Issue nr. 218
Wednesday, August 31st 2022
Issue nr. 218
Wednesday, August 31st 2022
Editorial
This week has been interesting for me with changes appearing and contributions from afar. Although I am unable to get around as I used to the page enables me to enjoy what contributors have been doing.
Ryan Butler travelled on a new arrival to Arriva Wycombe, Michael Penn was at Wythall Transport Museum, David Allen visited The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre and found some interesting preserved buses and coaches.
Jack Cooper besides providing many of his usual contributions has also recorded the coach visitors to Oxford for this issue.
We have an update regarding Go-Ahead operations in our area with a first view of the PICKMEUP service for High Wycombe.
Gavin Francis visited Aylesbury and has provided many pictures of the operators in the town.
Andrew Webb and Gavin Francis have provided a number of illustrations concerning the latest WRAPS in London plus a record of Notting Hill Carnival buses and coaches.
Grahame Wareham has provided his usual story of COMS/OBC 218 supported by Gavin Francis.
Finally we have two articles with pictures from Hastings and Bournemouth with excellent pictures.
Today we are told is the end of Summer with Autumn starting tomorrow, how quickly the year passes by !
Ryan Butler
I hope I'm not too late in submitting this, but today
(August 30th), as far as my knowledge goes, it's first day in service in High
Wycombe for a number of Gemini's from Milton Keynes. I've managed to ride, and
take a photo of one of these Gemini's. I must say, they are very comfortable!
4210 seen working a 37B service from The Eden Bus Station on August 30th.
Michael Penn
Here are some photos from the events at the Transport Museum, Wythall on August 28th.
A great selection and in excellent condition. Ed.
https://www.bucksrailcentre.org/
David Allen
The classic car rally at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton Rd on August 29th and caught these interesting buses.
Indeed an excellent selection at what was billed to be a car rally. Ed.
Video selection from David taken at IMBERBUS.
Pictures for 218/D Allen/Movies/Imberbus Movie 1 250822 D Allen.mp4
Pictures for 218/D Allen/Movies/Imberbus Movie 2 250822 D Allen.MOV
Pictures for 218/D Allen/Movies/Imberbus Movie 3 250822 D Allen.MOV
Coach visitors to Oxfordshire
Jack Cooper with a selection from the past week
The one thing about Oxford and coaches is the variety to be seen on any
day visiting the City. Ed.
Fleet News and developments
Gavin Francis
... was in Aylesbury and Wycombe over the past few days and caught up with some interesting vehicles.
StreetLite 2326 is seen resplendent in the the new
blue livery when working in Oxford Street, Wycombe on August 31st.
The X30 runs in competition with another operator and
here we see 3018 and 3729 on August 25th.
Wrights 3731 is seen working local service 9 whilst
3798 is not in service in Aylesbury on August 25th.
Citaros 3915 and 3919 still carry the old MAX livery
in Aylesbury on August 25th.
E400s 5458 with a 9 and 5466 working its branded 280
service in Aylesbury on August 25th.
Newer MMC 6523 from Hemel is seen in Aylesbury on
August 25th.
Recent arrival at Wycombe is 4210 mentioned below the
Editorial, seen in Wycombe on August 31st.
Nick Ross
Streetlite 2317 "Kevin" parked up at Leighton Buzzard station working the D1
local service on Friday August 26th
Tony Bungay
The other former Derby ‘Sapphire’ 4401 has now been
repainted and returned to service, I first saw it last week on the 300, today it
was doing a turn on the 500
I took this rear shot of 3813 as it was sporting this
route number in the rear box, despite the fact the vehicle had just worked in on
the X30!
Enviro 5468 seen from an
unusual angle.
You are likely to have
already heard or read of the following, but in case not.
The Bus Recovery grant has been extended a further 6
months, although I cannot help feeling myself while laudable, is it not just
postponing the inevitable?
Bucks
Herald reports Arriva locally will be on strike
September 5th-7th.
A number of service changes coming up, can be seen on Buckinghamshire Council website.
Luke Marion interim Managing Director
...... advises following a request from me.
In terms of the buses you have asked about, several of the 300 series hybrids have been up in the North East being converted to straight diesel.
300 was returned to us this week and should be back in service
over the coming days.
514 has suffered a mechanical defect and is currently being
repaired.
There won't be any change to the livery on this bus at this time.
221 is now back on the road and was off for a mechanical
defect.
602 is being repainted into red and will be back with us next
week.
972-976 are being vinyled into a temporary PickMeUp Wycombe
livery at present and transferred to Carousel.
972 and 973 were completed yesterday.
Pictures from Gavin Francis taken in Wycombe on August 31st.
https://www.carouselbuses.co.uk/
Gavin Francis
spent time in Wycombe
PMU 973 with the new Wycombe DRT livery on August 31st.
https://www.pickmeupwycombe.co.uk/
Jack Cooper
The recent Oxford based duties on the 102 have had the
following vehicles on
Sunday 21st August - 606
Sunday 28th August - 608, 605 and 606
Monday 29th August (bank holiday) - 607
Graham Low
I was surprised to see this
out of service City5 StreetDeck reverse out of the High Street into King Edward
Street and then go down to Queens Lane. Does this happen regularly?
Thank you for continuing to give us a very varied and
lively offering week by week.
654 turns in High Street.
Jack Cooper
Recently converted to straight diesel, 301 is seen
minus it 4 branding on August 25th.
Jack Cooper
Leaving Gloucester Green Tourismo 33 is seen heading
for Heathrow on August 28th.
In Gloucester Green Tourismo 31 is seen alongside
Interdecker 71 showing the use of advertising for the company services on August
28th.
The size of these Interdeckers is seen in Gloucester
Green by 67 on August 28th.
Jack Cooper
Citaro 863 in St Aldates is seen heading for Didcot
on August 24th.
https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/timeline
Gavin Francis in London
Working the 561 service Acklams YX64WBM is seen in
Buckingham Palace Road on August 29th.
Jack Cooper in Gloucester Green
West Midlands Levante tri-axle 215 is seen with a 210
working on August 28th.
Oxford Bus 58 ready for a 737 working to Stansted on
August 25th.
Gavin Francis
... was in Aylesbury on August and caught up with some interesting vehicles.
Once an Arriva route, GX57BXH is seen with a 61
working in Aylesbury.
Gavin Francis
... was in Aylesbury on August 25th and caught up with some interesting vehicles.
JW16BUS is seen at rest in the bus station between
duties.
The 130 sees mostly newer buses than KF52NBN which is
nevertheless in good appearance.
These three buses are branded for route 4 in
Aylesbury.
As said the 130 sees mostly newer buses like MX61BAU
and YX10FEF.
WH66BUS is seen heading for Oxford with an X20
service.
Seen working local services YX08NDY and YX09FMD seen
in Aylesbury.
MX58KYT, a Solo, in the latest Redline livery is seen
working route 11.
Gavin Francis
... was in Aylesbury on August and caught up with some interesting vehicles.
AE56LWK is seen with a 16 working in Aylesbury.
E3RRT is seen working to the bus station ready for
service.
E4RRT and E7RRT are with local workings in Aylesbury.
E20RRT is seen with in Aylesbury bus station.
An elderly Dart HW54BTV is seen with a 10 working in
Aylesbury.
LK08NVL is seen with a 50 working in Aylesbury
showing the decker livery.
YX61FZH is seen with a 50 working in Aylesbury.
Malcolm Crowe
with the 40 in Stokenchurch on August 25th.
E17RRT is seen by the fire damaged Kings Arms, with branding for the 50.
Gavin Francis
... was in Aylesbury on August and caught up with some interesting vehicles.
Star Travel Optare Solo MA07BUS by
Aylesbury Station working the 5.
This bus started life with Motts.
Dave & Deric
Here is this month’s summary of the Stagecoach West fleet
changes from the Period 4 Fleet Card, dated 19/08/2022.
|
On Loan |
22741 |
On Loan from Stagecoach South |
To |
Bristol (Driver Trainer) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Out of Reserve |
28744 |
Reserve |
To |
Gloucester |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For Disposal |
34619 |
Gloucester |
To |
Disposal |
|
|
34806 |
Stroud |
To |
Disposal |
|
|
47550 |
Reserve |
To |
Disposal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sold/Gone |
34682/83 |
Disposal |
To |
Gone |
|
|
34843 |
Disposal |
To |
Gone |
|
|
59306/07 |
Disposal |
To |
Gone |
These are the changes we have
found relating to the Stagecoach Oxford Fleet
|
For Disposal |
12003/07 |
Reserve |
To |
Disposal |
|
|
34881/82 |
Reserve |
To |
Disposal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jack Cooper
I know that Gold is the past but it does look classic
when seen clean and sparking. 10989 in Gloucester Green on August 28th. Ed.
Jack Cooper
Once a regular working the 700 with branding, 10071
is seen with a 1 on August 25th.
Last pictures of the 853 now renumbered S2, seen in
St Giles, its long time terminus on August 25th and 27th
featuring Witney based 11245 and 11253.
The S4 has seen a downgrading to local liveried ADL
300s as here with 27704 in Oxford on August 28th.
Tony Bungay
Northampton Chronicle I think? Reports reduction on Banbury – Brackley Service 500.
Jack Cooper
Following the big event in Birmingham, the X5 now
sees its distance liveried MMCs back with 10877 in Gloucester Green on August
25th.
Variety with the X5 now sees its other MMCs with 11280 in Gloucester Green on
August 27th.
Jack Cooper
The Panoramas continue in service always immaculately presented as seen by
50435 in Gloucester Green on August 27th.
The Astromegas have not been too reliable and we may get news regarding these and any replacements in September.
Gavin Francis
... was in Aylesbury on August and caught up with some interesting vehicles.
BU55KBK is seen working the K1 in Aylesbury.
London operations
Andrew Webb
Three new advert campaigns have arrived on the
capital's streets.
Designer fashion brand Boss have a new store in Oxford Street and are using this overall wrap to lure shoppers to visit.
Metroline's LT654 is seen on Bank Holiday Monday tempting shoppers on the Old
Kent Road
as it awaits departure with a journey on route 168.
For budget's which won't stretch to designer clothes the Tu range at Sainsbury's might be a more affordable option.
Arriva's LT538 raises the brand's awareness in New Oxford Street.
This the 30th different
advert carried on this bus!
New from Amazon Prime Video is The Rings of Power, a series tied in to the Lord of the Rings epic.
Metroline's LT756 shows the offside advert as it heads away from Holborn on
route 168.
The nearside is seen on Arriva's LT969 as it waits time at Marble Arch.
Stagecoach London has been on the acquisition trail in the last couple of months
and now faces the task of integrating the new operations into the existing East
London fleet.
First to be acquired was the Lea Interchange depot from Tower Transit, marking the exit of this operator from the London market.
Wright bodied Volvo B5LH has gained a new fleet
number but still displays the Tower Transit fleetname.
In a deal concluded this weekend, Stagecoach took over the TfL operations of HCT group.
Apart from a change to the nearside legal lettering,
this Enviro 400 City gives no clue of its new owner.
Both are seen at Liverpool Street on Bank Holiday Monday.
With over 2 million revellers expected to attend the first carnival since 2019 a huge police operation was mounted to keep revellers safe. Officers from across the capital were bought in by a fleet of coaches sourced from as far away as Eastbourne and Leicestershire. North Carriage Drive in Hyde Park became a coach park to accommodate a large number of vehicles.
Masons of Cheddington sent this supersized Irizar i4
as well as a smaller Yutong.
Given the size of the event, this Mobi Explorer was from the aptly named Plan
Ahead Travel of Harrow.
Maybe this is for excess baggage from busy buses !!!!
Wraps provide much interest for the London scene.
Arriva's HV332 promoting the World Cup 2022 with HV337 for VERKADA both at
Waterloo on August 23rd.
Superstream promoted by Arriva HV368
near Waterloo on August 23rd.
THE GRAY MAN from NETFLIX promoted by Arriva's LT230
working the 38 at Victoria on August 29th.
Arriva's LT726 is seen near Waterloo working the 59
and promoting THE WORLD CUP QATAR on August 23rd.
Promoting PINK shirts Arriva's LT968 is seen with a
137 at Marble Arch on August 29th.
Another wrap on GAL LT457 working the 176 at Waterloo
on August 23rd.
GAL 506 at Vauxhall with a wrap for RINGS OF POWER
woking the 87 by Vauxhall Bridge on August 29th.
A variation on the World Cup event shown by WHV89
working the 155 at Tooting on August 23rd.
Also at Tooting is WHV103 working the 155 wrapped for
SLIPSTREAM on August 23rd.
Metroline's LT749 seen leaving Victoria Bus Station
with a 390 service on August 29th.
This carries the wrap for The Kraken.
A nice wrap for bananas shown by RATP OME40002
working the 23 at Marble Arch on August 29th.
Gavin has two different cameras and was pleased with this picture in which the destination scroll came out perfectly. His other camera often only catches part of the scroll.
Caetano 1506 is seen in Victoria working the C10 to
Canada Water on August 29th.
On the same day this was a nice find,
airsym are using the Yutong EV , claiming the first electric coach
airside at Heathrow.
Seen in Victoria on August 29th.
These BYDs are seen at Waterloo Garage on August
23rd.
Wrap branding covers this BigBus E400 when seen at
Waterloo on August 23rd.
Go Ahead's E61 shows off the private hire fleet
livery when working a 131 at Colliers Wood on August 23rd.
Go Ahead use these
Optare MetroDeckers like Me14 and 16 for various London routes such as the 200
seen at Colliers Wood on August 23rd.
The BYD is now very popular in the U.K. and SEe9 is
seen with a 507 working at Waterloo on August 23rd.
SOE19 & 29 London General ADL
Dart 4 Optare Esteems at Colliers Wood working the 152 on August 23rd.
Is it possible that a year ago there was a Mound
where this grassy view is now and was before ?
At Marble Arch on August 29th !!
Main task today was to get pictures of Route 36X which only operates on Bank Holiday Monday.
Go Ahead London operate the 36 and therefore the 36X
all seen at Vauxhall Bridge.
Police are brought in from a wide area for
Notting Hill Carnival and 3 Masons coaches were parked on North Carriageway
Drive.
Masons Irizar YN18SMU seen parked up.
Grahame Wareham
218 BBW218Y entered service
with City of Oxford in October 1982 being the final of the first batch of six
originally allocated to Devon General/Western National. It operated most of the
routes to the west of the City initially but also appeared on 260/280 Aylesbury
and 5/105 Reading journeys. In 1992 218 received the new OBC livery being
refurbished and retrimmed for Park & Ride services in January 1995. 218 was
withdrawn in July 1999 and became L307 in the Hedingham Omnibuses fleet based at
Clacton depot. In September 2011 it joined the fleet of L.C.Transport (Ladycars)
based in Grays for Palmers College contracts. I assume 218 was scrapped as I can
find no further recorded movements for it since the demise of the last operator.
Malcolm, there are quite a few images of 218 as L307
with Hedingham on the flickr sites and the like but the couple of times I went
to that neck of the woods the ex. Oxford Olympians seemed pretty elusive.
Gavin Francis
Gavin provides pictures of the current 218.
With Oxford.
With Carousel.
On loan to Oxford.
Neil Gow
217 - After leaving Kinsley it went in 11/06 to Cotton
of Pimbo/Bickerstaffe/Skelmersdale (all quoted at different times), Lancashire
and was sold from there on eBay in August 2009, subsequent fate unknown. It was
presumably repainted white while with Cotton.
Mike Nash’s involvement appears unknown to the PSV
Circle but it would fit better if that were 11/06 rather than 11/07.
Malcolm Crowe
looking through my old pictures the other day I found some of interest.
I had just joined OBC as a part time driver.
Another trial was of Gas buses seen above in 1998.
David Gray
I have been processing some news-sheets for PSV Circle
and I notice that this month's new-sheets provide updates for a few ex City of
Oxford Plaxton bodied Volvo B10B-58s which may be of interest.
P630FFC and P638FFC had left the fleet of York Pullman,
Strensall, North Yorkshire by July 2022 whilst P632FFC was withdrawn by Harris,
Fleur de Lis, Wales around May 2022.
These vehicles were withdrawn by City of Oxford in 2009 or 2010, so have had working lives of similar lengths in Oxford and also with subsequent owners.
Andrew Webb
Hastings
Seaside resorts often have an image as places where older people move to retire
for a quieter life. The same could be said of buses, often leaving areas
with intensive networks for quieter areas as the years progress.
Hastings, a town of 92000, is served exclusively by Stagecoach and has its fair share of older buses.
ADL Enviro 400 Scania 15441 is seen arriving at the
town's combined bus and railway station on 22 August, resplendent in the latest
Stagecoach Local livery.
It started life in Oxford and, by way of
contrast, is seen picking up in Bicester on 20 February 2009.
The youngest Plaxton Pointer 2 Dennis Darts are now 16 years old and consequently an increasingly rare sight on mainstream services, but Stagecoach still field a few in Hastings.
This example wears its 19 years well.
Equally long in the tooth are ALX400 bodied Tridents, once the backbone of the Stagecoach double decker fleet.
This example is 16 years old and has
gained the latest Stagecoach Local livery.
Hastings is immortalised in history for the famous
battle of 1066 which took place 8 miles away at Senlac Hill, culminating in King
Harold taking an arrow in the eye.
This event is used as the basis of the 'Hastings Arrows' branding for local town services on a fleet of Enviro 200s.
36508 shows off the livery as it
arrives at the town's bus and rail station on 22 July.
The Battle of Hastings saw William the Conqueror take the British Throne, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II being a direct descendent of the victor.
It is,
therefore, fitting that Stagecoach have selected the town to be a recipient of a
Platinum Jubilee bus.
Trunk
route 99 linking Hastings with the neighbouring resort of Eastbourne is marketed
using the 'Wave' brand
on a batch of ADL Enviro 400 MMC Scanias, including
15339.
Rotala's latest acquisition is Midland Classic, a
previously independent operator which has become the dominant operator in Burton
on Trent. New Street, the location of two of the town's shopping arcades,
provides a natural hub for the network and a convenient location for shoppers to
catch services.
The fleet is turned out in a smart red and yellow
livery and features an interesting selection of vehicles.
Mainstay of the single deck fleet are relatively rare Optare Metrocitys.
This illustrated by fleet number 8 which carries branding for
the Airway service to East Midlands Airport.
The other main single deck type is the Enviro 200, gathered from a variety of sources.
Fleet number 36 started life with in London as DML44325 with
Tower Transit, one of several with this origin.
It, like its colleagues, retains dual doors although these are not used in service.
KW14MCL was
acquired new and carries branding for the X12 Flyer route to Lichfield.
A third key single deck type in the fleet are unusual Irizar i3 Scanias of two lengths. Shorter examples such as fleet number 25
This started life with
Menzies working car park shuttles around Heathrow
Airport.
Longer examples including fleet number 17 were sourced from
Reading Buses after use on the Vodafone contract in Newbury.
Reading Buses was also the original operator of several Wright bodied Scanias,
including this example branded for 'The Tutbury Jinny', recalling the
affectionate nickname for the branch line which once linked the village with
Burton on Trent.
The Optare Versa has generally proved more popular than the Metrocity but Midland Classic buck this trend, having only two Versas in the fleet.
One is fleet number 20, delivered new to Nottingham City
Transport as YK08EPA, it has gained an appropriate cherished registration.
Another bus bearing a cherished registration is this
Enviro 300 Scania which started life as a demonstrator for Alexander Dennis.
It is unique in the fleet.
Also unique in the fleet, and the newest bus to be operated, is this MCV Volvo
B8RLE.
Double deckers are also used on the company's network, the largest single type being a batch of Enviro 400s which started life with First in London.
This example started life as DN33619.
London is also the origin of other double deckers in the fleet.
This Plaxton President was delivered new to Metroline as
VPL601, whilst the Wright bodied VDL began life with Arriva London as DW82
Two Scania OmniCitys are in the fleet, both of which started life with Reading Buses.
YN08MKO is one, seen in New Street after arrival with a service from Uttoxeter.
Rotala's ownership is not yet visible to the majority of the passengers, although one StreetDeck has been transferred from the established West Midlands operation.
Trevor Wilson
We passed through Oban in mid July for a holiday to Iona. On the way
there, we stopped over in Oban and got the 0955 ferry Oban to Craignure operated
by the Isle of Mull, the larger of the 2 ferries on the route. It was full
and the load included 2 or 3 coaches on an Iona day trip.
On unloading at Craignure, I was surprised to see Van Hool Astromegas operating.
West Coast Motors have a depot at Craignure, near the terminal for the ferry
to/from Oban, where they have 6 double deckers.
Three Van Hool TD927 Astromegas are normally in use on the 37 mile single track
road between Craignure and Fionnphort Ferry (for Iona) on the service 96/496 and
coach tours to Iona:
There was a 4th one, 10908 M40WCM formerly Megabus 50227 SV59CGG which arrived about the same time as 10907 and 11020 and reported on your news page
https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/General%20observations%20101.html.
10908 suffered a fire in August 2020 on the Edinburgh
bypass believed to be en-route to Borders Buses for additional capacity to aid
social distancing on school routes and is now shown as withdrawn, registered
back to SV59CGG and the DVLA showing M40WCM as SORN. I guess 11234 is a
replacement for 10908.
The whereabouts of 10908 are not known - unless your readers now different!
A photo is attached of M20WCM (I think) in the coach parking bays at the
Fionnphort ferry for Iona - the ferry waiting room, slipway and breakwater being
100m further on and to the right and thus obscured from view by the coach
Scania Omnicity, qty 2, route branded 95/495 Craignure Tobermory:
A photo of YT11LSE is attached at Craignure ferry.
There is also a Scania Omnidekka YN55RDV part open top - can appear on the
Tobermory route.
The Astromegas do also visit Tobermory either on service 95/495 or on tours.
What is the difference between a 95 and 495? Same route but a 4xx service
is an Argyll & Bute council supported service.
info
the current 96/496 timetable from 22nd March 2022 is
496 FS 96 96
496
Craignure 04.55 08.25 13.30 16.55
Fionnphort 06.10 09.40 14.45 18.10
496 FS 496 496
96 96
Fionnphort 06.20 09.20 11.50 15.20
17.45
Craignure 07.35 10.35 13.05 16.35
19.00
FS = First Schoolday of the week. Secondary school pupils travel to Oban
and board in Oban for the week's schooling.
We stayed on Iona and the Fionnphort ferry terminal and coach park was visible
and I noticed that an Astromegas overnighted at Fionnphort having arrived at
18.10 and departed at 09.20 the following morning.
Note - there is no departure around 11.00 from Craignure - not to worry as there
would usually be one or two coaches departing on one or two of the day trips
organised by West Coast Tours who have an office/sales outlet in Oban near the
rail station, ferry terminal and bus station. The day trip tours offered
are:
There are a lot of visitors to Iona, hence the large Astromegas reduced the
number of coaches require and reduce the chances of passengers being left behind
on the regular services. I think there is also some mixing and matching of
passengers between dedicated tour coaches and scheduled service and also coaches
between tour use and scheduled service requirements.
A Mull 24 Hour Island ticket is £18.00 exclusively via the West Coast Motors
app.
West Coast Motors also have a normal size coach, 50 seats, at Craignure.
Thanks for your comments. Having lived in south Bucks for many years and seen
all the different Oxford Tube coaches until 2011, I was most surprised to find
the Astromegas when we drove off the ferry. And also the Scania OmniCitys
on the Tobermory service.
So I though I would sent you the photos and then decided to add more info as I
had been looking at the timetables. The more info was also part of trying
to understand the business model for supporting these large coaches for several
years.
I got the impression West Coast Motors were doing a good job. In winter, I
think the service drops a lot and relies on Argyll and Bute subsidy.
As regards Voirrey, it ,might be worthwhile saying a bit about how/why she went
to Mull.
The single track road is a considerable change to motorway driving - these coaches used to do Aberdeen <> London day in and day out.
Morebus (Go South Coast) took over the following
Yellowbus routes from Aug 6
1/1a/1b, 2, 4, 5/5a, 6/6a, 737
There was a variety of 'more' vehicles on the former Yellowbuses route 1, 1a and 1b.
Plenty of Open toppers running on 12, 50 and 70
Including one ex Yellowbus 1812
YBZ223 (now with 'more' fleet names and fleet
number)
Several 'new' 22 reg MMCs on
13 and U1
Other vehicles on loan from
other GSC companies 'Reds, Vectis to help cover
Xelabus started running the 18,
33 and 36 routes on Monday, Aug 16
