‘Scene’ Trains in Doncaster on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

As a lad, I spent many happy hours at ‘Donny’ trainspotting so it brings back many memories of A4’s, V2’s and the rest. 

 

Class 91 ‘Virgin East Coast’ No. 91107. ‘Skyfall’. Electric locomotive built at ‘BREL’, Crewe

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

 

This is the only time I have seen a 91 hauling a train ‘blunt’ end first. Presumably there was something amiss with either the back of the loco (which is normally at the rear travelling Southward) or with the front of the Driving Trailer which is directly behing the loco.

 

 

 

Class 70 ‘Colas Rail’ No. 70814. Diesel Electric locomotive built by ‘General Electric’ in the USA

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

 

 

 

Class 68 ‘Direct Rail Services’ No. 68003. Diesel Electric locomotive built by ‘Stadler Rail’ (previously Vossloh) in Spain

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

 

 

 

Class 66 ‘GBRF’ No. 66731 ‘Interhub GB’. Diesel Electric locomotive built by ‘EMD’ (part of General Motors) in the USA

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

 

 

 

Class 66 ‘Freightliner’ No 66519. Diesel Electric locomotive built by ‘EMD’ (part of General Motors) in the USA

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

 

 

 

Class 66 ‘Direct Rail Services’ No. 66429. Diesel Electric locomotive built by ‘EMD’ (part of General Motors) in the USA

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

 

‘Scene’ in Leeds, ‘First’ & ‘Stagecoach’ Deckers on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

BD12 TDV ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 36274 ‘Leeds’. Volvo B9TL / Wright Eclipse Gemini

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

 

New to ‘First Games Transport’ which was the unit specially set up by ’First’ to provide transport for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

 

 

 

SN14 TVK ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 33880 ‘Leeds Pulse’. Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) E40D / ‘ADL’ Enviro 400

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

 

 

 

SL16 RFZ ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 35214 ‘Leeds Pulse’. Wright Streetdeck

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

 

 

SL16 PZZ ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 35202 ‘Leeds’. Wright Streetdeck

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

 

 

KP51 WBJ ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 32079 ‘Bradford’. Volvo B7TL / Alexander ALX 400

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

 

New to ‘First Leicester’. It has also worked for ‘First Potteries’.

 

 

YX66 WKJ ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 33486, ‘X84 Wharfedale Connection’. ‘ADL’ E40D / ‘ADL’ Enviro 400MMC

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

 

 

 

SL16 YOW ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 35235, ‘X6 Leeds/Bradford’.  Wright Streetdeck

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

 

 

YJ58 RTV ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 37674, traditional ‘Yorkshire Rider Leeds’ livery. Volvo B9TL / Wright Eclipse Gemini

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

 

Named Brian Parkin.

 

 

 

YJ58 RTX ‘First West Yorkshire’ No. 37675, traditional ‘West Yorkshire’ livery. Volvo B9TL / Wright Eclipse Gemini

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

 

 

 

SN66 VWL ‘Stagecoach East Midlands’ No. 10743 ‘simplibus’. ‘ADL’ E40D / ‘ADL’ Enviro 400MMC

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

 

The only ‘Stagecoach’ bus I saw all day operating service X62 from Hull which travels for part of the way along the M62.

 

 

‘Scene’ at Plaxton’s Scarborough Works on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

I was on an organised visit to Plaxton’s during which we were given permission to take photographs. 

 

We were asked not to immediately publish any photo’s we took on the day because it might offend Plaxton’s customers seeing their buses on the internet before they had taken delivery.

 

That seemed very fair to me. So now seeing that several months have passed since that visit I think I can safely publish my photo’s without offending anyone.

 

For an earlier blog covering the building of the ‘ADL’ E20D / ADL Enviro200MMC see blog published on 03/06/2018.

 

YX18 LHL ‘Stagecoach Fife’ No. 54501. Volvo B8RLE / Plaxton Panther LE

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

 

At this stage, the bus was devoid of any branding.

 

 

 

WK18 CHC ‘First South West’ No. 3316 ‘Kernow’. Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) E40D  / ‘ADL’ Enviro 400MMC

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

 

 

WK18 CGZ ‘First South West’ No. 3317 ‘Kernow’. Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) E40D  / ‘ADL’ Enviro 400MMC

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

 

 

 

PU18 HAM ‘Pulham’s Travel’ (Bourton-on-the-Water). Volvo B11R / Plaxton Panther

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

 

 

HF18 CKA ‘Go-South Coast’ No. 256 ‘More’. Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) E20D  / ‘ADL’ Enviro 200MMC

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

 

 

YX18 KOH ‘Beestons’Hadleigh, Essex. Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) E40D  / ‘ADL’ Enviro 400MMC

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

 

 

KSK 952 ‘Park’, Hamilton ‘Glenton Holidays’. Volvo B11R / Plaxton Elite

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

 

SN18 CVX ‘Lothian Coaches’ No. 905. Volvo B11RT / Plaxton Panther

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

 

‘Scene’ at Showbus 2017. ‘Plaxton 3’ on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

The history of the British bus industry is littered with companies that like shooting stars shone for a while and then fell to Earth.

 

Fortunately ‘Plaxton’ is not one of them.

 

Now part of the ‘Alexander Dennis Ltd.’ group and turning out current standards like the 

E20D / Enviro 200MMC alongside its own branded coach production.

 

There is however a long history of ‘Plaxton’ production, a little of which is seen here. 

 

There will be a small number of blogs about ‘Plaxton’ bodied vehicles seen at ‘Showbus 2017’.

 

For ‘Plaxton 1’ see blog dated 18/06/2018, ‘Plaxton 2’ see blog dated 05/07/2018.

 

LHE 601W ‘Johnson Bros. (Tours)’, Worksop, Notts. Volvo B58-56 / Plaxton Supreme IV

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

 

 

CBM 13X ‘Premier-Albanian’. Leyland Tiger  / Plaxton Supreme VI

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

 

 

 

UVT 14X ‘Stevensons’ No. 14. Leyland Tiger / Plaxton Supreme

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

 

New as XBF 423X to ‘Bassett’, Tittensor (Staffs).

 

 

C262 GUH ‘National Welsh’ No. XC 262, ‘National Express Rapide’ livery. Leyland Tiger / Plaxton Paramount 

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

 

 

SAC 500 ‘Thorne’s. Volvo B10M-62 / Plaxton Premiere 350

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

 

New as N200 VHO in 1996 to ‘Thornes’.

 

 

R726 TYC ‘Fowlers’, Holbeach Drove, Spalding, Volvo B10M-62 / Plaxton Premiere

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

 

 

X185 CTG ‘Select’ No. 101. Dennis Dart SLF / Plaxton MPD

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

 

New to ‘Cardiff Bus’ as its No. 185.

 

 

 

LK03 GMF ‘MP Travel’ No. 484, Warrington. Volvo B7TL / Plaxton Pesident

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

 

Formerly ‘Metroline’, London as its VP 484.

 

 

 

XX11 PSW ‘Paul S. Winson’, Loughborough. Volvo B9R / Plaxton Elite 

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

 

 

 

YX66 WNP ‘Stagecoach Midlands’ No. 54283. Volvo B11RT / Plaxton Elite i

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

 

 

 

YX17 OGT ‘Fowlers’, Holbeach Drove, Spalding. Volvo B8R / Plaxton Leopard

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

 

 

 

YX17 OGZ ‘Plaxton’, Demonstrator. Volvo B8R / Plaxton Panther

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

 

 

 

 

 

‘Scene’ in Nottingham today, 10/09/2018 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

‘Nottingham City Transport’ have come up with anniversary liveries before (see blog posted 27th, April 2018) and they continue to do so with this one celebrating 140 years of service. 

 

Cleverly depicting different transport modes and the variety of liveries worn in that time.

 

YP63 WFC ‘Nottingham City Transport, No. 603 ‘Proudly serving Nottingham since 1878’. Scania N230UD / Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 400 /1

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

 

 

YP63 WFC ‘Nottingham City Transport, No. 603 ‘Proudly serving Nottingham since 1878’. Scania N230UD / Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 400 /2

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

 

 

YP63 WFC ‘Nottingham City Transport, No. 603 ‘Proudly serving Nottingham since 1878’. Scania N230UD / Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 400 /3

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

 

 

 

YP63 WFC ‘Nottingham City Transport, No. 603 ‘Proudly serving Nottingham since 1878’. Scania N230UD / Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 400 /4

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

 

YP17 UGD ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 412 ‘Red Line 44’. Scania N280UD / Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 400CBG City

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

 

A slight livery change in that the bus has gained ‘eyebrows’ over the headlights.

 

 

YR10 BDX ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 995 ‘Lime Line 56, 57,59’. Scania N230UD / Optare

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

 

The older buses in the fleet are being repainted into the style carried by the gas powered Scanias.

 

 

 

FG52 WFT ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 508 ‘Driver Training’. Scania CN84UB Omnicity

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

 

 

 

 

 

‘Scene at Showbus 2017. ‘Potteries’ on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

In the days prior to the Nationalisation of buses of England and Wales in 1969 much of the bus industry was comprised of two major groups.

 

One was the ‘Transport Holding Company’ (THC) which was already government owned and the other was the ‘British Electric Traction Federation’ (BET) which was privately owned.

 

One of the constituent companies that made up ‘BET’ was ‘Potteries Motor Traction’ or as it was better known ‘PMT’ which today is part of ‘First’ group

 

The company operating in an around Stoke-on-Trent and the associated Potteries towns.

 

 

 

NEH 466 ‘Potteries Motor Traction’ No. L 466. Leyland OPD2/1 / Northern Counties Motor Engineers (NCME)

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

 

Unusual in that the chassis dates from 1949 when it carried a single deck Weymann body which was rebodied by ‘NCME’ in 1954.

 

The ‘L’ in the number indicates that the bus is of ‘Lowbridge’ layout.

 

 

 

766 EVT ‘Potteries Motor Traction’ No. L9766. Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 / Weymann

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

 

The ‘L’ in the number indicates that the bus is of ‘Lowbridge’ layout.

 

 

 

KP54 LAO ‘First Potteries’ No 32634. Volvo B7TL / Wright Gemini

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

 

New to ‘First Northampton’.

 

 

 

KX09 MGV ‘First Potteries’ No 32635 ’25’. Volvo B7TL / Wright Gemini

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

 

New to ‘First Northampton’.

 

 

 

YY66 PXP ‘First Potteries’ No 67159. Alexander Dennis Ltd. E20D / Alexander Dennis Ltd. Enviro 200MMC 

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

 

‘Scene’ in Leeds Central Bus Station. ‘First’s low emission Streetdecks on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

‘First’ group recently announced that they were adopting a policy of putting investment into operations where the local authorities were prepared to meet that investment with action of there own to support ‘First’.

 

The City of Leeds must have got something right because ‘First’ have drafted a fleet of 34 new low emission Wright Streetdeck’s into the City.

 

It is interesting that the colour scheme has a high percentage of green in it. Of course it highlights the green credentials of the buses but also harks back to the days when all ‘Leeds City Transport’ buses were painted green.

 

SL67 VXD ‘First Leeds’ No. 35276. Wright Streetdeck /1

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

 

 

 

SL67 VXP ‘First Leeds’ No. 35286. Wright Streetdeck /2

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

 

 

 

SL67 VXN ‘First Leeds’ No. 35284. Wright Streetdeck /3

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

 

 

 

SL67 VXN ‘First Leeds’ No. 35284. Wright Streetdeck /3

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