Gilmerton Terminus

Thank you to Robert Laird, Longstone, Edinburgh for allowing me to reproduce the photos above. I was interested to see the drivers or conductors beside their buses in this photo.

Robert, who sent the photo above to me, together with a photo buses at Sighthill Terminus in Calder Road, taken in 1950, wrote:

A Job on the Buses

"My dad returned from the World War II, expecting his job with A&J McNabs to have been kept open for him. Alas not.

However, a girl in the office suggested he go down to Shrubhill Depot as they were looking for drivers.

Anyhoo, he did and after a short daunder round Leith in a single decker he was hired!! Things were so much simpler back then.

The Christmas Parties and summer picnics with E.C.T. (Edinburgh City Transport) employees' families remain vivid in my mind. Halcyon days"

The Terminus

"In this photo, the building beside the bus is a toilet that was built for the bus crews. According to my dad, it was an absolute nightmare prior to facilities being provided for them."

Robert Laird, Longstone, Edinburgh: October 27, 2011 (2 emails)

NOTE

Sighthill or Gilmerton?

This was originally described as being a photo of Sighthill Terminus in Calder Road.

I wrote:

"When was this taken? The buses are some of those that were purchased when the tram system closed in 1956, but it seems to have been much later before Route 3 was extended to Sighthill. I have a 1971 transport map and this still shows Route 3 going only as far as Saughton Road, Longstone."

Thank you to Steven Oliver for solving the problem in his Reply 2 below.

Reply

Alan R Hall

Sedgefield, County Durham, England

Thank you to Alan R Hall, Sedgefield, County Durham, England for commenting on this photo:

Alan wrote:

Date of the Photo

"The two buses on the right in this photo are both Leyland PD2/20s and the front one is from the batch numbered 401-500 which were delivered in 1954.

The bus on the left, however, is a Guy Arab IV delivered in 1956. The conductor of that bus is using a TIM ticket machine which were introduced in Edinburgh from 1933 (on trams) and by 1935 on some buses. Edinburgh didn't get its first Setright machines until 1962 and, as far as I can remember, the TIMs were then quickly phased out.

So, this photo would seem to date from some time between 1956 and 1962."

Alan R Hall, Sedgefield, County Durham, England

Reply

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders, Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver for his comments on this photo.

It had originally been suggested that this photo had been taken some time around the mid-1950s, but this puzzled me because Route 3 did not go as far as Sighthill in the 1950s (or even in the 1960s).

However, Steven Oliver has provided the answer to this puzzle.

Steven wrote:

The Terminus

"I think I can help with the location of this terminus.

One of the 70 Guy Arab IV/Alexander buses, new in 1956-7 features in the photo. This is likely to have been on service 8.

All of these Guys were based at Central Garage throughout their life with ECT. The presence of this bus suggests that the location is the turning circle just outside Gilmerton.

This was the terminus of services 3 and 8. It had a toilet block for use by crews. The toilet block is still there today and is still used by drivers."

Steven Oliver: Duns, Borders, Scotland: November 14, 2011

Reply

Denis Kelly

Edinburgh

Thank you to Denis Kelly who wrote:

1958

"The date of this picture is 13 August 1958. This coincided with opening of new terminus on Gilmerton Station Road, just short of the NCB Gilmerton Colliery which was in production at that time."

The Buses

"On the left is Guy Arab IV fleet 924 on service 8 between Gilmerton and Silverknowes

On right are two Leyland Titan PD2/20’s, the bus in front being fleet 451 with similar bus behind, both on service 3 between Gilmerton and Saughton Mains."

The Routes

Both routes 3 and 8 had originated as tram routes, albeit considerably extended when buses took over.

Gilmerton Colliery closed 1961 but the terminus is still in use today for short workings of Lothian service 29.

Denis Kelly, Edinburgh: August 7, 2012