It was the annual Teesside Vintage Bus Running Day on Sunday, organised and run by the local 500 Group and as ever was based at the Middlesbrough side of the Transporter Bridge. This event is held every April and this year was the sixteenth ‘running day’ and they seem to grow more popular by the year with increases in both public who turn out to ride on the buses, and for free!, as well as an increase in vintage buses which come from all over the north east of England with the majority of them being group or privately owned. Without doubt a labour of love!
Although having its base on the wrong side of the Tees there were still some associations to Stockton including the 500 Groups own Dennis Loline double decker which was built in 1958 and took the public on various rides around the borough including a return to Stockton Town Hall as “the number 11 bus”. There was also a bus well known to me from my youth in Billingham, the number 52 which ran from Stockton High Street to Low Grange in Billingham.
Photographs and details courtesy of David Thompson.
Picture Stockton Archive 
From what I can remember I left Primrose Hill school on Friday 22nd July 1967 and it was at that time that Stockton corporation and Middlesbrough corporation were joined and became Teesside Municipal Transport and the buses were then re painted aqua blue with a cream band and the Leyland pd2 back loaders where phased out and replaced by front loader rear engine Leyland Atlantians which was when I believe conductors became surplus to requirement hence the one man operated bus. I think its time we brought the old values back in to the British way of life the old rear platform buses the conductors, ‘hold tight please’, ‘any more fares?’. Magic
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Just a timely reminder that it is the 2018 Vintage Bus Running Day on Sunday 22 April, 11am until 5pm with free travel! Organised as ever by the Teesside 500 Group and based at the Middlesbrough side of the Transporter Bridge, routes will take in both Middlesbrough Bus Station and Stockton High Street. Full details here;
https://www.facebook.com/500group/photos/a.159118047595318.1073741827.158421827664940/787569818083468/?type=3&theater. Brilliant!
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And another timely reminder that it is the 2019 Vintage Bus Running Day this coming Sunday, 28 April, 11am to 5pm and based at the Transporter Bridge south side, whisper it quietly – the Middlesbrough side!
The routes will go to Middlesbrough Bus Station, Stockton High Street, outside of the Castlegate Centre, Yarm High Street and a trip out to Great Ayton for a wonderful Suggitts ice cream! As ever the rides are free but donations are taken by most of the buses which are privately owned and run and you can also buy a souvenir programme and timetable. Still brilliant!
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The half-past-eight number 11 was the bus I took from Bridge Road at the bottom of Parliament Street on my way to Saint Mary’s College grammar school in Acklam. Whenever I missed it, which happened more often the older I got, I took the United bus, number 73 I think, which came about seven minutes later and made me late for daily assembly, a cardinal offence if I was caught.
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I just today found your reply about when we lived at langley St, what part of Canada do you live in? Billy Nugent
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Billy it’s good to hear from you. I live in a suburb of Toronto. The Picture Stockton team may be able to give you my email address so we can communicate.
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Does anyone know when the tram systems between Stockton and Middlesbrough was torn up?
And were there any plans to run a bus service between Norton/Billingham and Middlesbrough over the Newport Bridge?
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The trams stopped running 1932-33. I have memorie off standing in the front of the bus watching them take up the tram lines in Norton High Street, not having started school that would make me four years old so 1933-34.
The Newport Bridge spent a lot of time in the air, lots of river traffic not much on the road, a regular bus service would have been disrupted. At that time all bus routs were regulated it was almost impossible to change them and that went well into the 1960’s.
The outer side of the tracks were blocks, the inner between the tracks wood blocks well tarred, Dad got a load and burned them one at a time in the pigmeal boiler, good job it was out doors the smell was awful, I secretly binned some of them as Mother did not like soot on her clean clothes as they hung on the line.
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There was a bus service between Billingham and Middlesbrough,over the Newport bridge. I used it many times, but can not remember the number. The No 64 ran through Stockton to Middlesbrough from Billingham, along the Wilderness. The Newport bridge bus ran along Haverton hill road, and over “Paddys Crossing to Billingham bottoms roundabout, and then to Billingham Green. I always remember going alongside ICI between the North and South Sites, and the distinct aromas.
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Number eleven in my day was Town Hall Portrack Port Clarence to the Transporter and then back. Once an hour unlike the “0”bus every five minutes, Norton Green to North Ormesby, two bus Billingham to Yarm and three bus Ashville Ave Norton to Hartburn.
Now I do not know where any of them go.
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I got that wrong, it was the number one bus on that run not the eleven.
Remember to drink weaker cocoa, apologies.
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Seem to remember it always as the 7 bus Frank and ran to Thornaby up Westbury Street and the 6 the same but it turned into Langley Avenue.
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Didn’t the No 11 run to Stockton via Acklam and Thornaby?
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It did indeed… No 11 ran from Middlesbrough through Acklam and Thornaby to Stockton along with United buses 271,272 & 273 if I remember correctly..? My mother used to take me to Stockton from Acklam when she went shopping to Stockton market…
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I thought the number 11 bus went to Yarm.
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I may be wrong, but I thought the Middlesbrough to Stockton route was the O bus. I don’t remember ever seeing the 11 bus, or is old age addling my brain.
And a question, what was the other end of the 52 bus route? When I was courting the other half, she lived in Billingham and I lived in Oxbridge. I think I used the 52 (or 53) to get home.
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I remember too the O bus going to Middlesbrough and it ran very frequently.
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As one was leaving the terminus at Norton Green another one was ready to take its place. No need for bus shelters then.
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The number ‘0’ bus service was a joint service between Stockton Corporation and Middlesbrough Corporation and ran between Norton and North Ormesby. Stockton used numbers for their bus routes whereas Middlesbrough used letters and the use of the ‘0’ could be used either as a number or a letter.
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Indeed, there was also for a while a joint I (1) service from Thornaby New Town to Boro via Acklam (not to be confused with the SCT #1 service Town Hall to Portrack service). The joint 11 service continued during this time.
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The No 7 bus ran through Roseworth to the top of Ragpath lane and then changed to the 0 bus and continued along Junction road through Norton then Stockton and onto Middlesbrough.
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The #7 actually carried on thru Norton, via the Town Hall and onto Thornaby, When getting back to Roseworth it became the #3 to Hartburn. Again, on the return to Roseworth it then became the #7 or #7A.
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