 - Gateshead to Allerdene
25 - Gateshead to Wrekenton
26 - Gateshead to Barley Mow
27 - Gateshead to Heworth
28 - Gateshead to Kibblesworth.

Obviously they terminated at Gateshead, as they fed into the Metro system prior to de-reg.

I didn't realise the 301 crossed the river at that point nor extended to Kibby.

This extension to Kibblesworth didn't go along Durham Road, it went via Bensham Road and Saltwell Road. If I remember correctly it was a combination of the 301 and the old 29 - which was pretty similar to the current 29 (except for operation by double deckers!). The extension didn't last long due to reliability problems (so nothing new there) plus several Percy Main drivers reportedly got lost on the way to Kibblesworth.............. I'll have a look upstairs tomorrow to see if I have any dates for this one. My guess would be early 1980's (possibly starting November 1981 when the cross-river Metro line opened and the cross-river bus services were mostly curtailed at Gateshead Interchange. 301 going to the Metro Centre came much later (post-deregulation) and my memory is that it was Saturdays (and Sundays?) only.