Ode to Willoughby and Ryde

[Glen]

No they don't stay overnight at Manly.

[Stu]

in 1972 i worked at North Sydney, there was staff bus that left North Sydney at 3:15am,that ran special as a 288 to Eastwood, then onto Epping Station to meet the train from the Central Coast,then to Chatswood Station,then to Willoughby,back to Chatswood,back to willoughby then back to North Sydney.
I wonder if that still operates today.

Most if not all staff bus services at STA have been removed in recent years especially since the last large restructure.

There used to be a staff bus from Chatswood at 04:00 to Willoughby Depot.

[Swift]

Why did it go to Eastwood? 288 special to Eastwood??
The apartment tower may as well be adorned with the corporate scheme or TNSW chevrons. So much for a private life though. Wouldn't bother some but a big no thanks to others.

[LB608]

staff bus
The 4:00am from Chatswood you always picked between 5 and 10 workers,including the Blackburns,can't remember the rest
A Worldmaster was allways rostered,but in winter i would take a AEC 31 seater (Frog)

[Swift]

A Worldmaster was allways rostered,but in winter i would take a AEC 31 seater (Frog)

As someone who grew up in Eastwood, that would have been a fascinating sight in the wee hours when most people wouldn't have been any the wiser. I take it stopped at East parade after turning from Rowe St, then up Blaxland Road toward Langston Place, Epping Station.
This is a great tidbit of history of the area. When did they cease doing this?

[LB608]

i don't know when it ceased, but i did it from may 1972 until April 1975

[Swift]

I can't believe an N bus came to Eastwood to take drivers to M in my own back yard as a tot!

[ftr10]

Maybe the 288 should be rerouted permanently to Eastwood Station via Balaclava Road now that the 550 overlaps between Epping Station and Macquarie Centre along the Epping Road corridor.

Then the 545 from Parramatta could at Eastwood join up with the 515 to Ryde, and the existing 550 Eden Park Dr terminus extends to Lachlan's Line instead...

[Special_K]

All things are possible with proper Origin and Destination data. It is surprising, in normal times, how many passengers travel on Route 545 between Dundas Valley and the Macquarie Park area. Agree that Epping to Macquarie Centre does seem to be over serviced between the 288, 291 and 550.

[hillsboy]

You could still walk into any UTA depot as late as the 80s. Which is what I did as a primary school kid at M and Y and N. I remember asking someone at N if I could take a photo and the response was a genial "naw, why would I mind? Look, there's a nice sunny one over there...that would be a good photo." But since he was pointing at a Leopard and I didn't like old buses, I went and photographed a Merc instead.

Y and M were easy. Just walked in and wandered around the stack for hours. Even at the M depot open day at 1992, I remember walking around the back of the 'active' yard which of course would be cordoned off these days.

I did the same with a high school mate of mine early 1987 at Brookvale Depot, they let us walk around unsupervised, could take photos, change the destos on the old Leopards and Mercs it was great

[Transtopic]

All things are possible with proper Origin and Destination data. It is surprising, in normal times, how many passengers travel on Route 545 between Dundas Valley and the Macquarie Park area. Agree that Epping to Macquarie Centre does seem to be over serviced between the 288, 291 and 550.

I can't understand this obsession with funnelling everything through Epping, when it's a traffic sewer in peak hours.

It would have been better if the previous limited pm 550 route from Chatswood to Parramatta via Eastwood and Kissing Point Rd had been expanded to a full-time service, working in tandem with 545 which goes through Dundas Valley and Telopea. 550 could take the more direct route through Eastwood from Blaxland Rd via May St and Rutledge St to Marsden Rd, continuing directly along Kissing Point Rd to Parramatta, instead of the 545 circuitous route through Dundas Valley. It would be faster than the current 550 route via Epping. Eastwood seems to be a black hole as far as TfNSW is concerned, when it's a much larger retail/commercial centre than Epping in spite of all the recent residential development there.

Ryde Council in its current transport strategy consultation has proposed that the Eastwood County Rd reservation, which would even be more direct, should incorporate a rapid transit service, which could potentially be a bus transitway or light rail corridor, as originally proposed by Parramatta Council.

[Swift]

Epping is disgusting. London's Epping has remained relatively pristine in comparison!
Cultural enrichment my foot!

[lunchbox]

For the record, it's 12 months since the user-unfriendly route changes in Sydney's north-west (24.1.21) and nothing seems to have been done about it. I'm very disappointed.....
(4818)

[captainch]

ferry staff would finish at manly & they were provided a taxi home some lived at penrith & lower blue mountains & cambelltown i use to drive from kurri -kurri to ryde depot for a few years then took a part time shift till 5 years latter I TRANSFERRED TO HAMILTON DEPOT IN NEWCASTLE. Even having a part time shift couldn't use public transport as I HAD to get a train west ryde to hamilton then train to maitland & get picked up due to the last bus to kurri-kurri from maitland was 6.pm. my part time shift was 11,am to 7.30 pm and I DIDN'T WORK WEEK-ENDS OR DO OVERTIME wHEN i transfered to hamilton did the same hours drove to work in 30 mins & home again.

[Swift]

How many times did the mini engine have to be overhauled?
Was it the 998 ,1100 or 1275cc?

I've heard the drivers up there are/were notoriously cliquey/clannish.

[captainch]

IT Still is the 1275cc engine had it from new YES the drivers were very cliquey and had the "BOYS CLUB" I Did the same shift every day had a meal at BELMONT DEPOT & they totally IGNORED me so I used still in the bus & have my meal didn't join their institute or support their canteen either THEY USED TO TELL PEOPLE if I was having a off day "HE HAS BEEN DRINKING AGENT ORANGE' they stopped when I took them to the anti -discrimanation board when the depot & sydney buses copped a large fine!3 years latter I LEFT! AFTER 45 YEARS HAPPY SERVICE EXCEPT NEWCASTLE.

[Swift]

Also heard some passengers wanted only to pay part of the fare and receive the ticket anyway (something like that).
Been there only a few times and encountered strange behavior I don't see anywhere else. Feels stuck in a time warp somewhat.
Back onto the minis, I used to ride in my cousins Moke and it was an interesting quirky vehicle, if a little bumpy.
Attracted plenty of attention.

[tonyp]

Also heard some passengers wanted only to pay part of the fare and receive the ticket anyway (something like that).
Been there only a few times and encountered strange behavior I don't see anywhere else. Feels stuck in a time warp somewhat.
Back onto the minis, I used to ride in my cousins Moke and it was an interesting quirky vehicle, if a little bumpy.
Attracted plenty of attention.

I used to manufacture Minis and Mokes, my first job! Very rugged little cars and technologically waaaay ahead of anything else on the road at the time. I owned two over time and still refuse to buy any car that has to slow down to go around a corner. Good to hear of one still going. 1275cc engine must be either an original Cooper from the 60s of 70s or the last Clubmans from the 80s?

[captainch]

CLUBMAN WOODGRAIN DASH SUNROOF RECARO SEATS C D -CASSETTE PLAYER C,B BECAUSE i'm a vetran FREE REGO PLATES ARE MIN11Y Says it all! brown black stripping orginal bought it on returning from vietnam.

[Swift]

You must have arrived back when Gough pulled out.
Must be one of the first builds.

[tonyp]

My dad designed the Aussie 1275 Clubman, I think it was called GT?

[Special_K]

Yes captainch, many drivers from Ryde and Willoughby transferred up to Newcastle/Belmont over the years. A well known M couple landed at Hamilton and demanded the same special treatment they received down south, viz, similar sign on/off times, shifts of their choosing and special favours all round. Funnily enough, they were soon back in Sydney!

A few years ago, a Ryde driver who was qualified in rostering, charters and scheduling transferred to Belmont. He remained under the radar for a while, but skills shorages ultimately saw him in the Hamilton office, much to the disgust of long-term Novocastrian drivers.

I wonder if drivers wil have the opportunity to develop skills and progress up the ladder in the new world order?

[tonyp]

My dad left the DGT because you had to wait for someone to die or retire before you could be promoted. He did much better in the private sector.

[Glen]

My dad left the DGT because you had to wait for someone to die or retire before you could be promoted.

They used to say that's what had to happen before you could get a job driving at St Ives Bus Service.

[Swift]

And be at least 27.