'Inconsiderate' illegal parking could loose Watlington's T1 bus

Bristol LWL6B 621 GJB259 ready for a trip on 33's outside Wycombe Marsh depot on September 22nd 1968. © Paul Bateson

Bristol FLF6B 841 WJB225 in the Frogmoor Bus Park High Wycombe on September 22nd 1968.  © Paul Bateson

More of Paul's pictures are included in the article by Tony Bungay below. Also there will be more from Paul in the coming weeks.

For those interested in Thames Valley an excellent three volume series of books are available from Paul Lacey. See below.

From Andrew Dyer in New Zealand

"Paul Bateson's photos from the 60s certainly brought back some schoolday memories for me and in particular the one of AEC Swift GJO631F.

The Oxford-Cambridge railway line closed at the end of 1967 and a new bus service was launched to replace the railway between Oxford and Bletchley. It was a joint service between COMS and United Counties numbered 71/121 respectively. Clearly it was too much for the two companies to agree a common route number (the same applied to Oxford- Bedford being 70/131) !!

COMS allocated brand new Swifts 630 and 631 to Bicester depot to run their allocation on the route. I remember clearly 630 catching fire on the first day in service, causing a school friend from Marsh Gibbon to come into class saying "sorry I'm late today sir, my bus caught fire" …...surely the best excuse ever for being late for school!

The Swifts were horribly unreliable and were put to shame by the six year old Bristol MWs allocated by United Counties which just kept going and going! 157BRP was a regular, a bus I think now preserved.

In the background of Paul's photo I see 197KFC, the regular (and possibly only I think) bus allocated to Great Milton outstation for the 73 route at that time.

Thanks again for a great page and I hope these ramblings are of interest."

From Ed Maun

Good to see some old photos in issue 45.     

Thames Valley LS 711 HMO857 is outside the Micklefield Road entrance of Wycombe Marsh depot. As the LS is on service 36 to Lane End it would have been allocated to Fingest dormy shed. 

 The timetable allowed for a mid morning visit to the Marsh depot  to pay in the previous days takings and to refuel etc.

Thank you Andrew and Ed, I am certain that many readers will appreciate those memories and maybe some more will surface from other quarters? Already one reader commented on what were the couple by the LS 711 outside Wycombe Marsh depot!!!!

Recollections from Tony Bungay of routes now gone!

As the title suggests a follow up to my previous article you put on the page in December. 

A further brief history of some bus services that either operated a couple of times a day or indeed only a couple of days a week! The three routes mentioned below have had different outcomes in some cases and almost no change in one instance! 

 
Bristol VRs 642 HJB462W on the 321 in February 1985 and 644 HJB644W on the 322 nearer Saunderton in the Summer of 1985. Both pictures from Tony Bungay.

The two Alder Valley Bristol VRT’s are shown working route 321, though one shows 322 whether this is a blind error or was a variation I am uncertain, maybe other viewers can confirm this?

Prior to April 1980 the main High Wycombe- Princes Risborough – Aylesbury route was the 21/31, the former operated via Bradenham and Saunderton, the latter via Naphill and Lacey Green (todays 300) both of which were hourly on the full route giving half hourly frequency on common sections.

Earlier still in Thames Valley days the Service was 21/21A the former diverting to serve Butlers Cross,

Bristol FLF6G D52 LBL852E with a 21A service to High Wycombe from Aylesbury on August 1st 1968. © Paul Bateson 

With the recasting of services in High Wycombe and Amersham in April 1980 as a result of the ‘Chilternlink MAP the main High Wycombe -Princes Risborough – Aylesbury route became what had been the 31 with the diversion Butlers Cross included so the route became the 323/24.

The section on the main road via Bradenham and Saunderton previously the 21 was renumbered not surprisingly 321. However hence the reason for including this route in the article the previous hourly/seven days a week operation was cut to 4/5 journeys Monday to Saturday, given the somewhat sparse population density and growing affluence of the area plus a railway station probably no surprise.

Although not really anything to do with this article about 321, it is worth mentioning for a number of years any intending passengers did get an extra choice of bus on this section including Sunday! With a couple of X15 journeys that also used this road to either Reading/Milton Keynes/Northampton as their ultimate destination.  

I have to admit that I lost track of who may have operated this route at times after Alder Valley, but I understand the number of journeys probably remained similar, as it was a County Council supported Service from 1986, I know other operators have included Woottens Coaches through their Tigerline Bus operation and since their demise Redline who again use the 321 number, by a strange twist of history almost when Arriva decided to reroute their 300 service away from Butlers Cross to the main road, an exact reverse of, a few years earlier when the 323/24 became the 300 and those journeys that used the main road were routed via Butlers Cross!

Bucks County Council I think wished to maintain a Bus Service through Butlers Cross and this too is operated by Redline and it would seem the opportunity was taken to extend the 321 from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury hence almost the old Thames Valley 21 was recreated so to speak! 

Since then, as if to underline a change in outcome, Arriva introduced the X30 Service which too operates to High Wycombe after Princes Risborough via Saunderton and Bradenham originally Monday to Friday and later Saturday too, so once again after many years this road has an hourly and at times more bus service along it.

Citaro 3014 with the X30 en route to High Wycombe on February 9th 2019 by Tony Bungay.

This route, as opposed to the piece about 321, is not only infrequent but occasional as well, and also for many years given the operator a bit unique!

By the 1980’s if not before it was probably the only part of what at one time had been the mighty Midland Red to operate a bus service into Buckinghamshire.

Midland Red came to operate the route to what at one time had been the former County Town of Bucks in the early 1930’s the service even then was a market day service, Tuesdays to Buckingham market from a surrounding few villages and Thursday to Banbury Market. 

Leyland National 708 with Midland Red working the 500 service to Banbury, now worked by Stagecoach's Banbury depot.
This picture was taken by Tony Bungay in September 1984. Ironically the legal owner is shown as Midland Red South by Stagecoach!!!

By the time of the photograph of by then Midland Red South Leyland National 708 taken in Buckingham September 1984, the Service was an extension of the main Banbury – Brackley 500 Service that operated two return journeys on Tuesday and Saturday only, essentially Buckingham market days. 

The route on both days from Brackley served the small villages of Shalstone – Dadford where the bus turned around then went through part of Stowe as it headed to Buckingham.

Once reaching Buckingham it headed back to Banbury along the main Buckingham – Brackley road, the return journey was a reverse of the first. An interesting variation on the journey back to Banbury on Saturday on the second and last journey of the day, was at Brackley the service became the 508 and went through a couple of villages called Halse and Marston St Lawrence rather than on the main road via Farthinghoe.

As a bus ride for those of us who like looking at scenery or off the beaten track villages very interesting, in addition in that part of the world a number of disused railway lines existed (more of then than now), bits of which could be seen including former Great Central Booking Hall in Brackley.

If you forgive that slight digress, the service certainly on the Buckingham – Brackley section as can be seen from the photo on the second return journey not heaving with passengers, the people shown plus the photographer were the sum total on that journey! 

Again it was probably no surprise that just over a year later after just over fifty years Midland Red South stopped operating beyond Brackley. 

Again I regret that who took over operating a service for those places I cannot remember, I know somebody did, later on a service was provided by Bucks County Council under originally it’s Orange Easy Bus branding later changed to County Rider.

Now a Buckingham – Brackley service is operated by Redline as service 131, a number not unknown to Buckingham as it used to be the jointly operated Oxford COMS/United Counties Oxford – Bicester – Buckingham – Milton Keynes – Bedford route!

From the present timetable it would appear to be four journeys go all the way to Brackley and on Saturday two to Banbury, though not via Dadford and Shalstone, these are served on Tuesday only to Buckingham.

The emphasis of the present timetable is to provide the chance to go either way, in the latter days of Midland Red mainly to Buckingham though probably Brackley was possible if just over an hour was sufficient before you had to get the last one back!

I wonder if any photographer managed to get a picture of a Midland Red bus as it headed on the final leg to Buckingham down the avenue from Stowe with the Corinthian Arch in the background, wish I had ??

As can be seen not a lot of change as such, though given the frequency anything substantial would probably have been total disappearance!

Unlike to other two services in this article which have had a fairly long history this route the X4 was a newcomer. 

Introduced by Alder Valley in late 1980 just after the first bit of deregulation by the then Conservative government under Mrs Thatcher, to free up and encourage competition on longer distance services (remember British Coachways). 

This Service linked High Wycombe – Princes Risborough – Aylesbury – Bicester – Banbury – Warwick – Birmingham Airport and NEC – Digbeth and Birmingham Bull Ring Bus Station, operating two return journeys a day seven days a week, it was an ambitious but seemingly potentially useful cross country service. There were initially a number of setting down restrictions, i.e. no carriage of passengers between Aylesbury and Bicester. And even originally no set down point in Warwick, after a couple of months this was changed so any passengers could set down here, which could be useful for anybody wanting to visit this historic town or get a Midland Red service to nearby Stratford upon Avon.

As the service was extremely limited stop the journey time was comparable with a car almost, there was no M40 then and the rail service north of Princes Risborough was two hourly at best on a single track with a passing loop at Bicester North, so any late running had an instant knock on effect! 

May be this was the market Alder Valley was hoping to attract, whatever just over a year later the service was withdrawn on Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays and Sunday was reduced to just one return journey.

The remaining timetable remained stable I think for the routes history. Initial vehicles used on the service were Dual Purpose Leyland Nationals like 246 as it turns towards Aylesbury Bus Station on a High Wycombe X4 journey in October 1982. As the route was introduced a few months after the Chilternlink MAP project it was branded as Chilternlink X4 as shown on this vehicle. 

A year or so later one journey each way was extended from High Wycombe to serve Southall, as no doubt many potential passengers from this area had family and friends in Birmingham, around this time the Leyland Nationals were replaced by various other vehicles, mainly coaches but also included a Dennis Falcon with Wadham Stringer bodywork, seen leaving Aylesbury on a Saturday afternoon journey in February 1985, regret not the best picture a combination of low winter sun and dirty roads from recent snow have had their effect.  

Just after Bus deregulation in October 1986 the Southall extension was withdrawn and rerouted to London Victoria, however with the service leaving London at 12.15 and not getting to Birmingham till after 17.00 did it get any passengers on this section until at least Slough timed 13:15. 

Another alteration, saw after Banbury the service was rerouted to serve Southam, Long Itchington  and Coventry before proceeding to Birmingham, obviously the diversion into Coventry increased overall journey time, again whether the company thought it could generate more custom doing this is unknown, thinking back may be the recently withdrawn north of Banbury South Midland/Midland Red South X59 had some bearing on this? 

Alder Valley 1102 WJM816T on the X4 to Birmingham in August 1987 by Tony Bungay. 

The Londonlink Liveried Leyland Leopard is seen at Banbury Bus Station as it used to be in August 1987 on a Birmingham bound service.

Alder Valleys successors Alder Valley North  later Berks Bucks Bus Company(Beeline)  continued to operate the service, as did Oxford Bus Company when they took over Beeline's High Wycombe operations, I did see a Wycombe Coach Company liveried vehicle operating the service, but had no camera on me to record this! 

Again I have lost track as to when this service disappeared and it would be interesting if any other readers can contribute any facts thoughts or photos on this and the other bus routes I have mentioned for this website ??

I would guess the services demise was down to many things, but certainly the opening of the M40 Birmingham extension and the big upgrade on the Chiltern Railway line between London – High Wycombe – Banbury – and Birmingham probably were significant  and no doubt if it had carried on a bit longer it would have come up against EU directives on Drivers time/ tachograph etc, 

So as said at the beginning of this article three route three different outcomes!

As an aside enjoyed your contributors sixties pictures, look forward to seeing more, the Thames Valley one with the Service 80 working is a good catch, it was not a frequent service even then and took a number of back roads to High Wycombe, going through Longwick and looking at the route map Great Hampden.

The copyright is with the Bus Archive

One further photo shows an unidentified X4 vehicle at the back in the dark and gloomy Bull ring Bus Station Terminus now gone. If people would like to sample what it was like Aylesbury Bus Station can give a bit of a taste! 

Sincere thanks to Tony for this very interesting article which I am sure readers will enjoy. Indeed if other readers have related picture I would be delighted to include those in a future issue.

Had a good visit to Staines, sun was a bit tricky at times but over all not too bad. Believe it or not there were ten operators seen there today. I think this number has appeared because of the withdrawal of Abellio from Surrey. 

They are Metroline, London United. (I think the 203 is the last route to use Tempos and they are due for withdrawal very soon.), Abellio, White Bus, Reptons, First, Bear Buses using ex-Go Ahead LDP 183, Falcon, Carlone and Hallmark. Quite remarkable when one considers other places.

   
Abellio, Bear Buses and Carlone services in Staines.

   
Falcon Buses and First Berkshire.

     
Hallmark and London United services.

 
Metroline and Reptons.

   
White Bus on various services.

Staines must surely provide considerable variety compared to many other locations.

And now Slough with Gavin Francis on February 6th

Courtney's KX64AEF works the 2 during the SLOUGH VISIT

Courtney's Joshua YD63VBN seen during SLOUGH VISIT

Courtney's YJ13HNG working the 2 during SLOUGH VISIT.

 
At First Berkshire's Slough depot, a damaged decker and a Citaro Trainer.

44562 works the 12 TRADER route during the SLOUGH VISIT.

Citaro 64037 leaves with a 4 during the SLOUGH VISIT,

 
Slough's route 1 served by Citaro 64038.

Not the correct bus for the 1 when VSH699230 was seen on the SLOUGH VISIT.

 
London United's contribution to route 81 at Slough.

Reading Buses 134 resting during SLOUGH VISIT.

     
Variety on tbhe 702 and 703 at Slough during the visit.

Redline's T25RRT working the WP1 service in Slough. This bus started life with Red Rose.

      
Stewart's variety in Slough.

Reading THAMES VALLEY 166 with a 5 service during the SLOUGH VISIT.

Reading THAMES VALLEY 193 with a 5 service during the SLOUGH VISIT.

Another interesting and revealing visit by Gavin Francis with a lot of interest.