Born out of Aureolin's thread on photography and my response about all things old, it just brought back some memories of being on a bus when I were younger and wondered if anyone else had any to share.

One of my earliest memories was heading off to Jesmond Dene Pets Corner with one of my Grandparents. What was usually an uneventful trip to Gateshead on a 26, followed by the Metro to Newcastle (all pre-deregulation) was rudely interupted by the TWPTE Atlantean daring to have its stairs on the 'wrong side' of the bus! Me seeing a decker pull up and wondering how the hell you got upstairs has stayed with me to this day.
It has stopped with me almost as much as the vomit covering the upstairs front window of a United 723 Olympian a year or so later.

But not as much as throwing 'devil bangers' from the upstairs window (they slid open) of a VR at unsuspecting pedestrians who we passed on a 551 one summer - when I was a few years older.

(02 Jul 2013, 6:21 pm)Andreos1 wrote But not as much as throwing 'devil bangers' from the upstairs window (they slid open) of a VR at unsuspecting pedestrians who we passed on a 551 one summer - when I was a few years older.

I remember people doing that years ago haha. That and people using makeshift pea shooters out of a bottle neck and rubber glove finger!

One thing that I always remember is the old red and white 'mini link' Northern buses (post deregulation). They must of only had about 15 seats and used to be jam packed once they had picked up from Oxclose school.

I can always remember sitting upstairs on the scholar services - usually a Kingsley Atlantean. You'd always have someone sit over the viewing thing on the dash at the front right, whilst people would hang out the back window having a cheeky cigarette. There was always the odd time the driver would drive straight back to school to get the head mind

Whoops, that was you I must have hit! Sorry about that haha.
Can't remember that sort of pea-shooter mind. Oxclose must have been more advanced than our dismembered bic pens which we used!

Yeah, many a time spent on those mini-links in the Summer holidays.
Did they have windows which opened? Can always remember them being beyond hot when they were crowded ie all 15 seats were taken up.
Did they have some sort of colour coding on the destination blind too?

Mind, they were the total opposite to the Mercedes mini-links Chester had. Trying to reach for the bell as a kid (which was a button embeded into the ceiling) and struggling down the narrow gangway was fraught with the risk of falling over and missing your stop.

Do kids still smoke on the scholars buses?

Sounds like the same mini link buses. Only two bells in the entire bus - both in the ceiling. None of the windows actually opened. There was just a roof window which you had to ask the driver to open for you, as it was a makeshift fire escape too! On a plus side, the high back coach seats were comfy.

(03 Jul 2013, 8:10 am)aureolin wrote Sounds like the same mini link buses. Only two bells in the entire bus - both in the ceiling. None of the windows actually opened. There was just a roof window which you had to ask the driver to open for you, as it was a makeshift fire escape too! On a plus side, the high back coach seats were comfy.

Oh god i remember those on the 21 (Stagecoach) Thorney close to South Bents, used to love them buses

I remember being on those minlink buses, Park Lane depot and Phili depot had those in the Sunderland district colours, used to be on the 159 Sunderland to Bournmoor, yes no windows just 2 plastic roof ones which you can open on a tilt so air could get in the minlink or have it fully open, you were squashed like sardines in the very small seats, the capacity used to get more than what it was legally stated. eventually windows that open were put in.

I remember when I first got my first network travel ticket from the Travelcentre in the old Sunderland Central Bus Station in 1990 at a cost of £23 for all zones for the month (price now is about 4 times the price), first bus I got with my new pass was Michael franks Coaches service 153 from Sunderland to Easington Lane.

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(03 Jul 2013, 8:25 am)Michael wrote

(03 Jul 2013, 8:10 am)aureolin wrote Sounds like the same mini link buses. Only two bells in the entire bus - both in the ceiling. None of the windows actually opened. There was just a roof window which you had to ask the driver to open for you, as it was a makeshift fire escape too! On a plus side, the high back coach seats were comfy.

Oh god i remember those on the 21 (Stagecoach) Thorney close to South Bents, used to love them buses

was that fleet number 1621 etc..., used to get them from Sunderland to Thorney Close and also on the 17 Sunderland to Seaburn Camp

The mini-links in my area first appeared after de-regulation (like everywhere I suppose). At the time, I was living in Blaydon and the first mini-link service was the 630 which operated between Blaydon and Snook Hill Estate in Winlaton. Then there was the 628 which operated between Blaydon and Winlaton via Hole-in-the-Wall Estate; and the 629 which operated between Winlaton and Lobley Hill via the newly opened Metrocentre. All of these were precursor to the 'M series' of routes which operated between Metrocentre and Winlaton (and, of course, Lobley Hill, Sunniside and Whickham).

Having mini-links going to the Metrocentre was a bad idea as they were usually chocker-block coming back and, if you weren't first in the queue, it was standing-room only for most of journey. At Blaydon, even more people were crammed in. Even when sitting, it was still an uncomfortable journey.

(03 Jul 2013, 8:10 am)aureolin wrote Sounds like the same mini link buses. Only two bells in the entire bus - both in the ceiling. None of the windows actually opened. There was just a roof window which you had to ask the driver to open for you, as it was a makeshift fire escape too! On a plus side, the high back coach seats were comfy.

The Mercedes ones, were (or seemed) longer than the Washington Mini-links. Here's a photo of one in Durham http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewood_eddie...018389985/

Opposed to this W5 or W6 http://www.flickr.com/photos/16314639@N02/6890822395

Now you mention the sunroof, it rings a bell.

As a kid, I can remember standing in the old Gateshead Metro every Friday with my Dad waiting for the bus home from Tesco. Watching all the buses come through showing such exotic destinations as Sacriston, Parkside, Seaham Harbour, Frosterly, Peterlee, Hartlepool, Chester-le-Street etc. Not to mention the vehicles - Nationals, Bristol VRs, Olympians, Metrobuses (a special mention must go to the expresslink Metrobuses - they sounded fantastic!) - it all just got me hooked. From then I wanted to be a bus driver and go to all these places.

Then I grew up and got a job in an office! Best laid plans, and all that...

I have some fond memories of Derwent Coaches.




(Image Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/busfreakbrian/7481549572 - User: Briandela)

Not only did they operate the Cross Country service between Whickham and Ryton (and, in later years, from Ryton into Newcastle) but they were also the provider of coach travel for my school. They used to take us swimming; take us on school trips to the coast and Lightwater Valley; and for some, although not me as I lived right next to the school; take us home.

The cross-country service was always a laugh. You were allowed to drink, smoke, and basically, do whatever you wanted. You were always aware that the bus might brake-down at a moments notice (the buses never sounded healthy), but since it was usually a coach, the seats were comfortable. It was a regular pub-crawler bus for drinkers wishing to alternate between the bars of Winlaton and Whickham. It was convenient for last orders, the last bus to Whickham used to get you there before 11:00 while the last bus to Winlaton used to arrive before last, last, orders at 11:30.

The bus eventually lost all its character when it was eventually absorbed into GNE, renumbered the 641 and operated by OK Travel. It probably ended sometime in the late 90s when the 637 came into operation.

Were Derwent the ones based next to the traffic lights at Swalwell?

They used to take us on many a school trip too.

Can anyone remember the temporary bus station in the car park of the disused factory on the river at Dunston by the Tudor Rose - during the Gateshead Garden Festival?
Buses would arrive and depart the site with clockwork regularity dropping off and picking up kids on school trips.
Go-ahead Northern must have picked up a contract, because on our frequent trips there, we had a range of buses take us.
The VRs and the 'Best Buy' branded Metrobus were my favourites.

Does anyone know why some of the Metrobus's had a single seat behind the staircase upstairs, rather than the normal double seat?

Yes, their garage used to be located at the bottom of Swalwell Bank, next door to Fewsters.

I think they also had some arrangement with Thirlwell Coaches located further on up Swalwell Bank. Sometimes, you used to see Thirlwell Coaches in Derwent's yard and sometimes they ran the school services.

There were two bus stations/drop off points at the National Garden Festival. There was the coach drop off at the CWS Flour Mill on St Omers Road (as you described), but there was also the commercial bus station located at the Teams where the X66 turns into before running along the bus-only section of route along the riverside. There was also Jetty located there as a ferry ran between the Quayside and the Festival.

Ah Derwent Coaches. It was the luck of the draw whether or not it made it up the bank and the fare was as much or as little as you liked!

(10 Jul 2013, 12:05 pm)Chris wrote Ah Derwent Coaches. It was the luck of the draw whether or not it made it up the bank and the fare was as much or as little as you liked!

That made me laugh.

As a teen I used to often get the bus from Hole-in-the-Wall to Winlaton. Three buses came at more or less the same time including the Derwent. Sometimes, I didn't have the full 15p required for my bus-fare. I knew the drivers at Northern would have none of it, so I used to wait for Derwent with my 12p in hand while preparing my sob story for the driver. It always worked!

I'm telling you, if they existed today and had a Facebook page, everyone would be complementing the customer service skills of the drivers.

15p - absolute bargain.
I can remember my Mother complaining when it went up to 20p and thought I was ripping her off 5p! Obviously those were the days before the internet, so a quick phonecall ensued to the depot to check it had gone up. The fella on the other end got an ear bashing at how expensive it was and how she had to find an extra 10p to get me to and from comp!

Just remembering when I was younger, handing over the 'old style' 5p for a day out with the Grandparents back in the early 80s. 10p, if we were getting a transfer over to Whitley Bay for fish & chips.

Wonder what inflation would make the equivalent fares these days? Are kids getting good value with their £1.10 day tickets or is it too much?

Going off on a tangent for a minute (this is way more interesting than work), the last 632/633 from Newcastle could somtimes be a bit dicey. Whilst it was timetabled to still go along Scotswood Road, Winlatons finest would regularly bolt across the Redheugh Bridge, A184 and then up the A1 before picking up at Blaydon.

Sometimes buses into Blaydon used to use the flyover rather than the crossing. For some reason, I always preferred it when they did that.

Speaking of Scotswood Road, another memory of mine was on the few occasions when it closed. Sometime in the early 80s, there was some sort of problem at Paradise Bridge (flooding?), so the 631/2/3 was diverted via Denton Road, Armstrong Road and Atkinson Road. On the way back from Newcastle, they sometimes used South Benwell Road instead of Atkinson Road. This diversion seem to last forever as a child but it was probably only for a month or so.

Also, coming out of Marlborough Crescent, buses sometimes used to go up Westmorland Road and down Park Road to get to Scotswood Road. This was after the Redheugh Bridge was built so I've always wondered why this was the case?

Just had a blast from the past.
No idea where this came from!

Redby put on a service (13?) that ran from Houghton - Heworth or Newcastle.
Go ahead responded by sticking an extra 194 on, to run ahead of the Redby. It was usually a MiniLink of some sort and I think that tells the story of how much demand there was...

On one occasion the 13 stopped opposite Seaburn Garage on Station Road/Beatrice Terrace and despite having its indicators on, the 194 spoiler over took it.
These were the days before Station Road was hindered by parked cars - so the road was perfectly clear for the 13 to continue up the road with the 194 on the opposite side, running alongside it.
The dual-door MK1 National on the 13 won the race.

The 332 when Northumbria Coaches/GNE operated it

(09 Jul 2013, 12:24 pm)Chris wrote As a kid, I can remember standing in the old Gateshead Metro every Friday with my Dad waiting for the bus home from Tesco. Watching all the buses come through showing such exotic destinations as Sacriston, Parkside, Seaham Harbour, Frosterly, Peterlee, Hartlepool, Chester-le-Street etc. Not to mention the vehicles - Nationals, Bristol VRs, Olympians, Metrobuses (a special mention must go to the expresslink Metrobuses - they sounded fantastic!) - it all just got me hooked. From then I wanted to be a bus driver and go to all these places.

Then I grew up and got a job in an office! Best laid plans, and all that...

And wondering where on earth they were?

In total agreement with the uprated Metrobuses.
They sounded great.
I was stuck with the standard ones that Sunderland Road and Chester had for the main, which although I enjoyed - were no match for the posh ones.

Where to begin?

In my totally un-scientific observations whilst regularly passing a depot on Mandela Way and linking it back to hazy memories of post de-reg services from Sunderland Road, it seems that buses are returning back to the depot a lot earlier in to the evening than they used to.

I use those two depots in comparison, only because of the scenes I witnessed at Sunderland Road in the latter half of the 80's.

Is it just me, or are we seeing fewer services running in to the evening than in the past?

If we are, is it because of changing passenger habits or is it because of margins? Could it be down to fewer subsidies?

Back in the late 80's, I remember Gateshead Interchange being a hive of activity late in to the evening, with the roar of a Metrobus or screech of an Atlantean only whizzing back to the depot at full pelt after dropping off their last load of passengers.

(21 Jun 2017, 11:55 am)Andreos1 wrote Where to begin?

In my totally un-scientific observations whilst regularly passing a depot on Mandela Way and linking it back to hazy memories of post de-reg services from Sunderland Road, it seems that buses are returning back to the depot a lot earlier in to the evening than they used to.

I use those two depots in comparison, only because of the scenes I witnessed at Sunderland Road in the latter half of the 80's.

Is it just me, or are we seeing fewer services running in to the evening than in the past?

If we are, is it because of changing passenger habits or is it because of margins? Could it be down to fewer subsidies?

Back in the late 80's, I remember Gateshead Interchange being a hive of activity late in to the evening, with the roar of a Metrobus or screech of an Atlantean only whizzing back to the depot at full pelt after dropping off their last load of passengers.

I give you Hartlepool.

Most routes had an evening service until Stagecoach called the council's bluff on subsidies and lost. 

Granted, they are proposing bringing back weekday evening 6s soon. But after 10 years of no service the customer base has moved on to other forms of transport, they're not likely to come flooding back.

When was younger living in Hartlepool I could easily go see friends in Durham/Crook/Washington/Newcastle after college and get back home for 11pm using evening buses. I don't think it's possible to make such journeys anymore. 

I used to depend on the final few journeys on the 229/230 (now 23) which were contracted out to GNE. From what I could gather, only Durham County Council subsidised the route, destpite it running through Nexus and Hartlepool areas also. Naturally when DCC pulled their money the service was dropped, despite being fairly well used. It's fair enough DCC only want to foot the bill for DCC residents making journies in the county, rather than people like me using the service from Sunderland to Hartlepool.

Since moving house last week, I longer live at Lambton, however upon reflection of the 19 years I lived there I couldn't help but think of the amount of service changes there was.

From having for example the 638 which then became 773/774 which became the 73/74 and then in it's current form of the 2/2A, Going from having Verde's, Prestiges, Striders and Dart's to having Merc Citaros to the current form of Streetlites, I could throw up numerous examples from years gone by.

As for where I have relocated to that shall remain a mystery, the only place I don't have a direct link to is Sunderland but I have one to most other places, maybe a future service suggestion will be a give a way....keep your eyes peeled.

(11 Nov 2018, 9:30 pm)Malarkey wrote Since moving house last week, I longer live at Lambton, however upon reflection of the 19 years I lived there I couldn't help but think of the amount of service changes there was.

From having for example the 638 which then became 773/774 which became the 73/74 and then in it's current form of the 2/2A, Going from having Verde's, Prestiges, Striders and Dart's to having Merc Citaros to the current form of Streetlites, I could throw up numerous examples from years gone by.

As for where I have relocated to that shall remain a mystery, the only place I don't have a direct link to is Sunderland but I have one to most other places, maybe a future service suggestion will be a give a way....keep your eyes peeled.

I'm sure we'll find out, when we see 50 odd service suggestions posted, via your new location

(18 Nov 2018, 4:21 pm)Adrian wrote I'm sure we'll find out, when we see 50 odd service suggestions posted, via your new location

Well after two weeks of using a highly frequent local service in my "new location" I do have some suggestions for change 

Storx post within the GNE thread about leaky and foisty buses got me thinking about one particular trip a few years back. 

It was on a version of the X3 or X4 Washington were running. It didn't last very long and seemed to run using a mix of whatever was spare.
I remember the last Lance was often allocated and they had a handful of Prestiges too.

One time I was on it, heading home after being in Newcastle. Not sure if it was work related or not, but it was definitely a week day. 
It was chucking down and I'd managed to get decent seats near the rear of the saloon. 
We took a sharp left hand turn and the build up of water on the roof or in the void took its chance to escape. It absolutely soaked me! Fortunately, there wasn't much of my journey left, so I wasn't in too much discomfort. 

Another trip back in the day, was when the 21/A/B had it's mixed allocation of Prestiges, Tridents/Loylnes and native Presidents.
You never knew what to expect after mooching down to the Odeon on Pilgrim St. 
On this particular wet day, the 21A was a Trident/Loylne. I'd forgot about the bizarre lack of legroom in the pilot seat upstairs and also forgot about the build of of foist, condensation and general dampness those particular seats and the footwell area around them tended to collect.
I didn't make that mistake again!

Direct buses to Newcastle and at one point up to 4 an hour! Those were the days! Even if they often ended up soggy and wet.

My earliest memory was at Primary school in Hartlepool just when Stagecoach had took over Hartlepool Transport. I can't remember why but stagecoach where at the school and it was my first experience of been on a Volvo B10 and finding it a new experience from the REs Nationals and Falcons at the time.  During break I would often see the buses use the stop opposite the school as a layover point and watch as the driver used to change the destination by winding though all the place names.  Was an exciting time as young bus enthusiast seeing the all different types of bus and 3 different liverys at the time. The stagecoach stripes  the Hartlepool Transport Maroon and cream and the yellow and orange of Tees and Distract.  Of course I never knew at the time that they was a big change happening in the town's bus network with a load of services changing and the slow demise of the Bristol RE.

(19 Apr 2020, 8:58 pm)col87 wrote My earliest memory was at Primary school in Hartlepool just when Stagecoach had took over Hartlepool Transport. I can't remember why but stagecoach where at the school and it was my first experience of been on a Volvo B10 and finding it a new experience from the REs Nationals and Falcons at the time.  During break I would often see the buses use the stop opposite the school as a layover point and watch as the driver used to change the destination by winding though all the place names.  Was an exciting time as young bus enthusiast seeing the all different types of bus and 3 different liverys at the time. The stagecoach stripes  the Hartlepool Transport Maroon and cream and the yellow and orange of Tees and Distract.  Of course I never knew at the time that they was a big change happening in the town's bus network with a load of services changing and the slow demise of the Bristol RE.

One of my earliest memories is of getting the bus, I'm not too sure of the details, but I think it was travelling from Chopwell to Dunston (I vaguely remember asking the driver for Dun Cow) with my grandmother. I also remember getting it one day and there being a new bus, I noticed it straight away because the windscreen was curved at the bottom and the old ones weren't. Not sure what service it would have been, but it would have been from Chopwell and in the very early 2000s

In fact, now that I think about it, I used to get the bus all the time when I was really young, probably because my grandmother didn't like driving!

(19 Apr 2020, 8:58 pm)col87 wrote My earliest memory was at Primary school in Hartlepool just when Stagecoach had took over Hartlepool Transport. I can't remember why but stagecoach where at the school and it was my first experience of been on a Volvo B10 and finding it a new experience from the REs Nationals and Falcons at the time.  During break I would often see the buses use the stop opposite the school as a layover point and watch as the driver used to change the destination by winding though all the place names.  Was an exciting time as young bus enthusiast seeing the all different types of bus and 3 different liverys at the time. The stagecoach stripes  the Hartlepool Transport Maroon and cream and the yellow and orange of Tees and Distract.  Of course I never knew at the time that they was a big change happening in the town's bus network with a load of services changing and the slow demise of the Bristol RE.

We must have went to school around the same time as I also remember them bringing a new Volvo down as a PR exercise encouraging good behaviour on school buses. What sticks in my mind is someone (presumably a teacher) asking about these new mobile phone thingys and the Stagecoach employee explaining they were allowed to answer a call while driving just to say they’d call them back when they were on break!

(19 Apr 2020, 10:22 pm)James101 wrote We must have went to school around the same time as I also remember them bringing a new Volvo down as a PR exercise encouraging good behaviour on school buses. What sticks in my mind is someone (presumably a teacher) asking about these new mobile phone thingys and the Stagecoach employee explaining they were allowed to answer a call while driving just to say they’d call them back when they were on break!

Yeah I would have been 8 at the time and the school I mentioned was Owton Manor Primary ( now Eskdale Academy).  Used to watch them at the stop on Wynyard Road on a dinner time.  Was really exciting the first time I seen double Deckers doing the town services as well although whenever went out on bus never seemed to get one think first time was on the 39 to Middlesbrough.