Issue 60
(OBP-276)
Sunday 4th January 2004

next update week ending 16th January 2004

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.

If you wish to be included on a mailing list where I will advise of any mid week news please
let me know on malcolmhc@aol.com

A Happy New Year to all my readers. The last few weeks have been hectic with many people away on holiday, full buses and coaches and with the sales starting city and town centres brimming with people. I have enjoyed a welcome break and look forward to 2004 being a year full of developments on the bus and coach scene in our area.

It was in 1998 that I took over the editing of The Oxford Bus Page from David Root and there are archive pages going back to December 1999. I am aware that many pictures have been the victims of missing links, this being due to part of my hosting facilities changing and at some stage I will try to reinstate those broken links. It will however be a massive task. Over the intervening time so many changes have taken place. The old Thames Transit has now completely disappeared and the branding of The Oxford Bus company has taken on many new hues. Back in 1998 the city of Oxford was the home of Leyland Olympians and a number of Leyland Leopards and Tigers. The Oxford Tube was just over 11 years old and in 2007 will celebrate its twentieth anniversary.  Chiltern Queens was still alive an well and Arriva had yet to arrive on the scene. Oxford Bus has a foothold in High Wycombe and digital photography was in its infancy. One could go on and on but the fact is that now in 2004 the changes manifested are legion and the bus scene grows in interest. I am delighted that these pages have maintained a record for 5 years and hopefully will continue for another 5 years to come.

As is often the case we seem never to anything approaching a white Christmas and when I looked at the photo below taken on New Year's Eve I thought how it could have been taken later on a summer evening such is the blue sky and shadows.

Stokenchurch & Princes Risboro'

Following the report from Ed Maun, Newman Morgan writes with some additional notes.

Newman says "Firstly, thank you very much for another year of what is now the OCBP.

I would like to enhance Ed Maun's comments about Thames Valley vehicles based at the Stokenchurch dormy shed.

I indeed remember the two Bristol KSW's 730 and 731, registered JRX 828 and 829 I believe. These were withdrawn by the early 1960s from Stokenchurch and were replaced by Bristol LD Lodekkas from the 808-814 batch registered PRX926-929 and SMO78-80.  These were 60 seaters, 33 upstairs and 27 downstairs with manually operated rear doors.

The two Stokenchurch vehicles used either 31 and 32 or 31 and 34 as their car running numbers, I can't remember which sequence is correct. One spent most of its day on the 39 to and from Wycombe and Watlington whilst the other worked alternatively 40 Wycombe-Radnage and 41 Wycombe-Ibstone. Although only 2 vehicles remained allocated to Stokenchurch the rosters commenced from and finished at Stokenchurch with daytime refuelling run to Wycombe Marsh Garage. Although any 2 of the 7 LD's mentioned above could be allocated to Stokenchurch, it was customary to find 810 PRX928 and 811 PRX929 as the depot allocation. Should one or other of these vehicles need maintenance it was replaced by one of the other 5 usually during the refuelling changeover at Wycombe Marsh. In fact it was quite rare to see 810 and 811 on anything other than Stokenchurch duties. However on the odd occasion a KSW (730 or 731 or one of the others at Wycombe) would find itself on Stokenchurch rosters deputising for the usual 810 or 811. Saturday workings were a little different and there were two evening journeys to Watlington worked by a late Bristol FLF from the mid-60s at least, which had come off 28 Readings. The last round trip on Saturdays for this roster used to be 9.25pm Wycombe-Watlington and 10.20pm Watlington-Wycombe Marsh, on service through to the Marsh. On Saturdays during these years there were two 10.30pm departures from Wycombe Station, a 40 to Radnage and a 41 to Ibstone.

As regards COMS vehicles garaged at Stokenchurch, I remember AEC Regents as a very young kid but later I remember long wheelbase AEC Reliances which worked the 75 Wycombe-Oxford along with other services including a Fridays and Saturdays 80 Wycombe-Stokenchurch-Thame. The 80 acted as a 75 duplicate to and from Stokenchurch on these days but for the rest of the week, except Sundays, I believe 80 worked Stokenchurch-Thame only. I can picture the vehicles as they had the classical BET-style bodywork of the time, but I don't recall if it was by Weymann, Marshall or Willowbrook?

In fact I can now remember some earlier shorter wheel base Reliances working out of Stokenchurch on the 75 and 80.

Hope these Kodak moments from my (ageing!) memory are of interest...."

Indeed they are an continue to provide an interesting history of operations in Stokenchurch.

Well, now on to the reports for our area. Your contributions continue and I am pleased to receive them each week. My thanks to everyone who sent information.