Lancashire Travel - St Helens

[sth77]

Lancashire Travel - St Helens
Bit of a long shot here, but can anyone help with me with gaining the fleet numbers and registrations for the Metrobus and fleetlines (I think they were) that St Helens depot gained at the start of the Lancashire Travel branding.

I know some where the following, but I can't remember exactly what we got. Any help would be appreciated.

metrobuses
0016
0018
3502
3506

fleetlines
0374
0405

[motormayhem]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens
More fleetlines where
0394,0398,0403.
Metrobus
3501,

[B10B6514]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens
The Fleetlines had corresponding VCU-T registrations and were ex-Busways, Tyne & Wear. MTL bought most of this batch from them- can't remember exact numbers but ranged between 0374 and 0403.

Metrobuses 0019-0023 were UKA 19-23V, ex-Badgerline 3510-3513 DAE 510-513W, ex-Yorkshire Rider 3501-3505 JUM 501-505V (I think) plus some ex- Newport Transport JBO-W ones as well. Not forgetting 0801-0825 F801-825 YLV.

[sth77]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens
Cheers for the information, I can remember there being quite a lot of metrobuses arriving but can not remember the fleet numbers.

[B10B6514]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens
Newport ones were 3079-3083 JBO 79-83W I think plus one or two ex-London Northern ones also

[sth77]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens
Thanks from doing some research on the internet, I have found that St Helens received a few Metrobuses from outside the MTL depots.

I have found that we had 3016, 3144, 3159 and 3229. From what I remember there was a few more but these did not seem to last long was Lancashire Travel went back under the banner of MTL North.

[B10B6514]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens
Quite a few seemed to go to the Heysham Travel unit from St. Helens. MTL were quite resourceful buying in used buses in the early 90s.

[Gillmoss 0324]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens

(29/07/2013 22:45)sth77 Wrote:  Bit of a long shot here, but can anyone help with me with gaining the fleet numbers and registrations for the Metrobus and fleetlines (I think they were) that St Helens depot gained at the start of the Lancashire Travel branding.

I know some where the following, but I can't remember exactly what we got. Any help would be appreciated.

metrobuses
0016
0018
3502
3506

fleetlines
0374
0405

0016/0018 were registered VRG416/418T. They arrived around the autumn of 1993 and for a few months were at Gillmoss before transferring over to St Helens. They were from London Buses but were new to the Tyne & Wear PTE and I think around 1995/96 MTL sold them on to (I think) to Ensign Bus's London Pride sightseeing operation.

The ex TWPTE/Busways fleetlines came in around that time and were split between Fareway and Lancashire Travel. Fareway's replaced life expired ex-GMPTE ones and still had the yellow/blue livery but didn't have fleetplates. Lancashire Travel's had Merseybus maroon livery/fleetplates and served mainly St Helens local routes until around the Autum 1994 when most of the batch transferred to Fareway also gaining MTL corporate colours by 1995.

The older/secondhand Metrobuses tended to be used on local St Helens services although in 1994 the ex West/South Yorkshire Metrobuses did run on the 10/510's alongside the 0801-825 batch and the 0251-260 Northern Counties/Olympian's and in 1994 Lancashire Travel did receive the UKA-V and Alexander bodied Metro's from Gillmoss too.

The ex Newport and (I think) West/South Yorkshire Metrobuses also transferred to MTL Fareway at some point towards the end of 1995/early 1996 and stayed there until approximately the begining of 1997 when MTL Fareway was being closed down and merged with Gillmoss. Some (perhaps all) UKA-V's went to London Coaches sightseeing operation and the Alexander Metro's to Heysham Travel before being sold on to other operators like MK Metro/Classic Coaches.

Yeah it was an intersting time for SH with some of those secondhand acquisitions and hope this helps.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens

(02/08/2013 09:22)Gillmoss 0324 Wrote:  

(29/07/2013 22:45)sth77 Wrote:  Bit of a long shot here, but can anyone help with me with gaining the fleet numbers and registrations for the Metrobus and fleetlines (I think they were) that St Helens depot gained at the start of the Lancashire Travel branding.

I know some where the following, but I can't remember exactly what we got. Any help would be appreciated.

metrobuses
0016
0018
3502
3506

fleetlines
0374
0405

0016/0018 were registered VRG416/418T. They arrived around the autumn of 1993 and for a few months were at Gillmoss before transferring over to St Helens. They were from London Buses but were new to the Tyne & Wear PTE and I think around 1995/96 MTL sold them on to (I think) to Ensign Bus's London Pride sightseeing operation.

The ex TWPTE/Busways fleetlines came in around that time and were split between Fareway and Lancashire Travel. Fareway's replaced life expired ex-GMPTE ones and still had the yellow/blue livery but didn't have fleetplates. Lancashire Travel's had Merseybus maroon livery/fleetplates and served mainly St Helens local routes until around the Autum 1994 when most of the batch transferred to Fareway also gaining MTL corporate colours by 1995.

The older/secondhand Metrobuses tended to be used on local St Helens services although in 1994 the ex West/South Yorkshire Metrobuses did run on the 10/510's alongside the 0801-825 batch and the 0251-260 Northern Counties/Olympian's and in 1994 Lancashire Travel did receive the UKA-V and Alexander bodied Metro's from Gillmoss too.

The ex Newport and (I think) West/South Yorkshire Metrobuses also transferred to MTL Fareway at some point towards the end of 1995/early 1996 and stayed there until approximately the begining of 1997 when MTL Fareway was being closed down and merged with Gillmoss. Some (perhaps all) UKA-V's went to London Coaches sightseeing operation and the Alexander Metro's to Heysham Travel before being sold on to other operators like MK Metro/Classic Coaches.

Yeah it was an intersting time for SH with some of those secondhand acquisitions and hope this helps.

Just to add in, the VRG-T's were 0015 - 0018, and I actually was sad to see these go as they appeared to be quite quick.

[mathias]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens

(02/08/2013 10:52)MPTE1955 Wrote:  Just to add in, the VRG-T's were 0015 - 0018, and I actually was sad to see these go as they appeared to be quite quick.

A brief photographic history of VRG 417T;

New as TWPTE 417, -as seen here in 1983;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58309111@N03/8439514880
(Photo Credit; southlancs)

...Then as London Northern M1483 in 1989;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53919352@N04/8304261409
(Photo Credit; Malcolm Conway)

...Then as Merseybus 0017, Lord Street, Liverpool City Centre, 1994;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27108685@N03/7875510020
(Photo Credit; haley111)

...BUT then -15 years later- its back in Liverpool again as ACE Travel 217!
Seen here, Castle Street, 2009;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27302738@N06/4032237362
(Photo Credit; Deltabus)