Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale

[skelmersey]

RE: Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale
In the '80s the 375/385 operated shorts to Ormskirk which is now the 395, here is Ribble 799 with an ad for a Lancs county ticket about to leave Wigan for Ormskirk in 1983:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmc1947/602...otostream/

[gilesbus1]

RE: Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale
Also as a matter of point the short lived depot at Reliance Tankers at Altrincham was under care taker management of Skelmersdale depot and buses returned there for maintenance. Perhaps the down fall of Skem might have been when the Traffic Commisioners came round to Skem and placed prohibition notices on quite a number of vehicles and also the withdrawal of competition between GMN at Wigan and North Western/MTL and also thre take over by Arriva of MTL which mean't really spare capacity at St Helens depot which is really oversized fror that town, but neceasscvery because of ifs position, the towns population and competition, could be better utilised and subsequently the take-over for Blue Bus at Bolton which mean't some routes in Wigan went there from Skem such as the 362. Also capacity at Southport may have also mean't but i've no record on this was anble to take-over former North Western routes formerly operated by Southport Lord Street North Western depot but operated by Skem inbetween then and the MTL take-over.

It is rather sad that Skem only had something like a 38 year life cycle as it was a purpose built depot, built for what was a new town, rather than modern depots today that are no more than a cheap unit on an industrial estate.

The best buses there in my opinion where the G---EKA Volvo Citybuses that couldn't half get a good turn of speed on the Wigan Southport services.

[skelmersey]

RE: Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale
I do think the garage did better when the competition was removed, they did 4 per hr between Skem-Wigan with the Southports providing 6 per hour between Skem and Wigan, remember Click's tuppence operation! they took revenue of the garage by not paying taxes and using oap's passes to take a higher cut from the council. The 627 was a big success by GM for some reason!!

[gilesbus1]

RE: Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale
Problem is when competition is removed so are the units required to sustain it and timetables see net reductions on them of units required so therefore supergroups can look to close depots if space appears elsewhere at other garages.

I was told that GMN Atherton's main reason for closing was because the bus war had ended with MTL and North Western and the fleet had reduced by something like circa 30 buses.

[skelmersey]

RE: Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale
Local timetable cover 1983:-
http://www.skemheritage.org.uk/transport...n0002-2-2/

and one from 1985:- http://www.skemheritage.org.uk/transport...can0003-2/

[skemnational]

RE: Ribble & North Western in Skelmersdale

(20/09/2012 11:22)B10B6514 Wrote:  Another couple of old Skem routes are 100 Southport- Preston,
101 Ormskirk- Preston and 365 Southport-Ashurst/Birch Green.

When i started in Skem in 2004 the lates for the Southports used to do the 365 i remember doing ashurst/Birch Green,Tanhouse,Digmoor,Southport,Wigans ran on there own,I also remember when Cumfy took the Southport lates off skem but lasted a few months ,Also on the subject of Click,Saw the former owner of them driving for Wigan Bus today