route 13 bh&d by murray bomze 21 December 2009Further my original enquiry this route was active in the 1940’s. Regards Murray.18 replies Re: route 13 bh&d by Roy Grant 21 December 2009Dont remember a 13 B&H District, but I do remember a green number 13 Southdown in the mid 1950s. It left from Pool Valley going to Moulsecombe, zig zagged through the Coldean estate, down through the Hollingbury factories, and I got off soon after that. I believe its terminus was the Black Lion in Patcham, but I cannot be sure. Re: route 13 bh&d by Roy Grant 22 December 2009Sorry Jeremy, but if that was the case, once each number 13 reached the Black Lion, they would have had not only to change its number, but also give it a quick respray from green to red. Re: route 13 bh&d by Andy Grant 22 December 2009Hi all, I readily admit I’m no expert and perhaps Gordon Lickford might provide a better answer. I don’t know if this might help to jog your memories…The 1954 BATS agreement detailed route 13 as Pool Valley – Coldean / Patcham Fountain, a 10 minute service operated by Southdown Motor Service; this was not a BH&D route.The earlier 1939 agreement details BH&D no. 13 route as Queen’s Road to Neville Road, via the West Pier & Hove Street.Regards Andy Re: route 13 bh&d by Jeremy Homeward 22 December 2009Hi Roy, I think the 13 service you refer to, may have been the 13/15, which ran over the Coldean route and then over the top of Old Boat Corner and followed the No.15 route out to Hove. Buses going the other way would start out as No 15, then return via Lewes Road as No.13. Re: route 13 bh&d by Jeremy Homeward 22 December 2009Clearly I am thinking of the 1960’s when I was up front of a green Queen Mary, and in between our Sussex county runs we did such local work as 13,13/15, 110,111, 38, to name a few. Looking back at the thread, I was in the wrong decade. But, Hey, it’s Christmas, What’s a decade or two between Friends. Regards Re: route 13 bh&d by Roy Grant 22 December 2009Looking at the numbers in your list Jeremy, I do remeber a 15 stopping at The Black Lion (which Andy calls Patcham Fountain) but was actually a horse trough. Also remember the 38, one of the few and most useful B&H District services that ran from somewhere in North Brighton, down the London Road Valley and finished at Brighton Station. Then there was the circular route of the 42 Trolley that also went to the station via Elm Grove, the Pepper Box and St James Street. If I also recally correctly, the 110 & 111 were Southdowns serving the Avenue and Bevendean. Gosh your subject really brings the hidden NERD out in me. Re: route 13 bh&d by Jeremy Homeward 23 December 2009It is remarkable, just how much people do find themselves remembering about the buses of their youth. Regarding the maintenance bills for the Guys; The ex Fitters could answer that better than I, but, I do not recall hearing of or experiencing any trouble with them at all. Good solid, if unsophisticated, engineering. I know it is sidetracking the thread, but these were also the predominant vehicles on the service 22, which went from Pool Valley to Midhurst or Petersfield via Shoreham, Steyning, Puluborough and villages in between, with some only going as far as Petworth. I loved them on this route, the steering wheels would tend to tremble rather than wobble and the accelerator would also vibrate under ones foot. They were back loader/Conducter operated buses and the relationship between the passengers and crews was great. Re: route 13 bh&d by Jeremy Homeward 23 December 2009Ha ha, I have been expecting to be shot down by the real ‘Bus Anoraks’ Roy, Hold on, it will come. I have an inkling our Tony Mould is one if I remember from previous threads, certainly Christopher Wrapson and Gordon Dinnage and Peter Ticehurst, are names I recall. In my time, Southdown operated the No.38, from Pool Valley, via West Street, Dyke Road, Seven Dials, Preston Circus, Open Market/Level, Lewes Road/Barracks area, to Eastbourne Road, a terminus stop over, after The Bevendean Hospital stop at the top of Coombe Road. I seem to remember it being 18 minutes one way, and nineteen, the other. The route was very hilly and the buses used were from preference, the old ‘Guys’ with a crash box, that was unforgiving of the uninitiated, and apart from a lovely smooth snatch from first gear to second, generally gave a consistently quiet change, only when one ‘sat on one’s left foot’, so to speak and made clutchless changes working with engine rev control and lever movement co-ordination. Re: route 13 bh&d by Roy Grant 23 December 2009Add the 35 BH&D to your list of those unusual services no longer running. It went up London Road, almost the complete length of Carden Avenue and had its terminus in Midhurst Rise. Never driven a bus myself, but would have loved to. Nearest was Army Bedfords and Scammels. But recall my father talking of the crash and snatch through box as you describe on his PSV test for a Brighton fire engine. Part of the test was changing gear just on an increase or fade of revs without using the clutch. But does just knowing any of the above make me a BBA (Brighton Bus Anorak) or to use the correct term, ‘Omnibologist?’ Re: route 13 bh&d by David Ward 23 December 2009I was a regular user of the 38 route in the 60’s as it provided a route from Lewes Road to the bottom of West Street. I particularly remember the thrashing those gearboxes had in climbing New England Road. When compared to the seemingly effortless surge of the trolleys which silently whisked you up the hill, the noise from a 38 route bus was rather worrying! The maintenance bills must have been interesting… Re: route 13 bh&d by Vivwebb 24 December 2009The 38 Bus was a Brighton/hove distric bus. My brother in law was a conductor on it for many years. It ran from Baden Road to the bottom of west st Re: route 13 bh&d by Lawrence Leaney 30 December 2009the number 38 went from Eastbourne rd (up near top of bear rd through to open market seven dials childrens hospital clock tower and turned round outside the SS ice rink bottom of west st. We lived off coombe rd and used this route daily in the 50’s Re: route 13 bh&d by Valerie Woodward 2 January 2010I lived at Bevendean in the 40/50`s The Southdown bus which served our area, was 13E. When seeing a green bus coming at St.Peters, Church London Road, we would all run to catch it, only to see it was a 13A which served the Avenue at Lower Bevendean, so we then had the option of getting on it and walking up the hill to Higher Bev`or waiting for the next 13E to come along and take us all the way home. I think that there was also a 13B. but don`t know where that went to. The No. 49 red bus was the new bus service after I left in 1960. I think that it did go all the way to Patcham Black Lion. Re: route 13 bh&d by Ashley Leaney 6 January 2010Sevice 38! After shopping with my Mum, we would catch the 38 at the bottom of West Street. It used to wait outside Maynards sweet shop and my idea of heaven was when Mum would buy me a quarter of hot freshly roasted peanuts from the big (hot) glass display/dispenser. I would eat them on the top deck of the old green Southdown as it wended it’s way via the Clock Tower, Seven Dials, Open Market and Lewes Road to Coombe Road, where we used to alight near Grout’s Bakery. The taste of those hot peanuts is still in my memory and was quite different from the taste of peanuts today. Re: route 13 bh&d by Ashley Leaney 6 January 2010See, my big brother remembers it too! But when he was young the family were too poor to afford peanuts! Re: route 13 bh&d by Ashley Leaney 6 January 2010I seem to remember the 38s doing a ‘U’ turn and terminating at the bottom of West Street at one time but I do also remember catching it sometimes from Pool Valley. Was the Pool Valley termination a later route? Re: route 13 bh&d by Ashley Leaney 6 January 2010If the driver messed up the ‘snatch’ change from 1st to 2nd gear the conductors used to say “They’re delivering coal again” as the gears crashed and the teeth flew! Re: route 13 bh&d by Ashley Leaney 6 January 2010I drove OMO (one man operated) Southdowns on rural routes in the 1970s but now and again would get some overtime in Brighton on service 2 (I think) which operated with Lodekas from Whitehawk to Hove Station. These had a conductor and I can vouch for the relationship between crew and passengers. It was so enjoyable being able to concentrate on the driving whilst the conductor ‘ran’ the bus. During busy periods it took a deal of effort to work the crash box bus through the throng along Western Road, via Clock Tower, down North Street, Steine, St James Street and out to Black Rock AND stay on time. Hard work, but so much better than OMO. Add your replyHiddenAdd your title Add your wordsWould you like to add some images (optional)? If so, how many images would you like to add? 1 2 3 4 5 6Your image files will be uploaded when you submit this form. They should be .jpg or .png files. 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