(05 Aug 2013, 1:37 pm)Michael wrote(05 Aug 2013, 1:29 pm)cbma06 wrote(05 Aug 2013, 1:02 pm)Michael wrote(05 Aug 2013, 12:56 pm)AdamY wrote(05 Aug 2013, 12:28 pm)Andreos1 wrote Yeah, the stops on Harlow Green Lane were once served by *drum roll, cos it hasn't been mentioned for a while*..... the mighty 638!
Apart from scholars/works services - not sure if anything else has served it more recently.
If I recall correctly, it used to struggle to get up that hill.
The 638 really deserves a thread to itself. I don't think there was any other service quite like it and I doubt we will ever see anything of its kind again.
It was one of their longest routes and we defiantly won't see a route like it again.
Does anyone remember when it was diverted down Grindon Lane and along Summerset road - Springwell Road when it joined its route at the Broadway- only on Sundays - it was ran by a Solo on a Sunday to.
That was awhile back, originally Sunderland Busways decided on a Sunday that there run all there bus services as 15 every 20 minutes via Grindon Mill which resulted the loss along Somerset Road served by the 16, residents were not amused by there loss of service, even Busways stated that the residents only had a short walk to Springwell for service 23 and 24, Nexus funded 775 on a Sunday operated by Ok Travel and so Nexus diverted the 775 via Somerset Road and Grindon Lane to Grindon Mill, don't know why I cant remember the 638 going via Somerset Road as I lived at Nookside at the time, maybe it did but only for a short time as Busways backed down and ran one of the 15 services as a 16, so there was 2x 15's and 1x 16.
Yeh now i remember, it seems they diverted it for use on Somerset road but it still ran once they swapped the routes around - so the 16 ran instead of the 15 on a Sunday, due to loss of the Grindon mill link (top of Grindon lane), think this was only for a short time, i remember using it a few times on a Sunday, the top of Grindon lane next to the Grindon Mill remains unused since Stagecoach withdrew the 15... Would be nice to have a bus go down their and turn at the turning circle their for the OAP's around that area.
Im sure i read years ago their was people asking for it to be reinstated.
Maybe a diversion of the 39 down that way, would only add 3-4 mins on to its route...
Just had a look at the 1999 Sunderland map on my blog and it shows Grindon variant of the 638 route.
![[Image: sa21999.jpg]](http://oldtwbustime.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/sa21999.jpg)
However, by 2006, looking at the Sunderland area maps located here, it had returned to its 'normal' routing via Chester Road.