View allAll Photos Tagged throwback
It is 1998 and D 635 is going on tour. Dublin Bus started the open-tour in 1988. The original tour fleet was made up of Leyland Atlanteans which were approaching the end of their service life. This pattern has continued to this day. The Atlanteans were later joined by Vanhools like D635 here and then these started to be replaced by Olympians from around 2000 on. Next came the ALX 400s in the form of the AV and AX classes and most recently the Enviro 400 EVs. Currently in 2019 the Dublin Bus tour fleet is entirely composed of low-floor, accessible buses.
The tour has always been a commercial operation by Dublin Bus and in 2017 it rebranded the city tour as DoDublin, with an all-over green livery. When it started in 1988 it was the only hop-on, hop-off tour in Dublin, but in 2019 there is stiff competition from The Big Bus Company and City Sightseeing, along with a number of niche tours.
D 635 had a varied career. It was delivered new to Dublin in 1975 and operated out of Clontarf and Summerhill garages. Around 1998 it joined the tour fleet. Normally that would be the end of a bus's career but by 2002 it had been converted for tree-lopper duties. In this role it toured the network, cutting down branches that could cause damage to buses. It finally retired from Dublin Bus in 2003, and passed into private hands.
St. Stephen's Green 15/10/1998
I was sorting some old photos and found some that I had taken in the production area where I was employed as a graphic designer. Without all these machines and pieces of various equipment it would not matter that we upfront spent time to design a beautiful piece of art or that our sales staff worked hard to secure the account because without production and all the pieces of machinery we could not produce the final (book, magazine, brochure, poster, etc) that shipped to the public which enabled us to stay open for business. Yeah for machines . . .
This week we are going back to 1989 and to a curious bus on O'Connell Street. MB 13 is seen parked outside the Dublin Bus head office. The MB class was the first new bus type delivered to Dublin Bus after the company's inception in 1987. MB 1-5 were delivered in 1987 but were shorter than the subsequent MB 6-15. The latter were delivered in 1988 and 1989. The buses were used on a variety of services around the city,such as the Localink routes in Tallaght based around The Square Shopping Centre and the Nipper route in Dublin city centre. MB 13 was based in Donnybrook Garage, and all members of the fleet were withdrawn by Dublin Bus in 1994. The destination on the bus is Killakee, which is a place located in South Dublin beyond Rockbrook, and near the Hell Fire Club. However this destination is referring to Killakee Road which was the terminus of one of the Tallaght local routes. The number is set to T00 as the bus is out of service. 21/10/1989
A trip back to 1983 this week and revisit to route 44A. At the time routes 44 and 44B served respectively Enniskerry and Glencullen on the southside of Dublin but the 44A was a bit of an outlier. It served Clontarf and Dollymount on the northside. The route received this number through a desire to fill in the gaps in the already existing route number library, even though the 44A never interacted with its southside cousins. The route lasted until 1996 when it was merged with route 30 and became City Imp route 130. D 614 is seen on Mount Prospect Avenue with a 44A to Mount Prospect Avenue. 05/07/1983
Early dawn breaks in Malahide for EV 16 in 2012. It is seen at the The Diamond with a working on the 32A from Dublin. At the time routes 32 and 32B operated along the coast through Baldoyle to Portmarnock. The 32A saw some of those services extended to Malahide, terminating beside the Tennis Club and near the Marina. When Network Direct hit the Howth Road four days later the A and B were abolished and all workings on the 32 were extended to Malahide. 14/11/2012
This week we are going back to the year 2000. WV 7 is at the 150 terminus on Hawkins Street with a service to Rossmore. The bus is a year old at this point, and is one out of what will be a fleet of fifty-two midi-buses. These are bigger than a minibus and smaller than a standard single-decker bus. At the time the 150 route was still part of the City Imp brand, but within a few short years this had been dropped.
At this time this end of Hawkins Street allowed traffic to access Burgh Quay. Now things are different. Traffic can only go one way on Hawkins Street, from the quays towards College Street. The spot where the bus stop is, is now on the route Luas Cross City tram line. Since the picture was taken the 150 has shifted terminii a few times, spending the longest on Fleet Street, but in recent times has returned to Hawkins Street, but of course facing the opposite way. The 150 today is operated by double-decker buses. Two WVs survive in service but mainly on the 44B. 10/09/2000
This week for Throwback Thursday we have a slightly unusual bus in a slightly unusual location for it. AX 632 is seen parked at Skerries station in the company of RH 52. RH 52 was the Uniform Bus used by Dublin Bus to deliver uniforms to garages and it even had a changing area on board where staff members could try on their clothes. It was not a bus seen very often out and about and especially not in Skerries. This bus has been replaced by a newer AV Class bus. Skerries 25/08/2008
Just travelling back a mere six years for this weeks update but even so there has been a lot of change in that time. RV 531 loads up on College Street with a 77 to Jobstown. A handy piece of A4 paper in the front windscreen shows it goes "via Airton Road". In August 2011 RV 531 was withdrawn from service. It was one of the last buses deivered with rollerblind destinations (RV 540 being the last). Route 77 was merged with the 27 in September 2011 becoming one long cross-city route from Clare Hall to Jobstown, and adopted the 27 route number. Finally this part of College Street is currently being converted into a tram line for Luas Cross City and will become a tram stop next year. 26/02/2010
This week we are going back to 1998 and MA 15 at Bray Station (although the destination says Bray Depot Station). The bus is operating a service on route 145. Back then, the 145 was a local service around Bray. Starting in the mid-1990s it served the Palermo estate on the northern side of the town, and Ballywaltrim and Kilmacanogue on the southern side. It was one of those Dublin Bus routes that operated in Wicklow and not Dublin. Also, being a local service, it operated under the Localink brand which had been introduced in the late 1980s by Dublin Bus. Like most brands created by Dublin Bus, it was later phased out. However there was a brief private operated service in the Ballinteer area called Locolink and the current national rural bus service operates as Local Link.
The 145 underwent a massive transformation in 2004 when it became a radial route from Kilmacanogoue to Dublin city centre via Bray and the Stillorgan QBC. For all intents and purposes it became a new route. Later it was revised slightly to run between Heuston Station and Ballywaltrim. It has become one of the busier routes in the city and for a period was a regular home to tri-axle double-deckers.
MA 15 was delivered new to Dublin Bus in 1993 and withdrawn around 2000/2001.
The railway station in Bray opened in 1854. It became the southern terminus for the DART in 1984.
20/01/1998
This week for Throwback Thursday we are only go back four years, but it was a significant day. Network Direct was in full swing and bus routes were changing all over the city. As part of the changes we had to say goodbye to some very well known routes. On this day in 2012 we said goodbye to the 1,2 and 3. The next day we said hello to a new 1.
The old 1 operated from Parnell Square to the power station at Pigeon House. The 2 operated from Parnell Square to Sandymount and UCD. The 3 operated from Larkhill to Sandymount and UCD. AX 483 is seen beside the sea at Sandymount. It had just operated the last 1 to the Pigeon House, which can be seen in the background. It then operated as 2 from there to Sandymount and then became a 3 to Larkhill. Today the 1 operates from Sandymount to Santry, the power station has shut down and no bus route serves it. 12/05/2012
For the second week of our thrawl through the archives we go back to 1997. W 3 is seen at the Omni Park terminus of route 300. These wheelchair accessible buses started on the City Centre route 222 before transferring to the 300 which connected north-city communities in Dublin with the Omni Shopping Centre in Santry. These were the first class of low-floor buses in Dublin Bus. 11/01/97
It is 1995 and KD 8 is reaching for the heights at Connolly Station. The bus is seen on the road approach to the station entrance. This was high above Amiens Street and the road approach was known colloquially as "The Ramp". For many years both sides were lined with buses laying over between duties. Both Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann. In 2003 it was removed and the ground leveled to make way for the tram stop on the Luas Red Line.
KD 8 is one of those buses using The Ramp as a parking area. It is displaying route 42 which connects the City Centre with Malahide and Portmarnock.
KD 8 entered service between 1981 and 1982 and was based in Clontarf Garage. 08/08/1995
Going back 29 years this week and to D 376 on O'Connell Street. It is on the 10 from the Phoenix Park to UCD Belfield. This was one of the more famous and popular routes in Dublin, and has featured here before, but was removed from the network in 2010. D 376 entered service in 1970, so was already 18 years old when this photograph was taken. However it survived through the 1990s as it joined the Tour fleet and was repainted into the navy blue/cream livery. It certainly was not looking the best when this photograph was taken in 1988. Finally this bus stop outside the Savoy cinema is not used by Dublin Bus anymore and one is more likely to see private tour buses here now. 08/06/1988
On January 25th, 1984, this was the scene on Conrails Danville secondary (nee-NYC Egyptian Line) at Johnsonville road crossing, located at MP IH 97.65, south of Sloan and near the Ill / Ind state line. What is missing from the photos is the snowplow that was struck by a Milwaukee Road train. In the last 3 photos you can see it at left of the hi-rail. Apparently, it got stuck on the crossing somehow and was abandoned. Later, a Milwaukee train came by, didn't see it and slammed into it. Phil said it took them a week to clean up after this snowfall and the snowplow was totaled. Photos by Phil Boldman.
Conrail Hi-Rail
Johnsonville Road crossing
January 25th, 1984
CR Danville secondary, MP 97.65
It is another trip back to 1997 this week, but this time to Dun Laoghaire. ME 43 is seen at the 59 terminus beside the railway station on Crofton Road. The route connected Dun Laoghaire and Killiney via Dalkey, providing local connections. Although the bus is in City Imp colours the route was not part of the brand - these smaller buses were just more suited to the route. In the early 2000s the route was extended to Mackintosh Park but this was undone in November 2016 when the route was cut back to Killiney once more.
It should be noted that the bus has an interesting destination blind with both ends of the route shown, saving the driver the effort of having to change it. It does mean there is no Irish on it though. Dun Laoghaire, 30/11/1997
Here I am at a Christmas party in 1978, with the girl I had recently met in college.
In January, we'll celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary.
It is 1995 and D 722 is seen on O'Connell Street with a 16 to Santry. This is one of the older bus routes in Dublin, that can trace its route back to old tram network. Being a cross-city route it has connected Santry/Beaumont on the northside with Terenure/Rathfarnham on the southside. Various extensions over the years have included Nutgrove and Omni Park. In more recent times it has been routed to run from Dublin Airport to Ballinteer.
D 722 was delivered new to Cork in 1975 and transferred to Dublin Bus in 1988. It was withdrawn in late 1999, ending its days in the city tour fleet.
In the background is the head office of Dublin Bus. 27/04/1995
Another trip back twelve years this week to 2011 and to route 15.
RV 478 is seen on Dawson Street with a service to Eden Quay.
Route 15 started running between the city centre and Scholarstown Road in 1988. In December 2011 it merged with route 128, which happens to be the service behind RV 478 on Dawson Street. Route 128 ran between Clongriffin and Rathmines, and when the routes merged, the 15 became a cross-city route from Clongriffin to Stocking Avenue. The section of route 128 to Palmertson Park on the southside became part of route 140.
In January 2015, route 15 (along with other routes) was diverted away from Dawson Street and sent along South Great George's Street instead due to Luas Cross-City works. Trams now travel up and down the road where the buses are in the photograph.
RV 478 was new to Dublin Bus in 1999. It was withdrawn around December 2011 and sold on to an operator in the United Kingdom in 2012.
25/08/2011
It is 2007 and AX 470 is stuck on Grafton Street while operating a service to Whitechurch on route 15C. There have been a number of routes to bear the designation 15C over the decades in Dublin. The longest lived version ran from 1980 to around 1993, and connected the City Centre with Willington. It was not a very frequent route and was replaced in time in Willington by the 54A and the 150. The next version of the 15C was the one seen here in the photo. Running from the City Centre to Whitechurch, it started in 1999, as a replacement to the 47 group of routes, and lasted until 30th September 2007 when it was replaced by the 15B. The final version of the 15C is an "unofficial official" route that has appeared in more recent times. The current route 15 has been a cross city route since 2011, running from Clongriffin to Ballycullen Road. To highlight routes running short to just the City Centre, 15C is often used on the displays.
AX 470 was delivered new to Dublin Bus in 2006, and based in Ringsend Garage. It was withdrawn from there in 2019 and moved to Paul S. Winson in Loughborough (UK).
This part of Grafton Street became of the Luas Green Line in 2018, with trams using in both directions, along with some bus routes, but not the 15. During the building of the tramline, the 15 group of routes (along with other routes) were diverted along Camden Street instead of Kildare Street.
Finally, the Gardai in the picture are trying to figure out what to do with a tourist's rental car which had broken down at this awkward spot, causing the traffic jam AX 470 is leading. 05/09/2007
It's 1997 and RA 274 is seen parked on Marlborough Street. The bus is on route 32B. This operated between the City Centre and Baldoyle/Portmarnock going via Abbey Park. In 2012 the route was removed from the network through Network Direct and Abbey Park lost its bus service. Passengers had to use an extended 29A to Baldoyle instead.
The bus had been delivered in 1996 and is in CitySwift livery. The 32B however was not one of Clontarf's CitySwift routes. The bus was withdrawn around 2007 and went on to continue its career in the UK. It was still active until at least 2016.
This location on Marlborough Street is now a tram stop on Luas Cross City. 05/04/1997
This week we are going back to 1985 to see D 253 on Abbey Street with the 34A. This route started in 1962, eight years after the 34, and connected the city centre with Finglas. Around a decade after this picture was taken the 34A and the 34 morphed into the City Imp route 134 and then in the 2000s that route merged with the 83. The number may be gone, but the legacy lives on, even though it has been altered over the years.
D 253 was delivered new to Dublin in 1969 and was withdrawn in October 1986.
Middle Abbey Street was a major bus terminus for decades. In the background can be seen another bus on the 37. At one point in the mid-1990s the 39 had departures every five minutes from here. But with the coming of the Luas in the early-2000s this part of Abbey Street lost all bus services.
28/11/1985
This week we are going back a decade to 2015, and to AV 423 and AV 424 parked on Abbey Street.
AV 423 (at the front) has arrived with a service on route 41B. This route started running between the city centre, Swords and Rolestown in 1948, and has basically not changed since then.
AV 424 (at the back) has arrived with a service on route 41A from Swords Manor. This route has a more complicated history. The first version of this route ran between the city centre and Walsh Road in Drumcondra, between 1929 and 1939. The second version of the route started in 1948, and was used for services between the city centre and Dublin Airport. The route ceased to operate in 1998, being a weekend only route for its final few years. The route number was revived around 2001, for services between the city centre and Swords Manor that went via Glen Ellan. In 2005, route 41C was extended from River Valley to Swords Manor via Glen Ellan, which meant route 41A became a morning peak working that only operated from Swords Manor. In 2018 the route ceased to operate completely.
AV 423 and AV 424 were new to Dublin Bus in 2005. Both were withdrawn in 2019 and sold on to operators in the United Kingdom.
03/07/2015
It is 1982 and C 100 is seen on Townsend Street with a 63. This route operated to Glenamuck (between Carrickmines and Kilternan) via Stillorgan and Foxrock. It was operated out of Donnybrook Garage and was a regular route for single-deck operation. In more recent times it was extended to Kilternan and double-deckers became more common on it. In 2010 the route was cut back from the city centre, and instead connected Dun Laoghaire with Kilternan,which it continues to do today.
The C Class was operated nationwide by CIE. Out of a total of 260 buses, about 80 worked in Dublin. They were replaced in the mid-1980s by the new KC Class built by Bombardier. C 100 was one of the final buses to be withdrawn. It entered service in Dundalk in 1965, before transferring to Donnybrook in 1971, where it remained for 13 years. 20/12/1982
The first Thursday in 2016 I started doing a Throwback Thursday looking back on some long lost bus scenes in Dublin. Today we have photograph number 52, the last one of 2016. The year started in Bray and so it seems appropriate to end in Bray. This time we are going back thirty years to 1986. KD 270 is seen on the 84A. This was a short 84 that only ran between Bray and Greystones. The bus is seen in Bray as it approaches the end of its journey. The 84A disappeared for a while, being replaced by the 184, but it has reappeared in recent times and now operates between Bray and St. Vincent's Hospital. Bray 29/12/1986
And with that the 2016 Throwback Thursday has come to an end, but it will continue in 2017. Happy New Year!
This week we are only going back a short hop to four years ago, and GT 22 on route 40 at Liffey Valley. The 40 reached Liffey Valley in November 2011, under Network Direct. Prior to that it had operated since 1925 between the city centre and Finglas. Route 78A was merged into it through Network Direct making it a cross-city route from Finglas to Liffey Valley. Then in November 2022, the route was split again, with the city centre to Liffey Valley part becoming route G2 under Bus Connects, and the 40 again becoming the city centre to Finglas route.
This bus stop has been the bus terminus at Liffey Valley since the shopping centre opened in 1998. However, work started in 2022 on a new bus interchange at the front of the shopping centre, that is also close to the bus stops on the N4 road (served by the C-Spine and other routes). This, combined with road works in the shopping centre that turned the roundabout in the background of the photo into a signalled junction, has seen the old bus terminus just become a single, regular bus stop. Although currently it is still serving as the bus terminus until the new one opens in early-2023.
GT 22 was delivered new to Dublin Bus in 2012. It was one of 160 such buses delivered between 2012 and 2013, and it is still in service with Dublin Bus. 26/01/2019
This week we have an older edit I did using LDD.
As you might have guessed he's my angsty Ninjago OC. He's of course the descendant of the Master of Plasma. He lives in New Ninjago city in an apartment above his uncle's tea shop. At night though, he lurks the rooftops, searching out crime and takes down the lowlifes and gangs of New Ninjago city's underworld...
I wonder if I should ever write a story about him. Maybe some sort of Miniseries?
It is 2008 and RV 429 is parked on Marlborough Street between duties on the 29A. Since November 2012 this route has run from the city centre to Baldoyle via Raheny and Donaghmede. Prior to that it terminated at Newgrove, or Newgrove Cross. Newrgove Cross was what was shown initially on the bus scrolls, and refers to a place near Donaghmede Roundabout, When the bus destinations shifted from scrolls to dot-matrix displays and then LED displays, Newgrove Cross got shortened to just Newgrove.
Unlike most other bus routes in Dublin, the 29A does not trace its existence back to the trams but instead the railways. It was operated by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) and was only absorbed into the rest of the city network when the railway ceased to exist in 1958 and was taken over by CIE. The most interesting part of the route is the diversion it takes around All Saint's Road in Raheny.
RV 429 was delivered new to Clontarf Garage in 1998. It was sold to Ensignbus in the UK in 2009. It was still in operation with Imperial Coaches in Slough in 2018.
This part of Marlborough Street was used for many years as a lay-over for buses but since December 2017 it has been the Marlborough tram stop on the Luas Green Line. 23/10/2008