Historic National Express Routes

[Norton Bridge]

Here's a bit of a niche question, which might need a kindly member with the right timetable from the right era to confirm . . .


In the late 1970s, every Friday at 7pm-ish, I would be waiting at a wayside bus stop outside Wigan for a local GMT service to take me to my regular Friday evening watering hole. Most times, a National Express coach would drive past, heading in the direction of Bolton and showing the destination "Leeds".

I assumed at the time this was some kind of National Express 'all shacks' coach between Liverpool (or just maybe from Southport) which stuck to A-roads and passed through all the towns along the way, rather than the faster 'inter-city' option along the M62, which was fully open by that time.

I have it in mind this route was numbered X58, but I might be confusing this with the A58 road which the coach would have followed most of the way.

Does anyone have any info on this Liverpool / Leeds via Wigan, Bolton, etc. etc. service from the 1970s (which passed through Wigan around 7pm)?

I wonder if it could be this one. From the Summer 1977 National Express Guide there was a service 293 that left Southport at 1825, called at Wigan at 1921 and arrived in Leeds at 2150. It went via way of Bolton, Bury, Huddersfield and Bradford. That journey was not Saturdays, with the outward journey leaving Leeds at 0900 and getting to Southport at 1220. On Saturdays it was extended to Pontin's at Ainsdale with the return journey being at 1310.

 

[Springs Branch]

I wonder if it could be this one. From the Summer 1977 National Express Guide there was a service 293 that left Southport at 1825, called at Wigan at 1921 and arrived in Leeds at 2150. It went via way of Bolton, Bury, Huddersfield and Bradford. That journey was not Saturdays, with the outward journey leaving Leeds at 0900 and getting to Southport at 1220. On Saturdays it was extended to Pontin's at Ainsdale with the return journey being at 1310.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. Now I think of it, I was waiting for a local bus due at 19:25, so it would have been this Southport to Leeds coach I saw. There never seemed many passengers on board - a handful at best.
Thanks!

 

[Norton Bridge]

I think you have hit the nail on the head. Now I think of it, I was waiting for a local bus due at 19:25, so it would have been this Southport to Leeds coach I saw. There never seemed many passengers on board - a handful at best.
Thanks!

You're welcome. I just wish I'd held on to those old timetables instead of having to find them on Ebay!

 

[route101]

539 Edinburgh to Bournemouth. Hamilton Bus station still has this listed.

 

[Deerfold]

I would be interested in the routes from Scotland and Southampton/Portsmouth.

The 596 will become a historical route soon. The 596 starts in Edinburgh and runs to London via Glasgow.

From Southampton there's the 725, with a daily summer short to Exeter (Friday to Monday in winter) and a daily Brighton to Penzance service.
A daily 549 to Inverness (starts Bournemouth).
3x 830, from Portsmouth to Liverpool twice daily, with one starting from Poole and extending to Southport.
3x 626, from Swansea, via Bristol Bristol, continuing to Portsmouth.
A Friday overnight service 334 from Preston and Manchester to Poole, returning the next day (high Summer only).
A Friday overnight 324 from Bradford and Leeds to Poole, returning the next day (high Summer only)
9x720 a day to London via Heathrow with one extending from/to Bournemouth.
2x310 a day, both via Oxford and Leicester, one starting at Weymouth and continuing to Bradford, the other going to Lincoln.
2x025 starting at Bournemouth to Brighton and Gatwick, with one extending to Ramsgate and Westwood.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

In the mid-1980s, I remember travelling from Birmingham Digbeth to Bangor in North Wales on service that went through Shrewsbury and then used the A5 through the mountains in preference to the coastal route. Not only far better scenery (in my opinion) but smoother and maybe even a bit quicker. (There was no A55 Expressway along the coast in those days).
I think the service continued on to Holyhead but can't remember if it originated from somewhere other than Birmingham.

Although I never used it, there was also the so-called express service between Liverpool and Cemaes Bay, via the NW coast, Bangor and Amlwch, which I think used Natex-branded vehicles in its latter days. Cemaes Bay must have been one of the most obscure destination for a NatEx service, I would have thought.

 

[Martin2013]

From Southampton there's the 725, with a daily summer short to Exeter (Friday to Monday in winter) and a daily Brighton to Penzance service.
A daily 549 to Inverness (starts Bournemouth).
3x 830, from Portsmouth to Liverpool twice daily, with one starting from Poole and extending to Southport.
3x 626, from Swansea, via Bristol Bristol, continuing to Portsmouth.
A Friday overnight service 334 from Preston and Manchester to Poole, returning the next day (high Summer only).
A Friday overnight 324 from Bradford and Leeds to Poole, returning the next day (high Summer only)
9x720 a day to London via Heathrow with one extending from/to Bournemouth.
2x310 a day, both via Oxford and Leicester, one starting at Weymouth and continuing to Bradford, the other going to Lincoln.
2x025 starting at Bournemouth to Brighton and Gatwick, with one extending to Ramsgate and Westwood.

There was also a seasonal 543 service between Glasgow and Southampton via Birmingham. I rode it back in Summer 2008 between Birmingham and Coventry purely because Parks were using a Jonckheere SHV on it and I'd never ridden one before.

In terms of the 626 I seem to remember reading an early 90s timetable which showed a daily service between Swansea and Portsmouth and a Sunday only service between Bristol and Portsmouth. I remember reading somewhere that Eastville coaches worked that route too.

 

[pitdiver]

From Southampton there's the 725, with a daily summer short to Exeter (Friday to Monday in winter) and a daily Brighton to Penzance service.
A daily 549 to Inverness (starts Bournemouth).
3x 830, from Portsmouth to Liverpool twice daily, with one starting from Poole and extending to Southport.
3x 626, from Swansea, via Bristol Bristol, continuing to Portsmouth.
A Friday overnight service 334 from Preston and Manchester to Poole, returning the next day (high Summer only).
A Friday overnight 324 from Bradford and Leeds to Poole, returning the next day (high Summer only)
9x720 a day to London via Heathrow with one extending from/to Bournemouth.
2x310 a day, both via Oxford and Leicester, one starting at Weymouth and continuing to Bradford, the other going to Lincoln.
2x025 starting at Bournemouth to Brighton and Gatwick, with one extending to Ramsgate and WestAre these

Were these historic routes? Do any of them exist now?

 

[Martin2013]

Bit of a longshot but can anyone recall anything about Turners of Bristol's involvement in NX work? According to the NX handbooks they were operating on the 040 Bristol to London route from at least 2000 and I know they remained doing so up until September 2005 but can anyone recall whenabouts they started doing NX work and whether they ever had scheduled work on the Bristol to Birmingham corridor? Have heard mixed things about whether or not they did and from what point.

 

[Deerfold]

Were these historic routes? Do any of them exist now?

These were Summer 1989.


None of the routes are quite the same as they were then.
It's lost a lot of connectivity but has far more coaches to London or Heathrow (but not both).
Now, it's on the way from Poole to Heathrow (only), 5 times a day on the 204.
On the 203 (2 from Southsea, all 5 from Portsmouth) there are 5 coaches a day to Heathrow (not continuing to London).
Depending on the day of the week there's 14-16 coaches a day to London on the 032.
On most days there's one very early one one very late 035 from Poole to London that diverts to Southampton, returning daily at 0630.
Apart from London and Heathrow services there's just two coaches a day to Birmingham on the 160.

 

[pitdiver]

These were Summer 1989.


None of the routes are quite the same as they were then.
It's lost a lot of connectivity but has far more coaches to London or Heathrow (but not both).
Now, it's on the way from Poole to Heathrow (only), 5 times a day on the 204.
On the 203 (2 from Southsea, all 5 from Portsmouth) there are 5 coaches a day to Heathrow (not continuing to London).
Depending on the day of the week there's 14-16 coaches a day to London on the 032.
On most days there's one very early one one very late 035 from Poole to London that diverts to Southampton, returning daily at 0630.
Apart from London and Heathrow services there's just two coaches a day to Birmingham on the 160.

I worked for NX 2005-2011. I certainly don't remember any of those routes.

 

[Skipness]

Buxton also had a London National Express service until relatively recently - started in Manchester . I seem to remember it also served New Mills Newtown ( The Swan )

It was service 440, worked by Silver Service (Wooliscrofts) of Darley Dale via Derby and Leicester.

 

[ADB125]

Interesting. I do recall seeing that Wrexham service at Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station. The Ulsterbus routes to Belfast have not returned.

I used the 533 once between Glasgow and Carlisle, seem to recall it was operated by Selwyns and used a Van Hool T9 at the time. The Manchester to Aberdeen 538 was operated by Parks and interworked with the 592. Neoplan Skyliners were used for a while until replaced by Volvo B12BT Plaxton Panthers. 539 and 590 were Bruce's. After the 533 was removed, the Manchester Airport to Aberdeen service was extended to/from Liverpool and Chester for a time but this was also eventually removed along with several other routes. By the time of covid I think the only Scottish services up the M6 were the 336, 539, 548, 588, 590, 592 and 920.

 

[route101]

These were Summer 1989.


None of the routes are quite the same as they were then.
It's lost a lot of connectivity but has far more coaches to London or Heathrow (but not both).
Now, it's on the way from Poole to Heathrow (only), 5 times a day on the 204.
On the 203 (2 from Southsea, all 5 from Portsmouth) there are 5 coaches a day to Heathrow (not continuing to London).
Depending on the day of the week there's 14-16 coaches a day to London on the 032.
On most days there's one very early one one very late 035 from Poole to London that diverts to Southampton, returning daily at 0630.
Apart from London and Heathrow services there's just two coaches a day to Birmingham on the 160.

The 203 came back last year. Gatwick was served as an extension last year to the 204 but lasted a few weeks. I find the 160 could do with an extra service.

I used the 533 once between Glasgow and Carlisle, seem to recall it was operated by Selwyns and used a Van Hool T9 at the time. The Manchester to Aberdeen 538 was operated by Parks and interworked with the 592. Neoplan Skyliners were used for a while until replaced by Volvo B12BT Plaxton Panthers. 539 and 590 were Bruce's. After the 533 was removed, the Manchester Airport to Aberdeen service was extended to/from Liverpool and Chester for a time but this was also eventually removed along with several other routes. By the time of covid I think the only Scottish services up the M6 were the 336, 539, 548, 588, 590, 592 and 920.

Now only Bruces do the Scottish routes. What happened to Parks on NX work?