Throwback Thursday

This week we are going back thirty-five years to 1987 and D 609 on Talbot Street with a service on route 44A. This VanHool McArdle AN68 was new to CIE in 1975. It was withdrawn by Dublin Bus in 1993 and sold for scrap. Over its career it operated out of Clontarf, Conyngham Road and Ringsend Garages. 

Route 44A to Mount Prospect Avenue started running in 1936. It lasted until 1996 when it was replaced by new City Imp route 130, which also replaced route 30.

Beside the bus is a car with a registration plate that begins with "87 D". 1987 was the first year for this new style of car registrations, with the previous system dating from 1903 using just two letter codes for counties and some numbers (as seen on the bus). The new system adopted in 1987 put the two digits for the year at the start followed by one or two letters to represent the county. In 2013 it was adapted again when the year was split in half for registrations and either a 1 or 2 appended to the year number.  

17/11/1987

This week we are going back fifteen years to 2007 and RV 466 on Amiens Street with a service on route 130 to Castle Avenue. This Volvo Olympian bus was new to Dublin Bus in 1999. Initially it was in CitySwift livery but was repainted in the early-2000s. It was withdrawn in 2009 and later sold on to another Irish operator.

Route 130 started in 1996, initially as a City Imp minibus route. The 130 was the merging of two routes, the 30 and the 44A. Route 30 ran from the city centre to Dollymount via Clontarf and started in 1938. Route 44A started in 1936 and ran from city centre to Mount Prospect Avenue via Haddon Road and Castle Avenue. The 130 started with mini-buses, before getting midi-buses around 2000. However within a couple of years double-decker buses started to take-over and have remained ever since.  

02/12/2007

This week we go back eleven years to RV 534 on O'Connell Bridge with a service on route 15A to Limekiln Farm. This bus was one of nearly 200 Volvo Olympians delivered to Dublin Bus in 1999, and also the last batch of high-floor double-decker buses to be delivered. This bus was withdrawn in 2012 and sold on to an operator in the United Kingdom. In the background is RV 555 on the 16 to Ballinteer, another bus that had a career from 1999 to 2012. 

Route 15A started running between the City Centre and Whitehall Road in 1949. In 1978 it reached Greenhills, and Limekiln Farm around 1982. Two days after this photograph was taken, the city centre terminus moved from Eden Quay to Benson Street in Grand Canal Dock, and the southern terminus moved to Limekiln Avenue. Except it didn't really. For years the 19A (which became the 9) and teh 15A terminated at the same spot, but the former called it Limekiln Avenue and the latter Limekiln Farm. Under Network Direct changes in 2011, the 15A destinations were made consistent with route 9 by having both display Limekiln Avenue.

With the move to Benson Street the 15A and 15B no longer crossed O'Connell Bridge to cross the River Liffey. 

16/12/2011

This week we are going back twenty-eight years to 1994 and Dublin Bus AD 58 on Pearse Street. The bus is dressed for route 14A to Churchtown. This route started running between the Phoenix Park and Churchtown in 1965. In the late-1980s it was cut back from the Phoenix Park to the city centre and in 1995 it was extended to Ballinteer. From 2005 to 2011 it operated to Dundrum, but was subsumed into new route 14 under Network Direct, 

AD 58 was one of seventy DAF / Alexander Setanta single-deckers delivered to Dublin Bus between 1994 and 1995. It was delivered in unbranded City Swift livery and initially operated out of Donnybrook Garage. Around 2006 it transferred to Bus Eireann along with a number of other AD buses that joined the school fleet, but it was withdrawn by 2011. It ended its days at Rosslare Harbour.  

29/12/1994

This week we are going back fourteen years to 2009 and AV 264 in Parnell Square. The bus is operating a service on route 5 to Sandyford Industrial Estate. This route started operating between the City Centre and Kilmacud in 1952. In the mid-1970s its terminus was moved to the junction of Lakelands Avenue / Upper Kilmacud Road. In 1987 it was extended to Sandyford industrial Estate but in 2011 the route was withdrawn from the network. Throughout its entire existence, the route operated via The Rock Road and Ballsbridge.

AV 264 was new to Dublin Bus in 2002. It was withdrawn in 2016 and sold on to another Irish operator. In 2023 it is still in service with Airside Coaches. 

06/01/2009

This week we are going back a mere five years to 2018 and Dublin Bus WS 2 at the bus terminus in Dundrum. The bus is seen prior to departing for Glencullen on route 44B. This route started operating between Glencullen and Dublin city centre in 1953. In 2001 some short workings were introduced so every service did not go all the way into the city, with some terminating at Dundrum, Eglinton Road, Sandyford, Ranelagh, Kilcross and Dundrum. In 2009 the route was rationalised further, with only the Dundrum to Glencullen part kept, with a few services in the morning and a few in the afternoon, weekdays only.

As the route makes its way up part of the Dublin mountains, only single-deckers can be used on it. In recent years it has been the last outpost for single-deckers within the fleet of Dublin Bus. Up until December 2017 three WV Class buses outlived the other members of the fleet to operate the 44B (though they also popped up on the 59 and 111 as only one bus is needed to operate the 44B). However, as they were sixteen years old at that time, they needed replacement. Dublin Bus purchased two StreetLites from Wrightbus, WS 1 and WS 2. These were the short-wheelbase version of this type. Bus Eireann operated the mid and full length version (WM and WL classes) and Go-Ahead Ireland also received 40 full-length versions to operate the orbital routes in and around Dublin (It is unknown why the 44B was not included with the tender for the orbital routes that Go-Ahead Ireland won). The WS Class entered service in December 2017 and in 2021 they were repainted in the new TFI green / yellow livery. Although bought for the 44B, they have turned up on other routes occasionally. For a period before Covid-19, one was a regular performer on the 61 in the morning, which brought the Dublin Bus single-decker into the city centre.

19/01/2018

This week we are going ack twenty-seven years to 1996 and RA 236 in Dun Laoghaire. This bus is dressed for route 75 which started running between Dun Laoghaire and Tallaght in February 1990. The number had previously been used on a local Tallaght route that ran between Fettercairn and Kilnamanagh from late-1985 to late-1987. The Tallaght terminus of the newer 75 moved to The Square Shopping Centre when it opened in late-1990. Go-Ahead Ireland took over the route from Dublin Bus in October 2018.

RA 236 was new to Dublin Bus in 1995. It was withdrawn in 2007 and sold on to an operator in the United Kingdom.  

10/02/1996

This week's Throwback Thursday can also be seen as part of Provincial Past too. 1996 finds Dublin Bus P 34 at Bus Aras about to depart with a service to Kells for Bus Eireann. This DAF Plaxton Verde was delivered to Dublin Bus in 1993 to help convert route 39 to CitySwift status. In 1998 it was repainted into the new core Dublin Bus livery but spent its final few years with Dublin Bus in City Imp livery. In 2003 it was withdrawn by Dublin Bus and officially transferred to Bus Eireann, where it joined the school fleet. It spent its final years operating out of Galway and was withdrawn and scrapped around 2014.  

Bus Eireann still operate to Kells today with route 109.

It was not uncommon up to the early 2000s for Dublin Bus to lend vehicles to Bus Eireann to help out at busy times or to trial different bus types. This picture also demonstrates what was common practice at Bus Aras for many decades - buses reversed into the stands, and passengers had to walk the length of the bus to board. In more recent times this has been reversed, with buses facing inwards at the stands.

15/03/1996

Provincial Past can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60501971@N08/sets/72157712547702466/

This week we are going back eleven years to 2012 and RV 588 at Dunboyne. The bus is waiting to depart for Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, via Littlepace, on route 270. This route started in September 2000, as a companion to the older route 70 which connected Dublin city centre with Dunboyne, as well as providing a service to the people in Littlepace. In January 2019 the route transferred to Go-Ahead Ireland.

RV 588 was new to Dublin Bus in 1999. It was one of a number of Olympians delivered with narrower destination screens on the front, though all were later retrofitted with a standard size ones. They did keep the different type of dot-matrix used in the destination though. The bus was withdrawn in November 2012 and was sold on to another Irish operator.

Dunboyne is located in County Meath, and is one of the few places served by buses on Dublin city services (operated by Go-Ahead Ireland and Dublin Bus) and regional routes operated by Bus Eireann. In September 2010 it also regained its train service when the railway line was reopened from Clonsilla to a new station north of Dunboyne at M3 Parkway.   

05/04/2012

This week we are going back twenty-three years to the year 2000 and RH 132 at Dublin Airport. The bus is on a service on route 16A to Nutgrove Avenue. This route started in 1955 between Beaumont and Lower Rathfarnham. In 1985 it reached Santry and during 1999 reached the airport. The route ceased to operate in 2012 under Network Direct changes. 

RH 132 was new to Dublin Bus in 1992. Originally delivered in two-tone green, it received CitySwift livery in 1997, which in some ways as the start of the decline of the CitySwift brand. Previously CitySwift routes had new buses done to a higher spec with individual seats for example. But here, an older bus was just repainted, and kept its standard bench seats. The bus regained standard fleet livery in the early-2000s as the CitySwift concept faded away. In 2005 it joined the Dublin Bus driving school, before being sold on to another Irish operator in 2006. It was destroyed by fire in 2011.

It is interesting to note that back in 2000 the city buses were still serving bus stops near the main entrance to the terminal building at Dublin Airport. Nowadays they serve a stop some distance away, on the opposite side of a multi-storey car park. It is also worth noting that one Bus Eireann route calls here too, the service to Belfast. Dublin Airport is a major hub for Bus Eireann routes now, except they no longer run a route to Belfast. 

14/04/2000

This week we go back nine years to 2014 and Dublin Bus AV 186 in Lucan Village on route 25. This route started in 1940, replacing the previous tram line of the same route number which ran from the city centre. By 1991 the terminus had been extended slightly west to Dodsboro. The route ceased to operate under the C-Spine changes of Network Direct in November 2021. The road in the foreground is only served by route L52 which takes the road to the left to Blanchardstown, while the road in the background is unserved by buses.

AV 186 was new to Dublin Bus in 2001, and was the first member of the AV Class with the revised driver windscreen, which now curved in at the top instead of going straight up. It was withdrawn in 2015, and sold on to another Irish operator. 

19/04/2014

This week we go back thirty-two years to 1991 and Dublin Bus RH 56 parked at Bus Aras on Store Street, between duties on route 42. This route started in 1925, running between the city centre and Coolock. In 1953 it was extended north along the Malahide Road to Kinsealy and Malahide. In 2005 it was extended from Malahide to Portmarnock, where it still runs to today. 

RH 56 was new to Dublin Bus in 1990. This Leyland Olympian was withdrawn in 2002 and sold on to an operator in the United Kingdom. It was finally scrapped in 2014. 

Bus Aras is the main bus station in Dublin for regional and long distance services operated by Bus Eireann. It was designed by Michael Scott and opened in 1953.

27/04/1991

This week we go back twenty-seven years to 1996 and AD 30 at Heuston Station in Dublin. It is operating a service on route 90, which connected Heuston Station, the City Centre and Connolly Station. This route started in the mid-1980s, being part of the DART Feeder service, although buses met trains at the station to bring people into the city centre on an ad-hoc basis for many years. In the mid-1990s it was rebranded Stationlink after the AD Class buses arrived, and the Railink when it was upgraded to double deckers around 1999. The route was suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has not returned (nor is it likely to).

AD 30 was new to Dublin Bus in 1994. It operated for a year or so in plain-white livery until Stationlink was applied. It was withdrawn in 2004 and moved to the Bus Eireann school fleet, and was based in County Cork. It was withdrawn around 2013.

For many decades this was the location in Heuston Station were buses loaded, with passengers having to walk out onto the road to get on the bus. Around 1998 the station underwent a renovation and the buses were moved to a new dedicated area at the front of the station. This was later modified in the early-2000s to accommodate the tram stop for the Luas Red Line.  

11/05/1996

Do you have a link to the official announcement where they said the 90 is gone, so I can record it in my database? They still have the timetable on the website and it is not mentioned on their C-Spine page https://dublinbus.ie/Your-Journey1/Bus-Connects-Hub/Spine-C/

I like to keep a record of accurate start and dates where possible with a source to link it to, so would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

No worries. I think it is the case that it and the 53A are gone, it is just never been officially confirmed as such and are still categorised as "suspended".

This week we are going back thirty-three years to 1990 and KD 362 parked on Eden Quay. The bus is dressed for route 8, a bus route which dates back to 1949. Connecting Dublin city centre with Dalkey (going via Blackrock), this route was also the last tram route to operate in Dublin city. In 2001 the route was suspended, but following an appeal to the European courts, it returned in 2005. It ran for the last time in November 2016.

KD 362 was new to CIE in 1983. It was one of the last Bombardier's to be withdrawn, lasting until around 1999/2000.  

The bus spent many years in a variety of all-over ads. Here it is in one for Johnson & Johnson, highlighting its baby skincare range. Although this bus spent all its life in Dublin, it did go on a six week holiday to Cork while in this all-over ad during 1990. It had only recently returned when this picture was taken. And shortly after this photo was taken, it temporarily transferred from its life-long home depot of Donnybrook, to the northside depot of Phibsboro. All of these movements were to increase the visibility of the ad.  

19/05/1990