Sounds of the Ailsa

It has often been said that you can hear a hard working Ailsa some time before you can see it. So, there’s certainly a lot of sound should you choose to record it. Sounds often have memories attached to them and take us back to a certain time in our lives. In 1986 the late Trevor Heaton went out to record the Ailsa’s in and around Sheffield as they were due to be withdrawn from service that year. I recall having a conversation with Trevor, when he mentioned that he had these recordings but they ‘weren’t very good’, he said. After he passed, these recordings came to light, in a box of bus related memorabilia, so over a few days I set about digitising them all. Well, to say how they were recorded – a mono tape recorder with a hand held microphone, something like the one pictured, they are actually not bad at all! Trevor was an enthusiast of course – he went on to own his own Ailsa and co-own two others. Almost 40 years on though, these recordings are rare. They are a snapshot of the time when the sound of an Ailsa was part of the sound track of our daily lives. If you’re a transport enthusiast then these recordings are ‘hellfire’ with the buses being thrashed around, with full loads on the busiest services in Sheffield. If you’re just curious and the 70/71, the 69 or the X5 was your regular route back in the day, then the recordings will take you back. You may even hear yourself, or a member of your family on the recordings.