Issue nr. 209
Wednesday, June 29th 2022
Editorial
A difficult week as during a walk with dog on Sunday morning I tripped over and measured my length followed by another fall, this time at home for which I now have a very swollen right foot and ankle but hopefully I will finish this page by tonight !!
A good number of contributions this week mainly covering our more local area but a nice report and pictures from Paul Bateson following his day out last week to Toronto and Brampton and a journey on an electric bus testing range. Paul also sent pictures of Stevenage back in the '70s and '80s. He like many is sad at the passing of this location.
Richard Sharman attended the Oxfordshire Bus Summit and reports on new orders and plans in Oxford.
Also some route changes are recorded with Carousel ceasing to operate the link40 from High Wycombe to Thame. I am waiting for an official announcement through N&Ps regarding the new operator.
Cancellations of Existing Services PF1000671/74 CAROUSEL BUSES LTD, COWLEY HOUSE, WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA Operating between High Wycombe Bus Station and High St, Thame given service number 40 effective from July 24th 2022.
Grahame Wareham has provided another history of COMS 209 with up to date pictures from Gavin Francis and Andy Churchill.
Gavin Francis
This time on June 23rd outside Victoria Train
Station.
...... comments on rail strike days and the affect on the Oxford tube services, especially last Saturday when it is suggested that up to 50 consecutive services left Oxford fully loaded. The queue at Gloucester Green for a time stretched all the round in a big loop to the main part of Gloucester Green itself.
Customers were even coming into Gloucester Green to be sure of getting a seat !
More pictures are below under the Oxford tube heading.
Gavin commented "There were
four major concerts in London tonight a busy
weekend of travel and no train service.!!
We think this amount of pax has only been carried once
before and that was when it was The Millennium.
CBW Richard Sharman
BREAKING NEWS
We are at the Oxfordshire Bus Summit today where the
following has been announced so far:
Due to the service uplift on the
Oxford tube and passenger
number increases, Stagecoach West are to order additional
Plaxton Panorama's to replace the 2014 Euro VI Van Hools
which will join the fleet temporarily whilst the new
vehicles are built.
50269 is back - picture
taken by Gavin Francis on June 26th.
Oxford Bus Company are to order seven new coaches for the
Airline service due to increased passenger numbers and to
resume operating directly to Gatwick Airport. The vehicle
make and model is yet to be confirmed.
In addition, new electric open top buses are to join the
City Sightseeing Oxford fleet.
Look out for full details on the Oxfordshire Bus Summit in a future issue of CBW.
Very interesting news indeed. Ed.
STEVENAGE last day
Adam Green
Photos from the final day of Stevenage Bus Station Saturday, June 25th 2022
Some of Arriva's on the last day.
Centrebus and Central Connect.
A blast from the past with this Sovereign Lynx.
Jack Cooper in and around Oxford reports ........
Not too many pictures this week, as it has been fairly busy, however I am sure they will be appreciated! Also managed to see 873 this week, as I had hoped, lucky it was on the 45 on my day off on Thursday last !
Friday 24th / Saturday 25th has been the Oxford Brookes University open days. During these days there were additional BROOKESbus services, and a U1B service from Thornhill Park & Ride to Marston via Headington Campus. The main part of the open days was at the Headington Campus, where Oxford Bus had a stall which I had worked on during the Friday open day.
National Express have
operated a few special services over the weekend through Oxford. These being the
W13 to Wembley, as well as 004 events service to the Olympic Stadium in
Stratford. The 004 only operating on the 25th, and the W13 operating on the
24th, 25th and 26th. From what I could see, these services were operated by
Bennetts.
The
Oxford tube had a very
busy day on Saturday 25th, with there being a rather long queue at Gloucester
Green for the majority of the day, going from bay 3, all the way back to bay 14
in the Bus Station, and even heading back towards Gloucester Green market! I had
heard people were waiting for nearly an hour in the queue for the service! It
was also reported to me that there were a lot of people waiting for the service
at St Clements and Thornhill Park & Ride.
On
Saturday, July 2nd the Wythall Bus Museum will be holding the Wythall BusFest, at
the British Motor Museum in Gaydon. Details of the event can be found here - https://wythall.org.uk/busfest.asp
I am sure that you will remember the days of Buses
Festival being held at Gaydon!
Jack Cooper
666 is seen in St Aldates with a late evening X3 on
June 25th.
I really like these night shots which show Oxford centre at its best. Ed.
Photo Albumns of interest
James Freeman
https://www.flickr.com/photos/d1661trains/albums/72177720300099299
These are coach photos around Oxford plus some of the 46 service to Great Milton.
Coach visitors to Oxfordshire
David Beynon
An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman. two around
Osney Mead and one in Broad Street.
Here is the Heyfordian one on March 30th 2012 in London.
Grange Travel from Gravesend seem to be the operator involved and above seen
outside The Ashmolean are:
BV70UBR for Austria and BV70UBZ for Norway.
Doubtless many more to come during the coming weeks from various locations. Ed.
Fleet News and developments
Gavin Francis
Scania 3506 working route 30 in the Eden Bus Station
on June 29th.
E400 with the 280 branding is seen in The Eden Bus
Station working the X30 on June 29th.
T60 LJ08CXS when working for Arriva London in
Addington Village on March 17th 2018,
is now a Driver Trainer seen at Wycombe on June 29th in blue training livery and
only just snapped over the trees !
Registration | Chassis | Seating | New | Owner | Fleet number | Notes |
LJ08CYS | AD Tt SFD16MBRA8GXB4641 | AD 8401/3 | H41/26D | 8/2008 | Arriva London South | T60 |
For comparison the only similar bus mentioned in the last Arriva allocation list is as below:
ARRIVA THE SHIRES | MILTON KEYNES | T062-TS | LJ08CXS | SFD16MBRA8GXB4677 | 14/08/2008 | Arriva Red London | Bus Fleet | Double Decker Bus |
We await clarification soonest please? Ed.
Nick Ross
A photo that may interest you, the old girl Arriva DAF 6000 unfortunately failed on the 1135 Micklefield - Booker 32 on June 24th 2022. 6000 had made a very slow and loud departure from Wycombe bus station (after several attempts) unfortunately she lost speed on the long climb up Dashwood Avenue to finally rest opposite Fryers Lane where she threw out her coolant. I hope its not a serious issue with the old girl.
The bus is back in service as recorded by
www.bustimes.org
Gavin Francis
First 69391 working the X74 in Bridge St on June
29th.
The development follows hot on the heels of an agreement announced in late May between FlixBus and Rhondda Cynon Taf business Bella Road Services. At that time, the scheduled coach provider noted that services to and from Wales represent “a key growth area” for it.
It also comes as FlixBus UK Managing Director Andreas Schörling says planning work to expand its scheduled network in 2023 is moving ahead. Opportunities for further coach operators “from all parts of the country” to consider working with FlixBus are thus present.Gavin Francis
Ridleys are a major partner with Flixbus UK as seen in these pictures above
taken in Elizabeth Street, Victoria on June 23rd.
Linburg's L22URG seen in Bulleid Way on June 23rd.
Notices and Proceedings Publication Number: 2538 Publication Date: 29/06/2022
PF1000671/85 CAROUSEL BUSES LTD, COWLEY HOUSE, WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA Operating between Chesham Broadway and Slough Bus Station given service number 107 / 106, 106C effective from 24 July 2022. To amend Route and Timetable.
PF1000671/13 CAROUSEL BUSES LTD, COWLEY HOUSE, WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA Operating between High Wycombe and Uxbridge/Heathrow given service number 101 / 102 effective from 24 July 2022.
To amend Route and Timetable. PF1000671/2 CAROUSEL BUSES LTD, COWLEY HOUSE, WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA Operating between High Wycombe and Chesham given service number 103 effective from 24 July 2022. To amend Route and Timetable.
I am unable to provide further information and this is just published as I produce this issue. Ed.
Luke Marion
We are ceasing operation of the 40, as this service is not
commercial for us to continue.
On the 105, we have some further positive changes to the Chiltern Hundreds
network taking place. These are not yet ready to be publicized, as we are
talking to Buckinghamshire Council about some of the final details of these
still.
Gavin Francis
Now with front fleet number 938 is seen in The Eden Bus Station with a 36
service on June 29th.
Malcolm Crowe
The overflow yard at High Wycombe on June 25th.
Gavin Francis
368 shows off its new restore wrap
when working 35 road from St Aldates on June 26th.
Loaned 599 from various angles when working the 46
in St Aldates on June 26th.
Graham Low
COMS E200MMCs on the revised 46 to Great Milton, here
are two taken at Cowley Centre on June 23rd. Both are in dealer white.
I went on 515 today, June
23rd and
noticed that it has start-stop fitted - perhaps for the first time in a
full-diesel bus in the Oxford Bus Co fleet (the hybrid Volvo B5LHs have it).
Jack Cooper
Currently working out of Didcot 840 is seen in bright
sunlight in
St Aldates on June 21st.
Gavin Francis
Very well loaded 198 is seen in Magdalen Street East
on June 26th.
Jack Cooper
A rear view of 204 in Gloucester Green on June 25th.
Ed Dales
This photo may be of interest to your readers, I am sure
you will not need any identification details from me. Photographed on Thursday,
June 23rd on it's way to Queen Elizabeth High School, Carmarthen prior to
operating an afternoon school service.
Many thanks to Ed for this interesting picture. Ed.
Jack Cooper
Tourismo 33 and Interdeck 67 are seen in Gloucester
Green on June 25th.
Interdeck 67 seems so very long as it pulls out of
Chain Alley on its way to Heathrow the same day.
Bob Chalmers
Recently repainted 873 on 45 service to Culham taken outside the Broadface in
Abingdon on June 23rd.
- incidentally the 'picture' on the app needs updating as it still
shows this bus in red!!
Jack Cooper
Oxford's 903 overtakes TT 622 in St Aldates on June 21st.
Citaro 861 looks clean and tidy on June 22nd in St Aldates with an X2 working.
A panorama of 873 in its new coat of blue and green working a 45 service on June
23rd.
https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/timeline
Congratulations for 50 years of service, very much one of the most recognisable brands in the U.K.
New double decks for the group.
LG22AYA | BYD D8UR-DD LC04S44R4M4000308 | AD M435/01 | H39/26F | 4/2022 | Mullany, Watford | E030 | Owned by National Express |
LG22AYB | BYD D8UR-DD LC04S44R0M4000306 | AD M435/02 | H39/26F | 4/2022 | Mullany, Watford | E031 | Owned by National Express |
LG22AYC | BYD D8UR-DD LC04S44R2M4000307 | AD M435/03 | H39/26F | 4/2022 | Mullany, Watford | E032 | Owned by National Express |
LG22AYD | BYD D8UR-DD LC04S44R6M4000309 | AD M435/04 | H39/26F | 5/2022 | Mullany, Watford | E033 | Owned by National Express |
Gavin Francis
Kings Ferry seen in Elizabeth Street on June 23rd.
Silverdale's Tourismo BV71HZCV is seen in Bulleid Way
on June 23rd after working the NEx 450.
Caetano Levante BK15AHO now with Skills in their
livery is also seen working a 450 on June 23rd.
Jack Cooper
Bennetts BF21EUB is seen leaving Gloucester for Wembley with a W13 service on
June 25th.
including Courtney, Newbury & District &
Thames Valley
David Gray
I visited Reading this afternoon for the Reading Buses
open day and managed to dodge the crowds to get a couple of photos of some of
the preserved buses in attendance.
Gavin Francis
E200 YX10BGY heads out of Bridge Street for Oxford with a 275 on June 29th.
Tony Gaze
Gloucester's latest and last repaint
whilst working 2A Gloucester - Upton St. Leonard's service on June 25th.
Gavin Francis
MMC 11233 has gained a super wrap for Bartholomew
School when seen on June 26th.
Peter Edgar
Several of the Basingstoke Enviro 200MMCs have been sent
away for modification (additional wheelchair space) pending use at the
Commonwealth Games and a number of vehicles have been drafted in to cover the
shortfall.
35260 GX56OGL on route 11 to the Bus Station and 34629
GX 54 DVW on 6 East Popley.
34629 GX54DVW seen on a 6 Winklebury service.
These can be seen on virtually any service and 34629 was used on the Link service to Newbury yesterday.
Gavin Francis comments above in the Editorial on rail strike days and the affect on the Oxford tube services, especially last Saturday when it is suggested that up to 50 consecutive services left Oxford fully loaded. The queue at Gloucester Green for a time stretched all the round in a big loop to the main part of Gloucester Green itself.
Customers were even coming into Gloucester Green to be sure of getting a seat !
Some more pictures here under the Oxford tube heading.
New bus to report
SK22BVG | AD E40D SFDA17ER5NGX11906 | AD | H??F | 4/2022 | Z&S, Aylesbury |
London operations
Andrew Webb
The stream of new overall adverts continues unabated in the capital. Paramount+, a streaming company, is currently advertising two new series. Halo, a spin off from a popular video game, has been available since 22 June.
LT523 is seen at a deserted Euston on the most recent strike day, 25 June,
before heading for Hackney on route 253.
Michelle Obama, US First Lady during the presidency of Barack Obama, is played by actress Viola Davis in The First Lady.
Her picture is prominent on the
side of LT673 passing beneath a symbol of British patriotism at Victoria later
the same day.
Route 94 is an appropriate route for Marc Jacobs to advertise a branch on Regent Street. Two of the Shepherd's Bush BCE class have received this overall advert.
BCE47003 illustrating the nearside at Marble Arch,
whilst BCE47005 shows
the offside as it pauses at the first eastbound stop in Oxford Street.
Both are seen on 25 June.
Verkada Inc. is a California based company that develops cloud-based building security systems. Several buses now carry this overall campaign,
including RATP
London Transit's OME46002 heading round Marble Arch 'neck and neck' with a Ford
Transit on the same day.
Puma Slipstream trainers on sale at Foot Locker are the subject of a new campaign.
Go Ahead's WHV103 displays the advert to good effect
as it
circumnavigates St George's Circus on 25 June en route to collect passengers for
route 155.
Gavin Francis
On June 27th I saw my first Wimbledon bus, E9, of this year and Ambassador Lines of
High Wycombe coach.
In London 7hrs Tuesday so should get a few pictures for the next issue.
Metroline VWH2117 seen at Victoria with Queen's
Silver Jubilee branding on June 23rd.
This rear view of VWH2430 shows off the
LetsDoLondon wraps now appearing on various buses.
Difficult to determine who these two coaches were running for.
Bennetts BN17JPU on June 23rd in BPR.
Edwards ex NEx RIL1759, a Caetano seen in Elizabeth Street in full livery on
June 23rd.
COMS 209
Grahame Wareham
The first 209 was the last of
the 1959 registered ex. Jones Bros/South Wales Transport Weymann bodied Leyland
Atlanteans, this one being registered UBX49, ex Jones Bros 236 later SWT 1236.
Apparently this never received a full repaint with just the duck egg green
centre section being applied on top of the South Wales BET red livery, now
whether there was no time to complete it properly or not it was then parked up
in the back of G garage at Cowley Road and that's where it appeared to stay just
gathering dust and having more parts robbed from it. My frequent weekly visits
to the depot always found it in the same place and seemingly more and more
disappearing from it. I have not been able to track down any pictures of it in
service around Oxford so I have doubts that it ever actually ran for COMS. Any
information from readers would be most welcome but if it did run then it wasn't
for very long. The engine and gearbox disappeared from it very early on so its
fate was more or less sealed!
The second 209 had a much more eventful life and
was something of an omen to me. I collected it from ECW at Lowestoft on 24th
July 1982 whilst I was in the area on a COMS Social Club Railway outing. They
were a few body parts to bring back for one of the others that had been in a
mishap, 203 from what I can remember, also an alternator to be collected from
Leyland Parts at Aldenham as a warranty replacement for the same vehicle. All
went well with the journey to Oxford initially but air pressure stated to drop
on reaching the Chelmsford by-pass and then further up the road the brakes
started to drag until the gears locked out just by Gallows Corner at Gidea Park.
A call to London Transport Romford depot saw a replacement air drier governor
valve brought out and fitted in the bus layby after the fitters had jacked the
nearside of the bus up to gain access............you
wouldn't get that done today!!..........and I
was on my way around the North Circular towards Aldenham in a couple of hours.
When we got to Aldenham we had to wake the night watchman up by throwing stones
at his cabin but apart from that we reached Oxford just before midnight.
Once back in the fleet at Oxford 209 settled in
and in April1987 received an overall advert for Annies Kitchens which lasted
until 1990 when a repaint in the new OBC livery was undertaken. In 1994 a unibus
wrap around advert was applied for Oxford Glass/Oxford Double Glazing which
lasted until the green Park & Ride livery was applied in February 1998. In June
1999 209 was withdrawn with a gearbox defect and had already been earmarked to
be sold to Jeff's at Helmdon along with 210 & 211. I sent 209 to Bristol Bus and
Coach to have a replacement gearbox fitted which was under warranty and a couple
of days later I was given a lift up to Bristol by our Leyland Bus parts rep to
collect 209 back to Oxford...............so I
was the first and last person to drive 209 for COMS/OBC! The irony was that
after Jeff's had finished with it in July 2013 it was dumped at the ex. York's
premises, vandalised at Cogenhoe and I purchased it for spares with a group of
us stripping it over a couple of days. Its engine, gearbox and rear axle
providing some future insurance for 201/239 and 999 in preservation!
Follow up to 208 & 209
Andy Churchill
Answer came thee here is COMS Leyland Olympian 208
(WWL208X) pictured here at Queens Lane in Oxford having just worked the 106
service for Thames Travel and still retaining its dual-door layout.
209 during its Oxford Cityline days.
Gavin Francis
Notice that 209 spent time in Wycombe on June 2nd 2020 in service.
Paul Bateson
Thank you for the latest issue of the Briefing. I always find it of
interest. I was particularly interested in reading about the closure of
the Stevenage Bus Station which has existed for over 50 years. As I have
not contributed anything for a while, I am hoping that these memories of the Bus
Station can be published in the next issue.
I had a visit to Stevenage on 6th June 1972 to photograph the Supabus vehicles
in their bright yellow and blue livery. I managed to capture a Metro
Scania and a Swift in the Bus Station.
Fast forward to the 1980s. Between January 1984 and April 1986 I was
Traffic Manager for Grey-Green Coaches and lived in Benington, served by LCBS
route 384 (Stevenage - Hertford). This gave me several opportunities to
photograph buses in the Bus Station in 1985 and finally in March 1986 before I
returned to Canada.
Stevenage won't be quite the same for me!
Forgive me for not including the titles of each
picture but I am running out of time if I am to publish tonight.
If you run your cursor over teh pictures it should somewhere show what each one
is. Thank you. Ed.
My memories of the bus station only relate to running via this location when driving the SC 737 for NEx and we were asked to divert. 2008-2009. Ed.
Paul Bateson with a day out with a difference!
Here is a report of an interesting day out that I had last Thursday, June 23rd.
My good friend, Keith Littlewood, who is a Trainer with the Toronto Transit
Commission telephoned me to say that he would be bringing a BYD (Build Your
Dreams) electric bus to Mount Pleasant in Brampton. He advised that he
would be leaving Toronto at 12:30 pm for the Overhead Charger at Mount Pleasant
GO Station. The object was to see if the BYD (on a full charge) could make
the return trip without running dangerously low of power. The total route
was 149 km, well within the capability of the bus if it was running in stop and
go city traffic, but not at continuous highway speeds where there is no power
regenerated during braking.
I decided to make a day of it and headed out at 9:15 am on Brampton Transit
route 9 to Mount Pleasant. This gave me ample time to photograph Brampton
Transit buses and hopefully capture the new Nova buses (2201-08) now entering
service. The weather was nice and warm with a breeze and very comfortable.
I had a lot of time to fill in as I waited for Keith to arrive with the BYD and
this he did about 1:30 pm. In fact he came from the opposite direction
that I had expected which meant that my first photograph was ideal with the sun
angles. However, he had to get turned around so I went for a ride and
navigated a trip around the block so as to return to the overhead charger at the
GO Station stop. I should add that we did not use the overhead charger as
the BYD is equipped as a plug-in bus.
Rather than continue showing TRAINING BUS as a destination we changed it to the
route numbers that serve Mount Pleasant. Well at least the number was
correct but obviously the destination names were not! After photographing
at this location which is on the north side of the station, we went to the main
terminal area of Mount Pleasant GO Station (south side of the tracks) and the
sight of a TTC bus caused some amusement with Brampton Transit drivers!
The pictures all have captions when opened. Ed.
Graham Low
The Oxford Mail showed a picture last week of a bus
stuck under the Botley Road bridge. They said it was not branded and the picture
was not clear enough to identify the Wright Gemini bodied 'decker. Do you know
about this?
Nigel Peach
I still very much appreciate the weekly updates. The page goes from strength to strength, particularly with so many regular contributors. Some of the pictures are brilliant, and I'd single out Jack Cooper who has a good eye for detail. Also enjoying Graham Wareham's weekly contributions showing pictures of buses to match the week's issue number. Unfortunately I didn't take many photos of buses at all in my youth; otherwise I might have been able to add Thames Valley LHs 202-205 which were all based at Wycombe in the late 60s/early 70s!
Peter Edgar
Photographs from Dartmouth
Harbour on June 26th of Stagecoach South West vehicles.