LANCASHIRE UNITED TRANSPORT
1905 - 1981
On the 6th August 1900, the Royal Assent was given to a private
Bill, which saw the incorporation of the South Lancashire Tramways Company. The
Bill authorised the Company to construct over 62 miles of tramway lines in the
South Lancashire area, but construction was never started, due to difficulty
raising the necessary capital. On 29th November 1900 the South
Lancashire Electric Traction and Power Company Ltd was registered to acquire the
shares of the South Lancashire Tramways Company, and also the shares of the
Lancashire Light Railways Company and the South Lancashire Electric
Supply Company. The new Company had, itself, an issued share capital of
£850,000. Although the Company had intended that the major part of the tramway
would be in operation by the end of 1901, construction had only just begun when
the year ended, and the first section, from Lowton, via Leigh and Atherton, to
Four Lane Ends (where there was a connection with the Bolton system), did not
open until 20th October 1902. Five days later, a branch from Atherton
to Tyldesley was opened, extended through Hindley Green and Hindley on the 7th
February 1903. The northern part of the system was completed on the 4th
April 1903 when the line was further extended from Hindley to Haydock, where it
connected with the St. Helens system.
By 1905, however, the financial position of the South Lancashire Tramways was
dire. In over three years of operation it had receipts of just less than
£10,000 and the parent Company, the South Lancashire Electric Traction and
Power Company, had gone into voluntary liquidation and was subsequently wound
up. On the 29th December 1905, a new company, Lancashire United
Tramways Ltd, was registered, and, on 2nd January 1906, purchased the
shares of both the South Lancashire Tramways, and the Lancashire Light Railways
companies, along with the dormant South Lancashire Electric Supply Co. Ltd.
The first extension under the new company was the 4½-mile tramway owned by
Farnworth UDC, who also operated trams on behalf of Kearsley UDC, which was
taken over on the 1st April 1906. This was separated from the rest of
the South Lancashire system, but on 29th June 1906 a line between
Walkden and Brookhouse was opened, and on the 27th September 1906 the
section between Boothstown to Walkden opened connecting the Farnworth track with
the rest of the system. The head office of Lancashire United Tramways (and its
subsidiaries) was transferred to a new office building adjoining the depot at
Atherton in July 1906.
The initial tramcar fleet comprised of 45 Milnes, open-top, double-deckers
(Nos. 1-45), with thirteen Milnes open-top, double-deck, bogie cars taken over
from Farnworth UDC becoming Nos. 46-58. In 1906 a further 24 top-covered
double-deckers by Brush and the United Electric Car Company (Nos. 59-82) were
purchased.
On 23rd March 1906 Lancashire United Tramways introduced their
first bus service. Operating between Westleigh St. Paul's and Leigh Market
during the week it was extended on Sunday's along the proposed Boothstown to
Leigh tramway as far as Leigh Cemetery. Five months later, on the 6th
July 1906, another service between Lowton and Newton-le-Willows was inaugurated.
Three Scott-Stirling single-deckers (Nos. 1-3) were used, but by August 1906 the
services had been discontinued and the vehicles sold. In 1914 the Company
decided to introduce a small fleet of charabancs with which to try out the
touring market. Three Dennis chassis with 28-seat charabanc bodies were
purchased, but only lasted a few months before they were impressed by the War
Department for use in the Great War of 1914-1918.
On the 14th June 1909, South Lancashire Tramways commenced through
running to Bolton, and on 28th August 1913, the final extension to
the system, from Walkden to Farnworth, where it connected with the Buckley Lane
route, was opened. In 1926 connections to the Salford Corporation and Wigan
Corporation systems were made, enabling more through running. More tramcars were
purchased in 1919 when seven open-top double-deckers (Nos. 83-89) were purchased
from the Liverpool and Prescot Light Railway, and in 1927 the fleet was
completed by the arrival of two English Electric top-covered double-deck bogie
cars (Nos. 44-45).
In 1919, the Lancashire United Tramways Company purchased a number of
motorbuses with charabanc bodies, with the intention of once again entering the
private hire and touring market. By the end of the year the Company had 25
vehicles. The motorbuses were always operated under the Lancashire United name,
whilst the tramcars (and later, the trolleybuses) were operated by the
subsidiary South Lancashire Tramways.
On 18th June 1920, the first regular stage carriage motorbus
service, running between Lowton St. Mary's and Earlestown, via
Newton-le-Willows, was introduced. Initially bus services were used as feeders
to the tram routes, but later a separate network of services was developed. By
the end of the year, services were being operated between Lowton and Golborne,
between Golborne and Longford, via Newton-le-Willows and Winwick, connecting
with Warrington tramways at the Longford terminus, and between Lowton and
Haydock, via Earlestown. It necessitated the purchase of more buses and
accordingly the Company ordered more saloon buses and charabancs, although the
limited use of the charabancs soon led to them being re-bodied as saloon buses
for stage carriage work. In 1928 the name of the Company was changed to the
Lancashire United Transport & Power Company Limited, reflecting its
expanding motorbus business.
Meanwhile the tramway services were in decline. The advent of the Great War
had meant that many services were shortened or curtailed and subsequently never
restored to pre-war levels. The track and rolling stock would shortly need
extensive renewals, involving large amounts of capital expenditure. On some
parts of the system the traffic carried did not warrant such expenditure, on
others the current single-track would need to be doubled to cater for increased
frequencies. As a result, the Company looked to a more flexible alternative to
the tramcar, especially on lightly trafficked routes and settled for the
trolleybus. By an Act of 10th May 1929, South Lancashire Tramways was
re-named South Lancashire Transport, and was authorised to abandon the tramway
routes in favour of trolleybuses and construct extensions from the former
tramway termini at Lowton St. Mary's to Lowton Lane Head, and from the Clifton
boundary to Station Road, Pendlebury.
Conversion of the tram routes to trolleybuses began early in 1930, although
on 1st February 1930, a belated joint tram service between Deansgate
in Manchester and Farnworth was introduced (even though a bus route to
Manchester was already running along the same route). On 3rd August
1930 the Atherton to Ashton section (on the Atherton to Haydock route) was
turned over to trolleybus operation, although the construction of a new bridge
delayed through running to Haydock until 21st June 1931. At the same
time St. Helens Corporation converted the St. Helens to Haydock section of its
own system, which enabled through running between Atherton and St. Helens to
take place. The next conversion took place on 19th August 1931, when
trolleybuses replaced the trams on the Swinton to Walkden, Atherton to Swinton,
and the Walkden to Farnworth routes. Twenty more Guy BTX trolleybuses (Nos.
11-30), with lowbridge bodywork by Roe of Leeds, were purchased to supplement
the original ten Guy BTX's (Nos. 1-10) that were used in the first conversion.
More tramway routes were gradually converted until finally, on 16th
December 1933, the sole remaining tram service, from Leigh to Four Lane Ends,
ceased to operate, the last tramcar (No. 7), arriving at the depot around
11.55pm, bringing to and end over 30 years of tramway operation by the South
Lancashire Transport Company. The following day trolleybuses took over.
Throughout this period the bus fleet had continued to grow and new services
implemented. The Road Traffic Act of 1930 brought in route licensing, which
forced Lancashire United to abandon some of their services, particularly those
across Manchester, and bring in revised termini. In May 1930 the business of
William Lees of Farnworth was purchased, bringing with it a route from Farnworth
to Bury, and, in 1932, Lancashire United joined the Limited Stop Pool, which
worked a service between Liverpool and Newcastle. A route to Blackpool from
Oldham, via Manchester and Bolton was acquired jointly with Ribble Motor
Services and the North Western Road Car Company in 1935, along with the business
of M&H Motors. For a few years, until 1936, the Company favoured Dennis
chassis for single-deck vehicles, with both the 'Arrow' and 'Lancet' models
being purchased, but in that year, the first generation of saloons on the
Leyland TS6 chassis arrived, and these were to set the standard for the next few
years, until the advent of the Second World War brought about a restriction in
supplies.
During the war years, Lancashire United was called upon to transport
increasing numbers of workmen to and from the factories and coal mines in the
area, resulting in the introduction of numerous workmen's services. The increase
in traffic was so great that during the war years the Lancashire United bus
fleet actually grew from almost 200 vehicles at the onset of hostilities to over
300 by the end of the war. The large number of buses allocated during the war
years reflected the fact that the increased traffic was considered vital to the
war effort. Wartime deliveries included a number of Guy Arab chassis, which made
such an impression that they continued to be ordered for many years afterwards.
The South Lancashire Transport trolleybuses also enjoyed an increase in
traffic, due partly to the withdrawal of parallel bus services and partly
because private motoring was virtually eliminated. Since they were powered by
home-produced fuel, there was little restriction in their services, although
some late evening services were dropped, and they continued to operate a near
normal service throughout the war years. When peacetime returned, the rationing
of petrol for private use meant that passenger numbers remained fairly high for
a number of years. Many of the suspended bus services were re-instated, as were
many of the later trolleybus journeys and Lancashire United entered a period of
relative prosperity. People were now looking to relax by the coast and tours and
excursions became extremely popular. Lancashire United had to increase its fleet
of saloon buses to cater for the demand and in 1947 a batch of Dennis Lancet
vehicles (Nos. 336-345) were purchased carrying Roe dual-purpose 32-seat
bodywork, suitable for coaching operations. In 1948 more Roe-bodied dual-purpose
vehicles arrived, this time on Guy Arab III chassis (Nos. 182-187), and in the
following year, along with more Guy vehicles, Leyland PS1 chassis (Nos. 395-404)
with similar Roe bodywork entered the fleet. The first purely coach-bodied
vehicles to enter the fleet were Nos. 437-446 in 1951, on Guy Arab III chassis
with Roe C35F bodywork, and thereafter, for a number of years, coaches were
purchased for this line of work. On the 25th November 1948, following
the nationalisation of the electricity industry, the Company changed its name to
Lancashire United Transport Limited.
Although an act of 30th June 1948 authorised the conversion of the
sections of routes from Walkden to Moses Gate, and from Moses Gate to the Black
Horse in Farnworth, to trolleybus operation, in the event they were never
proceeded with. In 1948 six more trolleybuses were purchased, Sunbeam MS2
three-axle chassis with Weymann H34/30R bodywork. They were probably purchased
as the first replacements for a new trolleybus fleet, especially as Bolton
Corporation had proposed the introduction of trolleybuses on former tram routes,
but in the event these did not materialise and, although the ageing fleet of
trolleybuses struggled on for a number of years, in 1955 it was announced that
they would be replaced by motorbuses. The first trolleybus abandonment took
place on 25th March 1956, when the service between Bolton and Four
Lane Ends ceased to operate, to be replaced by motorbuses the following day. On
the 11th November 1956 the St. Helens to Atherton service was
withdrawn. For a number of reasons (legal and accounting), the South Lancashire
Transport Company acquired 55 buses in the period between 1955 and 1958,
although they were all numbered in the Lancashire United fleet, carried LUT
fleetnames and passed to LUT on the dissolution of the Company. The only
motorbus service ever operated by the SLT itself was the Atherton to St. Helens
route during this period. Over the next two years, as more of the trolleybuses,
some of which were by now over 25 years old, were withdrawn, they were replaced
on the routes by motorbuses. When the South Lancashire Transport Act of 1958
authorised the complete abandonment of the system, it also authorised the
dissolution of the South Lancashire Transport Company. On the 31st
August 1958, all remaining trolleybus services were abandoned and the assets of
the South Lancashire Transport Company Limited were transferred to the
Lancashire United Transport Company Limited on the 1st September
1958, bringing to an abrupt end almost 60 years of tram and trolleybus
operations in South Lancashire.
Throughout the following decade, motorbus services were expanded and
consolidated, with Lancashire United staying faithful to the front-engined
traditional double-decker, and was a purchaser of the Guy Arab chassis until
cessation of production in 1967. In 1961 the Company had purchased an example of
Guy Motors' Wulfrunian (No. 58), a front-engined vehicle but with front-entrance
layout. In the event, problems with the vehicle meant that it stayed with the
company for less than a year before being sold, and LUT returned to the more
reliable Guy Arab chassis. The introduction of the Government's bus grant, which
favoured buses suitable for one-man operation effectively sounded the death
knell for the traditional double-decker, and in 1970, when the Guy Arab was no
longer available, Lancashire United switched to the Gardner-engined, Daimler
Fleetline, which was subsequently to become the standard double-decker of that
decade.
In 1969, municipalities within part of the Lancashire United operating area
were amalgamated to form the South East Lancashire and North East Cheshire
Passenger Transport Executive, and a close working arrangement with the PTE was
built up. In 1972 Lancashire United Transport was acquired by a holding company
(Lanaten Ltd.), which resulted in a new working agreement with the PTE, who also
obtained an option to purchase the Company outright on 1st January
1976. In 1974 SELNEC PTE became Greater Manchester PTE after local government
re-organisation had established the area as Greater Manchester County.
On the 1st January 1976, Greater Manchester PTE exercised its
option, and purchased Britain's largest independent operator. Lancashire United
continued to operate as a subsidiary under its own fleetname until 31st
March 1981, when the Company was officially wound up and its assets transferred
to Greater Manchester Transport, ending over 75 years of independent operation.
In preparing this history
reference
has been made to the following published sources;
South Lancashire Tramways (EK Stretch, MTMS 1972),
Lancashire United/SLT (Eric Ogden, TPC 1985), Buses/Buses Illustrated
(1963-1981), PSV Circle Fleet History P48R (1962), Greater Manchester Buses
(Stewart J Brown, Capital 1995).
