Wigan Album

Dennis, we have been on this bus as youngsters and possibly thrown off it as teenagers, its in fine fettle though considering it will be fifty something years old. Note the repair to the seat on the left.

This wonderful photograph brings back evocative memories of so many occasions. The first would be catching the Abbey Lakes bus from Leader Street to its ultimate destination, Abbey Lakes. There, we would fish for cockys with our fishing nets and jam jars; I think we were allowed to take them back on the bus, but sitting downstairs. Also, Club outings to Southport wearing our cardboard badges. In later years it would be catching the last bus on Sunday nights when they blew the whistle from the Market Place. I can still smell the seats and hear the ticket machine rolling; they were the best buses on Earth...And when you returned from a long railway journey and caught the Abbey Lakes from North Western Station, you knew you were back home...

Jarvo
I too caught the Abbey lakes bus from Leader Street but to go to the Abbey Lakes pub. I was courtin a girl from Upholland and would meet her outside. (Girls didnt go in pubs on their own then). Mind you always sat downstairs unless with mates. And one was always uncontrollable!

What date would this type of bus been in service?. Must have been well after the time when the upper deck had a sunken walk passage along the offside of the upper deck of a Wigan Corporation bus.

Not this particular bus but I remember one Saturday night in the late sixties going to Leigh to the Garrick. I met my boyfriend there as he came in the opposite direction. He saw me on the bus home. This particular night a young chap got on and for some reason sat near me. The boyfriend banged on the window -'" Who's that?". I shrugged my shoulders- "I don't know" . The next thing the boyfriend got on the bus and hauled him off the seat. The bus was in uproar (I was wishing the ground would swallow me up). The bus driver ordered the pair of them off the bus and the bus went on its way. When I got to my stop -trying to sneak past the driver unobtrusively - he turned to me laughing -he had found it highly amusing! Soon after that the boyfriend acquired a Morris 1000!

wow albert that comment about the sunken passageway has struck a chord ,I had forgotten about that .thanks for the pics really bring back memories of catching the 9A to Norley

The previous submission of the measuring the bridge clearance in Lower Ince was necessary on the introduction of these taller buses with centre alley

Farrie50. If you recollect, they had bench seats, seating four people. Travelled on them to The Maypole, Abram, late forties, early fifties.

Was the positioning of the gangway on the side to do with the drive train under the centre of the bus making it practical to use bench seats on one side avoiding having to raise the height of the bus? I remember seeing this about London buses.