GS67

GS: The Guy Special

Prepared by Ian Smith

This page created 23rd October 2003

383 HN Oakfield Estate - Hitchin - Willian - Weston
383 HN Oakfield Estate - Hitchin - Walsworth: Purwell Lane Estate

383 map GS17 in St Mary's Square, Hitchin
The 383 was essentially a Hitchin town service, serving estates around the town, with some journeys reaching out further into the sprawl around Letchworth, and some venturing across the Great North Road and a belt of countryside to the little village of Weston, where the bus could turn round a triangle in the middle of the village and wait conveniently close to the pub. Part of the route was shared with two Stevenage-Letchworth routes: the 384 at Willian and the 807 at Weston.

Most Hitchin services terminated in St.Mary's Square, with the abbey grounds and the grand church prominent. GS17 was there in June 2003, working the local GS routes.

In April 1959 Hitchin garage closed, and its allocation of vehicles and routes mostly moved to the new garage at Stevenage. Buses worked light to and from Hitchin for the 383, with one bus running out to Weston to form the early service in to Hitchin. At times the garage journeys were worked as 303 short-workings.

GS2 in Hitchin High Street GS2 at Weston

In October 1953 GS2 was the first GS into service, working on the 383 from Hitchin garage. In June 2003 GS2 visited the High Street wearing a Walsworth short-working blind in commemoration. Later in the day GS2 worked to Weston, and terminated at the stop which still boasts an LT bus-stop post, a shelter, and puddle.

Allocation

The 383 seems to have required one bus - which did market-day shorts to Preston on the 364 too. The GS allocation at Hitchin (followed by Stevenage) seems to have been three buses: GS2 for nearly all the period from October 1953 through to October 1962, and GS8 and GS63 through to 1958. From October 1956 they were doing some at least of the 807 journeys as well. Between early 1958 and late 1961 there were a succession of buses staying for fairly short periods, giving an allocation of three or four buses to cover the various duties. After the autumn of 1961 the allocation dropped back to one. When GS2 retired it was followed by GS56 and then GS64, which stayed until April 1964.

GS buses at Hitchin and Stevenage included: HN-SV allocation 


GS2:  10/53 - 8/55, 3/56 - 4/59 - 10/62
GS5:   9/58 - 4/59 - 8/59 o/h 11/59 - 11/60
GS8:  10/53 -c3/56
GS9:  12/59 -10/61
GS15: 10/57 - 4/59 - 12/59
GS33:  1/60 - 1/60
GS37:  9/59 -11/59
GS39:  5/59 -11/61
GS56: 10/62 -11/62
GS63:  1/54 -12/57, 3/58 - 9/58
GS64: 11/62 - 4/64 
GS80: 10/56 - 3/58

382 384A

Bus Stop GS GS Routes bus histories photo refs