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1956 Changes

The Chatham & District Traction Company was formally absorbed by the Maidstone & District Motor Services on 30th September 1955  (It had been a subsidiary of Maidstone & District since 1930 when its new fleet of Leyland Titans replaced the Medway Towns’ tram network).   There was little outward change initially, although the more observant would have noticed that all buses now carried the Maidstone & District scroll fleetname.  The new fleetnames were applied overnight at Luton depot.  They had been specially printed on paper with an apple green background to blend with the old Chatham colours. The routes and timetables continued as before with only minor alterations to timetables and the addition of a “T” prefix to the service numbers.

	GKR 748 lays over between workings in Globe Lane.  It had worked the last Chatham Traction service into Luton depot on 30th September 1955 and the first M&D service out the following morning. The M&D fleet name is visible, and the route prefix “T” is already set in the front display.
GKR 748.

Maidstone & District had for some time planned to integrate the Chatham operation with their own network and a complete reorganisation of Medway Towns bus services took place from 16th September 1956.   This included the abolition of the old Chatham Traction service numbers, some new routes and a reallocation of work between Gillingham and Luton depots.  The former Chatham & District services were revised as follows:

Service 1  DOCKYARD – BURMA WAY
Dockyard section replaced by new service 143 (from Rainham); Burma Way section to new services 140/141 (to Temple Farm and Warren Wood).
Service 2  WEEDS WOOD - RAINHAM
Renumbered 142.
Service 3  FRINDSBURY – GILLINGHAM GREEN
Replaced by M&D services 19 and 65 operating from Hoo and Grain and extended to Gillingham Green.
Service 3A  STROOD (Brompton Farm Road) – GILLINGHAM GREEN
Brompton Farm Road section replaced by service 66 to Davis Estate and new service 147 to Wagon-at-Hale.
Service 4  STROOD (Salters Cross) – LUTON (Wagon-at-Hale or Burma Way)
Replaced by new service 144 between Salters Cross and Chatham Town Hall; Wagon-at-Hale and Burma Way sections transferred to new services 147 and 140/141 respectively.
Service 5  BORSTAL – GILLINGHAM STRAND
Renumbered 145.
Service 5A  COOKHAM WOOD – GILLINGHAM STRAND
Renumbered 146.

Frequencies varied between 10 minutely to hourly and were not significantly higher than daytime services today but, unlike today, Sunday and evening services were generally at the same frequency as weekdays.  

The Medway Towns have expanded significantly during the five decades since the disappearance of Chatham & District.   The bus services of Maidstone & District, and subsequently Arriva, have changed to reflect this but it is still possible to trace the old Chatham Traction route network within the present day route pattern.