Matlock and Buxton

Way back in 1972 I worked for the Trent Motor Traction Company when it was announced that fellow NBC subsidiary the North Western Road Car Company of 2 Charles Street, Stockport was being broken up and that Trent were inheriting Matlock and Buxton depots. Somehow these two depots never really fitted into the Trent network which was centred on Nottingham and Derby. Matlock was a small town/rural operation and Buxton looked towards Manchester. Over the years all the rural services were withdrawn or replaced by tendered service run by other operators leaving Matlock with the 6.1 service from Bakewell to Derby via Matlock and Wirksworth and Buxton with a cross town local service, the 199 to Stockport and Manchester Airport and a share of the Transpeak Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, Derby, Nottingham service.

Yesterday it was announced that Centrebus subsidiary Bowers of Chapel-en-le-Frith who operate most of the tendered services in and around Buxton and trent barton have formed an exciting new bus company called High Peak. This will have the effect of partially recreating the old North Western company’s Buxton operations with services to Ashbourne, Macclesfield and Glossop.

However these kinds of changes are never straightforward as tb’s Derby depot operates some Transpeak journeys. TM Travel also have a number of tendered services running into Buxton and both TM Travel and trent barton are owned by the holding company Wellglade.

Which will be the dominant partner in High Peak? My guess is that it will be Centrebus as the new company is called ‘High Peak’ and not ‘high peak’.

Former North Western 921, an AEC Reliance on Buxton Market Place in March 1972.