The page for enthusiasts in the Oxford Chilterns Area - News from you and news for you - pictures too  ~~~~   The page for enthusiasts in the Oxford Chilterns Area - News from you and news for you - pictures too  ~~~~   The page for enthusiasts in the Oxford Chilterns Area - News from you and news for you - pictures too  

News Page
Concessionary Travel, Buses in the Landscape, Running Days and Historical articles
published Sunday 16th November 2008

Issue 277
(OBP-490)
Monday 3rd November 2008

(next update week ending 16th November 2008)

Now ten years old

Visit the "OXFORD & CHILTERN BUS PAGE " Archives from October 2002

Visit the "OXFORD BUS PAGE" Archive 1998 - 2002

Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the Editors' and in no way constitute 
any official points of view from the bus companies mentioned,  or indeed any other official body. 
As a news page we reserve the right to make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.

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malcolmhc@aol.com

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Concessionary Travel, Buses in the Landscape, Running Days and Historical articles.

Concessionary Travel

Nothing much to report except that National Express have withdrawn free concessionary travel between high Wycombe and Oxford and v.v. on service 737. This type of travel is still valid between High Wycombe and Hatfield and v.v.

Running Days

Bristol - history recreated reported by Carl Berry

"Some pictures of an event on the borders of your area that you might be able to use.  (Especially for your 'Buses in the layby' feature!)

All taken on the 12th October 2008.

Mike Walker arranged for a group of vehicles to recreate part of the old 'Bristol Greyhound' run from Bristol to Marlborough, meeting up with some 'Royal Blue' vehicles in Marlborough. This is followed by some pictures from the Warminster running day.

Mike Walker arranged for a group of vehicles to recreate part of the old 'Bristol Greyhound' run from Bristol to Marlborough, meeting up with some 'Royal Blue' vehicles in Marlborough.

The attached are from Marlborough where the display was in the Car Park with one vehicle parked near the old stopping place in the High Street."

Buses in the Landscape 

As promised, here are some "Buses in the Landscape" submissions. They were all taken in Reading on 16th October. 

08801 - A Reading Buses Scania/Darwen East Lancs Olympus in route 63/64 Orange livery and branding crosses the bridge carrying Kings Road over the River Kennet.

 

08805 - One of Reading Buses' new Ethanol-fuelled Scania Omnicitys crosses the bridge carrying Kings Road over the River Kennet whilst working on route 17.

 

08845 - A Scania OmniDekka in route 5 dark green livery and branding crosses Duke Street Bridge in Reading Town Centre.

08873 - Scania OmniDekka 813 in route 20/21 maroon livery and branding in Market Place, Reading. St Lawrence's Church and the Victorian Town Hall are in the background.

(The buses in the last two photos were, of course, part of the original route 17 buses displaced by the ethanol-fuel Scanias). 

That's the lot - for now. I've got a load of bus photographs on my Flickr webpage, amongst other things.

The link is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirewiping/  Please feel free to have a look.

 

HISTORY IN PICTURES AND WORDS

If you have any pictures or historical memories and wish to submit them for this page please send them to the me at  malcolmhc@aol.com

Historical articles

Memories from David Percy

"Please find attached a few images from circa 1975, Midland Red (by far and away the best bus company in the world!)

I know that this isn't really in the area that your site covers but gives an opportunity for your readers to see some real quality vehicles!!

All photos taken at Wigston Garage, which incidentally is still in use with Arriva."


1. A pair of Midland Red D9s, 5396  (BHA 396C), and 5376 (6376 HA), plus another unidentified D9, and a D12.


2.D9 5358 (6358 HA).


3.Two later deliveries, D11,6029 (GHA 429D), and D13 6207 (JHA 207H)

I think I have captioned the slides with correct info, and hope they are of use!

I have plenty more of this vintage from around the country, I know the quality isn't brilliant (hey, I was only a callow youth!), but you can't take these pictures nowadays!!

As I am about to post this to you, I have come across a slide that you may like, as a former Melba Motors employee, you must have come across these North Western beasts, taken in 1977 behind Liverpool's Lime Street Station, a quartet of Leyland PD3s (?) that were on layover from duties (presumably from the Preston area)

(In fact these are Ribble vehicles, still of interest as I used to drive for Ribble at Manchester and Preston. These buses are on Liverpool local services and represent some of the best double decks I have driven. They are indeed Leyland PD3s with Burlingham and MCW bodies. Ed.)

A week off, due to school half term, Wife away, so plenty of time to plunder the archives in the loft, expect a barrage of images in the next week!!

Artistic licence by John Bird

"As a hobby I enjoy colouring black & white pictures I have coloured a picture sent to your originally by John Bristow and seen in issue 131.

I had a play with one of them and have attached the result."

Some memories of United Counties by Mike

"Reading your page I can enlighten you on 858 as we had 857/858 and 859 at Stony Stratford new , 858 was involved in a head on collision on Wolverton bridge with a lorry completely wrecking the cab in fact the driver was lucky to survive.

The bus was taken to Houghton Rd works in Northampton and rebuilt, being permanently transferred to Northampton and we received 861 in its place.

Back in the sixties we had another bus which was hit in the o/s front while waiting to pull out of Potterspury turn on the A5 on its way back from Northampton The bus in question was KSW 938 and it was taken to works for repair and kept at Northampton. We got 911 ex Luton in its place, a cracking bus flew like the wind but we all said it was useless with a load on or Sid Abbot the garage foreman would have cut it down. As luck would have it we always used to get it on the 11pm run from Northampton on a Saturday night - a 55 min run - but to the night shift fitters delight we were always coming down Stony Stratford High St at 20/25 past 11 - that bus knew its way home."

p.s. I could write a book

Amberley Museum by Malcolm Parsons

From another Malcolm (Malcolm Parsons). 

Another Malcolm here, although you don't know me. Congratulations on the Page's 10th Birthday.

I've been an avid reader for 2 or 3 years ­ my interest is in the Uxbridge area ­ and you must be congratulated on a fine effort (and for putting in the time involved).

Having retired and with a little (!) more time myself, I wondered if the attached pictures may be of interest, especially if you are short of material now the running day season is nearly over ­ and I don't think you have featured this one.. Five of the pictures were taken at the Amberley Working Museum bus rally in mid-September (the museum is probably better known by its old name of Amberley Chalk Pits Museum).  No doubt many of your readers will know that this museum, in West Sussex, features two rebuilt Southdown bus garages and a fine fleet of early Southdown vehicles.

I gather that nowadays a slightly more modern (1960s) vehicle is used on everyday tours of the museum but on the rally day most of the old fleet was in use including ­ and of course of local interest to the Chiltern area ­ a Thames Valley Thorneycroft, fleet number 152, dating from 1927 ­ although I gather the body a replica built by the museum's resident boat builder. Of note is the picture taken at a road junction ­ the museum does have a road system where the vehicles (and passengers) can have a reasonable trip.


What a wonderfully nostalgic picture.

The final picture (if you'll allow it on a Bus Page) was taken in mid October during the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway's diesel gala. Apart from the location the other factors which may make the picture suitable is that these single-car units (known as Class 121 and used on Western Region branches, indeed one survives on Chiltern Railways' Aylesbury to Princes Risborough link)  were built in the early 1960s with AEC engines which were brothers ­rather than distant cousins­ of many bus engines. I'm afraid I don't know what engine it has now. The final bit of local-ish interest is that the vehicles themselves were built by Pressed Steel Company, although I gather these were built at their plant in Scotland rather than at Oxford or Swindon.

Hope you like the pictures even if you can't use them?  Best wishes for the future of the Page, Yours, Malcolm Parsons.

And a correction from the same source

"I've found a little more info about the Thames Valley bus at Amberley museum if it is of interest.

One important point ­ I described it as a Thorneycroft. It is NOT a Thorneycroft but a Tilling Stevens. Although Amberley has a Tilling Stevens petrol-electric bus (dating from 1914), the Thames Valley bus is a straight petrol with mechanical gearbox and transmission.

MO 9324 (Thames Valley fleet number 1520 is a 1927 Tilling Stevens B9A with replica Brush 32-seat body.

It is one of 35 similar vehicles which, with high-floors and only two wheel brakes, were somewhat dated when introduced. It was withdrawn from normal passenger service in 1939 but retained throughout the war and used on contract services. Finally sold off in 1946 it went to a showman. Where and how it survived beyond that is unclear but it was rescued in the early 1970s although little of the body was left.

In the 1990s a new body frame was built by the resident boat builder at Amberley and full restoration was completed using parts from the original body.

Apologies for my original mis-description."

Malta update from Matthew Taylor

Matthew sent some pictures recently taken in Malta which update recent articles in these pages on the same subject.

"Here is an interesting fact, recently I went to Bus Enthusiasts Mecca of Valetta Bus Station in Malta, I say AEC Swift, Bristol LS, RE, LHS, Plaxton Paramount, and Bedford OB, it was difficult to tell as a lot of buses seem to be heavily customized, we went back to our hotel in one that had a sound system that most young lads would be proud off. Crucifix hanging off the internal mirror, and two silver ladies in suggestive poses dancing on the windscreen. Talk about Pimp my Ride."

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