Issue nr 272
Wednesday October 19th, 2023

From the Editor

I am sad to publish the Obituary of my one time contributor, Martyn Sacaloff.

Pictures of bus services for the Oxford Half Marathon were recorded by Gavin Francis.

A visit to Swindon by Kevin Fuller

Coach visitors to Oxford

Various service cancellation

First 73 plate joins the Airline fleet

More details on upcoming Oxford tube service additions

London developments from Andrew Webb and Gavin Francis

York from Gordon Scott

Obituary

Martyn Sacaloff

My friend and fellow enthusiast Martyn Sacaloff passed away peacefully last Saturday after a short battle with cancer.
Many of you will at least have heard of him or indeed met him on one of his many excursions across throughout the UK.
He was a true born and bred enthusiast from a young age and there wasn’t many bus shows anywhere in the UK that he hasn’t been too at least once.
He was almost an ambassador for Stagecoach and Megabus, where he spent most of his career working for.
Martyn contributed to these pages until recently and had featured articles.
He will be missed and remembered by me and others.

The link below will take you to one of his contributionss

https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/Weekly%20nr%20175%20181021.html

R I P

Oxford Half Marathon 2023

Sunday, October 15th

Oxford Half Marathon 2023 2023 - Running in Oxford — Let’s Do This (letsdothis.com)

Thanks to Gavin Francis, we can enjoy record of some of the buses involved locally for this event. The P&R services for routes 300 and 400 started earlier than for a normal Sunday.

Oxford Half Marathon - Extra P&R Journeys - Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel

City & Thornhill

Redbridge

One wonders how many runners used the services on offer ?

A visit to Swindon by Kevin Fuller

I visited Swindon on 5th October, and enclose some photos of the local bus scene for you. As the centre of the town appears to be a building site at the moment, all the photos were taken in and around the bus station.

As can be seen there is variety to be seen in Swindon.

Coach visitors to Oxfordshire

Gavin Francis

The recent half marathon in Oxford saw many coaches in the city and also using the coach park at Redbridge. Gavin visited here on Sunday morning.

Redbridge

There were significant traffic delays in the Redbridge area.

Oxford City

Fleet News and developments

Gavin Francis

A nicely presented fleet as seen by ET19AET on October 14th.

Gavin Francis

Various services leaving Bridge Street on October 19th

Ray Ramsey advised : The following services are reported too “Amend times” from 26th November 20233

More info Awaited

275 High Wycombe to Oxford

583 Uxbridge Area

106/107 Amersham to Slough

103 High Wycombe to Windsor

581 Uxbridge to Denham

41 High Wycombe to Amersham

Gavin Francis

Various services leaving Bridge Street on October 19th

I notice Airline coaches 28 and 29 (the first 73 plate for the fleet) are now in service

Gavin Francis

Airline coaches 24, 33 and 39 at Thornhill on October 15th.

306 seen in St Aldates on October 11th working 35 road.

668 in Oxford with a 6 road working on October 11th.

Jack Cooper

On its last visit to Oxford it was numbered 900 but for its latest visit 998.

I remember driving these buses some 20 years ago, fact and comfortable.
This one is now in the Museum on the Isle of Wight seen on October 14th.

Gavin Francis

..... bus at Redbridge on October 15th.

908

926 shows the difficulty in obtaining a n ice clear picture of the destination screen

Jack Cooper

Some nice night shots of 226 and 621 in Didcot on October 15th.

452 seen in Didcot working the X34 on October 13th.

The services to Newbury attract the newer buses from Thames Travel on October 13th.

Gavin Francis

LJ54BFN now and in April 2011 when with Arriva.

Certainly an unusual design, YN07ECA is giving good service taken on October 14th.

Gavin Francis

..... a few pictures taken in London on October 17th.

Go North East's 7139 heads home past Marble Arch on October 17th.

Selwyns working to Manchester at Marble Arch on October 17th.

To cancel 4th November 2023 the 320 Chinnor to Princes Risborough

Gavin Francis

Recently repainted YX12AGY is seen in Oxford Road, Wycombe on October 19th.

Gavin Francis

W496WGH is seen in Pearson Close, Aylesbury on October 18th.

Some pictures included above under the visit to Swindon by Kevin Fuller

Gavin Francis

10667 seen working an inbound S7 to the station on October 11th.

Variety in Magdalen Street West on October 11th.

Added comfort for the 1 with 15831 in St Aldates on October 11th.

Oxford to Greenline Coach Station Service revised from 23rd October

to call on Monday to Friday ay High Wycombe Coachway One per hour from 0659 to 1813

Towards to London Greenline Coach Station

From London calls High Wycombe Coachway

0752 to 1845 one per hour to Oxford

London dep Greenline 0650 to 1715 (No service After 1002 until 1205)

Still calls London Marble Arch both ways

Running time Ex Greenline to High Wycombe I hr 4mins except 1605 1 hr 36 mins 1715 hr 38mins

Andrew Churchill

50452 and 50454 at Horspath Road as arrived on October 13th in full Scottish City Link
and 50453 is currently in the back workshop.

Here is 50454, on October 16th, now de-branded and both 50452 and 50453 are now also being done

it is likely these will enter service shortly still in the Yellow And Blue with Oxford Tube lettering on the front upper windscreen.

Gavin Francis

Pictures from Thornhill on Sunday morning.The missing wheel trim on onbe stands out like a sore thumb !

Antony Chucky Shaw

provides an interesting list of the fleet including the Oxford tube.

Megabus fleet Oct2023.html

To Cancel 29 October 2023

162 Edlesborough-Leighton Buzzard-Bletchley (Mon to Sat)

167 Ivinghoe to Leighton Buzzard (Tues)

154 Newton Longville to Aylesbury (Fridays)

174 Dagnall to Edlesborough (Schooldays)

Gavin Francis

Vale Travel, Aylesbury X399 KBV ex Bus Vannin/Isle of Man Transport 71 as MAN93F,
Blackpool 349 as E16BTS and Reading Buses 534 a Dennis Trident / East Lancs Lolyne
seen at Thames Services on October 18th.

London operations

Andrew Webb

Stagecoach's Streetdeck 18918 is one of four buses (so far) to receive this overall wrap. At first glance it appears the same as the 'Zero Emissions' campaign carried by electric buses, but is subtly different in referencing that 100% of TfL's fleet is 'zero or low emission'.

It is seen in autumn sunshine at Stratford on 14 October.