Issue nr 291
Thursday March 7th, 2024
Past Issues : https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/
From the Editor
I have received enormous support for this .issue with some having to be left until the next issue. I would note that to avoid disappointment of inclusion I prepare all pictures on Tuesdays and Wednesdays then editing the page on a Thursday for publication in the evening. Ideally your contributions should reach me by Wednesday midday excepting any special events which will always try to include.
This week we have nearly 250 pictures which is almost a record !
In this issue
New ADL Electric E400EV 80002 delivered to Stagecoach Oxford
Obituary - Ward Jones
Oxford Bus
Company 75 - X90OXD
Stagecoach
35164
Observations in recent days from Gavin Francis
Readers Write
John Marsh - The Lake District and a bridge
Michael Penn remembers Glasgow
Matt Coop/er was in Hastings
Buses in the Landscape
Fleet News & Developments
Go Ahead happenings
Oxford Bus Hybrids continue moving to Manchester
Newbury & District's new coaches
Oxford tube has to use temporary loading place in BPR
London Operations
Superloop SL2 gets underway
Jack Cooper in the Cotswolds where variety is on offer for the enthusiast
and his visit to Glasgow
New ADL Electric E400EV 80002 delivered to Stagecoach Oxford
Andy Churchill
New
ADL Electric E400EV 80002 (SM24XRC) has arrived
yesterday, March 6th to Horspath Road at about 16.15
80002 in the rear workshop being prepared for
driver training today which will begin from next week.
These are the first pictures I have seen and received thanks to Andy. Ed.
Obituary - Ward Jones
Peter Cartwright writes "I
am sorry to advise you that Ward Jones died at home at about 11.00 this morning,
Monday March 4th 2024. He had been ill with cancer for some considerable time
but his health had deteriorated significantly in recent weeks.
He was well known by all those who had vintage buses , lorries etc and
carried on his business Ward Jones Commercials at Binders Yard,
Cryers Hill until he sold his business some years ago.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him including people from overseas as his expertise extended beyond Britain.
Oxford Bus Company 75 - X90OXD
In
2015 Oxford Bus Company decided to upgrade the coaches they were using
on their X90 Oxford to London service. This was achieved by the purchase
of 12 Volvo B11RT/ Plaxton Elite Interdecker coaches given fleet numbers
67-78. This design was conceived for use by Stagecoach on their long
distance Intercity Megabus services leading to them eventually buying
nearly 100 examples. Possibly not the most suitable of designs for the
X90 service as all passengers had to climb a narrow flight of stairs and
this would possibly discourage the use of them by senior members of the
public and also the toilet is down a narrow steep flight of stairs.
Oxford Tube who also ran a similar service were using double deck
coaches with flat floors and downstairs toilets.
On 5th May 2015, 75 is shown
starting its journey from Oxford in New Road and then towards the end of
the trip in Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria on 11th May 2016
Passenger numbers however continued to be
disappointing and in late 2019 it was announced that the service was to
end on Saturday January 4th 2020.
The service could trace its roots right back to 1926 and on the
penultimate day of the service coach 74 is pictured on Buckingham Palace
road with a suitable message.
On the final day restored OBC 703 was on display at Gloucester Green,
and former 105 and Red & White RE 968 typical of the type once used by
OBC on the service ran short journeys to Thornhill Park & Ride.
Coach 75 was not idle for long, Heathrow wanted to improve services into
the airport and so Carousel Route 102 from High Wycombe was selected to
use the spare coaches. They were treated to a new livery and
incorporated in the Chiltern Hundreds group of routes
75 is shown in High Wycombe Bus Station on 24th
February 2020.
Just as the new service started the pandemic struck, airports were
closed and the service suspended and 75 and the other coaches were never
to return. Again the coaches were not suitable for the route which is
basically a normal bus route with lots of stops with passengers boarding
and alighting. As with the X90 not popular with senior citizens and
parents with children and buggys etc.
It’s next move was to Go-North East at Gateshead Riverside Depot. It’s
cherished registration had been removed and replaced with OW15WKC.
Another change of livery and also another cherished registration to
match the route number X10 and its start point, this time XL10NCL.
Finally a change of fleet number to 7153.
7153 showing its new livery, registration and fleet number
Again it did not last long with GNE starting
service on 19th February 2021 and finishing on 29th
January 2022 again not popular with passengers. Its cherished plate was
removed and it returned to being OW15WKC.
A couple of weeks ago I was at Heathrow Airport and what I thought was a
Megabus Interdecker came in but on closer inspection it was OW15WKC now
in full Megabus livery.
It is now owned by a company called
Mighty Travels of Birmingham
and is being used for the type of service it was originally designed
for.
So 75 has had 4 different operators, 4 different liveries, 3 different
registrations all in 9 years, I wonder who it will appear with next ?
Stagecoach 35164
It was
new to Stage coach Devon on 2006 the first of a batch 35164-35171. They
were built to a non standard length of 10.1 metres rather than the
normal 10.8 metres due to a turn on Route H which it would work in
Exeter.
In
2011 it moved onto Barnstaple where it was well suited to the rural
routes. In
2021 it was one of three to be repainted in traditional Stagecoach
stripes to celebrate 25 years of Stagecoach in Devon.
It was
withdrawn in 2022.
On
Monday morning I was in Amersham and I saw it again but no chance of any
pictures then when I returned in the evening I went to the multi-storey
car park to collect my car and it was parked outside.
I could not see any legal lettering on it but the operator’s disc showed Southern Coach Lines. I can only assume having seen it is Amersham and Aylesbury it is being used on the Rail Replacement service between the two towns.
and another operator working the Chiltern Lines RR
Sprinters coach on Amersham to Aylesbury Rail Replacement service on
March 4th.
Observations in recent days from Gavin Francis
A couple of Star Travel buses and a Walters taken in Watlington on February 29th.
*
Star Travel PO54ACX ex-London United VLE 37
Walters AE05MZO
The E200 the Editor saw in Stokenchurch was the same one I saw in
Aylesbury on February 29th.
Last owner was Axe Valley in Devon but I think it came from Ireland.
Also in Pearson close oln February 29th was
another Marshalls ex-Nottingham decker, a Motts coach and a Red Rose
ex-Bournemouth decker.
John Marsh
You will possibly know that the 18th century bridge (1764) over the River Eamont, which flows into Lake Ullswater at Pooley Bridge in the northern Lake District, was washed away by Storm Desmond on 6th December 2015. This was followed by a replacement Bailey bridge opened in March 2016 and, subsequently, the current one which opened on 23rd October 2020.
The buses, of course, seen passing over each of the three bridges, are
self explanatory!
Kevin Fuller
On the 29th February, I was at Goring
and Streatley station and took the attached pic of two VW Transporter
minibuses,
run by Going Forward Buses CIC, and employed
on their services 133/134 to Wallingford.
Michael Penn
I was interested to
see your photos of sightseeing buses in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Although I visited Edinburgh last year I last went to Glasgow in 2004.
I did that as a day trip from Luton by easyJet! The main reason
for going then was to see and photograph the First Glasgow sightseeing
buses. First Glasgow had taken over the sightseeing operation run
by Roulston of Glasgow, mostly using vintage vehicles. Most
interesting from my point of view was former Devon General open top
Atlantean FBV 669A, originally 927 GTA.
Buses photographed
were as follow:
First Glasgow ex Roulston ABV 669A, VNB 108L, HRS 265V.
First Glasgow acquired from other sources JJD 365D, URS 321X, C233 ENE
City Sightseeing GYE 587W, A949 SUL, A983 SYF, B226 WUL, C430 BUV.
ABV 669A has now moved back to the South and is now with Berkshire’s Big Red Bus of Reading, although it is, or has been, on hire to a London operator.
It was photographed at the Reading bus rally in June 2018, now
re-registered to 724 XUW.
Many more pictures of Glasgow below under Reader's visits outside our area
Matt Cooper from Hastings
We had a family
night away over the February half term to Hastings. Never been before
and it was a jolly nice place. Any seaside resort during winter always
seems a bit quiet as if hibernating ready for the new season ahead! Even
the big wheel has been 'folded up' for the winter! The cliff railway was
also closed but we managed to walk up to the top where I took the
picture of the Stagecoach MMC and Enviro 300 heading to and from the
town centre. We took the chance to catch a train to Eastbourne and I was
most impressed by the transport interchange at Hastings. The bus station
quite literally at the entrance to the railway station. Mind you I could
see this area being quite congested during the busier months.
The following day
we had a trip to Brighton where we always enjoy a visit. The Coaster
service 12 was very busy and you can never go wrong with the views from
the top deck. The weather for most of it was awful so I didn't get any
pictures however a return trip is planned in the near future.
We are intending to visit South Wales during the Easter holidays and the Barry Bus Museum, which I have never visited. I ll keep you posted! Very interesting to hear of all the developments in the Oxford and Chilterns area at the moment. Here's hoping all the changes applied by the various operators are a success.
The other picture
is of a former Stagecoach South Dart SLF taken at Northampton railway
station. An embankment between Rugby and Coventry caused some chaos mid
February and indeed services running past the affected area are still
subject to speed restrictions. With schools and colleges being in many
'older' examples turned up this one now working for Guru Travel in the
West Midlands. I last came across it when I worked at Portsmouth as it
was branded for the Havant to Hayling Island services. Good buses don't
die, they just end up on rail replacement!
Charles Powell
With my coach in the village of Horton near Banbury on March 4th.
Jack Cooper
Pulhams 804 in Cheltenham on February 29th.
Coach visitors to Oxfordshire
George Candelin
Pictures held over to the next issue.
Fleet News and developments
6144 is now reporting on www.bustimes.org
Amun Bhora writes
"I
am wondering whether you know if OBC plan to brand some of the new
Electroliners in Park & Ride livery? It seems thus far all deliveries
have been in either Brookes or City livery. It seems a shame to no
longer have a dedicated P&R livery. The P&R livery was always
quite striking and made it easier for users to spot the services. None
the less it is great to see the electric buses out in service at last."
Luke Marion
No we won't have a dedicated P&R livery any more, this is for two reasons - firstly the expansion of the 400 service to include the former U1 Brookes workings, and secondly because we won't be able to stick so rigidly to the allocation going forwards, as the EV buses will need to be rotated around more to spread the load on the batteries more evenly. There will also be a need for mid-day charging on some of the boards, which will present obvious challenges for route branding.
Gavin Francis
217 is seen in Amersham with a 107 to Slough on March 4th.
223 is seen in Amersham with a 41 on March 4th.
883 is seen in Amersham with a 1B to Wycombe on March 4th.
Unusually 404 working the 275 in Oxford on March 5th.
David Beynon
191 was doing a private tour this morning, March 5th.
495
George Candelin
Pictures held over to the next issue.
Graham Low
The era of Volvo B5LHs is drawing to a close
with only three in service on March 5th.. Picture of 362 in the High
attached.
The GBKites are making occasional
appearances on the 6. Photos attached of 493 at Magdalen Street West on
March 4th.
Ashmolean liveried Tourismo 39 was on the 737
yesterday, March 4th - is this a common occurrence? Photo attached in
Magdalen Street East.
Jack Cooper
27 has now been fully branded when seen in Gloucester Green on March 6th.
516 is seen working its branded route, the 46 on March 2nd.
614 is seen working the 8 on February 29th.
722 is seen working the 400 on March 2nd.
729 and 732 are seen working the 400 on March
2nd.
James Freeman
495 & 735 taken at Thornhill P&R on March 1st.
493 working the 6 on March 5th.
The rear of 493 working the 6 on March 5th.
OX 965 in Westgate on March 5th.
Stephen Owen
More of the ex Oxford vehicles arrived, starting to get them ready for Stagecoach to run till the new vehicle shortage is sorted.
March 4th at Wigan, 362, 364 and 369.
We had pictures from Vikki Lee of 369 heading north behind a
recovery truck on February 27th. Ed.
Lee McCray after Stagecoach has done with, they return to GNW
I was unaware these were going to be used by Stagecoach ? Ed.
More Pulhams pictures under Visits outside our area below.
Charles Powell
Latest repaint SN08BXY now GL54PUL, back from the paint shop today.
David Beynon
Pulhams PU22HAM was at rest in St. Giles on
March 5th.
Jack Cooper
229 still fully branded when seen worling the X2 on March 2nd.
923 when seen working the X2 on March 2nd.
Malcolm Crowe
669 is seen in the yard at Didcot on March
6th seemingly working for TT.
601 is seen in the yard at Didcot on March
6th seemingly being returned or taken away ??
Gavin Francis
Pictures taken at Liverpool Street of one of the dirtiest coaches seen in recent days as were others working the A8.
Working the A8, BF21CZR shows its super rear
branding on March 4th.
including Courtney, Newbury & District &
Thames Valley
Frank Brown
sent two pictures of the latest Reading Flightlink coaches.
Martin Dowling
The red, Yutong
electric demonstrator I sent photos of last week has apparently now left
Reading.
Here are some photos of a pair of new Irizar 6 coaches that Reading has just received in Newbury and District colours with bespoke 24 registrations.
They are
Reading has a good record in investing in new
vehicles, improving services and running commercially, often following
taking over routes from other operators. It looks as if this is
happening on these routes.
Dave & Deric
details of the Stagecoach West Fleet Card for
Period 11 (dated 01/03/2024).
You may be aware that 11761 has finally arrived
at Witney. This has allowed another Gold MMC400 to move back to Swindon
from Bristol, leaving only 10983 to move back to Swindon.
Here is our summary for Period 11, the changes affecting
Oxford depots being shown in yellow.
|
New |
11761 |
New Vehicle |
To |
Witney |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To Reserve |
15880 |
Stroud |
To |
Reserve
(RTA) |
|
|
47735 |
Cheltenham |
To |
Reserve |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transfers |
10984 |
North
Bristol |
To |
Swindon |
|
|
11242 |
Witney |
To |
North
Bristol |
|
|
36095 |
North
Bristol |
To |
Cheltenham |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gone |
12005 |
Disposal |
To |
Gone |
|
34837 |
Disposal |
To |
Gone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joel Forey from Gloucester & Swindon
%20J%20Forey.jpg)
This collection reveals how many differing models are to be seen working for West. Ed.
Adam Harber - Stagecoach
ADL EV 80002 at Oxford depot this morning.
Several of your readers were climbing all over the bus when I arrived, so I suspect you already have lots of photos to choose from!
I also got
this shot of Ciaran Bird at the wheel… up to you if you want to
embarrass him or not! He took loads of photos so I thought he’d be
sending them in. Maybe he hasn’t finished work yet.
Ciaran Bird at the wheel of 80002 this morning.
Ciaran Bird
On the evening of
Sunday 3rd March, I was asked to bring ADL Enviro400 MMC 11242 (SN69
ZDZ) from Witney depot to Bristol, ready to start the next chapter of
it's life at Bristol.
The drive went well and I'm happy to say it's a very nice bus to drive.
I look forward to driving it in service once the time comes.
Hopefully 11239 will be released once 10779 is ready to be returned to Oxford.
Jack Cooper
MMC's 11751 and 11760 seen i.n Cheltenham with
the S2 on
February 29th.
Andrew Webb
A crane operation in Buckingham Palace Road on 2 March meant that the regular stops for the Oxford Tube were unavailable with coaches diverting via ccleston Place, through Bullied Way to stand northbound on Buckingham Palace Road.
The crane is visible in the background as
Panorama 50427 awaits custom in heavy rain.
London operations
Andrew Webb/p>
A Panorama of a different sort adorns the side of Arriva's LT524 in
Tottenham Court Road
on 2 March whilst carrying an advert for a L'Oreal
mascara.
The penultimate section of the Superloop network launched on 2 March when Arriva started operation of the SL2 linking Walthamstow with North Woolwich. Unlike previous launches only some buses were branded and none appeared to have destination blinds fitted.
HA51 and HA52 illustrate the somewhat lackluster image at Walthamstow on
the first day.
The final section of the network will launch when construction of Silvertown Tunnel is completed.
Superloop SL2
All first day pictures taken by Nigel Eadon-Clarke
Saturday 2nd
March saw the start of the last section of the Superloop network so
completing the loop around London. All the signs were that it was
hurriedly started with only 4 of the 16 buses shown on LVF being branded
and none of them showing an ultimate destination.
HA 45
shows one of the few completed branded buses, HA 50 is in plain red
livery.
DW 33
was running throughout the day and it’s best effort was just a plain
white A4 sign showing it’s destination.
HA 37 again shows a plain white paper destination at Walthamstow
Station.
The
outcome was of course as no buses showed where they were going and the
Rte number was unfamiliar there were not many passengers using the
service.
HA 5 and HA 39 photographed at Barking Station showing the light
loadings.
I went back on Monday to see if anything had improved and at least the
buses now had ultimate destinations but just to confuse passengers they
all showed Rte 19 at the back.
HA 52 leaves North Woolwich now showing its destination and HA 42 shows
Rte 19 shown on the rear of all buses.
DW 333 was in service again today and at least it now has a Rte number
but still does not show where it is going.
Overall still a lot of work to be done to get this service up to
the standard of other Superloop routes.
Superloop Update
On the 24th
February the next Superloop route was launched this time the SL3 running
between Bromley and Thamesmead. For the first time LTs are being used.
These buses were launched 12 years ago as a crew operated bus with 3
doors, 2 staircases and an assistant on the rear platform to run on the
most heavily trafficked routes in Central London. Somehow they have
ended up on an outer suburban limited stop express route, driver only
operated, just about as far from what they were designed for as
possible. Surely with a small movement of buses they could have stayed
on a Central London route and something more suitable used on the SL3
It’s Friday 23rd February and the
SL3 fleet awaits service at Bromley Garage.
LT 239 and LT 124 at Chislehurst War
Memorial, LT 127 at Thamesmead Central Terminus,
All pictures courtesy of Nigel Eadon-Clarke
Paul Bateson
The Canadian Street Side Guide 2024 is now available. I have been
involved with this publication and it is an excellent book if you wish
to know more about Canadian transit systems and its buses.
Here is the link
Street Side Guide - Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation
Street Side Guide - Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation
2024 Street Side Guide is Here –
Get Yours Now! Our 2024 Street Side Guide is now available
for purchase. This... |
Reader's visits outside our area
Jack Cooper in the Cotswolds where variety is on offer for the enthusiast /strong>
A busy week this week,
with visits to Cheltenham, Gloucester, Reading, Bracknell and Heathrow.
This weeks pictures come from Cheltenham and Gloucester.
%20J%20Cooper.jpg)
Jack Cooper in Glasgow where there is so much to see
This weeks photos from
my Scotland trip are from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station. I had spent
about 90 minutes outside Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station, with the frequent
arrivals and departures there were plenty of buses and coaches to snap!
%20J%20Cooper.jpg)
&
So much variety - certinly worth a visit. Ed.