Route History

[Gillmoss 0324]

RE: Route History
The 100-250 Merseytravel numbering scheme that is generally out of favour now was interesting with the ways tendered journey's for the likes of the 9B/C and 9A/D being numbered 129, 139 etc. and the Crosville/Ribble routes having an impact on this too. Interestingly West Midlands had the 4-track number displays so you could/can get route numbers like 255A etc. but MPTE, Crosville, North Westerm and newcomers probably wouldn't have this as an option. Didn't Greater Manchester have the X added at the end on their blinds to short journey routes in three figures too?

Just out of interest what was the other 139 which Merseybus ran for Merseytravel which ran to Old Roan, take it this was a Walton Depot route too?

It's one of those never will know questions but do you reckon the Liverpool area H-routes Crosville operated would have survived if they hadn't pulled the plug on Love Lane? At the time most of these were quite established but limited stoppers compared to the equivalent Merseybus routes so I suppose they might have revised these to be competing versions of the 9's/10's, 6's/40's, 82's/86's etc. which might have improved the profitability of their Liverpool division but at the expense of a bus war with Merseybus and others long run.

Also if Crosville had have remained in Liverpool and PMT's Red Rider expanding far/wide beyond it's Staffordshire region would PMT acquiring a much larger Crosville been possible? A significant Liverpool operation competing with Merseybus would have been a much different proposition to the Wirral division it acquired along with the small-scale operations it developed in the West Midlands, Tameside and Yorkshire.

Perhaps PMT/Red Rider's operation of the evening/Sunday 75/175's was dipping the toe for a possible Liverpool division although if it had happened it would probably not resulted in Liverbus and Liverline developing their operations in East/South Liverpool, Knowsley etc. Didn't do the Red Rider's on the 75's much but did like their Bristol VR's on there especially after the Crosville pull out and a coach seated example I used in '87 was a very interesting example compared to GL's general hardware which itself was quite interesting and varied back then too.