Wigan Album

I remember when the 320 went all the way between Wigan and Liverpool. It only goes between Wigan and St. Helens now. Those orange buses appeared hideous after the maroon - and- white of the old Wigan Corporation colours....people used to call them "fried egg buses"!

This photo has been taken in St Helens, the bus is in front of The Sefton hotel and behind would be the midland bank, now HSBC.

Brilliant Ray , you are top notch in my eyes on WW . There are many ingredients and aspects to a town which make it what it is , both past and present. . Buses matter to me , maybe not to others , but they have , and always will ,hold a great part of my journey in Wigan. Thank you Ray . I hope you will keep posting for me and others to remember , the journeys each of took at one time .

Greenall Whitley beer or as we would say they should replace the W with a S, far more apt.

Marky, Thank you for your kind comments.

Bristol chassis and ECW body was the predominant bus for National bus companies such as Ribble and Crosville. But Wigan Corporation instead of wanting Leylands placed an unexpected order for six of these LH chassis buses that was a smaller bus than the more ubiquitous RE and had maroon seats. They were delivered in early 1975 to Greater Manchester Transport as GMT took over from Wigan Corporation the year before in orange and white livery, numbers 1320-1325 BNE763-768N but were only in service for seven years until 1982.
The 320 route was jointly operated by Wigan and St Helens Corporations, Lancashire United and Ribble, by the time this photograph was taken in St Helens, 40-47 years ago the three operators were LUT, GMT and Merseyside.
This was an unusual bus being a small single decker on the busy long route to Liverpool and were generally found on quieter rural routes to Red Rock, Wrightington, and the Standish to Orrell Post where a low bridge forbid double deckers.

Ray, may I ask you if selnec was taken over by GMT Transport.

I love the bright orange and cream buses much better than the old fashioned maroon & white.
They reminded me of Peaches & Cream.

Dave Lewis, Thank you for your question. As far as I am aware, the title
of SELNEC ( South East Lancs,NorthEast Cheshire ) was replaced by the
name of Greater Manchester Transport, because Wigan and one or two
other locations were not in South East Lancashire or North East Cheshire.
I still class Wigan as being in Lancashire. I seem to recall that it may have
been possible for Wigan to become part of Merseyside. For example,
Billinge which is WN5 is partly Greater Manchester, and the lower section
is Merseyside. We are not Mancunians or Scousers.

Thank goodness the orangeade colours didn’t last long. Cherry and White was far more dignified colours for public transport. Even though you couldn’t miss these buses a mile off!

This livery was hideous when compared to the Cherry and White and the very attractive Blue of Wigan Corporation and Leigh Cprporation buses respectively. At least, the Greater Manchester Transport which replaced this Selnec livery was a big improvement.

Thank you for that explanation Ray, very interesting.

The bus colours used to brighten up my day when I saw them coming.
Abram was a proper gloomy place to be when I was growing up.

I grew up in Abram and it was never gloomy. What era was you brought up in?

I'm not sure Abram Alice is from Abram, Broady. Someone on Wigan World Album and photo-a-day is currently hiding behind different names. If Abram Alice IS a genuine lady from Abram I apologise sincerely for my doubts.

We had the same negative reaction to SELNEC's awful 'fried egg' livery in Oldham, where we too had had a similar distinguished colour scheme to Wigan's.

broady it was 1960s and 70s, all of Wigan was gloomy back then.

Broady lived in Abram in the sixties and I have lived there from the early seventies, and it has never been a gloomy place. It is a very pleasant and friendly place with lovely walks and the people who live here are very friendly, most of them having lived here all their lives and content to stay here for the REST of their lives Abram Alice would know that if, indeed, it is Alice who is commenting. I have my doubts as to who it is.

Back on the original photo - I remember these short single-deckers with the flat fronts & windscreen and 'Corporation' maroon vinyl seats when they were out and about on the streets of Wigan.

In the late 1970s I was studying full time at Wigan Tech. On one day a week - I think it was Wednesdays - classes finished around lunchtime and, rather than spending the afternoon studying the pints in Bluto's with my mates, I'd head off home to Hindley.

I caught the 603 bus from Library Street and more often than not at the time I was travelling, one of these single-deckers turned up. It was an extra bus inserted into the regular timetable and, unlike all the other 603s, it ran only as far as Hindley 'Bird', rather than continuing onto Castle Hill Estate. From the Bird i' th' Hand it continued 'Private' along Atherton Road to Parsonage Colliery, where it formed a pitmans' bus back to Wigan at shift change time.

This information was provided to me one day by a chatty conductor - I think he was glad of the company because, Wednesday being Early Closing Day back then, I was often the only passenger on the bus.

This validates Mr X's comment that this type of bus was used mainly on lightly loaded and infrequent routes. We still had a conductor on board though to collect my 4p fare.

Funny the things you can remember - I can recall everything about the bus I caught 45 years ago but ask me what I had for tea two days ago and I've no idea.

Thank you to English Electric for his 1970s memories and comments.

Ray.

Irene Albert Hart worked at L.U.T for years they were dark red double decker edna's dad

Lovely memories, English Electric! Thanks, Tom, for letting me know about Edna's Dad. As you know, Edna was bridesmaid to my sister-in-law Pat. Pat's brother Philip Cooksey worked on the LUT buses in the 1960s and his and Pat's mother, Margaret Cooksey, worked in the canteen at the LUT depot in Platt Bridge. My late sister-in-law Rita Roberts, (my husband's brother's wife), also worked on the LUT buses as a conductress.

Irene remember the girls were called clippies they used to run up and down the stairs on the bus dishing out tickets also ringing the the bell for stop and go carrying a bag full of pennies.

On the 333 Shevington route they were known as conductresses .

Ray posted - " I seem to recall that it may have
been possible for Wigan to become part of Merseyside. For example,
Billinge which is WN5 is partly Greater Manchester, and the lower section
is Merseyside. We are not Mancunians or Scousers."

But WN5 is a postcode, Greater Manchester and Merseyside are counties. Postcodes and counties are not connected. They serve different purposes.
As for not being Mancunians or Scousers, well, Scousers are from Liverpool, not Merseyside, but Wiganers are from Manchester, so can be regarded as Mancunians.
Wigan is closer to the Mersey than St.Helens is, so should be in Merseyside.

George, I am fully aware that postcodes and county names are not
connected, also, Wigan people are Wiganers, not Mancunians.
I dont consider myself as a Wiganer, even though I have lived in this
town for 56 years.