T. Severn & Sons Ltd., Dunscroft near Doncaster was originally based in Stainforth and traded under the fleet name of ‘Cressy’, but in my recollection they always operated under the Severn’s identity.
The fleet livery was green with cream relief, and the preference in double deckers was for Leylands. They had a number of Leyland and Roe-bodied Titans, and some very fine Leeds-like Roe-bodied PD3′s – two of which even had Pneumo-Cyclic gearboxes. They were eventually swallowed up by the South Yorkshire P.T.E.

Photograph and Copy contributed by John Stringer

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28/03/12 – 11:47

The green-edge was a Severn’s speciality. This was not an indication that the end of the roll was nigh, but applied to the entire roll.
They were the only one of the Doncaster independents that used TIMs (the others being United Services, Felix, Blue Line and Reliance) to indulge in this. Wigan Corporation had similar rolls but with a blue edge for many years.

DRH – Transport Ticket Society

In 1968 a new Limited Stop service X68 commenced between Halifax and Sheffield via Huddersfield, with an occasional all-stops and more meandering variant – service 68. This incorporated the former Sheffield and Yorkshire Traction service 68 which had operated just between Huddersfield and Sheffield. The new service was operated jointly by Halifax J.O.C., Huddersfield J.O.C., Sheffield (C-fleet) and Yorkshire Traction, who each provided one vehicle.
This was a much longer route than anything Halifax had operated before, and the Ultimate machines would have had to issue handfuls of multiple tickets to cope with the high fares. Consequently a pair of TIM machines were purchased, carrying serial numbers 1000 and 1001 – one and a spare. Whereas normally each conductor or o-m-o driver had their own Ultimates, the TIM machine stayed with the bus working the 68/X68 all day. I think we operated two trips a day, each with a different driver. To operate every day and to cover for rest days there were three senior drivers allocated to the Sheffield Rota. To make up their daily hours they would work a bit of local service also when they would use their own Ultimates. The TIM’s were not used on any other service, but around 1970 a single Limited Stop morning-peak shortworking was introduced between Halifax and Huddersfield as service X42, before operating the first trip through to Sheffield, and they were used on that also. The X42 became my regular bus to Huddersfield Polytechnic, but it only lasted for a short while. These tickets are probably very rare now.

Photograph and Copy contributed by John Stringer

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17/03/12 – 08:12

Huddersfield had two TIM machines, 1 and 2. The reason for the TIMs was of course that Sheffield and YTC used them.

DRH – Transport Ticket Society

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18/03/12 – 12:05

Got me thinking John when I read your post that I had an Halifax TIM but I did most of collecting 1962-5 so I could not of got it from the Sheffield route. I think I got it from a bus on the 48 or 49 Hebden Bridge – Brighouse route. Maybe they were trying out a TIM for that route it must of been the longest they had at the time.
Since scanning the ticket I can not find the tickets I think I have two I will have put them in the wrong envelope, unfortunately I have about 250 of them. Hey Ho!

Peter

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18/03/12 – 15:28

I am most surprised to see this one. The 48/49 routes passed our house and were regularly used by me and the family, and I certainly do not ever recall seeing TIM’s being used. As you suggest, it was probably on trial. The machine number is 84 – different to the ones used later.

John Stringer

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18/03/12 – 15:33

John the ticket machine number is actually B4, if that helps at all. I will organise a search party to try and find it and its friend.

Peter

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19/03/12 – 09:50

Halifax TIM B4 was a one-off, presumed for demonstration purposes. They also had some Setrights on trial at one time too which were "dual area" machines. I actually have one, SET7 although this has been converted back to normal configuration.

DRH – Transport Ticket Society

Here’s a TIM from the well-known Newark independent W Gash & Sons. It was issued back in March 1963, when my dad and I went for a Saturday afternoon walk (as we often did). We travelled on one of Gash’s notorious Daimler CVD6s, with the usual melodious engine note, from Nottingham (Huntingdon Street) to Radcliffe by-pass. After this we walked through Radcliffe on Trent itself, on to Shelford, crossed the Trent at Gunthorpe bridge and returned by train from Lowdham on the Nottingham – Lincoln line.
At this time it was possible to travel between Nottingham and Radcliffe by four different operators. Trent were the most frequent, with a regular route 79A to Bingham. This was really a short version of the 79 which ran through to Grantham, operated jointly with Lincolnshire Road Car’s route 33C. Gash ran hourly, and as I have indicated, did not actually go through the village itself, but took the by-pass in keeping with the "Newark Direct" route description. Trent also operated the 73 and 73A to East Bridgford and Shelford rather less frequently, and these were joint with Nottingham independent Skills, who I believe were using Willebrew tickets at the time. I think I am right in saying that none of Barton’s routes passed through Radcliffe. They turned right off the A52 at Holme House for Cotgrave, Cropwell Bishop and various villages in the Vale of Belvoir.
Gash’s service was well respected. The company originated in Elston, but with expansion later moved to its own premises at Bowbridge Road, Newark. The trunk Nottingham – Newark direct service followed the A52 Grantham road to Saxondale Cross Roads before turning left onto the A46 Fosse Way. At this point, there was a bridge under the London and North Western Railway’s Nottingham – Melton Mowbray – Northampton line. It was not until after the second world war that the road here was lowered sufficiently to allow the passage of double deckers. An uncle who was in the RAF, stationed at Syerston, had many a trip back to camp on grossly overloaded Bedford OWBs in blackout conditions after a night out in Nottingham.
My last journey with Gash was in 1976, on a teatime run from Nottingham. Again, it was one of the CVD6s. By this time, Huntingdon Street had closed, and the service started from the new and much abused Broad Marsh bus station. We set off about 80% full, and after picking our way slowly through the rush hour traffic, collected one or two more at Trent Bridge, and a couple of stops in West Bridgford. There was then no more picking up or setting down for over half an hour, until we reached East Stoke. After that we became very much a local service, stopping several times through Farndon and the approaches to Newark. Lovely trip!
I understand that there will be a posting of one of W Gash & Sons Daimler Freelines tomorrow on the Old Bus Photos website.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Stephen Ford