Old bus route that circled the city

[Voldy 10]

From 1937 my family home was on the 2&3 route in S5. It was a very well used service augmented by the football specials to Hillsborough on match days.

 

Round about the end of WW2 it was a very well patronised route especially at weekends when Duplicates were needed to cope with the demand. One of my uncles was a driver who often worked on those 'extras',his favourite route was the 48 to Manchester.

[ptrA 10]

Used it in the 70's when I worked at Shardlows. Gleadless Townend to Wincobank, then walked the rest, same to get home. The circle buses were very good and a good way to see Sheffield too. I think rule 1 applied. If it's good, stop it. When we all got cars, something had to go.

[kris99 11]

I used to catch it after doing afternoon shift from the Hallamshire to Gleadless. Took me longer than it did using two buses to get home, but I loved it. The buses were double deckers and I would sit upstairs. It was like going on a mini bus tour. Particularly loved it at Christmas when the houses were lit up and the bigger houses lit their gardens. I have to say though, there were more often than not only a couple of people on the bus.

[Janner 10]

I used to be put on the circular bus when a child, it was always Sunday afternoon after Dad came back from the WMC. It was years before the penny dropped!

[phantom309 10]

In the 60s there was a special route for Sundays and bank holidays I think it was a country and city tour or something similar and ran from Pond Street bus station and that was at least 2 hours and possibly longer

[bullerboY 10]

They used to put the Crossley buses on the Rutland rd route when the works turned out as they had the pre-select gearbox fitted and not the crash box so the driver selected first gear before he needed to change then on the steep part he could just dip the left pedal (not a clutch) to change gear quickly as with the crashbox there was a chance if he missed first the bus would roll back.

[hillsbro 33]

In the 60s there was a special route for Sundays and bank holidays I think it was a country and city tour or something similar and ran from Pond Street bus station and that was at least 2 hours and possibly longer

I think there were several of these tours; one I remember from the 1960s was the "Lakeland" tour which took in the Rivelin, Bradfield and Ewden area reservoirs.

[phantom309 10]

They used to put the Crossley buses on the Rutland rd route when the works turned out as they had the pre-select gearbox fitted and not the crash box so the driver selected first gear before he needed to change then on the steep part he could just dip the left pedal (not a clutch) to change gear quickly as with the crashbox there was a chance if he missed first the bus would roll back.

 

There was also some AEC,s pre select used on the 110 Parson Cross and 34/35 Petre Street Norton Lees you had to watch when using the striker pedal as if you got it wrong it would come out and trap your foot against the seat

 

---------- Post added 24-09-2015 at 22:00 ----------

 

I think there were several of these tours; one I remember from the 1960s was the "Lakeland" tour which took in the Rivelin, Bradfield and Ewden area reservoirs.

 

Hillsbor'o that seems correct as it was like going out for a run and not like working and you got paid extra for doing them with them being on a Sunday or bank holiday

[medusa 16]

We used to have a joke when we were away on holiday somewhere, that if we waited anywhere in the known universe for long enough a Sheffield number 2 bus would come past at some point.

 

I think it's a bit sad that they no longer exist.

[pvc123 10]

I used to live just off Carterknowle Road where the Outer Circle bus used to run. I remember it was the No 2 and 3 - one went round the circle one way - the number 2 went up Carterknowle and the number 3 went dow. It took 2 hours to do the full circle. Mum used to get rid of my brother and me for a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday by giving us the fare to go right round on the bus - we used to love it. The inner circles bus (nos 8 and 9) took one hour to go right round and we used to get that on Sheldon Road near Broadfield Road.

[Voldy 10]

We used to have a joke when we were away on holiday somewhere, that if we waited anywhere in the known universe for long enough a Sheffield number 2 bus would come past at some point.

 

I think it's a bit sad that they no longer exist.

 

This was probably the winter of 1982 when a 'foreigner' (Rotherham registration) was working the service; my personal recollections go back much further and include the grey Daimler Utilities with their dim internal lights though no photo available unfortunately.

 

Must have been the uneconomic 'rural miles' that started its demise. Fare I remember was 1/6 adult and 9d child.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Voldy

[mikeG 16]

Used to get the number 2 to go near Norton on a Saturday night from Coldwell Lane. Joe Cocker was sometimes on at the weekly dance night. At a church hall I think.