THE Millom district used to be the base for an extensive range bus services linking to Whitehaven and into Furness and the Lake District.

Today’s pictures were spotted at the Tram Sunday event held in Fleetwood for transport enthusiasts and reflect the range of vehicles used on the routes in past decades.

Among the pictures is one taken in the Market Square where the bus crew has been identified through research by Tony Murning, of Lonsdale Road, Millom.

The conductor, on the left, is Sid Seward and the driver is John Walker.

Millom’s bus services were supported by depots in King Street and at the corner of Market Street and Lancashire Road and were operated by Cumberland Motors.

In October, 1912, the Whitehaven Motor Service Company started the first regular bus service between Whitehaven and Cleator Moor.

The first buses were a second-hand Arrol Johnston and a Commercial Car charabanc. Their names were Lady Favourite and Lady Florence, AO 1636 and XS 102.

In 1921 a half interest in the company was taken by the British Automobile Traction Ltd and on June 1 the company became The Cumberland Motor Services Limited.

It ran services between Whitehaven and Carlisle, Keswick, Cleator Moor and Egremont and between Carlisle and Abbeytown and Maryport and Cockermouth.

In 1926 CMS opened England’s first purpose-built covered bus station in Workington.

The first double-deckers, the Guy FCX model, were bought in 1927.

Throughout the 1930s the bulk of the Cumberland fleet were Leyland Titans.

The company was totally taken over by the British Transport Commission in 1953.

In later years its big rival was Ribble Motor Services.

This company was formed in 1919, growing to be the largest public transport service in the north west of England.

It provided bus services from southern Lancashire as far north as Carlisle in, what known then as Cumberland in the north.

Its headquarters was at Preston.

In 1987 Cumberland was taken over by national bus operator Stagecoach.