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Created 17-Jan-20
Modified 8-Mar-24
Visitors 37
15 photos
Over the years there have been many short services operated by Rhondda Transport and its successors, a lot of which do not seem to have been recorded at all. This gallery illustrates some of those that were and in this narrative I hope to chronicle all remaining services that are not described in other galleries.

Starting at the head of the Rhondda Fawr, in 1947 a service was started from Fernhill Houses to Treherbert, with some journeys extended to the Ynyswen factory (Polikoff's) and the EMI Factory. The service was given the number R25 from 1957 and later ran to Treorchy on Saturdays although this ceased by 1967. From 31-Jan-1966 a new service was introduced which ran from Fernhill Houses to Treherbert and then back to Fernhill Colliery, this was to provide a replacement link to the houses at the colliery following the withdrawal of the Saturday 123 service. This service was numbered R35 and although appearing in a separate timetable to the R25 would actually have been the same service although oddly the times in one direction were two minutes different! This R35 service had ceased by 1967 with the extension of some Pontypridd to Blaenrhondda services to Fernhill. The R25 service was renumbered 525 in the Western Welsh series from 3rd January 1971 and last appears in the 1972 timetable. I believe this service may have used Blaen-y-Cwm Terrace and Margaret Street between Tynewydd and Treherbert instead of Wyndham Street and Gwendoline Street used by the trunk Rhondda Fawr services. This would have explained its continuation as late as the early 1970s as I understand Fernhill Houses were demolished by the mid-sixties. This service and its environment have disappeared almost without trace with no photographs of the bus service and almost none of Fernhill Houses. There isn't even a road to Fernhill Houses any more.

A service from Treherbert to Penyrenglyn Estate sneaks into the timetable in the early 1960s, although it doesn't get into the index pages until 1965 and then has the number R34. This short service went up Corbett Street and looped back using Herbert Street and Brynheulog. It was worked by the same bus used on the R25 and ceased at the same time, by 1974. It had been renumbered 534 in 1971. In much later years Penyrenglyn was served again by the Rhondda Fawr minibus service numbered 121 which had been introduced by 1996 and was operated under contract to Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council. The route started in Tonypandy running to Blaenrhondda and after serving Gateways and the old colliery site at Llwynypia it took Nant-y-Gwyddon Road (last served by buses in 1981) and it served Llanfair Hill in Gelli, Kennard Street in Ton Pentre, Albert Street in Pentre. In Treherbert it ran to what was described as Mount Libanus Estate but was seemingly the same loop described in the past as Penyrenglyn. It continued to Blaenrhondda and terminated there in Brynhenllan. This service was still running at the time of the Rhondda Buses takeover.

By 1960 a new service was introduced in Penygraig. The R29 ran from Hendrecafn Road along Bank Street and Crawshay Road to Aubrey Road, which was at that time a cul-de-sac. This morning service had been extended to Tonypandy by 1964. On 3rd January 1971 the service was renumbered 529 and about the same time some late evening journeys were added, although these were clearly not as successful as hoped and were withdrawn again from 9th July 1973.

Also from 9th July 1973 a new service was started which ran from Tonypandy serving Hendrecafn Road in Penygraig, then Penpisgah Road before returning to Tonypandy. Numbered 526 it saw just three journeys a day, in the morning, and remained unchanged for some time although it was renumbered 525 from 24th May 1981 as part of the Market Analysis Project (MAP) service revisions.

Probably about 1983 a new 525 service was started which replaced both the 525 and 529 described above. This left Porth on Dinas Road then used Graigddu Road and Vicarage Road to reach Aubrey Road from where it followed the former 529 service to Hendrecafn Road and then the previous 525 route through Penpisgah to Tonypandy and on to Sandybank Road in Ystrad. This was marketed as a "Skyliner" service and was the second such service (see below). The section from Porth to Vicarage Road was withdrawn from 1st April 1985. From deregulation on 26th October 1986 the service was renumbered 125. The service was replaced on the Aubrey Road section by the T4 Bustler service from 22nd November 1986 covered in the Rhondda Fawr services gallery. There doesn't seem to have been an immediate replacement for the service to Penpisgah Road - certainly not operated by National Welsh. When the T4 was replaced by conventional buses in the Rhondda Buses era a new 173 service from Porth to Clydach Vale via Aubrey Road was introduced. This is covered in the gallery on services to Clydach Vale. Penpisgah Road was later served by Thomas Coaches with their 201 service but this was replaced by Rhondda Buses 152 service from 4th August 1997 - see the R28, 170-173 gallery and also below.

In the Rhondda Fach, Wattstown gained a service from Porth by 1935 although this was on Friday and Saturday evenings only. During the war this was reduced to Saturdays only. By August 1947 this had been connected across Porth with Llwyncelyn (where it made a loop using Lewis Terrace and Nyth Bran Terrace). About 1950 it was extended in Wattstown from Bryn Terrace to serve what were then pre-fabs on Heol-y-Twyn. The service remained stable then for many years and was numbered R33 in 1957 and renumbered 533 from 3rd January 1971. Even at this date the service was more frequent on Fridays and Saturdays, running twice an hour instead of hourly the rest of the week. By 1972 this was only on Fridays and then by 1974 the service was the same throughout the week. The MAP revisions saw the service change such that from Wattstown it ran into Porth and then almost doubled back on itself to run to Upper Gynor Place, previously served by the 506 from Tonyrefail. Llwyncelyn was now served by buses FROM Talbot Green on the new 506 and TO Blaencwm on the 530, apart from a single 533 journey.

From 24th July 1983 the 533 service was treated as three separate services, to Wattstown, Upper Gynor Place and Llwyncelyn. By now the service to all three was fairly limited with just a few journeys a day. At deregulation on 26th October 1986 it was renumbered 133. Operation continued on a similar basis through the remainder of National Welsh's existence and also that of Rhondda Buses, although the latter renumbered the Llywncelyn service 134 and that to Upper Gynor Place 135.

On 15th December 1980 National Welsh commenced their new Skyliner service 555, worked by specially-painted Bristol LHSs. From Porth this served Heath Terrace, Stanleytown, Hendrefadog (Vivian Street), Brynheulog Terrace in Tylorstown then to Ferndale, with some journeys extended to serve Rhondda and Darran Terraces. It ran on Mondays to Saturdays, with the exception of Thursdays. Originally some journeys from Porth terminated in Ferndale and these entered along New Street and Pleasant Hill. From 21st March 1982 all services ran to Rhondda and Darran terraces and used New Street but from 24th July 1983 they used the main road (Duffryn Street) as the return journey always did. By January 1984 the service pattern changed and the 555, now running Mondays to Wednesdays and Saturdays only ran as far as Cynllwyndu Road in Hendrefadog. On Thursdays and Fridays there was a 556 service which ran to Rhondda and Darran Terraces direct (missing Heath Terrace and Stanleytown) then continued to Darran and Rhondda Terraces. There were three journeys each way per day and from 6th August 1984 it was diverted via Hendreforgan. To do this the first journey from Ferndale and the second two from Porth ran non-stop between Porth and Ferndale. This was to allow it to be operated by the same bus as the 525 mentioned above by keeping the return trip less than one hour. From March 1985 these services had been replaced by a much-reduced 555 which ran from Porth to Heath Terrace. At deregulation on 26th October 1986 this became Bustler service Y1 which by 1988 had reduced to just a single round trip. It probably ceased operation at the demise of National Welsh in February 1992.

Around 1990 (probably in April 1990) National Welsh started to operate a new service under contract to Mid Glamorgan County Council. It ran from Tonypandy to Porth (Coronation Terrace) via Llwynypia and Trealaw. There were just two journeys a day and it was worked by a Bustler minibus and given the number 155. At some point this was taken over by Thomas Coaches as the 201 service and as described above and in the R28, 170-173 gallery this was replaced by the new 152 from 4th August 1997 which ran from Coronation Terrace to Tonyrefail via Tonypandy and Penpisgah Road.

At the same time as the Rhondda Fawr minibus service 121 (mentioned above) was introduced an equivalent service was introduced to the Rhondda Fach. Numbered 155 it was very similar to the original 555 Skyliner service serving Heath terrace, Stanleytown, Hendrefadog and Darran and Rhondda Terraces in Ferndale. Although this service was still running when Rhondda Buses were taken over by Stagecoach, from 3rd August 1997 operation had been taken over by Thomas Coaches.

With the MAP service revision on 24th May 1981 a new 502 service was introduced from Treherbert to Cardiff serving the Mid Glamorgan County Hall on the way to the bus station. This had just one journey each way daily. This was joined by a similar 503 service from Gilfach Goch by December 1981. Neither service seems to have operated for long.
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