Issue nr. 247
Sunday, April9th 2023
updated and completed April 10th
Issue nr. 247
Sunday, April9th 2023
updated and completed April 10th
Editorial
We have a great deal of interest for readers in this delayed issue! Nuneham Bridge over the Thames has hit the headlines with Didcot-Oxford rail line closed whilst repairs are effected.
This is added to by the closure for rebuilding of the rail bridge over Botley Road. So lots of changes to bus services upcoming.
Fleet News includes the arrival of the ex East Yorkshire E200 as 461 with Carousel entering service on April 5th working the 41.
Oxford Bus Company has launched its latest eye-catching bus
backing good local causes, with a double-decker emblazoned in SeeSaw
branding. 602 has been wrapped in the colours of SeeSaw, after the
Oxford-based good cause won the latest “Brand the Bus!” competition. The charity
provides grief support for children, young people and their families in
Oxfordshire. It scooped the “Brand the Bus!” first prize worth £50,000, which
includes £20,000 worth of radio advertising on
JACKfm.
50448 has made its first return trip to London
after repaint on April 9th.
Also included are articles about Yellow Bus (Motts),
Orlando Airport coaches and visits outside our area.
A report from Mike Walker
As you may have heard, Nuneham Viaduct
which carries the railway over the Thames between Culham and Radley has
partially collapsed closing the line between Didcot and Oxford for the
foreseeable future. Publically, 23 April is being given as a possible
reopening date but in truth it is likely to be late June or early July.
This will have a major impact not only on local and national rail operations
(the line is of strategic importance to freight operations serving Southampton
docks) but also on bus and coach services.
The viaduct consists of two steel spans with a central
pier in the river. It was rebuilt circa 1906 and as part of that work the
only part of the original Brunel-era structure retained was the south abutment
which was brick faced to match the new north one and central pier. In
early December last year cracks were noticed in the south abutment but it was
thought these involved only the brick facing but a 50mph temporary speed
restriction (TSR) was imposed as a precaution. By February there was a
noticeable sag in the south span so the TSR was reduced to 20mph. Last
week it became much worse and the TSR was down to 5mph then came the partial
collapse at the start of this week causing the line to be closed. It seems
the whole of the abutment has collapsed thought to be a combination of
underscoring of the foundations by the river and saturation caused by the
abnormally heavy rainfall in March. Network Rail will now have to rebuild
the complete south half of the structure hence the lengthy timescales being
contemplated.
GWR’s North Cotswold services to Worcester and Hereford
will now start from Oxford not Paddington whilst the Didcot – Oxford shuttles
are being worked in two halves, Didcot to Culham and Radley to Oxford (possible
as the line is bi-directionally signalled). Cross Country services are
being split and turned at Oxford and Didcot with a bus link between them.
However, I hear that Oxford City Council are not happy about all the extra
coaches in the city for a long term and there are issues in obtaining sufficient
that are ULEZ compliant so they may run between Reading and Banbury with the
trains turning there. Sadly, it is not possible to divert GWR services
over the Chiltern line as was done in day of old with HSTs. The 80x IETs
are not cleared for the route and even if they were there are other issues
including having to re-programme their management systems – welcome to world of
super-complex modern trains! Chiltern said they could not resource more or
longer trains to Oxford but I did see one passing through High Wycombe this
morning formed of 8 rather than 4 cars. No doubt the Oxford Tube can look
forward to a considerable uptick in business for the coming few months.
As stated above, the line’s importance as a freight route
is probably greater than that for passengers. In normal times there are
many container trains using the route daily to and from Southampton Docks
conveying exports and imports that have to run to tight schedules to meet
sailings and just-in-time requirements here in the UK, there are also several
export car trains daily conveying JLR products to Southampton and Minis from
Cowley to Thames Gateway and Purfleet. With the exception of the last,
these are initially being diverted via the West Coast and Great Western Main
Lines through West London but in May the new timetable starts with the full
Elizabeth Line service which will mean that many of these paths will no longer
be available. NR are urgently looking for alternatives, none of which are
attractive.
This collapse follows that of a road bridge near
Charlbury a couple of months ago and the nature of both is very similar.
The question being asked is: how many more are in danger of collapse? The
chickens of decades of deferred maintenance are coming home to roost.
Andrew Webb writes
"At about 10:30 on 3 April the Nuneham Viaduct
which carries the railway between Didcot Parkway and Oxford across the River
Thames was closed to all trains after discovery of significant subsidence.
Passengers arriving at Didcot Parkway were initially
directed to local buses which accepted rail tickets. These were soon
overwhelmed, with a lengthy queue forming at Didcot Parkway as this view of
Thames Travel Wright Volvo 929 shows.
Replacement coaches were sourced by 12:30 and quickly
cleared the queue. TK Travel, Bakers and Plastow's all sent vehicles, no doubt the school
holidays helped
availability of vehicles and drivers. Mini coaches were also seen,
presumably to maintain services at the intermediate stations.
Network Rail are reporting this closure will continue until at
least 23
April.
The private operators in use as mentioned above.
Thames Travel's 929 working an X2 service
which is mentioned as accepting rail tickets between Didcot and Reading.
Gavin Francis also took pictures of Rail Replacement coaches on April 6th.
The double deck with its current owners and with Go Ahead London.
Gavin adds "Just
to confirm white Wright decker is former Go-Ahead WVL 250 (picture on wetransfer
file). Now owned by Horseferry Coaches and previously Imperial Coaches and
TW09TDW also owned by Horseferry.
Botley Road Railway Bridge update
Botley Road closure update: Network Rail plans to replace the rail bridge over the Botley Road as part of its project to expand the station on the western side. The road will remain open, but traffic will not be able to drive under the rail bridge3. The original start date for the 12-month closure was 09 January 2023, but it was scrapped due to concerns about rerouting utility cables5. A possible or likely scenario is for the road to be closed from March to August/September 2023, then for four to six months in the middle of 2024
Gavin Francis
Pictures from Oxford on April 6th showing one of the last days of The Station bridge, and a few buses. under the Botley Road Bridge.
A nice memory for the future. Ed
Bob Chalmers with more on the Didcot-Oxford rail closure.
With the announcement yesterday that the rail line has been closed due to a
subsiding bridge over the Thames near Culham (which may be for this month and
beyond) - it throws up some interesting issues re local bus services. Currently
the rail replacement service is running once an hour (both ways) between Oxford
and Didcot - which will never have the capacity and frequency to carry all
'terminating' passengers who require onward travel. I note that arrangements
have been made with Thames Travel for their X2 & X32 services to accept valid
rail tickets between Oxford and Didcot. All very well, but this could lead to
major overcrowding for the X2 service in particular (which runs every 20 mins
during the day) and prevent 'regular' bus passengers being able to board. Both
Didcot and Oxford could have up to 500+ passengers arriving off terminating
trains every hour, which would totally swamp the local bus services. Should be
interesting to see what happens.
In
the pictures on TV news, you can see quite a significant 'drop' of the trackbed
on one of the spans where it meets the parapet - which looks like quite a
serious amount of work required to repair it. Of course, if it's still subject
to on going movement then that needs to be stabilised too. I suspect it could be
closed for quite some time. If you add in the closure of the Botley Road from
next week too, then Abingdon Road could become really busy as well.
Jack Cooper with more on the Didcot-Oxford rail closure replacement buses.
Thames Travel's 224, 226 and 692 were used on Oxford to Didcot Parkway
Rail Replacement on April 2nd.
Andrew Webb
The Amersham and District Motorbus Society held a running day
on April 2nd operating a range of routes High Wycombe bus station, giving the
chance to ride vehicles of previous eras.
GS13 and RF600 represented single decker buses of the 1950s and 60s.
RF600
is seen heading through the town centre with a trip on route 305 to
Beaconsfield, whilst GS13 leaves the bus station on local route 442.
The standard London double deckers of the 1950s and 60s were represented by the
RT and RML.
RT1700 is seen leaving the bus station bound for Amersham on route 362, whilst
RML2440 is heading for Sands on town service 326.
When the National Bus Company took over in the 1970s the standard single decker
was the Leyland National.
The original model featured a distinctive roof pod at the rear as modelled by
SNB312 arriving at the bus station after working route 362.
SNB449 represents an example of the 'B Series' which omitted the pod and other more complicated aspects of the original model to make a cheaper version.
It is seen at Micklefield Estate awaiting return to the town centre on route
326.
The 1980s were not represented by operating buses,
but this preserved Strathtay
Alexander TE Tiger spent some time parked in the bus station during the day.
The 1990s saw the introduction of low floor buses, with the Plaxton Pointer
Dennis Dart SLF being the model that made the concept affordable to many
operators. Arriva operated several of the type around High Wycombe for
many years. Two preserved examples, albeit not ones which originally ran
in the town, took part in the running day.
P288FPK is preserved in a commemorative livery it acquired in 2012 to mark the
centenary of Aldershot and District.
It is seen heading away from the bus
station on route 332 to Chinnor.
Bound for Speen on route 334 is R301CMV which carries branding promoting
Arriva's high frequency services linking Guildford bus station with the
University of Surrey.
Jack Cooper
In the National Bus MAP scheme local names were used.
RF673 seen in The Eden Bus Station.
Peter Cartwright's RML2440.
RT1700 seen in Amersham.
Nigel Peach
I attended the High Wycombe Classic Bus Running Day
today, organised by the Amersham and District Motorbus Society. As usual,
there was a good programme of recreated bus routes with about 13 buses
performing the duties. Well organised by Peter Cartwright, and well attended;
plenty to keep us old enthusiasts entertained. And, although it was wasn't that
warm, the sun shone later. A happy day spent visiting places in the area.
GS13 at the Hicks Farm Rise terminus of the 442.
GS13 outside the site of the old London Transport garage
at the bottom of Marlow Hill.
A selection of old buses lined up at Eden Bus
Station.....
.... and a selection of current buses.
Ex Arriva Guildford and West Surrey Dennis Dart 3101
outside the King William IV at Speen.
An aerial picture of the bus station.
RML2412 at The Packhorse Gerrards Cross. (This bus was
new to High Wycombe garage in early 1966.
I know because I was one of the
excited schoolboys who went to see it there before it entered service!)
Ex Arriva Guildford and West Surrey Dennis Dart 3088 in
Aldershot and District centenary livery at Downley Common.
~RML2440 (owned by Peter Cartwright) in Hillbottom Road
Sands (near Wycombe Wanderers' ground at Adams Park).
Everyone is welcome to
Statfold Barn Railway
Dave Allen
Statfold Barn Railway event on April 2nd. It is near Tamworth. Lots of trains etc and a few nice buses.
Various pictures:
David provided an interesting selection of pictures from this event. Most are midlands and north of England. Ed.
Oxfordshire Bus Enthusiasts Society upcoming meeting
PLENTY OF ROOM ON TOP!
Ian Tompson will give a fascinating talk about staircases and upper deck seating on double deck buses, on Tuesday, April 18th.
The
meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Norman Brown Room 2, Rose Hill Community
Centre, Carole’s Way, Oxford OX4 4HF. All very welcome. No entrance fee.
Incredible re-mastered footage of London streets and Buckingham Palace in 1920. Imagine if you could go back in a time machine just for 10 minutes to look around and take it all in.
Jack Cooper
West Berkshire CT EY66XAZ leaves Swindon Bus
Station on March 31st
Nick Ross
Bristol GRP 260D heads through Wellingborough with a return Wollaston shuttle on
April 1st 2023, the first of the 2 day Wellingborough Rally
Former London transport Olympian R372 LGH during an Earls Barton photo stop
during the enjoyable Wellingborough Bus Rally on April 1st 2023
Peter Brown
I passed by Binders Yard last weekend for the first
time in a long while and noted three ex Uno Scania/East Lancs Olympus
deckers (YN07 LFA/B/D) up there in the
yards of Chiltern Automotive and Harlequin Travel which I believe may be
affiliated companies. Not sure if they are there just for refurbishment at
Chiltern Automotive or whether they now form part of their respective schools
fleets.
Also noted in the yards were Plaxton President IIG 9286 and Wright Gemini LX53 BJK which I believe are both on Volvo B7TL chassis and have been previously reported.
Jack Cooper
623 seen in Abingdon on March 30th. This
shows the cottage nature of this area.
Lewis Hawkins
Here are two Oxford Bus
Company Wright StreetDecks In City X1 and CityX3
665 City X3 (Pic 2) and 674 City X1 (Pic 1)Both sighted approaching Abingdon
High Street
with Flowers And Clear Blue Skies giving it the Spring Atmosphere.
Fleet News and developments
The latest Midlands and South fleet li.st is provided by Toby France.
Gavin Francis
On April 6th double decks were maintained for the 280
to Oxford's train station.
The 8th saw these buses in service at Bridge Street.
Jack Cooper
On April 2nd, the Rally day, regular services were
maintained in Wycombe as shown above
Michael Penn
Arriva at Luton now only have
two Tridents left with the arrival of four Volvo B7TLs from Maidstone.
Although mainly intended for school services they sometimes appear in normal
service especially in school holidays as can be seen here.
One of the Tridents remaining in service is 5425 (W425XKX) which has been in this “I Love Luton” for the last 9 years – and it shows!
Two of the replacements are seen here on the 27. These are 6448 (GN04UFU) and 6449 (GN 04 UFV) while 6439 (GN04UFH) is seen on the 31.
A picture of Arriva 3027,
still branded for "the one" - a route which Arriva ceased operating more than
six months ago!
Nick Ross
Arriva Evora 3976 storms along the Leighton Buzzard bypass near Stanbridgeford
with a Luton bound F70 on March 30th 2023
Michael Penn
Centrebus 554 (MX12DZG) is one of two Enviro 200s acquired from CT Plus of Holbeck last year.
It is seen here at Luton Station on route 366 which is
to be withdrawn after April 16th.
Centrebus 552 (FL13AAX, originally WW13PSW) is one of three Enviro 200s
acquired from Winson of Loughborough last year.
Up until March 26th
it was used mainly on the 36C local service in Leighton Buzzard
but now that
service has been withdrawn it is used on other services as seen here on the 80
at Stevenage.
Centrebus 595 (YX18KNZ) is an Enviro 200 MMC
acquired from Yellow Coaches of Hurn, an associate company of Xelabus.
As
can be seen it is awaiting a repaint into fleet livery.
It is seen at Stevenage
on service 390 (Stevenage to Hertford), a service that Centrebus started
running on 19th
February.
This service was previously operated by Richmonds.
Andrew Webb
Bus passengers in Slough could be forgiven for getting confused as to where they are following the cascade of vehicles from other parts of First's empire !!
StreetLite 47691 still advertises the now withdrawn route 7 in Southampton.
Enviro 400MMC 34384 still carries a Glasgow fleet name.
Variety from First, 69924 in The Eden Bus Station
with an X74 on April 8th.
On April 2nd, ex cityred seen
working the X74 in Wycombe.
Botley Road Closure - Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel
Gavin Francis
StreetLites at work on April 8th.
Citaro 860 seen with a 39 working in Bridge Street on
April 8th.
Latest to join this fleet, 461
working the 41 on April 8th.
Jack Cooper
Citaros at work on April 2nd.
Sprinter 977 in The Eden on April 2nd.
Gavin Francis
602 has received a "Brand the Bus livery as seen on April 6th.
Oxford Bus Company launch Brand the Bus! competition winning double
decker - Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel
StreetDecks 660 and
687 on April 6th.
Jack Cooper
An E400, two Eclipse Gemini's and a StreetDeck at work in St Aldates on March
27th.
359 and 901 seen at work in Abingdon on March 30th.
Scania 913 seen at work in Abingdon on March 30th.
pignbob
Also on the 5th, 602 appears in the new Brand The Bus
livery seen at St Aldates on the X3
Jack Cooper
254 and 621 seen in St Aldates on March 27th.
pignbob
On the 4th, 316 works the ST1 seen at Broad Street
Later in the afternoon of April 5th, 312 works the X2 seen at the
Train Station
Jack Cooper
A picture from Swindon Bus Station on Friday, when
I was waiting for an S6.
Salisbury Reds also serve Swindon as seen on March 31st.
Jack Cooper
Pictures from Swindon Bus Station on Friday, when
I was waiting for an S6.
Saloon variety in Swindon on March 31st.
Gavin Francis
The 130 sees variety and here is AE07DZB in Oxford
Road on April 6th.
Ex Bournemouth YX12AZN seen working the 130 in High
Wycombe on April 6th.
The yellow bus in Wycombe on April 7th started
life as First 44233 then to Bournemouth and now Redline.
Jack Cooper
MX61BAU started life with Red Rose and is now seen
with Redline working the 130 in Wycombe on April 2nd.
pignbob
On the 4th, another
Yellow Buses Enviro 200 works the X20 seen at Westgate. YX12AZN.
Gavin Francis
E3RRT with a 40 service in Oxford Road on April 8th.
On the 8th and 9th YX16FZH was the bus working the 40 seen at Stokenchurch the
second day.
Neil Gow
Here is my current list for the three fleets. The IDs of
the latest E200MMCs from Whitelaws and the two Red Rose re-registrations at Red
Rose have come from your pages, so I should certainly give something back! We
think WH 66 BUS may also be due here, it left Whitelaws around the same time. I
used to pick up quite a lot of info in a Facebook group from an enthusiast
driver at Red Rose, but he left to work for Masons instead. I also check the
tax/MOT status of all vehicles on the DVLA website 2-3 times a year, which
identifies withdrawals and potential reregistration's. And of course I make
personal observations on trips to and through Aylesbury.
Thanks for following up. I
picked it up later in the year, but it’s good to see the confirmation they still
have it since two of them have moved to Red Rose as shown on your pages.
I never sent that list of Red
Rose fuelling identity numbers (an employee told me they’re not fleet numbers).
Was hoping to get it more complete but failed to add any more when over there
last week so here is the version from December. The recent E200 acquisitions and
the two E200MMCs transferred from Redline don’t seem to have any yet.
|
E 1 RRT |
01 |
E 13 RRT |
13 |
HJ 02 HFD |
40 |
YX 10 BGK |
21 |
|
E 2 RRT |
02 |
E 14 RRT |
? |
HJ 02 HFF |
39 |
YX 10 BGV |
22 |
|
E 3 RRT |
03 |
E 15 RRT |
15 |
PA 04 CYC |
43 |
YX 10 BGY |
? |
|
E 4 RRT |
04 |
E 16 RRT |
16 |
PG 04 WHX |
44 |
YX 61 FZC |
28 |
|
E 5 RRT |
05 |
E 17 RRT |
17 |
HW 54 BTV |
36 |
YX 61 FZH |
29 |
|
E 6 RRT |
06 |
E 18 RRT |
? |
BU 05 HFX |
35 |
SF 66 ARV |
25 |
|
E 7 RRT |
07 |
E 19 RRT |
19 |
LK 55 KKL |
46 |
SF 66 ARW |
45 |
|
E 8 RRT |
08 |
E 20 RRT |
20 |
AE 56 LWK |
24 |
YX 18 KOU |
? |
|
E 9 RRT |
09 |
W495 WGH |
41 |
YN 07 EYK |
? |
YX 18 KOV |
? |
|
E 11 RRT |
11 |
W496 WGH |
42 |
LK 08 NVL |
26 |
YX 18 KOW |
32 |
|
E 12 RRT |
12 |
Y359 LCK |
? |
YX 58 DTY |
27 |
|
|
I think we can take a pretty good guess at E14 RRT and E18 RRT - but not actually seen them.
Stagecoach Oxfordshire (@Stagecoach_Ox) / Twitter
Dave and Deric
We have been through the Stagecoach West Fleet Card for
Period 12 dated 31/03/2023 and as we expected, there are a lot changes. These
result from major service changes in Bristol which included Stagecoach West
winning the contract for two of the Park & Ride services. These require Euro6
vehicles, hence the temporary transfer of Stagecoach Gold liveried buses from
Cheltenham and Swindon. These will return to their home depots later this year
when they will be replaced by cascaded Enviro400MMC from Witney depot. These
will be cascaded when Witney receive their new buses.
This time, as they are so
inter related, we have shown the West and Oxford changes together. For
information, changes affecting Oxford depots are shown with
yellow highlight. We have summarised the
changes as follows:
|
Transfers |
10749-52 |
Cheltenham |
To |
North Bristol |
|
|
10902/03 |
Cheltenham |
To |
North Bristol |
|
|
10982-87 |
Swindon |
To |
North Bristol |
|
|
15736 |
North Bristol |
To |
Oxford |
|
|
15762/67 |
Oxford |
To |
North Bristol |
|
|
15966 |
North Bristol |
To |
Oxford |
|
|
15977 |
Stroud |
To |
Cheltenham |
|
|
15880 |
Stroud |
To |
Cheltenham |
|
|
15982/83 |
Stagecoach South |
To |
Cheltenham |
|
|
15984-86 |
Stagecoach South |
To |
Swindon |
|
|
18156 |
North Bristol |
To |
Stroud |
|
|
18420-22 |
North Bristol |
To |
Swindon |
|
|
19186 |
North Bristol |
To |
Stroud |
|
|
36330 |
North Bristol |
To |
Swindon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Out of Reserve |
18087 |
Reserve |
To |
Stroud |
|
|
18415 |
Reserve |
To |
Stroud |
|
|
36257 |
Reserve |
To |
Cheltenham |
|
|
47297 |
Reserve |
To |
Cheltenham |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For Disposal |
47478 |
Reserve |
To |
For Disposal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sold/Gone |
12001/11/13 |
For Disposal |
To |
Gone |
|
|
18448 |
For Disposal |
To |
Gone |
|
|
34786 |
Reserve |
To |
Gone |
|
|
36138/39 |
North Bristol |
To |
Stagecoach South |
|
|
36175/76 |
North Bristol |
To |
Stagecoach South |
|
|
36381 |
North Bristol |
To |
Stagecoach South |
|
|
54264/65/69/70 |
North Bristol |
To |
Gone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gavin Francis
10988 and 10991 in Frideswide Sq working the S6 on
April 6th.
Jack Cooper
Pictures from Swindon Bus Station on Friday, when I was waiting for an S6.
Quite a lot of variety in Swindon althou,gh not
exactly up to date on March 31st.
10990 is seen at the lights in George Street with an
S6 on March 28th.
Tony Gaze
Popped down to Bristol today
to have a look at the Park & Ride (to Brislington and Portway) following
Stagecoach take-over.
Services started 2 April as
'Service 9' and 12 'Gold' MMCs have transferred to Patchway from Cheltenham and
Swindon.
They are as follows:
10749/50/51/2 (SN66 VXT/U/V/W), still
branded on arrival for the 94 (Cheltenham - Gloucester),
unbranded 10902/3 (YX67
VBL/M)
~and, S6 branded (Swindon - Oxford), 10982-7 (SN18 KUO/P/R-U).
Also looks like the 'Falcon' branding has been replaced
by 'Megabus'
ex Stagecoach South 15982-986
have transferred from Guildford to West. So we have University of Surrey
vehicles running about!
15982/83 are working from Cheltenham and can be seen on
94/94X (see attached both taken in Cheltenham on 27 March
15984-86 are working from Swindon (mostly on S6)
Gavin Francis
A threatening sky sets the background for 10442
working the 1 on April 6th.
Two West buses working Oxford routes on April 6th.
15359 and 15736.
E200 36933 working the 14 in Frideswide Square on
April 6th.
Jack Cooper
St Aldates sees 10668 with a 1 on March 27th.
Neil Bridges
Couple of vehicles I've driven on loan 15879 Wednesday 5th April on S7 sorry on pic
and today 6th April 15359 again on S7 Ox-Witney a really nice bus to drive.
pignbob
On the 5th, 15359 works the 10 seen at St Aldates
50448 made its first journey to London on April 9th following its repaint into tube livery.
Seen here working its first return journey to Oxford at Lewknor after repaint on
April 9th
Jack Cooper
Traffic delays affecting the M40 saw Oxford
tube services using the A40 via Wycombe centre on April
2nd.
London operations
Andrew Webb
Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi has selected Jennifer Lopez as the face of a new campaign on London's buses.
London United's LT677 is one of five to
carry the advert, seen here at the south end of Westminster Bridge on 1 April
as
it approaches the Waterloo terminus of route 211.
The nearside is seen on
Go Ahead's LT506 as it departs the stand at Liverpool Street for another run on
route 11.
The light sabre shines brightly on the side of LT857 which is promoting 'Jedi
Survivor' at Borough station on 1 April.
This is a Star Wars inspired
video game launching at the end of the month.
A subtle change to an increasing number of Big Bus vehicles is the change of fleet name from 'Big Bus London' to 'Big Bus.com'.
The new branding is
clearly visible on this Optare Volvo,
which started life with competitor Golden
Tours, as it rounds Trafalgar Square.
Motts Yellow
Bus Memories - 1
Stephen
Archer was a part-time driver for Motts Yellow Bus between 1993 and 1995. Now -
nearly 30 years later and living in the USA - he looks back fondly to those
years when he spent Saturdays driving buses around Oxford and the Chilterns.
********************************************
How It
Started
My
association with Motts Yellow Bus started at Duxford airfield. That was the
setting for Showbus 1993 and - somewhere deep in the 300 plus buses at the event
- was a Mercedes minibus. It was not the sort of bus that normally attracted my
interest, however the bright yellow livery with Yellow Bus markings did.
Michael Wadman provided this picture of a Mercedes
K184GOU working the M1 Reading-Watlington service on June 11th 1993.
Living near
Princes Risborough at the time, I was familiar with Motts Yellow
Bus vehicles
passing through town. Having been an “anorak” since a young child, I had
recently achieved a lifetime’s ambition by obtaining a PCV license and hoped to
put it to use by driving as a part-timer somehow, fitting around my regular
Monday-to-Friday job.
Spotting
people in that Mercedes, I walked up to the open door and was greeted by a
friendly gentlemen. “If you want to drive for Yellow Bus, phone Roger Mott,” he
said in reply to my question. “Motts is always looking for drivers.”
Later I was
to realize that that helpful chap was Martin Isles, not only the organizer of
Showbus, but also an occasional driver for Motts Yellow Bus himself.
It was good
advice. The subsequent phone conversation led to me visiting the Yellow Bus
garage in Station Road, Stoke Mandeville. There I was greeted by Angus Munday, a
genial Scot who at that time was Motts’ Bus Manager.
Angus was an
ex-London Transport man. I’d like to think that he was impressed that I had
trained as a bus driver on Routemasters in central London. But probably he was
just relieved to find someone who could help him cover Saturday duties. Reliable
bus drivers were thin on the ground at that time.
So we climbed into a Metrobus and Angus drove me to a convenient layby on the main A4010 road back towards Risborough. “Now it’s your turn,” he said. This was the moment of truth,
Having
trained on Routemasters, I was not familiar with a driving position ahead of the
front wheels. Angus undoubtedly understood that. However, I took the wheel and
piloted us back to the garage following Angus’s route directions. “Can you start
next Saturday?” asked Angus, once we were back at the garage.
So, on
Saturday 14 August 1993, I was at the somewhat less than salubrious Stoke
Mandeville garage bright and early, ready to take Duty 609 that signed-on at
8.50 AM. As I was to discover later, this was a remarkably civilized starting
time. In future, anything after 6.30 AM would be a “late start” for me!
The first
bus I drove in service for Motts was a Metrobus, JHE 141W on the M1 route from
Aylesbury to Lane End, High Wycombe. This was one of the Rolls Royce-engined
models that had been new to South Yorkshire PTE. After a lunch break I drove DDM
33X, a 36-Foot long Willowbrook-bodied Leopard that had been new to Crosville.
Again it was back and forth on the M1 route.
Sign-off was
at 19.57 PM for a “Pay Time” of 9 hours 25 minutes. You were only paid for the
time you drove, not for any layovers. Is it still the same today? I have to
imagine so.
As you can
probably imagine, that was a very tough day for me, even though the M1 route was
one with which I was basically familiar from my local enthusiast’s knowledge.
The experience of driving past the “Buses Only” sign to enter Aylesbury bus
station for the first time was one that I’ve not forgotten to this day. Yes, I
really was a bus driver now!
Although I
had had my brief fling with a Metrobus with Angus, it was totally different
running the thing on my own that first day. Then, after Lunch, I picked up the
Leopard mid-route on the M1 from Wycombe at the change-over point nearest to
Stoke Mandeville garage. The incoming driver got out and went for his break,
leaving me to take the bus forward to Aylesbury.
At this
point I should say that I had never even ridden in a 36-Foot Leopard in my life
before, let alone driven one. And, of course, it was so much longer than the
Metrobus.
Now here I
was having to work-out VERY rapidly how to drive the thing without looking like
a total fool to the passengers. Thank goodness they didn’t know the truth!
There were
more challenges, too…
I was
completely new to the whole fare-collection experience. Suddenly I had to be
conversant with the fare stage chart, calculating the ticket costs and operating
the machine to issue them. This had to be done fast enough to avoid falling
behind schedule too - another case of instant on-the-job learning.
Immediately
I also learned that passengers sometimes had different names for the same bus
stop. Of course, they expected me to know where they meant, even if it wasn’t
the name I knew or the one printed on the fare chart!
Then, of
course, I did not know on my first day that the company did not issue drivers a
“float” of small change. Aaghh!!!! The following week I had my invaluable float
of coins and never left home without it in future.
That “dive
into the deep end” was how I started with Yellow Bus. I just loved it and drove
for the company every Saturday I could until 22 July 1995, the last day of Motts
Yellow Bus operations before they were sold to Arriva.
I’d like to
thank Roger Mott for giving me a chance to fulfill one of the ambitions of my
lifetime. I’m delighted that his company is still thriving, although not in the
way that I knew it so long ago.
In future
parts, I’ll cover Yellow Bus routes and vehicles.
Thanks for
reading. I hope that others who remember Motts Yellow Bus, or - better still -
were involved in the operations - will add their stories and photographs too.
At the time,
Yellow Bus was covered quite extensively in the Oxford (not Chilterns in those
days) Bus Page. However, sadly, these editions seem no longer to exist and much
information of interest has been lost. Perhaps some of the history of Yellow Bus
can be re-created now, before it all becomes lost in the mists of time…
Many thanks to Stephen for this first part. If anyone has Yellow Bus pictures from the period under reference please let me have them. Ed.
Gavin Francis
...................... from Orlando Airport at the end of his break in Florida - April 4th.
Ready to take us home. BA Boeing 777-236.
Mears coaches at the airport.
SHEN YUN COACH at OUTLET MALL, LAKE BUENA VISTA on
April 3rd.
Somehow these US coaches are getting a more European look. Ed.
Gordon Scott
Two shots taken in Dunfermline.
Stagecoach East Scotland Fife
Alexander Dennis BYD Enviro
200E Electric Bus on route 2 with Dunfermline Electric Bus Branding 30026 - LG23
FHT.
Volvo B11R Plaxton Elite i on
Citylink M92 54261 - YY65 SXZ
Houston's of Dumfries has taken over Stagecoach Western
Seen
in Princess Street Edinburgh Houston's KP12 BUS
Two Volvo ELZ MCV Electric Demos one single deck been
here for a month and the other double deck type arrived this week.
BV72KPF taken at Cannonmills Edinburgh, on route 23.
BV23NNT taken at the Mound Edinburgh, on route 23.
South Coast - I o W.
Jack Cooper
I am back from my weeks holiday, and thought I would do a
report for you. Each photo link will be for that specific day. There will be
quite a bit of text too, so do feel free to use as much as you like in the page,
and future ones if you use parts for different weeks. I have also added some
photos which I thought might be interesting, based on your visit to the Isle of
Wight with Gavin in 2016, Spottings & Jottings 96 & 97.
Wednesday 22nd March
On Wednesday I had started off my day by travelling from Sandown to Ventnor on the 3 before spending a couple of hours in Ventnor.
I had travelled on route 6 to Newport which I am sure is a nice route, but there was quite a bit of fog so did not end up seeing much!
I had then travelled to Ryde
on the 9 to get some photos of the Hovercraft in the light, as well as the
Island Line Train by South Western Railway.
After spending a bit of time in Ryde I thought it would be nice to visit East Cowes, so had travelled there on the 4.
From there I went
to Cowes, travelling on the 5 to Newport and then the 1 to Cowes. The Cowes
floating bridge is currently out of action. In Cowes, the 1 has had a change of
terminus, it used to terminate at the Red Jet terminal, however it now
terminates at Carvel Lane which is a couple of minutes walk away. This change
happened during the pandemic, when deckers were put on the 1 as opposed to the
baby Enviro 200s, as the turn into Cowes Red Jet is famously tight!
From there I travelled back to Newport on the 1, before
getting the 3 back to Sandown after some dinner.
Thursday 23rd March
Thursday was my last day on the Island, and had to be in
Yarmouth for my ferry crossing which left at 15:05. I had walked along the
seafront to Shanklin before taking a trip on the Island Line to Ryde. The Island
Line has recently had an upgrade from the old 1938 London Underground stock
numbered the class 483, to newer ex London Underground stock, the sub surface D
stock, numbered the class 484. The former District Line trains entered service
on the Island in late 2021, with the line shut from January 2021 onwards for the
upgrade works to take place. These consisted of making the platforms higher,
reinstating the 2nd platform at Brading and works to the tunnel at Ryde for
taller trains. Currently Ryde Pier is shut for works, so the trains were
terminating at Ryde Esplanade.
After a trip on the Island Line, it was time to make my
way to Yarmouth doing so on the 9 and then 7.
From the bright morning, the afternoon was rather wet!
But still managed to get some last photos of Southern Vectis Buses before my
ferry back.
My ferry back was on the Wightlink Yarmouth to Lymington
route, with my boat being the Wight Sky, although the actual weather was more
like grey sky! The crossing takes 40 minutes, arriving into Lymington at 15:45.
The X2 to Bournemouth was just under 2 hours, and was a nice journey, it is slightly quicker than the X1 which I had taken a trip on in November.
to be continued
Vehicles in stock on
changeover;
E200;
AJ58PZK, AJ58PZL, AY07CUA, KX07OOY, HF57BKN, LK08DWN, SN08AAY, GV63HWU, HXH,
HXL, HXM, HXS, HXT, HXW, HXX, **YX61FZT
EB2022
E400;
LK58KHC, KHD, KHE, KHF, LK59DYY, DZB, DZH, DZL, DZM, DZO, DZP, LK09EKR
Dennis Tridents;
KN04XJK, WJ55NLZ, **TSU639 339
B7TL;
AU53HKD, HF04JWK, HF04JWL, HF05HNA, HF05HNB, LF55CYV, CYX, LK53LZA, YBZ838,
YJ06XLM,
Scania N94;
YV03RBF, PZX
Scania Omnilink; YT13HKZ,
HKY, YN63BYP.
Scania Omnicity;
NK56KHH, KHJ, KHL, KKL, NK07GJO
Scania Omnicity Deckers;
YR59FYS, FZE, YT59SGX, SGY
Scania i4;
JFZ7028
Routemaster; SMK742F.
American Buses;
MTABUS, RTABUS
** Denotes vehicle(s) are on
loan to main fleet.
Sales vehicles into stock
under First;
From Go Ahead London:
From Stagecoach East Kent:
From Stagecoach Midlands:
From Stagecoach Scotland:
From Stagecoach London:
From Metroline:
From RATP:
From Bath Bus:
Vehicles Sold;
Vehicles to MC Tractors;
Mc Gills;
Transpora:
Dawsons:
London Hire:
Salvation Army Hadleigh:
Oddball Trucks, Bristol –
Exported to France:
Driftlimits, Bovingdon
Brighton Horizon
