Sanjay Baker

80036 seen working the 600 on February 23rd.  

Guildford Day Out with Graham Mildenhall 

Another of my “out of area” reports – this time a visit to Guilford last Saturday – 15 February 2025. 

Not been here for many years so was not sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to find a busy and interesting bus station both in terms of operators and vehicles. Stagecoach dominate proceedings with Safeguard, Falcon, Compass and White Bus in support. Bonus was a number of rail replacement vehicles at the Rail Station as the line from Guildford to Gatwick was closed for engineering work and also in close proximity a Wetherspoons for a cheap beer and lunch! 

Have attached a few pictures (rail replacements on this mail) and will send others on separate emails which you may like to include on a future page. 

VARIOUS SMALLER OPERATORS

Fairmanns T23FMT Volvo B10M/Plaxton Paragon

D & P Coaches YR15VBF Scania/Irizar i6

Horseferry Coaches SN10CBX ADL Dart/E200

NP Coaches BU74Yy Out with SE Volvo B8/MCV EvoTor

Cruisers YD23FMC Yutong TC9

Falcon BusesYX23OYH ADL E200MMC

Safeguard YX18KOD ADL E200

Safeguard YJ60LRO Optare Versa

Safeguard YJ67FYX Optare Metro City

Safeguard BV23NUM Volvo B8/MCV EvoRa

Safeguard BV23NUP Volvo B8/MCV EvoRa

     
74002, 74003, 74006, 74008 BYD/E200 EV

19342 Trident/E400 (recently ex Manchester)

27651 ADL E300

37270 ADL E200

36840 ADL E200

An interesting location with much variety. Ed. 

Issue 336 Grahame Wareham

H336 MWL970 1948 AEC Regent II with Weymann H30/26R body. Renumbered H870 in 1952 

     
   
336  336RJO  1963 AEC Renown 3B3RA with Park Royal H38/26R forward entrance body.  

336 was allocated to Cowley Road Garage and operated on city services for its entire life. It carried all three liveries during the thirteen years cumulating in a surprise NBC poppy red repaint two years before withdrawal. .  Withdrawn in August 1976 and sold to Paul Sykes (dealer) Barnsley but later sold on to Barraclough (dealer) Carlton for scrap. 

Unfortunately I never took a photo of 336 in NBC poppy red livery.

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25 years ago - Oxford Classic Tour by Thomas W W Knowles

It is nearly a quarter of a centaury since the Oxford Classic Tour became City Sightseeing Oxford, and I thought readers might be interested to see a few pictures of the OCT fleet.

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Oxford pictures in 1975 by David Bell

I'm glad you liked the Oxford photos I submitted. I'm attaching some I took almost 50 years ago in June 1975. They are not of the same quality as the others I submitted but I thought you would find them of interest. Unfortunately I didnt have a very good camera in those days and my photographic skills have also improved. I think most of them were taken in the Gloucester Green area and include shots of independents such as Charlton-on-Otmoor Services, Worth's of Enstone and Shurrock of Brill (HPP 628K). I think there is a shot taken in Cornmarket Street before it was pedestrianised

So these should evoke some memories from older readers. Ed.

80 years from your Editor  1946-1950

After the war was over

Wings for Victory display on a bomb site - 1946

Passenger Safety
A Blackpool bus was hired in March 1945 with platform doors to test reaction and suitability.

I remember as a small five year old being with my mother and aunt in Altrincham whilst living in Sale. We saw this bus and I insisted on waiting for its journey back to Manchster and so enjoying a ride home to Sale. Not ure my family were so impressed as we have travelled to Altrincham on the MSJ&AR electric train !

Manchesterer then tried their own bus with platform doors by Peters. This was one the 7’6” wide Crossley 2937

Daimler CWA6 with Brush “relaxed specification” Utility bodies 

My first was actually 4216 on the 49 passing our house

An interesting fact

There was a plan to replace the chassis with some of the London Daimlers, which had Gardner engines  but this never materialised

Here we can see how confusing it was to the young bus spotter 

1946-1950 new buses 

4076 was the standard of the remaining 99 buses in this delivery.

It is seen in Pccadilly working my local route which would pass our house in Derbyshire Road South.

Other buses were Crossley and Leyland Manchester never favoured AEC 

My memories of these now far off days are still clear and I can still in my mind hear the sounds of the different types as if only yesterday. Somehow  those old  buses had a character missing in modern buses.

Paris with Martin Dowling

I was in Paris last week and have a few photos that you may be able to use.  Recently Paris has invested in tramways in the suburbs most connecting into metro stations.  T6 really is a guided busway as it runs on pneumatic tyres on a concrete track with a centre rail providing the guidance.  The vehicles are very similar to the conventional articulated trams used on other lines.  They are fairly quiet and accelerate well, but the ride is not as smooth as a steel railed tram.

Paris runs about 50 Alstom Aptis electric buses on route 56 from Porte de Clignancourt to Château de Vincennes passing through the city centre.  They are designed to look like trams and appear double ended although they are not.  The driver is in a totally enclosed full width cabin and doesn't seem able to see if passengers are touching in as they should. 

Although not a very large bus it has three sets of doors and wheels at the extreme ends.  The floor is completely flat almost the full length and then there are steps at the rear up to a couple of facing seats over the rear wheels, motors and battery.  Alstom only produced these for a few years and made very few sales.  Apart from Paris there are just a handful in a few other French towns. 

Apparently all four wheels steer at low speed so that it can approach a stop crabwise, although I didn't notice this.  They have an official capacity of 95 with only about 20 seats.

Fascinating. Ed.