WikiWirral is where great friendships are made.
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics76,352
Posts1,033,281
Members14,560
Most Online16,551
Feb 2nd, 2024
Who's Online Now
11 members (ArranGirl13, 3 invisible), 7,977 guests, and 432 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters
sunnyside 45,164
MattLFC 22,315
Mark 21,269
granny 17,788
_Ste_ 16,345
Newest Members
Kalena1962, rattus, Lisrush, Emotecreative, ArranGirl13
14,560 Registered Users
New General Forums
New Wirral History
Tall Brick Chimneys
by diggingdeeper - 16th Mar 2024 11:56am
D.I.Y. / Building Shop
by mharford91 - 3rd Mar 2024 8:53pm
1970's Murder in Central Park, Wallasey
by cutespam - 4th Aug 2018 10:28am
Old Hall in Higher Bebington
by Rhoobarb - 25th May 2010 5:55pm
Oleo Works
by Ducko - 14th May 2008 3:09pm
Top Posters(30 Days)
granny 14
casper 13
bri445 4
Topic Replies
What song are you listening to?
by diggingdeeper - 28th Mar 2024 6:06pm
Facial recognition coming in supermarkets?
by diggingdeeper - 27th Mar 2024 3:50pm
Bolts at Bebington Road
by diggingdeeper - 27th Mar 2024 2:33am
Hot Spot Chippie Broadway
by Excoriator - 26th Mar 2024 7:57pm
Tall Brick Chimneys
by diggingdeeper - 26th Mar 2024 5:43pm
Lost river (Well, brook really)
by diggingdeeper - 26th Mar 2024 3:09am
Old Hall in Higher Bebington
by diggingdeeper - 24th Mar 2024 5:58pm
Netflix 3 Body Problem.
by BultacoAstro - 22nd Mar 2024 8:04am
Wisper electric bike. 36v .
by Dilly - 21st Mar 2024 7:36pm
March
M T W T F S S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Top Likes Received (30 Days)
Kylix 1
cools 1
Top Likes Received
bert1 14
Mark 4
granny 3
casper 3
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#285995 22nd Jan 2009 10:00pm
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,641
jimbob Offline OP
Forum Addict
OP Offline
Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,641
That ticket machine mad babs is talking about was a new thing. i remember the tickets been a set ready made ticket and the different priced ticket where held in a long wooden thing like a narrow tray that had clips on it to keep the tickets in place till the conductor gave you one. A clippy was a woman, the condutor was a man. If you called the conductor a clippy you would have been thrown off the bus { and thats without the bus stopping]

Last edited by uptoncx; 17th Dec 2011 8:01am.

Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
Google Ads
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Forum Veteran
Offline
Forum Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Yes, those are the tickets I remember; none of your new fangled machine tickets. (cue pinzgauer).


Carpe diem.
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
If you insist ! The first tickets jimbob refers to were called Bell Punch tickets or just punch tickets. Each value ticket was a different colour for quick indentification. Down each side were printed numbers which indicated fare stages. They were in blocks of a hundred tickets, placed in a ticket rack. Imagine 6 or 8 mouse traps side by side, tickets held by the spring. You pays your fare, appropriate ticket taken from rack, punched by a Bell Punch (Crosville) or Williamson Punch (Corpy) at the fare stage you boarded. A "ting" showed the passenger it had been just punched and not a used ticket being "recycled" by the conductor. A very reliable and difficult to fiddle system but slow.

Until very recently, when not driving a tram, I was the conductor with a Bell Punch and rack. A double deck car full up was a challenge to get all fares before the terminus. I think the "new" B'head Trams use that system now.

Corporation and Crosville both changed over to Setright Speed machines in the early '50's. These printed the whole ticket on a blank roll. Fares, stages, date, class, number being set by the conductor turning a dial, then turning a handle at the side and tearing off the ticket as it emerged.

I have a large collection of ticket machines of most types and zillions of tickets, new and issued. One day I'll post some pics to bring the memories back for some.

Modern ticket equipment - absolute cr*p !!

Is ANYONE still awake out there ??



Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 267
Addict
Offline
Addict
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 267
i remember the 64/64A before they changed it to the 464/465, i remember getting the 64A from the "new" birkenhead bus station about 96/97.sadly the 465 was withdrawn frown sometime in 06/07 and it was bus i got home from beb high, i used to get it to new ferry and hide at the back of bus and go around the terminus and back with a few mates and if it was the good driver he let us stay on and if it was not we used to get off the bus and wait at the stop and get back on laugh (the terminus of the 465 was circular dr new ferry)

#286061 23rd Jan 2009 7:44am
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,627
Likes: 14
Wiki Veteran
Offline
Wiki Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,627
Likes: 14
Talking about tickets, when my dad worked on the buses in the 50s he use to give us complimentary tickets to get home from school on the bus. if my memory serves me right they were 1/4d 1/2d 1d. d being old penny. If my fare was 2d i could end up handing over 4 1/2d tickets to make up the fare. Thanks everyone for the reminder on Alfresco.


God help us,
Come yourself,
Don't send Jesus,
This is no place for children.


Bertieone.
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Forget the Bell Punch Co. and Williamsons, these tickets were locally produced! See bottom middle of each. I got these a few weeks ago on eBay. They fitted in the mouse-trap type holder.

Attached Images
Scan-090427-0001em.jpg (248.98 KB, 148 downloads)
Scan-090427-0002em.jpg (245.69 KB, 153 downloads)
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
And those lovely blue buses! In cold weather, best to sit at the front downstairs, next to the chrome fan heater on the front bulkhead!
Mine were the 50 and 58 to Lower Beb.

Bri

Attached Images
26-Mar-09 12-08_0046em.jpg (701.68 KB, 358 downloads)
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
Back in the "blue bus" era, Birkenhead had one of the best maintained fleets in the country. Not like the smokey heaps of pop rivets and Formica that are around now.

The Guy Arab (on the left) is one of the earliest buses I remember. Built as a utility vehicle during the war with wood slatted seats ! Re-bodied after the war. The Leyland Orions (on the right), although pleasing to look at seemed a bit "tinny".

My favourite were the Daimler CGV6's. They had fluid flywheels with pre-selector boxes. When revved up in low gears they sounded like an Air Raid Siren on steroids !

How many folk today could drive a crash gearbox (double de-clutching) or for that matter a pre-selector jobbie ? Not many I bet.

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Very true!
The real wood window sills and those art deco lamp shades of 'Massey Bros., Pemberton, Wigan'; why do I remember those things? I must be an anorak!

Here on the Island we still have a few double-declutchers operating the oldest in-regular-service bus. It's a pretty steep drive to the Needles Battery, the Western point of the Island. It's a hairy ride if on the top deck of the open-top conversion!

Bri

Attached Images
oldgirl01.jpg (86.81 KB, 299 downloads)
Needles air.jpg (59.03 KB, 296 downloads)
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Forum Veteran
Offline
Forum Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Learned to drive on a 1 ton Bedford with a crash box; wonder if I could still cope. Some of my fellow members of the High Performance Club do at least expect you to rev match accurately when driving their exotica.


Carpe diem.
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
Anorak No.2 here ! Yes, Massey Bros., Pemberton, Wigan. The transfer on the lower saloon. Birkenhead seemed to place most of their orders with them. I have one of the white opalite art deco window pillar lamps wired up in the garage. Came from a B'head Titan scrapped in the late 60's.

A late friend, Stewart McCrone, invented the Cronapress Contact Strip which the corpy had on the lower saloons of their buses. This sad specimen has a length as a door bell - with "BELL" tranfer of course ! (Sterilise the straight-jacket)

Is the open topper a Bristol ? Looks well cared for.

Last edited by Pinzgauer; 28th Apr 2009 2:51pm.
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
Auto Tickets Laird Street. Weren't they taken over by/merged with Victory Kidder ?

Interesting advert on the back of one of the 1d tickets. "Electric Vehicles for low running costs, long life......" Hmmmmm. What's new ?

Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,346
Forum Master
Offline
Forum Master
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,346
I used to drive for MPTE before Arriva took over in the "old" depot in Lard St. Great old building, used to house the overflow of buses from the transport museum in Birkenhead!
I learned to drive in an Atlantian and then they got the Olympians.
Murder on a Sat night if you were on the New Brighton run. Bus drivers on a night out used to flag you down on the corner by the Boot Pub and pile aboard for Liverpool!! Not funny when there are about 50 of them!!!
The olympians were top heavy and when you went round the cornere in the tunnel all the drivers on the top deck used to pile over to one side, tipping the bus!!!! Very scary!!
The good old bad old days eh!!


IF IT HAS A HOSE THEN IM YOUR MAN

BETTER TO BURN OUT THAN FADE AWAY!
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Wow! Any chance of a photo of that lamp?
Did you see 'The One Show' tonight!
Bri
I.W.

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 703
Gen on the Bristol open top:

Attached Images
bus1.jpg (107.97 KB, 232 downloads)
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Mod 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Random Wirral Images

Click to View Topic.
Newest Topics
Facial recognition coming in supermarkets?
by Excoriator - 27th Mar 2024 10:52am
Hot Spot Chippie Broadway
by Excoriator - 26th Mar 2024 7:57pm
Bolts at Bebington Road
by Excoriator - 23rd Mar 2024 9:48am
Netflix 3 Body Problem.
by BultacoAstro - 22nd Mar 2024 8:04am
Tall Brick Chimneys
by diggingdeeper - 16th Mar 2024 11:56am
For Sale & Free
Wisper electric bike. 36v .
by Dilly - 21st Mar 2024 7:36pm
This is Elvis
by GingerTom - 17th Mar 2024 2:37pm
Member Spotlight
diggingdeeper
diggingdeeper
Wirral
Posts: 14,343
Joined: July 2008
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
New Wirral Info
Facial recognition coming in supermarkets?
by Excoriator - 27th Mar 2024 10:52am
Hot Spot Chippie Broadway
by Excoriator - 26th Mar 2024 7:57pm
Bolts at Bebington Road
by Excoriator - 23rd Mar 2024 9:48am
Get your Money Tree ready
by keef666 - 22nd Mar 2023 12:27pm
Restaurant/pub with outdoor seating - Bromborough
by CarterUSM - 7th Aug 2020 7:59pm
News : New Topics
Gaza
by diggingdeeper - 29th Oct 2023 9:28am
Lost river (Well, brook really)
by Excoriator - 10th Sep 2019 8:50am
New Enthusiast Forums
Netflix 3 Body Problem.
by BultacoAstro - 22nd Mar 2024 8:04am
Xbox
by TudorBlue - 3rd Mar 2024 8:48pm
Wiper mechanism needed
by Peter0787 - 20th Feb 2024 4:07pm
What song are you listening to?
by - 24th Jun 2007 9:06am
Popular Topics(Views)
5,069,755 WIKI WALK CHAT
4,013,810 Spotted!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5