‘Scene’ In The Sunshine 2 (hopefully) on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

The recent spell of warm, sunny weather set me in mind of open top buses which are traditionally used to enjoy this rare spectacle in British skies.

 

Some of these images have appeared before, but not for a long time, so enjoy them while the good weather lasts.

 

SIG 1847 ‘Maghull Coaches’, Liverpool.

DAF DB250 / Plaxton President

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New registered T206 XBV to ‘ARRIVA London North’ No. DLP6.

 

 

 

 

BYX 118V ‘Top Line Travel’, York Citysightseeing.

MCW DR101/9 Metrobus 1 / MCW

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Converted to open top in 1997.

 

New to ‘London Transport’  No. M118.

 

Pictured just down the road from York railway station.

 

 

 

 

SJ16 ZZP ‘Edinburgh Bus Tours Ltd.’ No. 248, MAJESTIC TOUR.

Volvo B5TL / Wright Eclipse Gemini 3

on Dennis Basford’srailsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

Most open top buses have previously been fully roofed double deck buses that have been cut down to either part open top or fully open top.

 

Unusually, this bus is one of a batch of buses ordered new as part open toppers by the ‘Lothian Buses’ group which includes ‘Edinburgh Bus Tours Ltd.’

 

 

 

T209 XBV ‘Yellow Buses’, Bournemouth No. 436.

DAF DB250 / Plaxton President

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New to ‘ARRIVA London North’ No. DLP9.

 

Converted to part open top in 2006.

 

 

 

 

HF54 KXV ‘Wilts & Dorset’ No. 1823., New Forest Tour.

Volvo B7TL / East Lancs Myllenium

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New as No. 403.

 

Pictured in Lymington, Hampshire.

 

 

 

 

HF59 DMO ‘Wilts & Dorset’ No. 1406, Purbeck Breezer.

Scania N230UD / Optare Olympus

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

Pictured at Swanage railway station waiting to load for its return to Bournemouth.

 

‘Scene’ at ‘Transpire’s 2019 Bus Rally at Rowsley in Derbyshire /5 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

‘Transpire’ being the name of the ‘Chesterfield Bus Society’.

 

A major event in my ‘Bus’ calendar. I have attended most if not all of the events over the years.

 

I am always surprised that although I think that I have seen everything that might turn up that on the day there is always something that I have not seen before and is new to me.

 

For part 1 see blog posted 21/08/2019. For part 2 see blog posted 05/01/2020. For part 3 see blog posted 17/01/2020. For part 4 see blog posted 30/01/2020.

 

A10 CNU ‘Trent Motor Traction Ltd’ No.10, ‘NATIONAL HOLIDAYS’. Leyland Tiger / Duple Laser

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

B106 JAB ‘Midland Red West’ No.1006, ‘Eurocruising’. Leyland Tiger / Plaxton Paramount

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

 

 

J70 BTS ‘Blackpool Transport No. 364. DAF DB250LF / East Lancs Myllenium

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New registered  FMN-181-P No. 54 to ‘Bus Vannin’, Isle of Man.

 

 

 

1322 WA ‘Sheffield United Tours Ltd. No. 322.  AEC Reliance / Plaxton Panorama 1

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

New in 1961.

 

 

 

G329 SVV ‘J.R. Dent’. Leyland Tiger / Plaxton Paramount 3

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

New registered G880 BKV to ‘Wainfleet’, Nuneaton.

 

At some time in its career it has also carried the registration MIW 5787.

 

‘Scene in Plymouth’

It’s a couple of years since I was last in Plymouth so a short break in Torbay and ‘Stagecoach’s’ Gold service that runs there from Torquay and Paignton provided me with the wherewithal for a return visit.

 

I actually saw this first bus on my last visit and I was surprised to see that it was still around in this livery. With a registration that starts with a ‘W’, I doubt that it will ever make it back into fleet livery.

 

W716 RHT

A Dennis Trident with East Lancs bodywork operated by First Devon & Cornwall (FDC). Painted in a special ‘Tilling Green’ livery commemorating 80 years of the ‘Western National Omnibus Company’ who were a predecessor of ‘FDC’.

 

The bus was new to ‘First Badgerline‘ in 2000  and spent some time on the Bath City Centre Park and Ride service.

Plymouth Citybus (PC) is the other major player in the City. It’s origins lie in ‘Plymouth Corporation Transport’ which since 2009 has been part of the ‘Go-Ahead’ group

 

X549 EGK

 

A Volvo B7TL with Plaxton President bodywork in service with ‘PC’ as a driver trainer. Formerly ‘Go- Ahead London Central' (GALC) PVL 149.

The livery whilst being similar to ‘PC’ is actually the livery it carried in London.

WG63 HHV

 

An Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) Trident with ‘ADL’ Enviro 400 bodywork. One of a batch of 4 delivered in February 2014.

 

WA54 JVX

A Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton’s Pointer 2 bodywork of ‘PC’.

 

X201 CDV

Another Dennis dart SLF. This time the short MPD bodied version again bodied by Plaxton. 

 

 Y 735 TGH

Another Volvo B7TL with Plaxton President bodywork that previously saw service in London with ‘GALC’ where it was PVL 235.

This bus carry’s the full ‘PC’ livery as opposed the the scheme carried by the driver trainer pictured earlier.

 

WF63 LZD

 

Another ‘ADL’ Trident with Enviro 400 bodywork painted in the blue version of ‘PC’s livery.

One of four delivered in September 2013 so treated. The Blue livery denoting a branded service linking Plymouth to Tavistock via Yelverton.

Tavistock is 15 miles away from Plymouth and well outside the city limits so presumably was an excursion into ‘FDC’ territory.

 

WK56 PEN

No day out bus watching would be complete without one of Optare’s Solo’s. This being one of ‘Western Greyhound’s (WG) fleet.

The Liskeard operations of 'WG' were taken over by 'PC' in December 2014.

 

WA56 HHN

 

Another ‘ADL’ product this time an Enviro 200 of ‘PC’.

 

'Barbie’ is still alive and at work for ‘FDC’.

W605 PAF

A Volvo B6BLE with Wright Crusader bodywork.

 

WA56 FTV

One more example of the Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton’s Pointer 2 bodywork.

Further photos can be seen on my Flickr 

Buses ‘Scene’ in the ‘Southwest’

A few days holiday based in Weymouth allowed me to have a look at what goes on in that part of the world. The coaches of the Southwest have featured in an earlier ‘blog’.

 

‘First Hampshire & Dorset’ (FH&D) are the dominant operator in the area with the usual mixture of old and new buses in old and new liveries.

 

‘Barbie’ is now getting on in years but she is still alive and well............! 

 

W708 PHT

 

A Dennis Trident with East Lancs Myllenium bodywork which has been cascaded from Bristol where at one time it worked in a dark blue livery on the Bath Road Park & Ride operation. Before coming to Weymouth it had a spell in Poole.

V807 EFB

 

A Volvo B6BLE with Wright’s Crusader 2 bodywork picking up on Weymouth’s sea front.

 

P244 UCW

 

A Volvo Olympian with Northern Counties Palatine bodywork. It was new to ‘Centrewest’ working in London (Uxbridge). It moved to ‘First Bristol’ in 2005 and came to ‘FH&D’ in 2009. 

 

W815 EOW

 

A Volvo B7TL with Alexander ALX 400 bodywork which at one time worked in Southampton for ‘First’.

 

R613 YCR

 

A Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork. It previously worked for ‘First Berkshire’.

 

YJ14 BVF

 

An Optare Solo SR. It was so new that the titling/branding had not yet been applied. 

 

SN14 DXG

 

A Wright Streetlte DF was another bus that was bereft of any titling

 

CU08 ADV

 

An Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 200 that was new to ‘First Cymru’ and was one of a batch that came to ‘FH&D’ to modernise the fleet.

 

YN04 GLV

 

A Scania N94UD with East Lancs Omnidekka bodywork. At one time it was painted in the ‘Jurassic Coast’ livery and appears to have recently been repainted.

 

I have never liked this new ‘First’ livery  and I think that without the benefit of advertisements it looks even blander and more half finished than usual.

 

HX08 DHY

A Volvo B7TL with Wright Gemini bodywork working on the X53 ‘Jurassic Coaster’ (JC) service loading in Weymouth. Until it was recently repainted into fleet livery, it appeared in the branded ‘JC’ livery seen 2 images down.

 

YN04 GNY

A Scania N94UD/East Lancs Omnidekka in Bridport seen on the X31 ‘JC’ service.

 

The X31 runs between Axminster and Dorchester whilst the X53 runs between Poole and Exeter. I have travelled on the X53 which takes a full 4 hours. Tiring but worth it !

 

The section between Bridport and Lyme Regis is common to both routes.

 

HX08 DHG

Another Volvo B7TL with Wright Gemini bodywork in the full ‘JC’ livery once more in Weymouth.

 

YJ60 KFV

 

An Optare Versa owned by Dorset County Council on its own Park & Ride service to the Mount Pleasant car park.

 

T640 AJT

 

An Optare Solo seen in Bridport. Part of ‘Damory Coaches’ fleet which is part of ‘Wilts & Dorset’ who in turn are owned by the ‘Go-Ahead’ group.

 

N350 OBC

An Alexander bodied Mercedes-Benz 709D now operated by ‘South West Coaches’ previously worked in Weymouth in a blue livery for ‘Sureline’ who were based on nearby Portland.

 

 

‘Scene’ in Nottingham yesterday the 24th. of March 2014

We are now officially in spring although the temperature seemed to suggest otherwise. The sun was shining and I had an hour to kill so I thought I would pay a visit with camera in hand.

 

YN14 MVH

My first ’14’ plate. A Scania N230UD with Alexander Dennis Enviro (ADL) 400 bodywork.

 

I had seen the ‘spare’ and ‘red line’ liveried buses a couple of weeks ago but this was my first ‘lime line’ liveried bus. Very smart.

 

LT52 WXJ 

A Dennis Trident with Plaxton’s President bodywork. One of a number that came last year from Go-Ahead London to help with rail replacement work when Nottingham railway station was closed.

 

The style of lettering in white is changed from the ‘nottingham network’ titling.

 

I include this image for no other reason that I like it.

 

YT09 YHW

Another Scania, this time a 270UD with Optare bodywork built after the style of other East Lancs built bodies in the fleet.

 

This turned up a couple of minutes after the Trident and it too was carrying the revised style of fleetname.

 

YD63 VDL

An Optare SoloSR from ‘trentbarton’ seen on Friar Lane with a livery that was new to me. ‘the rushcliffe greens’ which links Nottingham with Bingham and Radcliffe. 

 

I caught a glimpse of an Optare Tempo in the same livery. It would seem to be a variation of the Bingham ‘xprss’.

 

I always have time for an old timer, (my son Andrew says that is because I am one myself).

 

SN53 EUT

I have seen this former ‘London United’ Alexander ALX400 bodied ‘decker a number of times but it was the first time I have caught it on camera.

 

Now part of ‘Skills Coaches’ contract fleet.

 

W752 DOE

Another from ‘Skills Coaches’ contract fleet although this time in fleet livery is this East Lancs bodied Volvo.

 

R934 RAU

A Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork doing a stint on the ‘centrelink’. service.

 

It carries the ‘notts & derby’ livery but previously wore ‘trentbarton’ colours and I think its legal titling quotes ‘ Barton Buses’ all ‘Wellglade’ group companies.