News Page
Concessionary
Travel, Buses in the Landscape, Running Days and Historical articles
Issue 275
(OBP-488)
Sunday 19th October 2008
(next update week ending 26th
October 2008)
Now ten years old
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Concessionary Travel, Buses in the Landscape, Running Days and Historical articles.
Concessionary Travel
We are still reading about the problems financing this scheme and I find the timing anomalies somewhat confusing. For instance if you live in Reading or slough one can use the buses 24 hours a day on ones pass. Other passes start at 0900 and more still at 0930.
Even stranger is the fact that one can use a pass on the Sheffield tram system, under Stagecoach control but not Metrolink in Manchester. Indeed I paid £1.80 for a three mile journey on Metrolink which I thought rather expensive.
Buses in the Landscape
National Express (Stagecoach in Oxfordshire)
Levante 59215 backed by the University college buildings in Oxford.
Rallies & Running Days
Cravens Day by Bob Stanger
The Cravens day was a success albeit we had a couple of technical issues to sort out with the vehicles. Many photos were taken, however I enclose a few of the more significant for you and consideration to place in the next edition. RT 1499 was first allocated to Victoria Gillingham Street garage when new, in red livery.
Amersham 5th October
Further pictures have been received which I would like to share with you.
Peter Cartwright says "A correction to the report on the Amersham Heritage day. 8 vehicles were in operation:
Three were allocated to the Amersham Stn/Amersham Old Town shuttle viz: RM1 RT3871 & RTW75.
Four operated the 305/353/359 routes as follows:
MA1 RML2412 not 2414 as reported.
MA2 RF673
MA3 RML2440
MA4 RLH48
and working the 348 between Chesham Broadway & Buckland Common with certain journeys to/from Amersham Stn was GS13 as MA30.
The latter five are all scheduled for Sun 5 October plus 23 others with others as spare. Programmes can also be purchased from the Tourist Information Centre at Pauls Row, High Wycombe.
The event was also mentioned in the Autumn edition of Buckinghamshire Times and is also on the visual display in the foyer of High Wycombe library showing RML2412 RML2440 & RF673 on the forecourt of the former garage (now Staples) in Queen Alexandra Road."
Mark Lyons writes "When I met Graham Smith (who was conducting on Cobham's RM1461) he greeted me along the lines of "It's only the hardy and the insane who are out today". I had to concede that I probably fell into the latter category!
Weather notwithstanding there was a reasonable turnout. Vehicle wise we had fewer red RMLs than hitherto (a good thing in my book) and at least two RFs with yellow relief - 308 and 644 - which to my eye was always a particularly attractive combination. Ex United Counties Bristol FS 712 provided some relief from London types. I still think that Ensignbus' Cravens bodied RT and Bristol K would make a worthwhile addition to this event!"
Photos by Mark Lyons
Steve Warwick sent some nice pictures which I include below.
Finally some pictures from Colin Cooke and the one of the RLH gives a
good idea of the morning weather and who writes
"'Sunday 5th
saw the last of this years Running Days organised by the Amersham Motorbus
Society based as usual at the Amersham Station car park. Despite a damp day, all
routes seemed to run smoothly with a variety of ex LT buses and assortment of
various guest vehicles. The RLH is always a special favourite given the
association with it operating from Amersham Garage......"
Oxford Bus Museum Open Day 12th October by Richard Sharman
Richard sent some nice pictures of the above event which was favoured by nice weather.
What a lovely
blue sky smiling
on the KMB Regent V.
Motts sent this little Solo to join in proceedings.
A selection of the buses on display in the Museum.
Canvey Island by Glenn Knight
http://www.touruk.co.uk/maps/townmaps.php?town=453&title=Canvey%20Island%20Essex
Few photos from the bus rally at Canvey Island, Essex on 12th October.
J562 HAT
Stevensons
EU04 CUW Ensign Bus (City Sightseeing Volvo B7L Ayats)
PO58 NRE Ensign Bus
S801 BWC East London Buses
BJU 13T Anne Atherton (coach I travelled down on)
L894 NAV C.G. Myalls & Son
IIL 4317 Converted to sleeper coach up to 12beds and 16 seats
ETC 760B Unknown
I remember this design when new and always thought
it looked rather classy. Ed.
The weather was rubbish to start off but into the day not to bad.
More photos are available at the following link: http://daveheath.fotopic.net/c1595085.html
HISTORY IN PICTURES AND WORDS
If you have any pictures or historical memories and wish to submit them for this page please send them to the me at malcolmhc@aol.com
Alder Valley by David Percy
Please find attached an image that also poses a query, it is an Alder Valley VR, overtaking a London Country Leyland National, taken by myself in 1977, but I can't remember where!!
I believe it is in West London, but am open to correction, perhaps other site users could identify the location!
And here is a thought, perhaps a 'guess the location' feature on your web page on each edition, it would certainly get 'grey cells' working!!
Memories of Oxford and Barton Transport by Martin Beckett
Many thanks for your interesting web site. I grew up in Oxford and spent the summer of 1971 in the traffic office at Cowley Road as a holiday job just after Oxford-South Midland had been formed. Alan Price was the traffic manager and had an interesting style of management which he took with him to Maidstone Borough Transport. His Deputy was Geoff. Lusher who moved on to work with West Midlands PTE and subsequently, like me, took early retirement and now chairs the Aston Manor Transport Museum in Birmingham. I recently moved back to Warwickshire and met Geoff when he was driving a West Midlands Travel artic as a shuttle bus at Wroughton Science Museum during an open day.
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