Last updated at 16:51, Wednesday, 17 October 2012

FANS of classic buses got a free treat at the weekend when a 1983 Leyland Atlantean provided a shuttle service to the 50th Furness Model Railway Exhibition.

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Visitors to the event at Barrow Sixth Form College were able to get a lift from the town hall or railway station thanks to enthusiasts in the Barrow Transport Group.

It supports the work of the Barrow Transport Museum Trust which aims to preserve and exhibit a representative collection of historic vehicles and artifacts associated with Barrow and the Furness area.

You can become a member, or find out more about the work of the group, by calling 01229 820759.

By coincidence, a couple of days earlier Barrow’s Neil Postlethwaite had brought a pair of pictures into the Evening Mail front office featuring two Barrow Corporation double-deckers, probably taken in the 1960s.

He said: “I used to get on buses like this to go to school.”

Major expansion in bus services came in Barrow during the 1930s with the end of tram services in the town.

In the years after the Second World War, Barrow acquired one of the most modern and standardised fleets in the country.

A total of 22 new Crossley DD42 double-deckers arrived in 1948, and between 1949 and 1951 50 Leyland Titan PD2/3 double-deckers were purchased.

In October 1958 the first service where the driver sold tickets was introduced – on the Coast Road service to Ulverston.

Under the terms of the 1985 Transport Act, Barrow council had to create an “arm’s length” limited company to run the bus fleet.

It was called Barrow Borough Transport and started trading on October 26 in 1986.

The council continued to be the major shareholder until May 1989 when the company ceased trading.

First published at 16:47, Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk