Issue nr 381
Wednesday, February 18th 2026

Past Issues : https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/ 

From the Editor

Some interesting news this week and also pictures.

Also Cornwall comes to Wycombe adding to a Devon resident at Carousel !

In this issue

Routemasters memories recreated in High Wycombe - 60th Anniversary
Saturday. February 21st 2026

RM 1 Anniversary Road Run - Gavin Francis reports 

Michael Wadman & Keith Newton with memories past

Kevin Fuller reports from Slough

City of Oxford memories with Grahame Wareham

Gary Seamarks with pictures from a trip to Leicester & Nuneaton

Bus services between High Wycombe and Uxbridge from Peter Cartwright

Fleet News and developments

London Operations

Andy Millwood was in Dundee

 

Routemasters memories recreated in High Wycombe - 60th Anniversary
Saturday. February 21st 2026
by Peter Cartwright

On 21 February 1966 green Routemasters entered passenger service from the London Transport garage in Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe - initially on route 363 and then they were also seen on town service 326 as well as certain journeys on other routes. 

To mark the 60th anniversary on Saturday 21 February two green Routemasters which operated on these routes return to operate a few journeys once again. 

The public are invited to hop aboard for a ride or two or more to mark this occasion and bring along anyone who has not ridden one before. 

It must be emphasised that unlike buses of today, there are steps and wheelchairs and large pushchairs etc cannot be carried. High Wycombe bus station will not be served as operating the routes will be as near as possible to the routes in 1966. 

RM 1 Anniversary Road Run - Gavin Francis reports

 

 

On Sunday 8th February exactly 70 years to the date since it entered service on Rte 2 RM 1 recreated that event running the full route from Golders Green Station to Crystal Palace.

 

 
 A number of other Routemasters took part in the run and they all assembled at The Ace Cafe on The North Circular Road for breakfast
before moving onto Golders Green Station.

 

     
RM 1 is seen approaching Golders Green Station forecourt, it was the only Routemaster allowed to use it, then stationery on the forecourt and finally leaving.

 


RM 1 paused at Victoria Station for a driver change, the blinds not showing Rte 2 presumably so as not to confuse the travelling public as the Rte 2 stop is directly opposite.

 


Rte 2 terminated at Crystal Palace Parade and a short stop was made here

 

 
It then moved around to the local park to be on show with the other buses involved with the run.

 

     
     
Only RM 1 was allowed on Golders Green Station forecourt, the other buses by past it. The pictures show the forecourt in the background.
The pictures show RM 848, RML 2263, M394, RML 2366, RM 1859, RM 158, RM 188 and RM 2116

 

The pictures used are a combination of mine and those of Nigel Eadon-Clarke

Michael Wadman & Keith Newton with memories past

Some historical photos, which you may find of interest, from my friend Keith Newton. 

Firstly, Oxon Travel’s short-lived service 93 in 1994 


OJD 17R, former London Transport BS17, in Magdalen Street 

 
KJD 431P, former London Transport BL31, in Bicester bus station; and somewhere en route, no idea where – does anyone recognise it? 



10 OOX (formerly FTW 133T), a Bristol LHS6L / Plaxton new to Frank Harris Coaches of Grays, in George Street 


And finally, the MAN SG192R demonstrator DAK 303V sometime during its stay with City of Oxford in 1982, in St Aldates on the Park + Ride Service.

A most interesting piece. Ed. 

Kevin Fuller reports from Slough

I seem to be getting wet every time I take my camera out these days - here are 3 photos from Maidenhead that I took today, despite the downpours! 

plus A few pictures that I took, dodging the showers, on 2nd February, in the Farnham Road area of Slough.

   

   

   

Nice variety. Ed. 

City of Oxford memories with Grahame Wareham

   

   

H381  OFC381 1950 AEC Regent III 9612A with Weymann H30/26R high-bridge body.  In 1952 H381 was renumbered to H880. the main purpose of the renumbering being to keep high-bridge and low-bridge buses in separate series to avoid bridge incidents. H880 was sold to Keith Garages (Red Rover), Aylesbury) in November 1960. Ít was subsequently partially de-roofed under Oxford Station Bridge in October 1963 and although was repaired it was sold to Birds Commercial Motors (dealer), Stratford-upon-Avon in August 1964 becoming derelict by October 1964 after engine removal. 

     
   
 

381 KFC381G Daimler Fleetline CRG6LX  with Northern Counties H41/31F low-height body. Part of an initial batch of ten these were used on conventional conductor operated duties, mainly 2 road for the first few months of their lives and then sere subject to ticket machine trials with motorised equipment pending agreement to be used as full OMO double decker's. Once the second batch of similar but dual-doored vehicles arrived the following year 381 and its sisters migrated to country depots, Wantage depot becoming 381's home  for a number of years until its unfortunate accident in October 1977 on the A338 at Venn Mill near Wantage, where it was in collision with a heavy lorry and pinning the bus driver to the back of the cab. Fortunately, the bus driver survived after lengthy rehabilitation following surgery and returned back to driving buses at Wantage having recovered from his injuries. Not so lucky was 381 which had taken a severe impact to the front offside and in the event twisted the body beyond economical repair,  leading to withdrawal and eventual scrapping.  

Gary Seamarks with pictures from a trip to Leicester & Nuneaton

Attached a few from a trip to Leicester & Nuneaton last thursday, Leicester was about 9.00 till 1.15, then Nuneaton 2.15 to 4.15. 

by the time we were leaving the latter it was just about dark, was thinking back in 35mm days these shots would have been almost impossible, how things have advanced. 

Bedford changes sees the 41 Bedford - Northampton changing to Grant Palmer from 1/3/26, looks like it requires 2 buses, the last Bedford - Northampton departure is 16.10, and 17.30 back, the final short of Bedford - Olney is 17.10 no return trip, these leaves Biddenham and Bromham with a population of perhaps 5000 with a last bus from town at 17.10 ! Milton Keynes and East Northants are providing support for service, but again Bedford Borough is failing to support, seems like they are running short of money on all fronts. 

Leicester

     
   

   

     

Nuneaton

     
 

Nice to catch up with this area. Ed. 

Bus services between High Wycombe and Uxbridge from Peter Cartwright

I can recall a time in the early 1950s when there were 5 departures an hour  between High Wycombe and Uxbridge - 3 per hour on Route 455 and 2 per hour on Green Line route 711. Summer Sundays and Bank Holidays saw 4 per hour on the 455 and double deck reliefs on the twice hourly 711. Then decline set in and eventually became mainly an hourly Green Line 290/790 , an hourly weekday 300 and the occasional 305 via the Chalfonts.                              

Carousel started to improve the corridor with its hourly A40 initially on weekdays but the Green Line service ceased and progressively the connection deteriorated until Carousel revitalised  this corridor.                                                      

Little did I expect frequencies to return to levels experienced many years ago but March 2026 sees a dramatic increase in frequency albeit by different routes:                                                      

Flightline 102 continues every half hour for much of the day and retains night time journeys.            

Carousel 104 retains an hourly weekday service except late evenings but takes a circuitous route via the Chalfonts providing useful connections .   Then from early March new route M40 is launched by Firstbus to run express via the M40 between Loudwater and New Denham as the 290 once did. The trip is scheduled to take just 36 minutes! This operates weekdays only but not late evenings.                                                      

But that is not all. Firstbus X74 is extended to Uxbridge from Slough over the former London Transport route 457 via George Green and Iver Heath - also on weekdays every 30 minutes except late evenings.                                              

All this would appear to be in retaliation to Carousel introducing its 458 service between Slough and Uxbridge.                                              

Will passengers be confused with buses on the 104, M40 and X74 all showing the destination as Uxbridge and will the M40’s fast journey time mean the 102 loses passengers between High Wycombe/Loudwater and Uxbridge to the fast M40?

Only time will tell but I do wonder how long this competition will last. I do recall catching the 09.57 Green Line 290 in the early 90s from Wycombe to London and often a duplicate was necessary on Saturdays and about half the passengers alighted at Uxbridge as many do on the current 102. 

It will be interesting to see what happens next . What do others think?


     Fleet News and developments   

Gavin Francis in Wycombe

 
Transport in Cornwall comes to Wyccombe on February 18th.

Jack Cooper in Reading

 
Here are some of my recent photos taken around Reading. 



Gavin Francis

   
80911 at the Asda end of the 32 on February 16th.

 
A difference in branding on February 18th.

Grahame Wareham provies an update


The first of the ex. GAL Citaro 295's 80831 BF65HUO has been returned from refurbishment
so I expect they will be completed quite quick now they have sorted the front gangway problems out for wheelchair use. 

 

Tony Gaze


Pulhams 80956 on the 99 Hospital service. 

David England


80653 turning at Redbridge Park & Ride. Delays caused to the service
due to roadworks in Abingdon.  Part Route journey back to Didcot on service X2.  


80685 layover at Kingsgrove, Wantage prior to service X36 to Didcot. 


80684 layover at Westgate, Oxford prior to an evening service X2 to Didcot.

 


 
including Courtney, Newbury & District & Thames Valley

 

Jack Cooper

Here are some of my recent photos taken around Reading

     
     
     
     
 
Before the advent of EVs at the end of January 2026.

 

Gavin Francis

    
Serving the Bucks University service on February 12th.

Gavin Francis

   
Now and then.


Tony Gaze


Stagecoach West 'electric' 73208 was out on the no.1 Matson service in Gloucester today


73206 was out on the 2/2A (Upton St Leonards


73208 out again on the 1 (Matson)


  London operations 

Andrew Webb

Red Bull is back on the capital's buses with this bright wrap.  Two members of the Transport UK fleet sparkle in winter sunshine on Valentine's Day;


LT624 heading away from Brixton on service 159,


whilst LT162 is seen on the bridge crossing the station

Ealing

Ealing was once a stronghold for First when the company owned Centrewest which was subsequently sold to Metroline.  Since buying RATP's operations in the capital the company has returned to the area in a smaller way with routes 65 and 228.   


BCE47039 rounds Haven Green on 17 February after a run from Kingston on route 65. 
It carries advertising for a career as a driver with First. 


The advertising has obviously worked for this successful candidate as he pilots a training Enviro 200 in the same location. 

Cobra Corporate Services specialise in corporate transport and shuttle bus services.  Their vehicles are a familiar sight in Ealing on a shuttle service from the Sky complex at Osterley.  More recently the company has replaced National Express on the University of West London shuttle linking Ealing Broadway station with the campuses in St Mary's Road and Brentford. 


The route is run with four brand new Enviro 100EV buses.

Jack Cooper

Here are some of my recent photos taken around  London, as well as some from late 2025.

     
     
   

Some nice artistic shots from a Christmas past. Ed.

 

Andy Millwood was in Dundee where some of Carousel's buses came from

Had a recent rare opportunity to visit Dundee.


     
The buses are 8903,8510,8909,8951 and 2829. Some of them are similar to West Midland  buses.