From the Editor

Another interesting issue with many new vehicles delivered to our operators.

I've caught up with a lot held over from last week !

In this issue

Watford rally part 2

Zero 2 Bus Museum

Grahame Wareham with recollections of COMS 386

Oxford Group new deliveries

Milton Keynes update

Aldride Transport Museum

Readers Write

Fleet News & Developments

London advert update

Food for thought from Chris Huntingford

History in Marlow by Martin Dowling

Golders Green Vintage Bus Running Day

Some interesting memories

 

Amersham & District Motorbus Society - part 2

Watford Running Day 29^th March 2026

with Gavin Francis  

On a recent Sunday Amersham & District Motorbus Society held one of their regular running days this time centred around Watford Junction Station. The theme of this event was 80 years since the resumption of post-war Green Line services and the 60^th anniversary since the start of route 724.

 

There were 18 routes operated some of them feeder routes with an area from High Wycombe and Aylesbury in the west, St. Albans in the north, Harlow in the east and Croydon in the south being served.

 

There were nearly 70 departures from Watford starting at 10.00 and the last one leaving at 17.12. The services were timed to allow connections to be made between Green Line and local bus services at Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead and the site of the former Ovaltine Works at Kings Langley.

 

     
     
     
     
 
 

Some of the buses running on the day photographed at Watford Junction Station. RT 2083 also shown outside the former Ovaltine Works at Kings Langley, GS 13, RF 136, Western National 1106, SNB 449, RML 2456, RML 2440, RF 13, RF 406, RMC 1507, RT 604, RF 600 and SM 88.

 

   
The Harry Potter service to Leavesden Studios is now operated by Readybus of Slough and the buses have been rebranded as triple decker buses.

 

 
Arriva arrived with a nice surprise with MMC 4106 repainted to look like a traditional Green Line coach on the 724.

 

     
     
      
Arriva have a strong presense in Watford even on a Sunday with 3954, 4111, 3963, 4217, 4337, 3941, 3966, 4117, 3792, 4110, 4105 and 3566.

 

   
A smaller operator is Red Rose Travel with Y21RRT, Y25RRT and E17RRT

 

   
First just run one route in Watford the RA3 to Heathrow Airport as shown by 23607 and 23608.

An excellent record of an interesting event. Ed. 

Zero2 Bus Museum

with Andrew Webb

First's purchase of Ensign in March 2023 did not include the company's extensive heritage fleet built up by the Newman family.  This has now relocated to the brand new Zero2 Bus Museum at Great Yeldham in Essex which opened to the public for the first time on Good Friday, 3 April. 

The main display is in this new purpose built shed which allows the buses to be displayed undercover. 

RF319 is currently wearing Belfast Corporation livery which it received for an appearance in Kenneth Branagh's 2021 movie 'Belfast'. 

Southend Transport A250SVW is a Leyland Tiger with Duple Caribbean body. 
It was used on express services from the seaside resort to London and onward to Reading, a route jointly operated with Reading Buses. 

RT624 carries the accolade of being the last RT in London Transport service.

A second building on the site houses a workshop for maintenance and restoration, the Newman family having an outstanding reputation for their ability to rebuild derelict vehicles back to 'as delivered' condition. 

A unique survivor is this Strachans bodied Thames Trader which was one of a small fleet built to carry bicycles through the Dartford Tunnel. 
Low demand meant the fleet had a very short service life, being replaced by an on demand service operated by a Land Rover and trailer which itself was soon withdrawn. 

RF79 carries traces of an National Bus Company logo, reflecting it transfer from London Transport to London County when the 'country' operations of LT were transferred to the NBC. 

RT3241 will doubtless shine once more when it reaches the front of the restoration queue. 

This ECW Bristol LH was new to London Country as BN42.  The class proved popular
second hand purchases for rural operators in Devon and Cornwall, with this example carrying the livery of Wood of Buckfastleigh 

The museum holds its own O Licence allowing operation of route 721 from Braintree station via the Colne Valley Railway on museum opening days. 
One of a batch delivered new to Ensignbus PO58NRE is a Volvo B9TL with Optare Olympus bodywork. 
Carrying 'Great Yeldham Buses' fleetnames it waits departure time from Braintree station on 3 April. 

Regardless of what the blind suggests, this former East Yorkshire Enviro 400 is also operating route 721, seen at the Colne Valley Railway heading for Braintree. 

A single journey ran from the museum to the Colne Valley Railway at 13:15, allowing visitors to sample both attractions which are around a mile apart. 
This was operated by London's first production Metrobus M1, seen at its destination. 

Hourly 'mystery tours' also run from the museum, operated by a variety of heritage vehicles. 
Loading at the museum is MCW Metropolitan MD60 which carries blinds to mark its 50^th birthday this year.

This seems to be worth a visit, especially on a running day. Ed. 

Grahame Wareham remembers COMS 386

H386  OFC386 1949 AEC Regent III 9612A with Weymann H30/26R high-bridge body.  From new H386 was allocated to Chipping Norton depot spending its entire COMS operational life there. In 1952 H386 was renumbered to H885. H885 was sold to J.Deacon (dealer), Dorcheaster on Thames in November1960 passing to Smiths of Reading the same month, where it was fitted with platform doors. It was withdrawn in June 1969 finally being scrapped during the April 1970.

 

386 MJO386H 1969 Daimler Fleetline CRG6LX  with Northern Counties H41/28D low-height body. Part of an initial batch of  fifteen these were used on newly converted OMO operated duties, mainly 2 road for the first few months of their lives and then spread out to most City routes with some migrating to Witney and Wantage to operate into the City on cross City services. 386 was allocated to Cowley depot initially then finding its way to Wallingford, Bicester and finally Chipping Norton depots. Because of window supply problems there were two types of window fitted, some with slider units, as in the 1968 batch, and some with full length hoppers. the vehicles were delivered as follows: Slider windows  382,385,387-389,395,396. Hopper windows:  383,384,386,390,391-394. Also 383,385,387,389,393-396 had a ventilator in the front dome as per the previous batch, but the remaining vehicles were not fitted.383-385,388,389,391,393-395 all received the simplified two colour red and green livery from 1971 onwards, the first being treated 394 in 8/71. The remainder were repainted into NBC corporate poppy red which eventually covered the whole batch during overhaul in 1976/7. The overhaul of this batch was completed at Midland Red Carlyle Works and the vehicles had their rear engine shrouds removed at the same time.386 lasted in the COMS fleet until November 1981 when it was sold to Ensign Bus (dealer), Grays and resold and exported to Giraffe Bus Company, Zambia, Africa and reregistered AAF149 and joining sister bus 383.

     
   

386  JWV128W  Leyland National 2 NL116L11/1R  B49F. Originally new to Southdown Motor Services in 1980 as their 128 it was transferred to Brighton & Hove as 128 when privatisation forced a split in the operations of services in Brighton and East Sussex. It was converted from B52F to B49F by Brighton with the installation of a luggage rack and was eventually transferred through the Go-Ahead Group to Oxford for Wycombe Bus duties in April 1996. By then 128 had received a TL11 engine in place of its naturally asprirated L11 (Leyland 690) unit and it ran in High Wycombe until the advent of low floor bus replacement in February 1999. It was withdrawn and sold to Kimes of Folkingham, along with sister bus 127 JWV127W, 128 being reregistered  YAZ4143, It ran for two years with Kimes and then sold to Alpha, Hull in March 2001.

(I do not have any images of this vehicle)

      

Recent deliveires of new buses by Grahame Wareham

 

Thought I would send you a few images I have managed to capture during the last fortnight whilst carrying out various driving duties. 

OBC 80416 LV75NLY awaiting entry into service

Pulhams 80798 PC75ZEB awaiting entry into service

Pulhams 80793 LV75VXF awaiting entry into service

Pearces 80980 BU75WRO at Thames Travel Didcot having recently been transferred from Pulhams to Pearces.

Thames Travel 80971 at 'The Forty' Station Road terminus at Cholsey on route 136 back to Wallingford.

Thames Travel 80808 LL74BUS at Thornhill P&R awaiting 18.40 departure to Witney.

Thames Travel 80921 LK59FDL at Hart Street Henley on Thames awaiting departure to Henley Station terminus.

Thames Travel 80902 NK20EKW in St.Aldates with Christchurch reflecting off the side, en route to JR Hospital.

Thames Travel 80651 SL15ZGC at Becquerrel Avenue terminus Harwell Camps on journey from Wantage back to Didcot.

Milton Keynes update

from Thomas Walker-Werth

ime for another big update from me! 

The big news in the Milton Keynes area bus scene this week is the start of Flixbus services to the city. In an inspired competitive move (possibly inspired by the email I sent them last year suggesting it), they've launched two routes directly serving the city centre (specifically the central rail station) rather than the inconveniently located Coachway that National Express use. Those routes are the UK905 from Northampton to Gatwick (with some northbound journeys extending to Leeds) and the UK998 from Milton Keynes to Brighton via Luton, Heathrow, and Gatwick airports. They've also launched a third route, the UKN14 from London to York, which serves Milton Keynes via a stop on H6 Childs Way at Atterbury, slightly into the city from the Coachway. I rode that route on Saturday and will share pictures in a subsequent email. For now, here are photos of the two city centre routes from the launch day on April 1st, with more in my April 2026 bus gallery. 

   

Also, here are a couple of highlights from my March 2026 bus gallery:

One of the recently arrived Solo SRs on the Loop in Furzton, a section of the former route 7 that was recently revived when the Loop was diverted into the estate:

And a rare shot of one of the few workings on Leighton Buzzard town route L5 to be worked by South Beds Dial a Ride rather than the usual Centrebus

As always, many more pictures with full captions are on my website, mktom.smugmug.com.