COAL IS THE SPUR
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Passenger Transport in Notts—Part 3
THE history of the Midland General Omnibus Co., Ltd., and their associates. the Notts and Derby Traction Co., and Mansfield District Traction Co., both of which are statutory undertakings, cannot be divorced from that of the district they serve. Originally these companies were in the Balfour. Beatty group, but they came under the control of the British Transport Commission by way of the British Electricity Authority, and were placed under common
management in 1948. .
When the East Midland coalfield was developing in the 19th century, there was little demand for local transport. The occasional visit to Nottingham was catered for by rail, but as the desire for amenities increased and wages rose the lay-out of the railways proved unsuitable as a means for quick transport to the city.
In many other cases, travel by rail involved either a long walk to and from the station or a circuitous journey. The opening therefore in 1913 of an electric tramway from Ripley in Derbyshire through Heanor and Kimberley to the Nottingham city boundary with running power into the city centre was a big step forward.
This journey of just over 15 miles each way, was probably the longest regular daily service ever operated in trams in England and Wales, certainly for so long as 20 years. In December, 1930, I rode the length of the route on the top deck of an open car, a journey which, because of the gradients, curves and single track took 1/ hours. Very few trains were running by then. and the bulk of the service, which was based on a very short headway, was being operated by motorbuses in an hour.
The Traction Co. had originally started their subsidiary, the Midland General, as a feeder to the trams, but when a horde of independents swept down in the '20s, they had, like so many other tramway operators, to put buses on to their main route to protect themselves. In this case, the motorbuses were only a temporary means while the tram route was converted to trolleybus operation. The decision to combine electric traction was based on the desire to preserve the load at the generating station and so ease the burden on lighting and power consumers.
It was 1933 before the trams were finally withdrawn, but trolleybus operation had started in 1932 with the conversion of a detached portion of the system in Ilkeston and its connection with the main route at Heanor.
Ilkeston Corporation started a very small rarnway undera4 taking in 1903 and sold it to Notts and Derby in 1917. At its nearest point it was 21 miles from the main route and built to a different gauge. When it was converted to trolleybus working, it was possible to improve local facilities by making the obvious connection. On the main route it was found advisable to slow down the running and to operate the trolleybuses at an average speed of about 13 m.p.h.
Although the 1930 Act removed the threat to the company's backbone route, as the years went by, the necessity of building the system round a rigid and fixed trunk line became very inconvenient.
Before 1930. Midland General had bought the services of Williamson's Garages, Heanor, the Tansey and Severn routes based on Underwood, and those of Davis and Hope at Mansfield, so that, as other small operators dropped out. they gradually acquired a monopoly in an appreciably sized area.
The situation also changed after the war with the setting up of the B.E.A. and the divorce of the public electricity supply from the operation of buses. It was, therefore. decided to convert the system and the last trolleybus ran on April 25, 1953.
Removal of the trolley buses enabled the routes they had been working to be integrated with the rest of the system. Three through routes from Ripley to Nottingham were established; B1, via Codnor, Heanor and Eastwood (the old main route); B2, via Codnor, Heanor and Ilkeston; and CO. via Waingroves, Heanor and Ilkeston. These combined services give a regular 10-mM. headway between Ripley. Heanor and Nottingham. A similar headway is also provided on the old main road east of Heanor by dovetailing the workings of other services, which have part of the route in common.
Local services in Ilkeston were improved and new services provided for housing estates at Ilkeston and Nuthall. The local Wollaton-Nottingham workings were adjusted to give a 10-min. headway. Buses from Ilkeston and from Watnall via Nuthall work into the new Broad Marsh bus station, passing the North-Eastern Region main line railway station in Nottingham and terminating near the London Midland Region station.
The Ripley-Nottingham direct service was timed at 58 min. against 69 for the trolleybuses, whilst B2 and C6 via Ilkeston take 62 min. The reduction of journey time on the -direct route has affected the takings on the A4
limited stop route which works on unusual lines. On inward journeys to Nottingham. there are seven picking-up points after leaving Ripley but no one may be set down except at the Nottingham terminus; in the reverse direction, passengers may be picked up only at Mount Street and set down at the same seven intermediate points.
The overall journey time is 42 min., and whilst this is a substantial saying for people travelling the whole distance, the advantage progressively decreases as the mileage diminishes and, as the limited-stop service runs only every hour, intermediate passengers are reluctant to wait for it.
Readers not familiar with the district may wonder at the numbering of Midland General routes. Many systems, of course, suffix letters of the alphabet to show variations of a service, but in their case there is no implied connection between any pair of routes. The idea is, simply, that, because 9 x 26=234, that number of routes can be indicated (should it ever be •necessary) without using three digits. This arrangement applies only to Midland General and Notts and Derby routes. Mansfield routes are numbered Ito 3. 101 to 110 and 206 to 218.
The Mansfield undertaking, which has had several changes of name, started tram operation in 1905 and eventually worked 12} route miles, its service radiating from Mansfield to Huthwaite via Sutton-in-Ashfield, Pleasley, Woodhouse and Crown Farm Colliery.
In June, 1914, motorbuses were bought as feeders, but they were commandeered and operation was suspended until 1919. Competition was fierce during the next decade and this, plus the effect of the 1926 strike, inflicted serious financial losses on the once-prosperous trams. A decision to convert the routes to trolleyhus working was reversed and motorbuses were substituted; the last tram ran on October 9, 1932.
Due to the activities of the allied Midland General to the south, the Mansfield company had been forced to seek their expansion to the north and east, so that by the mid-'20s they had reached as far as Southwell and Newark. Over the years, most of the smaller concerns operating in or near Mansfield were absorbed by the Mansfield District Traction Co., The -Ebor Bus Co., Ltd., Midland General or Trent. Butler Bros., who still run between Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Blidworth, are the sole survivors. Ebor were purchased by the B.T.C. and amalgamated with Mansfield District on March 25, 1950.
As I have already indicated, the prosperity of this area, and therefore of the three associated companies, depends on the coalfield (there arc 48 pits) and heavy industry.
Particular attention has, therefore, to be paid to services to pits and ironworks; men engaged on shift work at these places can travel to them at workers' fares at any time.
In addition to the heavy industries, workers in the textile and hosiery trades have to be catered for. In all, the associated companies run 57 special services of which 26 are to collieries.
It has been possible, because of the geography of the area, to avoid some of the waste mileage normally inseparable from the provision of peak period services. The position between Ilkeston and Nottingham, for instance, is similar to that between Derby and Nottingham. with good loadings both ways for most of the route. Nevertheless, 64 per cent, of the fleet is idle during the morning off-peak; the position is better in the afternoon when miners are changing shifts.
I come finally to W. Gash and Sons, 'Ltd., who, until laSt year, when a new garage was opened on the outskirts of Newark, were based on Elston. The father of Mr. W. W. Gash, the present managing director, bought a mill-house at Elston and offered the mill to his son to set up as a miller.
In carrying his products into Newark, Mr. Gash soon found himself being asked for lifts. His first motor vehicle. bought in 1919, was a Humber landaulette with longitudinal seats. Two years later he acquired a 1-ton Ford which ran originally as a platform lorry. A home-made body, which could be lifted off at will, was built later, and on February 11, 1922, Mr. Gash started a regular service to Newark every Wednesday and to Nottingham every Saturday.
A Reo 20-seater was bought in 1926, and in 1928 the Newark service began running daily. In 1932, he bought the Nottingham-Newark service of the Fairway Omnibus Co., Ltd. This was a roundabout route via the villages, but no justification existed at that time for a service on the main road between Saxondale and Newark, which ran through open country. The establishment of Service camps and airfields during the war, however, altered the picture, and today there is a well-patronized hourly service between Nottingham and Newark direct in addition to the services through the villages. The latter are based partly on the Fairway route and partly on the former market-day services of 1. J. Goodwin and H. Foster, both of Flintham, and Kenworthy of Staunton.
Unlike other services on the same road, Gash's direct service to Nottingham uses the Radcliffe-on-Trent by-pass. There is one house on this by-pass, which is a long way from a bus stop, and the road service licence (which gives protection to Trent and Lincolnshire Road Car between Saxondale and Nottingham) specifically names the occupier and his wife as being permitted to be picked up and set down at their home.
This unusual condition leads me to wonder what happens when they have visitors! Gash's also give protection to Lincolnshire Road Car between Farndon and Newark.
In every district where there is a number of operators one finds divergencies regarding reduced rate tickets, and although there are fewer of these around Nottingham than in most areas, I spotted a number.
Where routes arc in the East Midland Traffic Area, children's fares are applicable from three to fourteen years, but in the West Midland and North-Western Areas Ihe minimum age is five years. Generally speaking, workers' returns are issued up to 9 a.m., but only until 8.30 a.m. on some Mansfield routes.
Many of the returns seem to bear little or no relationship to the single fares and must. I suppose, be relics of the days of competition. The treatment of dogs varies greatly. Trent charge half the adult fare, minimum 3d., maximum Is. 6d. Barton's and Midland General do the same but specify no maximum. South Notts charge only one-fifth of the adult fare, but even more generous are Mansfield who charge 2d. on three routes but nothing at all on the others.