From the Editor

An interesting week with the Government rumoured to be withdrawing the £2 fare cap

Several people visited  London reporting in a variety of ways

UPDATE for Redline posted October 18th.

In this issue

Stagecoach EV update with a disappointment

Grahame Wareham and 320

London day out Thursday 10^th October by Gavin Francis

London day out Friday 11^th October by George Candelin

Tony Bungay spent an Autumn day in Hemel Hempstead

Readers Letters

Fleet News and Developments

London operations

Andy Millwood from Dudley

EV update from Adam Harber 

Anyway, enough of my self-indulgence, you need another EV update… It’s all a bit chaotic at the moment, and that is because we are getting closer. A large number of buses have now been moved to locations closer to Oxford. At one point there were 20 in storage at the Downs Road outstation in Witney (I have no idea how!), with another 10 or more at Oxford depot and the Network Oxford charging site. A small number are back with ADL for some warranty work, while the balance are still at Chesterfield depot. I’m sorry I don’t have exact numbers and locations, but they are being moved on a daily basis and are a bit hard to pin down. 

At the time of writing, 19 buses are fully service ready, and half of these are expected to enter service on Sunday 20^th October, with the rest on the next day. There is a loose plan to put them into service in fleet number order, but there will be some gaps in the sequence simply because not all are in the right place to be easily accessible. Obviously, the deciding factor will be the charging infrastructure, and after further delays this was rescheduled to go live today (Tuesday 15^th October). When I left the office at about 1730 today everything was still going to plan with the power going to be switched on tonight when demand on the grid was at its lowest, so hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to send a quick message tomorrow to say all is well. 

In other related news, there has been a slight change of plan regarding Oxford cascades. Previously I reported that Stagecoach South were to have some with the rest stopping at Stagecoach West, but now it looks like some will also be going to Scotland. Sorry, I don’t have details of where in Scotland or how many, but I do know they are quite urgently needed so will likely be among the first to leave. And finally, Tube coach 50445 emerged from the paint shop today in Tube livery. It still needs to receive the vinyl branding, but it looks amazing after it’s long overdue refresh.

STOP PRESS

Unfortunately, it’s not good news about the charging site. Even though we were told it would be turned on overnight, this did not happen. At this time, I don’t have sufficient information to give a revised estimate of when the switch on will happen or if this latest delay will change the launch schedule. However, a colleague and I will be at Brooklands on Sunday with one of the EVs, so if anyone wants to come and say hello, I’ll have a long list of excuses at the ready!

 

 

H320  LWL315 was a 1946 AEC Regent II with Park Royal H30/26R semi-utility body. It was part of a large batch of the first post war deliveries from AEC and PRV. In 1952 it was renumbered H854 to give the high-bridge double decker's a separate series in an effort to prevent accidents involving the low bridges around Oxford. H845was with drawn and sold to Deacon (dealer) Dorchester in April 1958 and was subsequently resold to  Costain,Dunstable(contractor) in May 1958 and converted to H30/26RD,Unfortunately I have found no images of this particular bus either with COMS or Costain... 

320  320NJO was a 1962 AEC Bridgemaster 2B3RA with Park Royal H40/25F forward entrance body and was delivered from new to Wantage depot. In 1970 320 was reallocated to Cowley Road garage for operation of non OMO City services and stayed on these duties until 1972 when it was withdrawn and sold to TPE (dealer), Macclesfield in March 1972. It then passed to Belfast Lions Club the same month for non-psv duties later passing to Corrymeeta Community Ballycastle. It had gone from there by June1991.

   
 

Unfortunately I do not have many pictures of 320 as it didn't regularly appear in Oxford and had the lowest mileage recorded of all the twenty three Oxford Bridgemaster's. Also having been sold to Northern Ireland as a non-psv it doesn't seem to have been photographed with its new owners so again I have no complete photographic record.................so if anyone reading this has any NI images then I would appreciate a copy.

If anyone has relevant pictures we would appreciate same. Ed. 

London day out Thursday 10^th October by Gavin Francis

For the first time in about 6 weeks I had the chance to go to London and try and catch up on some of the recent changes. 

 
       

As is usual at this time of year just before Xmas the number of wrap advertisement buses increases and this year appears to be no exception. LT 869 in Great Central Street and LT 971 at Marble Arch both advertise the popular TV programme The Great British Bake Off. Route 17 had several wrap buses in service, LT 792 for Chocomel, LT 811 for Peak Performance and LT 797 for G.L.F. Skin all pictured on Highgate Hill at Archway. Finally LT 792 advertising Waitrose is at Marble Arch. 

A few weeks ago Sullivan Buses suddenly stopped operating Tfl services and other replacement operators had to be found, this included Go-Ahead. SE 168 is pictured at Muswell Hill Broadway operating the 299. 

On 1^st September a new route the 310 operated by Stagecoach commenced in North London. Running much of the way parallel to the existing 210 route it operates between Golders Green and Stamford Hill. 37771 is seen passing through Archway. 

     

Route 134 has an all electric Optare Metrodecker allocation but most days some have to be substituted by hybrid buses. Today was no exception with VMH 2538, VWH 2015 and VWH 2232 all in service. OME 2679 advertises being an all electric bus. All pictures are taken at Archway. 

   

RATP have now withdrawn the last of their SP class buses but are having the roofs removed from some of them and using them on their London Sightseeing service. Here it is now numbered 08 in that fleet, previously it was SP 49 and is pictures at Hounslow West Station on 22^nd June 2020.

London day out Friday 11^th October by George Candelin

Last planned visit to London this year so here are a few from Marble Arch.

Arriva GL 7207 r 757 Marble Arch 111024 G Candelin

   
Big Bus have a variety of models in service.

   

 

 

 

An interesting selection. Ed.

Tony Bungay spent an Autumn day in Hemel Hempstead

A bright early autumn day last Friday I took a short trip to Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted. 

In Hemel the stops round the long since closed Debenhams store, would seem to be the replacement somewhat of the even longer closed Hemel Bus station! Seemingly most local buses serving here as well as being a changeover point for Arriva staff.

Adjacent to this is an elevated pedestrian walkway which takes people across the busy road and links the former very tall landmark Kodak building (now apartments) with the town centre. Kodak it is worth adding was a very large employer in Hemel throughout the 1960s/70s and 1980s at least and originally offices continued from the Tower Block crossing the Marlowes itself with traffic passing underneath. 

 

From this vantage point a general view of the current layout can be seen, including an unknown Wright bodied single decker working service 302, Enviro 400 5461 on the X5 and a Versa.

Coming past on the main road alongside is Woods Levante 422 working the 707 National Express service to Heathrow Airport. National Express does not serve these stops but uses a stop just off the main Marlowes shopping street not far from the former Bus Station site.

A bit of history for younger viewers, the number 707 for many years was a familiar sight in the area, and while not actually serving the town centre of Hemel Hempstead it passed close by serving what became Hemel Railway Station originally if I am correct called Boxmoor before the building of what became Hemel New Town. That 707 was operated by Green Line and went onto Oxted in Surrey ceasing to exist in 1969 when the service pattern became wholly partner route 706 which went onto Westerham in Kent. This being in the last six months or so that London Transport the main provider of Bus services in the area.  

From the other side of the walkway Enviro 400 5461 is seen negotiating the famous or is infamous magic roundabout on an Aylesbury bound X5 

 

The other two photos show Enviro 400mmc 6526 and Enviro 400 5462 both in Berkhamsted working the X5, not an easy place to get a photo! Both former Aylesbury 5461 and 5462 appear to be regular performers on this service. 

 

These 2 Wright Streelites 3651 and 3652 both at the former Debenhams location in Hemel Hempstead working limited stop service 721 to Luton. One wears the connexions livery as the route is one of a number of Bus improvements introduced by Hertfordshire County Council.

The Route number in this case 721 and limited stop could almost go back in time to being a Green Line service of which now only the 724 remains that has vestiges of that era. Again, for historical info the 721 postwar was a very busy Green Line service that run from originally Brentwood into the East End of London terminating at Aldgate, for many years double deck worked. As demand declined so did frequencies and the service in its latter years was cut back to Romford. In the early 1970s it had the somewhat dubious distinction of being the first Green Line service to operate the very spartan inside early Leyland Nationals. This service was withdrawn and the garage that operated it closed in mid 1977. 

As a further to the X15 write up by Mike Payne recently, which with scans of his timetables was very informative. Just wish to add a few further facts to what other services operated just before and during early years of the X15.

The main service along the Aylesbury to Leighton Buzzard road had been the 141 to Bedford for many years operating an hourly frequency, in addition a few villages off this road were served by a less frequent service numbered 360. 

In the late 1960s some 141 journeys actually operated beyond Bedford to Huntingdon and St Ives, the timetable of the day showing connections at Huntingdon with Eastern Counties 151 service to Peterborough.

Although Milton Keynes as a New City had been ongoing since the late 1960s, there was no regular direct link between Aylesbury and there. On certain days or times there was a service to and from Stony Stratford via a number of North Bucks villages and on a Wednesday/Saturday and Sunday service 386 from Wolverton to Aylesbury for the hospitals.

In 1978 the 360 was replaced by recasting services 386 and 387 which now provided a regular service to Central Milton Keynes one via Leighton Buzzard and Stoke Hammond and the other Stewkley and Newton Longville. It must be added though i state regular it was only a couple of times a day.

This all changed with the implementation of the North Buckinghamshire MAP. The 141 to Bedford essentially become 2 hourly in frequency, with the alternate hour filled in by new service numbered 541, both retaining an hourly service between Aylesbury and Heath and Reach whereupon one continued to Bedford and the other Bletchley and CMK. Both these routes served the villages that had been served by the 386/387, mainly by the 541 but also for example the 141 would double run to Wingrave.

As Mike states the introduction of the faster initially at least X15 would change the service provision again, though not drastically until 1984 when the rerouting via Heath and Reach replaced the 541 and beyond Milton Keynes for the to be withdrawn United Counties/Green Line 760.

The off main road villages and as far as Heath and Reach were covered by services 515/516 as X15 at this stage was two hourly, although the 141 which as stated was cut back to Leighton Buzzard continued.

This arrangement continued until 1986, by which time United Counties had been broken into three separate companies. United Counties continuing to operate the 141 until it withdrew the service completely as part of its drastic recasting of its network in Bedfordshire in preparation for deregulation day in October 1986.

This was not quite the end of the 141 as ironically over the next couple of years a service of sorts now renumbered 41 was provided by the two other companies created by the breakup of United Counties, firstly by Luton and District and later on retender Milton Keynes CityBus, certainly in the case of the latter the 41 now worked to Milton Keynes. If anybody knows any subsequent history of what happened on this route, I am sure it would be of interest.  I know for a number of years Stagecoach United Counties provided and extension of Service 163 I think which provided one return journey Monday to Saturday from Leighton Buzzard to Bedford over some of the old 141 route, I think this was possibly tied into a school contract, certainly I know it was operating in 2001 as I used It!

As an aside United Counties later launched a competitive service against Luton and District on the Leighton Buzzard to Luton route, if I recall numbered 'Coachlinks' X6 it was promoted as any passengers could continue to Bedford as it was the same vehicle, the X6 was short lived, however. 

Services 515/516 were renumbered by Luton and District (Aylesbury Bus) as 65 which they operated again for many years into Arriva days. Eventually they either gave up or lost the tender for this route to Z and S who indeed still operate it now as service 165. I may be incorrect but understand for many years they used the last Optare Spectra built on this service.   

One final fact to add concerning the sometime Sunday variant route 325, as Mike states quite correctly this was a 3-operator participation but Beeline itself later sold what passed as its Reading operation, so for a short while Reading Buses also was a player on this service.

A most interesting  piece from Tony. Ed. 

     Fleet News and developments