‘Scene’ in Nottingham once more on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

It was earlier in the year when what was then a new style of livery application started to appear on Nottingham’s buses. (See blog dated 31st March 2017).

 

My blog dated 17th. of April saw further buses in the same style.

 

Not surprisingly then when the new gas powered buses started to appear they carried the same livery layout.

 

An addition to the range has been added in the orange colours of route Uni 34.

 

YN08 MLJ ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 953 ‘Orange Uni 34’ Scania N270UD / Darwen /1

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

 

 

YN08 MLJ ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 953 ‘Orange Uni 34’ Scania N270UD / Darwen /2

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

 

 

 

 

YN08 MLJ ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 953 ‘Orange Uni 34’ Scania N270UD / Darwen /3

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YN08 MLJ ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 953 ‘Orange Uni 34’ Scania N270UD / Darwen /4

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

 

 

 

‘Scene’ on Parliament Street (PS) in Nottingham 2 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

I have done a number of blogs illustrating the comings and goings of buses in Nottingham but on reflection they were mainly populated by the multi coloured fleet of ‘trentbarton’ (tb). 

 

‘PS’ is like Oxford Street in London, it heaves with buses. ‘tb’ do put in an appearance but most of what is on offer is provided by the equally multi coloured fleet of ‘Nottingham City Transport’ (NCT).

 

There is an Upper and a Lower Parliament Street but this selection of images is of buses that pass the junction of ‘PS’ and Milton Street. 

 

Which is where you are if you walk out of the main doors of the ‘Victoria Centre’.

 

‘NCT’s fleet is in a stage of transition between the buses that carry the traditional green of Nottingham as the background colour and the newer buses that carry a silvery grey as the background colour.

 

Whatever the background colour most of the fleet are colour branded to identify particular routes or groups of routes.

 

Part 1 appeared on my blog on 24th. April 2016.

 

YN08 MSU ‘Nottingham City Transport’ 946 Scania N270UD / Darwen.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Basically an East Lancs design that was also produced under the Darwen Group (DG) and Optare  banners.

 

‘DG’ being a re-incarnation of East Lancs when they went into administration in 2007. They in turn bought Optare and adopted the better known name.

 

The service 100 the bus is operating on links Nottingham with the Cathedral town of Southwell. Pronounced ‘Suthell’ to the locals.

 

The route came into NCT’s  portfolio of routes when in 1997 NCT took over ‘Pathfinder’ (Newark) the previous operator on the route. The bus carrying a small ‘PATHFINDER’ on the front dash panel as a reminder of that.

 

GX55 NHY ‘Skills’ Volvo B7TL / East Lancs Vyking.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Part of the of locally based operator’s contract fleet branded for the city’s ‘Bilborough College’.

 

Previously operated by  Littles of Ilkeston.

 

YT61 GPZ ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 920 Scania N230UD Omnidekka / Optare.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

It was part of a batch of 22 vehicles purchased at that time and is seen in the ‘Go2 Lilac’ branding.

 

Alexander Dennis Ltd. have become the body supplier of double deck bodies since the supply of East Lancs designed bodies that were built by East Lancs, Darwen and Optare ceased.

YP63 WFA ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 601 Scania 230UD / ADL Enviro 400.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Wearing the ‘go anywhere’ spare bus livery which incorporates the colours used on colour branded services over the silver base.

 

YN54 AHJ ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 214 Scania N94UB OmniCity.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

An all Scania N94UB OmniCity in the livery of the park & ride service from Victoria Park.

 

YJ12 GYS ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 358 Optare Solo SR.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

‘NCT’ have been users of the Solo since the early days of the type so it was only to be expected that the SR model would follow the earlier version into the fleet.

 

Branded as ‘Bridgeford Bus’ linking the suburb of West Bridgford with the City which in the days of ‘West Bridgford Urban District Council’ was a renowned bus operator.

 

YN05 GXG ‘AOT Coaches’ Scania L94UB / Wright Solar

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

‘AOT Coaches’ is one of the few independent’s in Nottingham who have a regular service to Hucknall.

 

The bus was previously operated by ‘Reading Transport’.

 

YX63 LFU ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 397 ADL Dart / ADL Enviro 200.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

One of a batch of 33 buses.

‘NCT’ were substantial operators of the Optare Versa with 20 being bought in 2008.

Perhaps surprisingly, they had all gone after short working lives to be replaced with these ‘ADL’ buses’. 

 

A dozen or so went to ‘ADL’ presumably in part exchange.

 

V254 JRR ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 254 Optare Solo..

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

This 1999 produced bus is still paying its way working on Nottingham’s ‘local link’ network.

 

This being a raft of services operated my Nottingham Community Transport and ‘NCT’ on behalf of the County Council.

 

YJ61 CGV ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 349 Optare Solo SR. 

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Working on the ‘pink line’ ‘Go2 uni 31’ which as the name suggests serves the Nottingham University campus to the West of the City

 

YX63 GXY ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 398 ADL Dart / ADL Enviro 200.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Seen wearing the ‘go anywhere’ spare bus livery.

 

YN55 NGY ‘Nottinghham City Transport’ 698 Scania N94UD / East Lancs.

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

The ‘go anywhere’ spare bus livery has had poppies superimposed on it as NCT’s support for The British Legion in 2015.

 

 

 

 

‘Scene’ in Retrospect (Retro Liveries in Modern fleets)

 

One aspect of the transport scene that has particularly pleased me in the last couple of years is the  use of ‘retro’ liveries in modern fleets, with modern buses appearing in the liveries of yesteryear. This has usually been done to tie in with an anniversary.

 

My thanks to the managements at ‘First Group’, ‘Stagecoach’ and others who whilst living in the modern world still find the time, the energy and the money to keep in touch with their past.

 

YN58 ETX

 

One of a number of Volvo B9TL’s with Wright Gemini Eclipse bodies painted in liveries specific to South Yorkshire. 

 

This appears in the dark blue and cream colours of ‘Sheffield Corporation Tramways’. 

 

3910 WE

A Volvo B9TL with Wright Eclipse Gemini body carrying a registration previously carried by a Leyland PD3 (but in reality YN08 LCJ) waits patiently in Sheffield Transport Interchange (Pond Street Bus Station to my generation).

 

YN08 LCL 

 

A Volvo B9TL’s with Wright Gemini Eclipse bodywork, this time in ‘Rotherham Corporation Transport’ colours.

 

‘First Manchester’ provided the following.

 

MX06 VOP

 

A Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork in the livery of ‘Bolton Corporation Transport’.

 

Bolton’s previous livery had been in the same colours of dark red and cream with the dark red being the predominant colour. This gave the buses a rather dark dull appearance. When the ‘new’ livery was introduced it certainly brightened up the buses and the town.

 

MX06 VMZ

A Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban It is seen in the livery of  ‘Ramsbottom Urban District Council’.

 

MX07 BTF

Another Volvo B9TL with Wright Gemini Eclipse bodywork in the livery of ‘Salford City Transport’ seen leaving Eccles Bus Station.

 

MX58 EAC

 

A Volvo B9TL with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork in the colours of ‘Rochdale Corporation Transport’ leaving that towns new bus station.

 

A move to The Midlands, specifically Hanley where two buses carrying an earlier ‘Potteries’ livery are seen

 

MX05 CGK

 

A Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork that migrated South from ‘First Manchester’ wearing an older ‘Potteries’ livery.

 

YN05 HCL

 

A Scania CN94UB with Scania Omnicity bodywork in a retro ‘Potteries’ livery.

 

Further South to Leicester although these two images were both taken at ‘Showbus’ at Duxford in September 2014.

 

KP54 AZL

 

A Volvo B7TL with Wright Gemini Eclipse bodywork in ‘Leicester City Transport’ livery.

 

KX05 MJF

Another Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork in a livery based on that previously used by ‘City of Leicester Tramways’.

 

 

 

Whilst all the previous images are of ‘First Group’ owned buses. This next one is owned by ‘Nottingham City Transport’ (NCT) and shows a bus operating in the livery of the former ‘West Bridgford Urban District Council’ which was taken over by ‘NCT’ in 1968.

 

YN08 MLL

 

A Scania N270UD with Darwen built bodywork.

 

A move now to the East Midlands where ‘East Midland Motor Services’ (EMMS) were based in Chesterfield. The buses seen here are from the local ‘Stagecoach’ fleet of whom ’EMMS’ became part.

 

FY02 VCJ

 

A Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork in the earliest livery EMMS that I can remember. Seen leaving Mansfield Bus Station.

 

After this there was a desperately dull unrelieved dark red. There was a period of green which when used with white in NBC days was very attractive.

 

YN05 XNZ

 

Another Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork in the much brighter red and white colours seen at the ‘Transpire’ bus rally held at the Peak Rail facility at Rowsley in Derbyshire during 2013.

 

The same bus reappeared in 2014 in ‘Chesterfield Corporation Transport’ colours to celebrate 100 years of motor bus operation in the town.

A move to the Southwest sees ‘First Devon & Cornwall’s

 

W716 RHT

 

A Dennis Trident with East Lancs ‘Loline’ bodywork wearing the livery of the former ‘Western National’ company working in Plymouth.