Ribble

[teenagewasteland]

RE: Ribble

(05/04/2016 14:01)skelmersey Wrote:  I would certainly say Bootle was a PTE depot in all but name in the 70's and early 80's. I wonder if North Western purchased the Ultimate machines from the PTE as they used them after d-reg in 86-87.

North Western used the PTE Ultimates (complete with PTE tickets!!) until about May 1987.

Mid-80s, Ribble's Bootle depot catered for the joint services on the 57 / B57 and 58, and the Crosby services 206 / 211 / 284 / 351 / 391 / 392 (Bootle - Maghull) / 727 (evening peak journeys between Southport and Liverpool) / C2 / L3 / L11 / L21 / L22 / L23 / L35 / L81 plus various works / school journeys in the local area.

The L81 Thornton - Skelhorne Street converted to single deck operation during evenings in the mid-80s due to vandalism. Although Bootle had a few National 2s to use, it was common to borrow some elderly REs from Aintree, and fit them with an adaptor plate on the Setright machines to use the PTE Ultimates. Same thing happened on the odd Southport-based Leopard working a morning short 727.

Bootle was the final resting place for Ribble's crew operations on the PD3/5s during September 1981, when the 58 and 351 were converted to one-person operation.