Issue nr. 239
Wednesday, February 8th 2023
Issue nr. 239
Wednesday, February 8th 2023
Editorial
This week's issue has a number of interesting stories for readers.
The first repainted 6 Cities Panorama 50446 has returned to Oxford wearing its Oxford tube livery and news is emerging of Ensign to be acquired by First Bus.
Readers Write include questions, answers and comments about the industry with some classic pictures of an RT from Andrew Dyer.
Jack Cooper and Gary Seamarks report on recent visits and Kevin Fuller travelled to Southampton.
Andrew Webb and Gavin Francis report from London including the appearance of Ensign's RT8 last Saturday plus pictures from Gavin of his recent visits to London.
Special Update
I am delighted to advise that one of the three recently acquired additional Panorama coaches from Stagecoach in Scotland.
50446-8 part of the original order for the tube of 34 coaches. The final ten were final delivered to Scotland and carried a 6 cities livery. All this happened at the time of the Covid outbreak when passenger number reduced thereby not requiring the 34 coaches and resulting in the changed order.
As time has progressed passenger number returned to pre-Covid levels and the older Astromega coaches, come of which had returned to Oxford to provide the required growing capacity required. These coaches had already accumulated mileage and proved not wholly reliable. At present only 50272 is seen in regular service.
So three of the 21 plate order were transferred to Oxford at the end of 2022. Two entered service in 6 Cities livery with the third yet to be seen out and about.
50446 has now been repainted into full Oxford tube livery completed by February 6th and the pictures below were taken at the company who carried out the re-livery.
Commercial vehicle repair and
refurbishment. Paint & Body shop. (handjcommercials.co.uk)
50448 went to Yate on February 7th and exchanged for 50446 now back at Oxford.
Jack Cooper taken January 28th in Gloucester Green.
FirstGroup acquires Ensignbus
FirstGroup has reached agreement to purchase Purfleet-based Ensignbus from the Newman family in a surprise deal. When completed, it will include the local bus and contract service operation and 55 vehicles along with the resale and refurbishment business, but not the heritage coach and bus fleet.
Conclusion of the purchase is expected “over the next few months.” It will significantly expand First Bus’s current presence in the south Essex market. Ensignbus also runs a B2B segment that includes rail replacement services and private contracts.
In a statement, FirstGroup says that in addition to growing its Essex operation, the acquisition will provide “a number of growth opportunities in the B2B and bus vehicle dealership markets.” It also notes that the Purfleet base of Ensignbus is “high value.”
Adds FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland: “The acquisition of Ensigbus, a long-established, high-performing business, will allow us to not only grow our B2B offering, but to enhance our operational footprint in Essex, and we look forward to welcoming Ensignbus employees to the group.
“This is a strategically and financially accretive growth opportunity for us, and one that is fully aligned to our balanced capital allocation policy.”
Commenting on the agreement, Ensignbus Chairman Peter Newman says: “I want to thank all of our employees at Ensignbus for their ongoing hard work to deliver great service for our passengers across all of our communities in Essex. We will be supporting them fully as they move to their new employer.
“We are pleased that First Bus, with its reputation for customer service, innovation and sustainability, will take the Ensignbus business forward as a going concern and we wish it a successful future.
“We will continue to serve our communities and operate our network as usual until the completion date.”
Ensignbus has won multiple awards for its work in developing and improving the bus network in Thurrock, which has done largely with services previously operated by others. The business was founded by Mr Newman in 1972, although he bought and sold his first bus in the early 1960s.
Ensignbus later rose to fame by purchasing and reselling a large number of mid-life former London Transport Daimler Fleetline double-deckers. It subsequently entered the open-top sightseeing market and operated tendered services in London. Both of those operations were later sold.
When the deal with FirstGroup completes, it will represent a further independent bus operator to sell to a large group in 2023 after Go-Ahead subsidiary Brighton and Hove Buses purchased Southdown Buses in late January.
RT8 has a day out in London - February 4th
2023
RT8
will be on Londoner Buses route A in Central London
Gavin Francis and Andrew Webb were on hand to photograph RT8 which is as old as I am !!
Pictured by Gavin Francis
Andrew Webb
Hitherto operated exclusively with Routemasters,
Ensignbus lent RT8 to Londoner Buses on 4 February. It is seen arriving at
Waterloo to take up its first duty.
As it prepared to depart with a healthy load, RM1357
arrived to park between RT8 and LT673 which was readying for departure on route
211. The three are seen lined up, creating a timeline showing the
evolution of London buses designed for crew operation.
Pictured by Andrew Webb
The day proved an great success.
Here is the history of this bus.
RT8 FXT 183 history
2/40 new, body 339
3/40 type-testing by LT
4/40 AF into service on 28, 30, 37 (Chelverton Road)
8/40 RG into store pending brake rectification
4/41 to Chiswick for mods
6/41 AF return to service
10/42 F transfer (Putney Bridge)
1/44 F to Chiswick for "overhaul"
2/44 F return
3/47 F to Chiswick for overhaul
5/47 F from o/h
2/50 F to Chiswick for overhaul
4/50 F from o/h
AE transfer, trainer (Hendon)
6/53 F transfer
6/53 Chiswick overhaul: repainted red, cream band, full blinds
8/53 NX from o/h: used on 163, 177, 182 (New Cross: temporarily Peckham)
7/55 CA transfer, trainer (Clapham)
8/56 HW trainer (Southall)
11/57 T transfer, trainer (Leyton)
1958 T trainer
5/59 WD transfer, trainer (Wandsworth)
9/59 WD into store
4/60 SW change store (Stockwell)
6/60 WL change store (Walworth)
9/60 sold to Bird's Commercial Motors (Stratford upon Avon)
7/61 bought by Carson Pirie Scott & Co, Chicago
8/61 exported to USA for Chicago British Week
9/61 to City of Peoria for British Fortnight
H19867 11/61 preserved by Museum of Transport, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
7/62 formally donated to museum
9/65 loaned to Carson Pirie Scott & Co, Chicago for British Fortnight
10/65 return to Museum of Transport, St Louis
c1970 to outside storage
c1995 to inside storage
5/01 still at Museum of Transport, St Louis
2/06 bought by S&R Newman for Ensignbus Museum
4/06 returned to the UK for renovation
2008 under renovation: rebuilt
FXT 183 7/10 PT return to operation by Ensignbus: used on 15
8/10 private charter on 30
8/10 PT used on X55, X81
8/10 active on Colindale Running Day (142)
10/10 active at Willesden Garage Open Day
5/11 PT in service on Heritage Running Day on 15
8/11 PT used on X81
10/11 at Cobham Museum Running Day, Brooklands
11/12 PT in service on 9/15
12/12 PT in service on X81, Ensignbus Running Day
4/14 used as extra on 15 during Tube Strike!
6/14 Year of the Bus display, Regent Street
12/17 PT active on X55, Purfleet Running Day 2/23 Working Route A from Waterloo.
Other Routemasters used on Route A from Gavin Francis
RM1583 now and then.
RM1357 at Waterloo.
RML 887 also working route A.
Gavin Francis visits Binders Yard
The white Plaxton President I saw in Wycombe this week was IIG 9286 belonging to
Harlequin Coaches. It was former Metroline VPL 167.
Also ex-UNO 210 YN07LFD still in Cranfield Connect livery and outside Chiltern
Automotive was sister bus 208.
Alexander
When The Oxford Bus Company ran the 12 and 14 services where did they change drivers?
Thanks so much, you certainly asked the right person. I was speaking to someone
on Twitter who used to be A driver for The Oxford Bus Company, the operator
which ran the 14 but he didn't know as he left in 2003 when the 14 1st started.
He never did that route as he was more interested in the 500. He was however
able to tell me that all other routes changed drivers back then either outside
the then office at QL, outside the depot (in those days it was on Cowley Rd as
you might remember) or at the terminus nearest to QL (either MSE, St Aldate's or
GG). The only exception that I can think of was the 300 which changed drivers at
MSE, although it didn't terminate there.
The new 14 service that
commenced on 7th July 2003? I actually did a last part duty on the first day
1631-1950 with 506 as nobody had really been route trained for it and I remember
Phil Clark asking me if I could have a 'go' to cover the last part, as was the
norm sometimes in those days, I actually did it four days running. I remember
taking the bus on in George Street heading towards the railway station opposite
the New Theatre but on one of those occasions I took it over at 1651 which I
assume, my memory can't verify this but it sounds logical!, which would indicate
I took it over on the opposite side of George Street heading towards
Summertown............I expect someone asked me at 16.30 if I could do it
because it was experimental for the first few weeks. It was normally a panic
rush for me to get down to town from the garage and run through to George
Street, even when we did the 2D's!
As for the 12 I can't recall what this service was,
without doing some research but if was what the current Stagecoach 12 is then
OBC called it the 5X Greater Leys-City Centre and the driver changeover point
was Cowley Road Garage, either Glanville or Shelley Road stops. I only did that
route once (5Z card 1855-1937) with 517 on 10th August 2001 and sounds like it
was just half a trip!
I'm glad I always recorded my driving duties otherwise I
wouldn't have remembered any of this!
Andrew Dyer writes from New Zealand
I'm delighted how Grahame
Wareham has picked up the theme of showing a bus that coincides with each issue
number. I wonder if I could give you an advance piece for issue 239 please?
KGU 239 was the last RT to be
purchased by Charlton-on-Otmoor Services in 1968 and was originally London
Transport's RT 1525. At its last overhaul in 1965 it gained a Saunders body and
spend the next three years at Upton Park garage before being sold to Charlton.
When I passed my PSV test in
April 1975, KGU was the sole surviving RT in the fleet and I drove it many miles
before it was withdrawn at the end of that year after seven years with Charlton
Services.
Two pictures here, one in East London and then a very
different scene as it passes 'The Crown' pub in Charlton-on-Otmoor. If only I'd
had the money to preserve a bus then ...obviously my favourite RT!!
Chris Huntingford
“Oxford undoubtedly has one of the best bus systems in
the UK. But I sometimes wonder if really small tweaks could make it even better.
Here’s an example – the much-valued route 15 to Wood Farm now operates at a
30-minute frequency every evening of the week. Mondays-to-Fridays, it leaves
Oxford’s stop P2 at xx:00 and xx:30. But Saturdays and Sundays, it instead
leaves at xx:50 and xx:20. Would it not be better to make it leave at xx:00 and
xx:30 every night of the week, which is then super simple to remember. With the
post-COVID blurring of boundaries between weekdays and weekends, this sort of
thing becomes even more important. Indeed bus 46 (Oxford-Great Milton) has a
simple “daily” timetable, and I understand this route has beaten all
expectations in terms of passenger numbers – these two things could be in part
linked?”
Paul Coley
The saga of Diamond route 250 continues, with the route being withdrawn on 11th
February. It has two replacements, one being an hourly service provided by Red
Rose between Lower Heyford and Bicester Village Station as route 25. The other
is route 24, operated by Grayline, between Bicester and Oxford, via
Weston-on-the-Green, Kirtlington and Bletchingdon. This one bus operation
provides a two-hourly frequency during the day.
Both are, surprisingly, being supported by OCC, the council seemingly having
real issues finding an operator to take the entire route over at a frequency
that is required.
These new routes will operate until August, apparently giving the Council more
time to find a proper replacement. We’ll see….
Link to the 25 route and
issues here
New route 24 route attached (nothing currently appears on the Grayline website
though, so maybe it's a secret?)
So sad to hear that Mick Freeman had died. He loved 956 and we had many chants about the bus. Indeed my Father drove the bus working the 1 when he was with COMS.
Jack Cooper's travels
Quite a few pictures this week,
including some from Slough & Windsor on Friday. Also went up to Woodstock for
the first time in a while for a walk around Blenheim Palace on Thursday, so a
few photos from there.
Slough
Redline serves Slough as well.
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Windsor
Gary Seamarks visits Luton & Swindon
Attached are images from two
recent trips, a quick Luton on Wednesday 1st and Swindon on Thursday 2nd taking
advantage of the £2 offer, nice to let someone else drive.
1/2/23
Brief trip into Luton, Rail
strike day with 7215 working a 757 and the queue that had built up for it, was
partly loaded at the time photo taken, the guy in the orange hi-viz onwards were
left behind, no dupe, unsure what happened at Airport ?
Luton again with
10878 loading for a Bedford, this again heavy loadings due to strike bus was 10
minutes loading left almost full, resulting in 15.19 arrival at Bedford so 15.15
was 15 minutes late leaving back to MK. 19893 is seen loading to MK again a
decent load resulting in a delayed departure of about 8 minutes.
2/2/23, Trip to Swindon, getting the 06.20 from MK Coachway to Oxford arrival 08.10 was delayed to 08.20 by traffic at Pear Tree Roadworks, then a delayed 09.50 to Swindon that left at 10.09 with an arrival at Swindon due 11.17 but actually 11.44 due to roadworks outside the Police HQ costing almost 15 minutes.
Return was the
15.25 that arrived in Oxford at 16.55, on time as the roadworks had gone, from
their it was the 18.20 to MK Coachway that left at 18.27 with an on time arrival
at Coachway of 20.12, bus times shows that it was 10871’s third return journey
on the X5 initially leaving Bedford at 04.25, after arrival back in Bedford it
would do a couple of town runs before finishing.
The
pace of the X5 and S6 is very noticeable with the X5 really pushed for time
where as the S6 seems a slower pace, it was also of note that on the S6 several
passengers were not aware of the £2 maximum fare offer and were surprised when
told.
Swindon
images are almost all the older stuff that was running plus the Advert
bus and a Salisbury X5. They include all Darts Tridents and Scania that I saw.
A vintage paradise !!
The shots of BU18 YTT and 10992 were taken from the bus.
Jack Cooper
Golden-Tours LF19FYH seen near Windsor Castle on February 3rd.
The sky makes this picture.
Coach visitors to Oxfordshire
David Beynon
A couple of pictures from
Redbridge yesterday, the Hamilton’s Caetano is ex Mike de Courcey.
Fleet News and developments
I am still awaiting the allocations for February. I hope to have it in time for next week's issue.
Gavin Francis
Citaro 3027 in The Eden Bus Station.
Thames Travel 927 has entered
service this week on the 31st January working the 45. I was lucky enough to have
this one on an X40 from Reading on Friday night too!
One thing I have forgotten to
mention for last weeks page, 351-353 have gained city35 branding. Yellow
StreetDecks 682-685 have received revised branding, up to every 15 minutes and
Orange StreetDecks 686-691 now only have branding for the city8. I am yet to get
a photo of the revised branding on the 8 road StreetDecks.
Oxford Brookes will be holding an Applicant day on Saturday 11th February, the 400 will be running a revised service and there will also be the U1B between Thornhill Park & Ride and Marston (Jack Straws Lane) via Headington Campus.
https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/Applicant-day-february-2023
The 15 will see a revised timetable between the 13th and 17th February, which is half term week.
https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/special-school-holiday-timetable-city15
Thames Travel 63/63S and ST1 will see revised timetables from Sunday 19th February. The ST1 will see more double deck workings, which are shown on the timetable.
https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-february-2023
Jack Cooper
Scania 216 seen in Slough on February 3rd.
Jack Cooper
Double deck variety in Oxford during the past week.
pignbob
846 makes an appearance on the X2 after working the BB1. Here it is at the
Railway Station
Jack Cooper
Variety including 692 and 927 working one of
its first service routes.
Graham Low
Here are two views taken today at Redbridge P&R of
Thames Travel 692, a new and solitary Wright Streetdeck. For some reason my
camera failed to capture a single complete destination display (I took many
shots), unlike all recent deliveries with white on black displays. The rear
display is number-only.
Jack Cooper
Some of these s.ilver MMCs have moved to Red Rose.
An hourly service is to be provided by Red Rose between Lower Heyford and Bicester Village Station as route 25.
25-bus-timetable-starting-on-Monday-13th-Feb-2023
From last week's page, Marcus Lapthorn comments on the allocation of the S6. The single decks used are ex 853 Scania E300s. These seem to be on there quite often, including last Sunday when there were 2 single deck workings 30 minutes apart!
Jack Cooper
Oxford depot is still host to a large number of Gold
buses as seen above.
pignbob
36111 seen in service 14 on February 4th.
London operations
Andrew Webb
Route B13, linking Bexleyheath and New Eltham, is the latest route to convert to electric buses after Go Ahead won the tender from Arriva. Go Ahead have a small batch of ADL single deckers.
One being SEe170 which is seen arriving at New Eltham on 4 February.
Overall adverts on buses are now a common sight, but those on coaches remain relatively rare. Once with Chiltern Travel, this Tourismo now operates with Bliss Travel and has been wrapped in this advert for Imagine Live which appears to be an online casino.
It is seen arriving at Heathrow on 5 February.
Seen at the same location are two further Tourismo, both from Go Ahead Oxford.
Transdev operate a network of shuttles connecting the terminals to the car parks, many for the use of Heathrow staff.
The fleet has recently been renewed with a batch of
MCV eVoRa Volvo B8Rs.
Q Park is one of the few UK customers for the Scania Fencer. Their
facility at Heathrow is operated in conjunction with Purple Parking.
Gavin Francis
visited various locations in London
Marylebone was deserted when Gavin took these pictures on February 1st.
Trainer 9416 of Abellio is seen at work in Lambeth.
Abellio LT705 is another LT with Hogwarts branding.
Arriva fleet members with wraps.
Two Routemasters with their current work in progress.
Go Ahead have a depot for the electric buses as seen above.
Some of the LTs are being repainted, a Go Ahead example LT275 is seen above.
Go Ahead LTs with current wraps.
LT884 seen working the 76.
These two routes are changing soon, one wonders what will happen to the SEe's
Another Go Ahead route using SEe's is the 214.
Golden Tours are still busy with open top services.
Metroline have various LTs with wraps.
Seen at Moorgate is Metroline VMH2450
This Mullanys driver is facing a low winter sun.
Another recent LT repaint is this one from RATP.
At Waterloo LT670 is also wrapped.
Now renumbered into the SC series two acquisitions are seen above.
36368 from West Ham working a City Sightseeing service near Waterloo.
Grahame Wareham
239 FWL781Y was new to UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Harwell, Oxon in 4/1983 and arrived in their blue and grey livery at the end of June 1991.
This was repainted into standard OBC livery
before entry into service in July 1991.
239 was later transferred to Wycombe Bus
in October 1995 and renumbered 1781 then 1827 but renumbered back to 239 after a
matter of days. It also received a retrim in Go-Ahead group standard grey
rainbow trim prior to dispatch to High Wycombe.
239 received Bucks CC Travelwise
blue & turquoise livery in June 1996 which it carried until withdrawal.
239 was returned to Oxford Bus in December 2000 and was used on extra services over the Christmas period before departing to Hedingham Omnibuses as their L317 in January 2001.
Then it joined the fleet of L.C. Transport (Ladycars), Grays,
Essex for use on Palmers College, Grays school contracts.
Withdrawn in March
2013 with the closure of L.C. Transport,
FWL781Y was sold to a private individual J. Leese of Middlewich, Cheshire for use as a mobile market stall.
Image 1 FWL781Y parked up at Middlewich, my first viewing
prior to purchase...........when my wife unfortunately mentioned that I may like
to buy it!
It was stripped of all seating and painted in white 'Snowcem' type exterior building paint .....( I know this because I have had to remove it!)....but the poor thing had got some mechanical and structural issue so was put up for sale after I had happened to be passing its location one day.
No seats! It had been stripped out by its former
owner!
show some of the severe chassis frame and
suspension component corrosion that had to be welded and rebuilt for MOT before
I could drive it home.
The OSF perimeter removed from scrapped ex. London
C56CHM being prepared to be fitted to 239.
Image 4 Refuelling at Newcastle under Lyme for the drive
home
Arrival back in Oxford on a good non-stop drive
home on 10th.September 2018
Seats acquired out of five different ECW Olympians from various sources and fitted. Oxford Bus had previously provided me with all their redundant seat cushions and squabs thankfully as spares for 201 so I had a good supply of mostly retrimmed seats.
It is now preserved by the Cherwell Bus Preservation Group and is now reunited
with 201, 999 and ex. Ribble 2112 JFR12W which was on display at the COMS
Centenary in September 1981!
Now back to issue 236 I mentioned that Leyland had try to make these vehicles a bit lighter, well 239 had got a lot lighter during its last forty years and it has so far cost over four times what I purchased it for to make it roadworthy to our standard, and that consists of mainly replacing rotten untreated steel and bodywork that had been left unprotected to save weight, ultimately cost.
A set of retrimmed seats, a complete brake and
suspension overhaul, a complete exterior panel stripdown from the roof downwards
to mainly protect the stress panels from further corrosion. There are quite a
few electrical issues to sort out within the rear end department but hopefully
2023/4 may see it out and about again along with the first recipient of this
weekly story!
New front roof dome fitted, the original having been removed in approx 20 pieces mostly cobbled together with aluminium and
filler!
Now all upper panelling complete and looking more
like it needs to be.
The next job on 239 will be to remove the
severely rusted-out OSF perimeter frame section and replace it with an almost
new condition one from ex. London L56 C56CHM, which was built to a better specification!
I though this might be interesting to those that are waiting for 239 to be
completed.............like me!
Matt Cooper
With reference to the ex AERE Leyland Olympians I attach some of my 'gricer' sheets for High Wycombe from 1995! I should probably have paid a weekly rent I spent that much time at Newlands Bus Station at that time!
The sheet from 4th September
1995 shows FWL 779Y had arrived first and was numbered initially 1779. By 24th October
1995 re-numbering had taken place to 1825-1828 although as shown on the 18th November
1995 sheet FWL 780Y had still to arrive. Also note on that sheet, top right,
that I noted OBC 234 working on the X90 along London Road, on diversion from the
M40 no doubt. That vehicle would of course soon make Wycombe its new home.
The fully hand-written sheet (the printer must have run out of ink!) of 27th December
1995 shows all 4 FWL-Y Olympians to be at Wycombe all fleet numbers reverted to
236-239 as carried in Oxford. FWL 780Y had only just arrived owing to an overall
rear advert being carried for an Oxford-based builders merchants if I remember
correctly. It therefore was the only one to miss carrying the other identities.
Also note other changes to both WBC & The Shires
fleets at the time with vehicle acquisitions for both and WBC were also having
Wayfarer '3' ticket machines fitted along with the 'MCV's (magnetic card
validators) which were also used to print One Day Travelcards, later 'PlusBus',
for use on local bus routes, rail travel to and from London and freedom of the
metropolis!
Having lived in Portsmouth for a number of years I was surprised when 238
arrived in the area as a playbus! The very varied work carried out by Qualiti
Conversions of Botley as mentioned in last weeks page is superb and their
website is well worth a visit.
Paul Bateson
LOOKING BACK THIRTY YEARS
For this edition of the Briefing, my pictures recall a
visit to Southend-On-Sea on 5th May 1993. I worked for Southend
Corporation Transport in the 1960s but by 1993 the scene had changed
considerably.
This was the era of deregulation and competition
between Southend Transport, now an arms-length Council-owned company, and
Thamesway, formerly Eastern National.
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%20ex-Eastern%20National%201907%20-%20Southend,%20Central%20Bus%20Station%20-%205%20May%201993.jpg)
%20ex-Badgerline%204484%20-%20Southend,%20Central%20Bus%20Station%20-%205%20May%201993.jpg)
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Of interest to me is that I photographed Southend Transport 104 and 123, both
former London Transport RM 797 and RM 2162. These two Routemasters
eventually came to Canada and joined the Double Deck Tours fleet as fleet
numbers 17 and 14 respectively, Little did I know in 1993 that I would
drive these buses at Niagara Falls between 2008 and 2016.
A TOUCH OF SOUTHEND AT NIAGARA FALLS
As a follow up to my 1993 Southend story, here are
pictures of Double Deck Tours 17 (formerly ST 104 / RM 797) and 14 (formerly ST
123 / RM 2162) in service at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Note the
correct Southend route number, destination and via points displayed on bus
number 17. This was my favourite RM to drive and sadly it has now been
converted to open-top.
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All photographs by Paul A. Bateson.
Purfleet in January as follows :
VEHICLES IN
From Stagecoach South : Trident LY52ZDX Darts GX06AZG /
GX56KVU / KVV / KVW / KVY / KWA / KWB / KWE / KWF / KWG / KWM / KWN / OGA / OGB
/ OGJ / OGK / OGL E200s : GX07FXB / HUK / HUU / HUZ / GX61AYL
E300 : GX10KZV MANs : GX08HBO / HBP / HBU / HBY / HBZ
GX58MVG / MVO / SF09ADX / ADZ / AED / AEG / AEJ / AEN Solos
GX57DJJ / GX08HBK . All of these are to go for scrap to Shelton Motors ,
any that don’t will be listed.
From Metroline : E400 LK12AWC
From Cardiff Bus : Scania’s CN57BKL / BKO / FGC / FGO.
From Stagecoach SE : AEC Regal AHC411
From First Eastern Counties : Volvo B7TL’s AU53HJX / HKF / HKE / HKL
From First Halifax : Volvo B7TLs YJ04FZT / FZX / YJ54XTT
From Stagecoach London : Scania’s : LX58CEV / LX09FZR
From Stagecoach East Scotland : Volvo B9R YN10FZW
From Ipswich Buses : E200’s YX59BZL / BZN.
From Transdev Airport Services : E200s GV63HXF / HXG / HXL / HWU / HXX / HXK /
HXP / HXM / HXS / HXT / HXW.
VEHICLES OUT :
AEC Regal AHC411 : Seven Sisters Bus and Coach, Eastbourne.
E400 LJ09CAU : Nu-Venture, Maidstone.
E200 GX07HUU : Galleon Travel, Stansted.
E200s YX15XMJ / YX65RHF : Warrington Buses.
E400s SN62AAO / AAK / AAV / AAF : Als Coaches, Liverpool.
E400s LK08NVE / DYA : Littles Coaches, Ilkeston, Derbys.
E200s YX11AEC / HPL : Red Rose, Aylesbury.
Volvo B7TL LK53LZC : Little Legs Playbus, Stanford-le-hope, Essex
Scania’s YR59FYZ / FYT / YT59RXS / YT10XBU / YT10UWH / YT09BJX : Top View
Tours, London.
Scania YV03PZZ : Fragers Limited, Colchester, Essex.
Volvo B7TL’s YBZ233 / 636 / 949 : Alpine Coaches, Llandudno.
Volvo B7TL WX56HJZ : Axe Valley, Seaton, Devon.
Scania’s CN57BKF / BKG : Golden Eagle, Salsburgh.
Scania’s YT11LTF / YT61GOJ :Ipswich Buses.
E400 SN12EHP : Chalkwell, Sittingbourne.
Volvo B7TL : YJ04FZL : Hawkes Coaches, Derby.
Scania’s CN57FGC / BKE / BKL / BKO : Dews Coaches, Somersham.
Volvo B7TLs YJ04FZT / FZX / YJ54XTT : Hardwicks, Barnsley.
The following all to Shelton Motors for scrap :
Volvo B7TL’s AU53HJX / HKF / HKE / HKL / KP54BKF
Volvo B7RLE MX05CFK / CCA
Tridents LR02LXX / LYJ / KN04XJM / XJM KX55TLU / TLN E400 SN14TXB
Kevin Fuller
Not local, I know, but topical: As First is due to
withdraw its local city services in Southampton on 18th February, I took a visit
on Saturday 4th February for some 'final' pictures.
The current fleet is composed of 48 Wright StreetLite
single deckers, and 6 Streetdeck double deckers. This, coincidentally reflects
the highly standardised fleets of its predecessors, Southampton Corporation in
the 1950's with Guy Arabs, and later Southampton City Transport in the 1980's
with Leyland Atlanteans. Go Ahead are due to increase its services from 19th
February to fill the gap left by First. The city won't be the same without its
red buses!
Outside Southampton Central railway station, Wright StreetLite Max 63054 is seen
with a cross city service 3 from Lordshill to Thornhill.
Heading in the opposite direction outside Central
station is a nearside view of StreetLite 47695 with a route 8 working to
Aldermoor.
Waiting departure time in Pound Tree Road in the city centre, for its next route
6 journey to Hamble, is Streetlite 47692.
Seen dropping off passengers in the main shopping area
of Above Bar is StreetLite 47689, having worked a 7 service from Bitterne and
Portswood.
At the suburb of Woolston, Streetdeck 35212 pauses for
custom before heading towards the City Centre via the spectacular Itchen Bridge.
With a glimpse of the historic city walls in the background, StreetLite 47602 is
at West Quay in the City centre, working a 2 route service to Weston.