Issue nr. 210
Wednesday, July 6th 2022
Editorial
A busy week with a number of interesting contributions for readers. The time is now upon us when there are, at last, a number of gatherings each weekend.
Also the two white E20D MMCs recently arrived with Oxford Bus have now received, in one case City livery and in the second case appropriate temporary branding. I am told that the branding on 515 is applied using vinyl since there was no time to have it painted and then branded. I must say it does look very good.
This picture shows the livery now carried giving an excellent impression.
Picture from Jack Cooper.
A significant loan is in progress with Oxford Bus who have a Wrights Electroliner in Belfast livery for trials.
The bus seen in George Street operating the 300 service with further details to
be found under the Go Ahead heading below.
Picture by Gavin Francis.
Rallies have taken place in Bournemouth and Gaydon for which we have an excellent number of contributions with more to come in the next issue. Several readers have contributed and their pictures can be found further down the page.
It was the Silverstone F1 event last weekend and we have some pictures from that event. Also recorded are a n upcoming event at The Oxford Bus Museum on July 10th.
In this issue there are 216 photographs and fo those who may wish to know more about any picture I recommend referring the registration to Google
Finally I am sad to report the passing of a well known member of The Oxford Bus Museum and preservation in general - Martin Shaw. r.i.p.
A few reports from readers.
Brent Ricketts
My bus for the day was an ex Gloucester Stagecoach West
decker which was very nice to drive even though it was 10 years old and a bit
bruised but nevertheless she did the job very well.
At Silverstone itself I saw buses from Cambridge,
Portsmouth, Surrey and Gloucestershire and we also carried over 40,000 people
over the three days .
James Allum
..... at
Sixfields and got this picture of Stagecoach Barnsley MMC on the shuttles
A busy weekend in store as Sixfields supports neighbours Silverstone host the British Grand Prix
SC Yorkshire 11125 in Platinum Jubilee livery at Sixfields on July 1st. Nice to
see a cherished registration ! Ed.
https://cbwmagazine.com/current-issue/
Richard Sharman
CBW is certainly a very useful publication and worth a subscription.
https://www.wythall.org.uk/busfest.asp
Jack Cooper
On Saturday 2nd July was the Transport Museum Wythall's Busfest, held at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon.
This was attended by 221 from Oxford, as well as Stagecoach Banbury's 36765, for
a while we were parked next to each other!
More under Tony Bungay's contributions.
Leyland National 50th Anniversary
Other attendees
Tony Bungay
Today
I was able to attend the Wythall Bus Museum event at Gaydon. An event that
despite being a Saturday, had a fair selection of vehicles, centered on the 50th
anniversaries of the Leyland National, and launch of National Express.
Leyland National 50th Anniversary
As you will know or can see. The event was unfortunate
to be caught in a slow moving wet front.
Final selection Malcolm, rain at times made photography
difficult, simply a moist drop on the lens can appear on the image, as one or
two photos show.
The Birmingham AEC has only recently been restored and looks magnificent.
How frustrating it is when all is planned for a fine day and the rain comes ! Ed.
Stevenage update
James Allum
A visit to the old bus station after work today and
here’s the latest pictures. At this rate it will be gone by next week.
Also attached a picture of the new Stevenage Interchange
An interesting development as new bus stations these
days are few and far between. Ed.
I see that you have published some photos of the last day of the old bus station at Stevenage so here are some from day 3 of the new bus station on June 30th.
The most surprising thing is how bright the new concrete area appears, one wonders how long it will last like this ? Ed.
An Obituary - Martin Shaw
from Grahame Wareham
Firstly some sad news via Nick Taylor.
Martin Shaw, who was one
of the founder members of the Oxford Bus Preservation Syndicate and
Oxford Bus Museum Trust, passed away a couple of days ago.
He had unfortunately been suffering with dementia and my last
contact with him by telephone had been just over two years ago. He
was living in Normandy, France
and was being cared for by his sister Jane and her husband Walter.
Martin can be remembered as a bus historian who kept an up to date record of the City of Oxford fleet history, which I carried on from him since 1994, and also a comprehensive photographic record of the COMS fleet and the numerous independent operators in the local area. Martin also got involved with bus preservation in the late nineteen sixties when AEC Regal/Willowbrook single deck NJO703 was purchased by the embryonic Mid Oxon Bus Enthusiasts Club with a view of complete renovation which he tackled formidably and very thoroughly, setting a high standard benchmark for all future restorations that he was involved with, including his own ex. COMS Regent III, TWL928 and his two Bedford PCV vans, ex. COMS MJO187 and ex. Thames Valley/South Midland RWL71.
He also owned ex. Chiltern Queens Reliance EUD265K and ex. South
Midland AEC Regal III/Duple coach OFC205, all of which were
bequeathed to the Oxford Bus Museum.
Martin did not suffer fools easily and it took time for a 'newbie' like me to be accepted by him as a fellow enthusiast/restorer when I joined the group in 1970.
I suppose my mechanical ability and future employment with COMS
helped and we ended up quite close preservation 'comrades' over the
next thirty years until he moved to France, although we stayed in
touch.
Martin originally worked for Halls Oxford & West Brewery, as a
property surveyor and when Halls (Ind Coope) moved everything to
Burton on Trent and then found further employment with Oxfordshire County Council as a Local
Public Transport officer, compiling the Oxfordshire Bus Times
publications and amendments.
He also undertook some part time bus and coach driving for Black &
White at Cheltenham, Worth's of Enstone and eventually Guide Friday
where he ended up after he retired from Oxfordshire CC.
When I first knew him he lived in Iffley Road and well remember some
of the late evenings in his basement looking through numerous
photographs.
He later moved to Farmoor where he also looked after his father for
a number of years. He was well known in the official bus circles
such as the Omnibus Society and The PSV Circle.
My best memory of Martin was when I accompanied him to Ben
Jordans, Coltishall near Norwich
one day to purchase a Bristol K type chassis for spares for his ex.
Thames Valley 616, Bristol L GJB254, which he also owned for a short
period.
Martin was supposed to be guiding the farm tractor driver out of the
gate way and I was trying to steer the K type chassis and follow the
tractor.
After I had been towed completely though a hedge we discovered that
the chassis was devoid of a nearside front road spring that made any
form of guidance impossible,
but Martin still allowed the farmer to drive-on despite my
vociferous protests.
A ripped shirt and numerous cuts from the thorns was the outcome for
me but that was about the only time I saw Martin laugh so much that
he could barely drive his car ............in fact the low loader and
K type chassis arrived back in Oxford before us!
That's the kind of memory that I wish to remember
Martin with !
https://www.oxfordbusmuseum.org/
Jack Cooper
On Sunday, July 10th the Oxford Bus Museum will be holding a city bus day at the Museum.
As the weather forecast is good I look forward to your pictures from this event. Ed.
Office of the Traffic Commissioner
Notices and Proceedings (East of England)
Publication Number: 2539 Publication Date: 06/07/2022
Here you will find the changes for much of our area. Ed.
Coach visitors to Oxfordshire
David Beynon
A trio of Clarkes in Keble Road on June 29th and two
June 30th in Broad Street.
Gavin Francis
A nice Tourismo in St Giles on July 2nd.
This Routemaster was pictured by Gavin in Wheatley on July 5th.
Fleet News and developments
Gavin Francis
..... in High Wycombe on June 29th.
There are now many buses bearing the latest livery. Ed.
Gavin Francis
Both these coaches are now working from air-sym and are seen in London on July
5th.
Gavin Francis
..... in High Wycombe on June 29th.
Gavin Francis
This
is the demonstrator we have on loan from Wrights. It replaced the blue
Electroliner demonstrator that was briefly seen on the 20, as that one was not
really representative of the vehicles we might be looking to order. Translink
have kindly made this one available to us to trial, which mechanically is closer
to what we would be looking at, and today was the first day it has been used,
following some issues with the mobile chargers.
We have a number of pictures of this bus from Gavin Francis
It is working 300 road at present as it maybe too high to be used for the 400.
Gavin Francis
..... in High Wycombe on June 29th.
Gavin travelled to Wycombe using the link40 and was
surprised by the cove advert on June 29th.
Jack Cooper
As mentioned in last weeks page, there are changes to Carousel services from July 24th, these can now be found on the Carousel website -
https://www.carouselbuses.co.uk/service-changes-24th-july-2022
Gavin Francis
..... in Oxford where brighter sunlight improves the pictures.
Sometimes buses appear on differing routes.
The two new E20D MMCs 515 and 599 are seen with new
branding in Horspath on July 5th.
Green 841 is seen working route 11 on July 2nd.
Jack Cooper
515 has been wrapped into the new red + black city46
livery. 599 has also gained temporary branding for the 46.
515 in its new livery at Cowley Centre on July 2nd.
Loaned 599 is seen by Westgate on June 30th.
513 has lost ST2 branding, and just has connector
branding.
Jack Cooper
July 17th will see an hourly Gatwick service resumed on the Airline, services will still run to Gatwick via Heathrow -
Jack Cooper
There has been a timetable change on the
River Rapids X39 / X40 from the 3rd July - https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/river-rapids-service-changes-3rd-july-2022
Ken Mackenzie
.....
noted that 875 back from repaint seen on A34 on June 30th 2022So both 873 and 875 are now in service, often working the 63 and 874 is now away for repaint.
https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/timeline
Congratulations for 50 years of service, very much one of the most recognisable brands in the U.K.
including Courtney, Newbury & District &
Thames Valley
Robert Williams
Droves of people from the local community turned out for Reading Buses first open day in three years.
The bus operator recorded another record amount taken on
the day - £7,371.08 through a combination of cash and card payments.
The company is now calculating costs to work out how
much will go to their charity of the Year New Beginnings who were also on site
with their charity branded bus.
“It really did seem like the busiest open day ever,” commented Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer Robert Williams.
“A big thank you to everyone who supported the
event, be it attending, volunteering or working to keep our company running so
that others could take part.”
Visitors could tour the control room and workshop to see behind the scenes and these, along with the BBQ, curry and cake stalls all completely sold out.
Trips through the bus wash, which were going non-stop
all day, proved a particular hit.
Hundreds of children got to sit in the driver’s seat on
a Reading Buses rainbow line-up of buses and had their photo taken with their
favourite colour bus.
The event was opened by deputy mayor Cllr Debs Edwards
and one of the visiting stallholders said: “The event organisation was excellent
and it was good to see so many people.”
Robert added: “I’m so pleased that we were able to go ahead this year after having to cancel them in the last two years. The day really highlights what an important part our company – and the whole team that works within it – plays in the local community.”
Gavin Francis
..... in High Wycombe on June 29th.
Notices & Proceedings - (East of England)
REDLINE BUSES LTD, INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, 3 GRIFFIN LANE, AYLESBURY, HP19 8BP
Operating between Aylesbury Bus Station and High Wycombe Bus Station given
service number 130 / S130, 621 effective from 25 July 2022.
To amend Timetable
Gavin Francis
..... in High Wycombe on June 29th.
The 130 is continuing still providing competition for
Arriva on the route.
Variety is the spice of life for school services by
Redline.
Notices & Proceedings - (East of England)
Waiting for latest publication on July 7th.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notices-and-proceedings-for-the-west-of-england#full-publication-update-history
Dave Harrison
Red Rose Travel are taking over service 40 Thame to High Wycombe and
return. There has had to be some
reductions to the evening and Sunday services, as these are funded
by Oxfordshire County Council and Buckinghamshire Council
and the costs have escalated significantly. The daytime service on
Mondays to Saturdays remains commercial.
The times are changed throughout and the service will no longer
operate the odd journeys through Towersey.
Gavin Francis
..... in High Wycombe on June 29th.
Further appearances in Wycombe is on the cards for
this company.
Dave & Deric
Here is the update summary from the latest Stagecoach
West Fleet Card. Please note there is a query on the disposal of 34564.
Vehicle on Loan
54265
North Bristol
to Loan to Stagecoach East
Midlands (Hull)
Out of Reserve
34786
Reserve
to Stroud
For Disposal
34683
Swindon
to Disposal
Sold/Gone
34564
Disposal
to Gone? (This is a query as it
has disappeared off the Fleet Card but is still shown as Reserve on the
listing!)
Additionally, we’ve picked up the following changes to the
Stagecoach Oxford fleet:
Out of Reserve
36113
Reserve
to Banbury (is also shown as
Reserve! But it is due to go to Banbury)
50268/69/71 Reserve
to Oxford
36113 is to replace 28744 at Banbury, which moved to
Gloucester last week. This move will probably be confirmed on the next Fleet
Card.
Also, just to confirm the picture on this week’s Oxford
& Chiltern Bus Page of Gloucester’s 27778. It has received a heritage livery to
replicate the Bristol Omnibus “OMO” livery that was used in the late 1960s/early
1970s up until the introduction of NBC livery.
Tony Gaze
27778 in Gloucester on Service 1
(Gloucester-Matson) on July 1st (another view)
28745 in Cheltenham on Service 97
(Cheltenham-Gloucester) on July 2nd.
Gavin Francis
This bus appeared at Stagecoach Oxford on July 5th and is seen on November 28th
2016.
We are unaware of what is happening with this bus?
Gavin Francis
A surprise appearance working the X5 on July 2nd and
3rd was 19579 rather than a distance liveried decker !
Only 50274 from the batch of Astromegas ready to help out in service provision has been in use in recent weeks.
Gavin Francis
This Astromega was working for megabus on July 1st having been photographed in
Oxford on August 17th 2019.
It was back again on July 3rd.
This started life as a demonstrator for Plaxton and is now in use with Parks as
seen above on July 3rd.
London operations
Gavin Francis
Wimbledon continues with GAL providing service 739 for attendees.
Go Ahead both have NRMs in this wrap as seen on July 4th and 5th.
Highway Coaches Astromega RV65OKX was seen on July 3rd.
Silver Service LJ69YWR Volvo 9700 is seen in Victoria with a Leger Holidays on
July 4th.
Grahame Wareham
COMS first fleet number 210 was RTH638, another of the erstwhile
ex. James Bros/South Wales Transport lowbridge Leyland Atlantean
PDR1/1's but with a Metro-Cammell Weymann body.
Numbered 226 and later 1226 whilst in South Wales 210 arrived in
Oxford during October 1970
and was immediately painted into the then
new dual colour standard scheme.
It was withdrawn in August 1976 and sold for scrap to A.
Barraclough, Carlton, Barnsley, along with a large batch of other
withdrawn vehicles.
The new era of double decker's in 1982 provided another 210 this
time a
Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1R with ECW H47/28D body WWL210X
delivered in August.
I took 210 to Showbus at Woburn Abbey the following month where it
was put on display on the Leyland Bus stand
along with United
Counties Olympian/ ECW620 ARP620X
and a new London Transport Leyland Titan.
The following month I took
210 to the Mersey & Calder Open Day at Burscough airfield at the
request of Ribble
(this reciprocated the loan of their JFR12W at the COMS Centenary a
year previous)
fuelling up at the Aintree depot and getting home to
Oxford in three hours!
210 later received unibus advertising for Geoffrey Rhodes Opticians
before repaint into the new OBC red, white and black livery.
From 1995 210 became a Park & Ride bus lasing until 1999 when it was
sold to Jeff's Helmdon along with 209 and 211.
Unfortunately 210 was written off in an accident by the next winter
but not before it appeared at the 1999 British Grand Prix with 209
and 211 as a Marshall's circuit pick up bus............
I am told that a bus race may have taken place!
Gavin Francis
... has sent pictures of the latter and current 210 still in service !!
OXFORD BROOKES 210 in St. Aldates on April 30th 2011.
Still with Oxford but in TT livery 210 in Castle
Street on January 29th 2015
and then with Thames Travel working the X40 on June 3rd 2015.
During 2020 this bus spent sometime with Carousel in
High Wycombe, seen on June 11th 2020.
Many thanks to Gavin.
Neil Gow
For issue
210 here’s a picture of Leyland Olympian 210 in Park & Ride livery on 21st
November 1998.
While scanning the picture of 210 I came across this that may be of interest. It is one of two DAF SB220 gas (LPG) powered demonstrators that were in use with Oxford Bus Company during winter 1988-9. This one was numbered 399 during its stay.
It is caught on
November 21st 1998 in a typically busy Queen Street scene of the time.
The other,
numbered 398, was appropriately registered P10LPG.
If anyone is running an item on demonstrators with
COMS/Oxford Bus Company I captured around 9 of them in the 1987-1995 period.
This is a nice idea from Neil, any takers? Ed.
David Gray
I visited Bournemouth Bus Rally yesterday for an event
celebrating 120 years of Yellow Buses (it only seems like yesterday that I
attended the
The weather was fine apart from a brief rain shower in
the afternoon which I evaded by getting on one of the shuttle buses.
The shuttle services operated using a variety of
preserved and vehicles from the local fleet, were:
Route 10 Talbot Manor Circular via Charminster Winton and Holdenhurst Road
Route 41 Mallard Road/Yeomans Way via Charminster, East Way and Castlepoint
There were a number of the home fleet on display.
The pictures above show the variety
and the evident showing of Bournemouth attendees.
Each picture has a description with the photograph title.
Ed.
Sister bus FEL 216. This was the first event attended in
over 50 years.
An excellent programme for £5)
Kevin Fuller
I took a trip to Fareham and Gosport on June 29th to see the new vehicles that
First Hampshire now have in service for their Eclipse E1 / E2, which utilise the
disused Gosport branch line railway trackbed dedicated for bus use for some of
the route. They are ten Wright Streetlite DF buses in dedicated 'Eclipse'
livery, equipped to high specification, for the high frequency route.
63407, SV22UZJ pauses in West Street in Fareham near the end of its E1
journey from Gosport.
63408, SV22UZK is seen on the dedicated bus section of route, at the Wych
Lane stop with a Gosport-bound E2 service.
Note the '10th Anniversary' (of the
Eclipse services) stickers above the drivers cab front and side.
Seen departing Gosport bus station for Fareham with another E1 service, 63411
SV22VWP
illustrates a nearside view of these new buses. Portsmouth's Spinnaker
Tower is seen in the background.
All pictures taken on Wednesday 29th June.
Gary Seamarks
Some pictures from our Scotland Holiday last week, we stopped about 30
minutes from Loch Lomond, at another Loch and did not venture into
any major town or city, except a brief stop at Stirling.
Locations are
AC61ABY, YW68PDY Lochgoilhead,
outside the cottage we had
MX12DZH, YJ14BAY,
YJ17FWX and YS16LML Oban
HSK649, YK18KUO and NH17NFH at Pitlochry.
P100WCM, SJ21NDG,
YT15AWF Rest and Be Thankful (A82)
note that the two
WCM on Rest and Be thankful were through the windscreen hence a few
midges included.
Some very interesting pictures giving a great idea of a holiday location in the U.K. Ed
Gordon Scott from north of the Border
Taken on July in Edinburgh
Ex Stagecoach East Scotland 50312 - A2 XXW ex YJ64 AUP Van Hool Astromega
Taken in Princess Street for new Superbus.com Edinburgh new tea and buffet tour
lasting 90 mins.
Purfleet in June :
VEHICLES IN.
From First Essex : Trident VX54MUA Volvo
B7RLE’s MX05CCN / CFE
From Mayfair Coaches : Volvo B9TL BJ11EBG.
From Brighton and Hove : Mercedes Citaro’s BD57WDR / WDS
/ WDN
From First Huddersfield : Volvo B7TL YJ51RRY .
From Tower Transit : E200 YX10BDV
From Tyrers Coaches : E200s YX60DXY / YX12FPY / ML62OGY
From Transdev : E200 SN65CFE
From Metroline : E400s LK08DXY / DXZ / DYA / NVD / NVE
E200s LK58CPX / CTV / LK08DWA / DWE / DWN
VEHICLES OUT :
E200s YX11AFN / AFK / AFV / AFY / AFZ / AFO / AFU / AGO
: First Essex.
E200 SN65CFE : Brighton and Hove.
E200s YX60DXY / YX12FPY / ML62OGY / YX12DHM / YX12DHO /
KX08HMF / LK08DWA / LK08DWE : Galleon Travel, Stansted.
Volvo B7TL LJ05BKK : Barway Services , Ely.
Volvo B7L EU05VBN : Cube London Ltd, Surbiton.
E400s LJ09CCO / CCN : Delaine Buses, Bourne.
Volvo B9TLs BN61MXW / MXX / MXT : Maghull Coaches,
Liverpool.
Volvo B9TL SN09CVB : DJ Thomas , Neath, Wales.
The following all to Shelton Motors for scrap :
Trident VX54MUA Volvo B7RLE’s MX05CCN / CFE
E200 YX10BDV Mercedes Citaro’s BD57WDR / WDS / WDN Scania
YN05GWY.
Ensign Fleet.
E200 790 sold to Grant Palmer.