Steepest bus route

[Wumpty]

Years ago I went on WN 510 had a very steep hill in Tettenhall towards perton.

This is now the 10 and still runs up/down Church Road in Compton. When I worked at Midland Choice, we also ran this route and our (very) aged Leyland Nationals had to drive up in 1st (crawler) gear - we prayed that no one wanted the stop half way up between Ormes Lane and Grove Lane otherwise we'd have an absolute battle to wind it up ready to go again!

[Wumpty]

City Road is the steepest in the West Midlands I have driven up

I'm sure the old 120 run up/down this? I remember the old Dudley garage Leyland Fleetlines used to fly up it (doing 3 foot to the gallon probably!) in comparison to the Birmingham Coach Company's Nationals that would be screaming for mercy - in fairness the, their Ikarus DAFs would usually flag towards the top.

[markcf83]

Quite a few in South Wales notably in the Rhondda.

[Stu]

I'm sure the old 120 run up/down this? I remember the old Dudley garage Leyland Fleetlines used to fly up it (doing 3 foot to the gallon probably!) in comparison to the Birmingham Coach Company's Nationals that would be screaming for mercy - in fairness the, their Ikarus DAFs would usually flag towards the top.

It still does to this day, though it is the 12 service now.

As I pointed out earlier in the thread, when I was younger it was the Metrobuses that struggled up City Road. The more modern vehicles don't have this problem.

[Ash]

It still does to this day, though it is the 12 service now.

As I pointed out earlier in the thread, when I was younger it was the Metrobuses that struggled up City Road. The more modern vehicles don't have this problem.

Type in 2646 metrobus on YouTube and you will see a metrobus struggling on the 120. Remember watching the video years back.

[danny]

I'm just old enough to remember the lynxes on the 120 used to sail up no problem... then in around 1997/8 for some reason they swapped them out with metro buses and then we got brand new mercs with the generic purple branding

[Crosville]

I've been on a bus up the notorious hill that is Jenkin Road in Sheffield, this has a max gradient of 14.1%, with an average gradient of 11%, this was used in stage 2 of the 2014 Tour De France[the first 3 stages were held in England], & was a categorised climb[category 4] which was called cote de Jenkin Road for the race. ;D.

[Cheese]

I've been on a bus up the notorious hill that is Jenkin Road in Sheffield, this has a max gradient of 14.1%, with an average gradient of 11%, this was used in stage 2 of the 2014 Tour De France[the first 3 stages were held in England], & was a categorised climb[category 4] which was called cote de Jenkin Road for the race. ;D.

Indeed, Jenkin Road is one of the steepest roads in Sheffield, I know having grown up at the bottom of it!  In the mid 90s Sheffield Omnibus ran up part of it, Atlantean or National thrash up there was just crazy.  In more recent years First have run up the steepest part of it but generally it's Streetlites and B7/B9 haulage which seems to manage it OK. Watched Le Tour pass pretty much by my parents house, fair to say some of the riders clearly didn't appreciate that sort of climb at the end of a spectator type stage!

[Wumpty]

Indeed, Jenkin Road is one of the steepest roads in Sheffield, I know having grown up at the bottom of it!  In the mid 90s Sheffield Omnibus ran up part of it, Atlantean or National thrash up there was just crazy.  In more recent years First have run up the steepest part of it but generally it's Streetlites and B7/B9 haulage which seems to manage it OK. Watched Le Tour pass pretty much by my parents house, fair to say some of the riders clearly didn't appreciate that sort of climb at the end of a spectator type stage!

Clearly the riders weren't REAL Yorkshiremen ;)

[Crosville]

Indeed, Jenkin Road is one of the steepest roads in Sheffield, I know having grown up at the bottom of it!  In the mid 90s Sheffield Omnibus ran up part of it, Atlantean or National thrash up there was just crazy.  In more recent years First have run up the steepest part of it but generally it's Streetlites and B7/B9 haulage which seems to manage it OK. Watched Le Tour pass pretty much by my parents house, fair to say some of the riders clearly didn't appreciate that sort of climb at the end of a spectator type stage!

:D

It's not that long of a climb in terms of length isn't it, but it's the steepness of it that catches a few out, even though a few would have rode it in training before the tour.

The route that i caught was the Sheffield-Meadowhall[think the route number was 36], i see the route has been now partly replaced 32/32A but only uses some of the length, & 95A which uses the full length of Jenkin Road

[Cheese]

:D

It's not that long of a climb in terms of length isn't it, but it's the steepness of it that catches a few out, even though a few would have rode it in training before the tour.

The route that i caught was the Sheffield-Meadowhall[think the route number was 36], i see the route has been now partly replaced 32/32A but only uses some of the length, & 95A which uses the full length of Jenkin Road

Yes, the various services to/from Sandstone Road have changed quite a lot over recent times but as you say, the 95A runs the full length of it, although it's only in the last 5 to 10 years there has been a service along the full length. Think I wheeled my bike up and down there a few times as a kid but there was no way I could have ridden it up there!

[Stu]

Thinking about this subject outside of the West Midlands, there's another hill that now springs to mind.

Service 512 runs between Aberystwyth and Ynyslas, serving the popular tourist village of Borth, on the Cardigan Bay coast of Wales.

Clarach Road, which the 512 uses to serve Upper Borth, is quite steep, I certainly walked up and down that part a few times when I stayed in the caravan park there a couple of years ago now, and even I found it a bit of an effort!

The bus only goes up as far as Heol Aberwennol, where it turns to go back down (journeys in both directions), so not a particularly long stretch of hill to climb for a bus. Certainly the Enviro400s and Enviro200s used didn't really struggle!

I can tell you that the road does get much steeper after that point though, the view when you get to the top is worth it though!



You can actually see the Ynyslas terminus from here!  ;D

[ellspurs]

Thinking about this subject outside of the West Midlands, there's another hill that now springs to mind.

Service 512 runs between Aberystwyth and Ynyslas, serving the popular tourist village of Borth, on the Cardigan Bay coast of Wales.

Clarach Road, which the 512 uses to serve Upper Borth, is quite steep, I certainly walked up and down that part a few times when I stayed in the caravan park there a couple of years ago now, and even I found it a bit of an effort!

The bus only goes up as far as Heol Aberwennol, where it turns to go back down (journeys in both directions), so not a particularly long stretch of hill to climb for a bus. Certainly the Enviro400s and Enviro200s used didn't really struggle!

I can tell you that the road does get much steeper after that point though, the view when you get to the top is worth it though!



You can actually see the Ynyslas terminus from here!  ;D

I used to live around there. Lots of fun going up and down that in my Rover, as well as Cefn Llan both walking and hoping you had brakes in good condition. This one isn't bus served, the school is served from the other end of the road.

There's a holiday bus that goes to Clarach Bay, which uses the B4572 to get down there, which is another nice and winding road.

Slightly closer to home, Diamond's 292 goes over Clee Hill, which has a 14% gradient either side of it, and some sheep when you get to the top of it. I barely hit 15mph when I have to go up it in my truck.

Lastly, the road between Prestigne and Knighton is served by Sargeant's 41 service. It is 5 miles of meandering hills, a lot of which look to be over 10% gradient. The climb out of Knighton is neverending.

[j789]

Had some rides on the exmoor open top coaster service from Minehead to Lynmouth on A39. First Bus 36082 SN57 DCE in use and it really has to work hard. Excellent professional staff. How long these buses will last before they wear out?

The route involves a 1 in 4 incline and descent on hairpin bends - bus leans over at a scary angle, narrow roads and then across the top of gale force exmoor. In places you are on the edge of a cliff with no barrier and a massive drop down to the sea. Runs till end of October and has to be the best open top ride in the SW if not all the country?

Question - is there anything similar in the West Mids that compares?

Got to experience the Exmoor Coaster service this week but going from Ilfracombe to Lynmouth. 

What a fantastic open top journey it is but you are right about the punishment the buses must take. The hill out of Lynmouth is 1:4 and going uphill I have no idea how the bus made it in first gear most of the way. The buses I caught were a 59 plate Gemini and ex London 09 plate E400. There seemed quite a mix though as there was also a Scania decker parked up at Lynmouth.

The bus was full on both trips both upstairs and down so I'm guessing the route must be a decent earner for First but it must see off a fair few vehicles over the years.

[Rachvince53]

This is now the 10 and still runs up/down Church Road in Compton. When I worked at Midland Choice, we also ran this route and our (very) aged Leyland Nationals had to drive up in 1st (crawler) gear - we prayed that no one wanted the stop half way up between Ormes Lane and Grove Lane otherwise we'd have an absolute battle to wind it up ready to go again!

I recall a time back in the early 80s when travelling with Happy Times. Gina Jones was the youngest of the Jones family who then owned it and she was given the oldest coach in the fleet (c1970) as it was a straight run on a day trip to Rhyl (I think). Anyway she tried three times to ascend The Holloway you mention before she phoned her dad Derek who bought out a newer coach for her. This Gina managed to get up but not without being overtaken halfway up by her dad in the older coach!