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Service 392

Posted: 08:20 Sunday 3rd June 2018
by rob321
hi ,greetings everyone from a first time poster.
i have recently acquired a couple of mid red timetables from the 60/70's era which confirm my hazy recollections of a bus service i had travelled on as child between evesham and shipston on stour through ebrington.
does anyone know why shipston was the destination or departure town?
might there have been an earlier route from evesham to banbury possibly which had been cut back to shipston?
robert

Re: Service 392

Posted: 08:36 Sunday 3rd June 2018
by AdamH
I am not familiar with the route, but I've check timetables back as far as 1935 and they all only run between Evesham and Shipston-On-Stour.

Re: Service 392

Posted: 14:16 Sunday 3rd June 2018
by JustinTyme
Greetings Rob.

My guess about why Shipston-on-Stour was the terminus of the 392 is that there was already a Banbury - Shipston service. This had started in 1920 (one of Banbury garage's earlier services), and while contemporary newspaper reports refer to passengers from Banbury changing to Stratford and Birmingham BMMO buses at Shipston, there was presumably no worthwhile demand at that point to travel westwards from Shipston.

However, at the same time a Banbury - Evesham through service did start, running Banbury - Brailes - Cherington - Moreton-in-Marsh (as service 483), continuing on from Moreton as service 395 via Blockley and Chipping Campden. This also ran on market Tuesdays only. And in 1934, service 496, Banbury - Shipston - Ebrington - Chipping Campden started running on Saturdays, providing a day out in Banbury.

All these services were suspended during World War 2, but the 392 and 496 were reinstated afterwards, and were joined in 1948 by a new 398 Evesham - Chipping Camden - Ebrington - Shipston service. For some time BMMO timetables sometimes showed the 398 and 496 together, along with some connecting journeys at Chipping Campden to indicate through facilities (but not through buses) between Evesham, Shipston and Banbury.

The 398 and 496 were both withdrawn in 1971, but the 392 lasted until the Evesham 'Wayfarer' MAP scheme of 1977.

Re: Service 392

Posted: 14:40 Sunday 3rd June 2018
by rob321
thanks.much obliged for the speedy,detailed response gentlemen.

Re: Service 392

Posted: 18:46 Sunday 3rd June 2018
by JustinTyme
I missed a sentence at the start of the second paragraph of my earlier post.

The 392 and the 483/395 Banbury - Moreton - Evesham 'combo' both started in 1933.