‘Scene’ in Derby part 2 on Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

For part 1 see blog posted June 2nd 2016.

 

‘notts & derby’ (n&d) have recently repainted three Optare Excel 2’s into fleet livery.

They are Y258 DRC (258), Y259 DRC  (259) and Y264 DRC (264).

 

Obligingly, 258 put in an appearance and for a bus in its teens, it looked remarkably well !

 

Y258 DRC ‘notts & derby’ 258 Optare Excel 2 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Y258 DRC ‘notts & derby’ 258 Optare Excel 2 /2 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Y258 DRC ‘notts & derby’ 258 Optare Excel 2 /3 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Y258 DRC ‘notts & derby’ 258 Optare Excel 2 /4 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

I have always been drawn to non revenue earning vehicles, driver trainers for example so I was pleased to see,

 

V601 DBC ‘Arriva Midlands’ 9501 Volvo B10BLE / Alexander ALX 300 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

V601 DBC ‘Arriva Midlands’ 9501 Volvo B10BLE / Alexander ALX 300 /2 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

V601 DBC ‘Arriva Midlands’ 9501 Volvo B10BLE / Alexander ALX 300 /3 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

V601 DBC ‘Arriva Midlands’ 9501 Volvo B10BLE / Alexander ALX 300 /4 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

Finally, as I was waiting for my bus home, this turned up.

 

 

SN10 JJZ ‘Skills Leisure Ltd.’ Volvo B12B / Plaxton Elite on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

One of a number that came to help out when ‘Skills’ took over various ‘National Express’ services from ‘yourbus’ of Heanor.

 

 

‘Scene’, ‘notts & derby’ Scania Double Deckers in Derby on Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

In late 2015 ‘Wellglade’ group subsidiary ‘notts & derby’ bought a batch of Scania N94UD/East Lancs Omnidekkas from ‘Nottingham City Transport’.

 

They must have liked them because they have bought another 4. This time from London operator ‘Metrobus’ (part of the ‘Go-Ahead’ group).

 

The new ones have been substantially refurbished to a very high standard including the replacement of the second door which was specified for operations in London.

 

Although alike in many ways, there are differences. The most obvious to me being the different window spacings on the lower decks.

 

The former ‘Metrobus’ buses are, followed by the n&d number.

 

YN56 FDA 8, YN56 FDU 9 YN56 FDZ 10 and YN06 JYK 11.

 

YN56 FDU ‘notts & derby’ 9 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

YN56 FDU ‘notts & derby’ 9 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka /1 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

YN56 FDU ‘notts & derby’ 9 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka /2 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

YN56 FDU ‘notts & derby’ 9 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka /3 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

The former ‘Nottingham City Transport’ buses with their ’n&d’ numbers are:

 

YN53 CEA 40, YN53 CEF 41, YN53 CEJ 42, YN53 CEK 43, YN53 CEO 44, YN53 CEU 45,

YN53 CEV 46, YN53 CFG 47, YN53 CFK 48 and YN53 CFL 49.

 

YN53 CFG ‘notts & derby’ 47 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

YN53 CFG ‘notts & derby’ 47 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka /1 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

YN53 CEO ‘notts & derby’ 44 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

YN53 CEO ‘notts & derby’ 44 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka /1 on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

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

Optare’s MetroCity is a rare bird, at least in my part of the East Midlands it is. 

 

So when one owned by ‘Marshalls of Sutton on Trent’ turned up on their service from Newark to Nottingham it just had to be recorded.

 

YJ65 ERY ‘Marshalls of Sutton on Trent’ OP102 Optare MetroCity on

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

 

YJ65 ERY ‘Marshalls of Sutton on Trent’ OP102 Optare MetroCity/1 on

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

 

YJ65 ERY ‘Marshalls of Sutton on Trent’ OP102 Optare MetroCity/2 on

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

 

YJ65 ERY ‘Marshalls of Sutton on Trent’ OP102 Optare MetroCity/3 on

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

 

‘Scene’ in Oxford Part 1 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

Oxford is one of those places that I never get tired of. 

 

The place heaves with activity. 

 

The University, The museums, the river and all the people involved in the activity require transport.

 

Sometimes by train but mainly, fortunately, by bus and sometimes coach.

 

A lot of visitors use one of the open top tour buses.

 

PO56 JEJ ‘Tappins of Didcot’ 56 Volvo B7TL / East Lancs on

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

 

V908 FEC ‘Tappins of Didcot’ 908 Dennis Trident 2 / East Lancs on

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

 

HW63 FHC ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 251 ADL E40D / Enviro 400 on

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

 

‘Oxford Bus Company’ being part of the ‘Go-Ahead’ group.

 

One of 4, originally built for ‘Southern Vectis’ but delivered to Oxford because of delays in the delivery of ‘OBC’s own vehicles.

 

The move was eventually made permanent but the buses still retain ‘Southern Vectis’ livery.

 

SL15 ZGH ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 656 Wright StreetDeck on

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

 

HF10 OXF ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 219 Scania 230UD / ADL Enviro 400 on

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

 

M1 OXF ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 363 Volvo B5LH / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 on

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

 

SL15 ZGN ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 660 Wright Streetdeck on

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

 

PK64 OXF ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 610 ADL E400 MMC on

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

 

Wearing the ‘Oxford Brookes University’ livery.

 

OU10 GHJ ‘Stagecoach Oxfordshire’ 12018 Dennis Trident 2 / ADL Enviro 400 Hybrid on

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

 

Wearing the special ‘Electric Hybrid’ livery which is basically a green version of standard fleet livery.

 

OU13 DZD ‘Stagecoach Oxfordshire’ 47831 Optare Solo SR on

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

YJ13 HNZ ‘Thames Travel’ 719 Optare Solo M890 SR on

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

 

‘Thames Travel’ being part of the ‘Go-Ahead’ Group.

 

OU62 BKZ ‘Stagecoach Oxfordshire’ 36764 Dennis Dart / ADL Enviro 200 on

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

‘Scene’ in Oxford’s Gloucester Green Coach Station (OGGCS) on Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

When I am in Oxford, I always find time to have a look at the comings and goings in ‘OGGCS’ .

 

I am never disappointed. The quality of the vehicles on display is breathtaking.

 

‘Stagecoach Oxford’ operate for 24 hours a day as ‘tube’ along the M4 into London.

 

YJ14 LFN ‘Stagecoach Oxford’ 50276 Van Hool TD 927 Astromega. on

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

 

YJ14 LFN ‘Stagecoach Oxford’ 50276 Van Hool TD 927 Astromega. on

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

 

 

Express services that run East to West in this country are a touch unusual. The X5 however does so to link Oxford with Cambridge.

 

A journey of over 80 miles.

 

YX64 WCY ‘Stagecoach East’ 54314 Volvo B11R / Plaxton Elite 14m. on

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

 

YX64 WCL ‘Stagecoach East’ 54314 Volvo B11R / Plaxton Elite 14m. on

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

 

X90 LON ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 71 Volvo B11R / Plaxton Elite i. on

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

 

The ‘Oxford Bus Company’ being a subsidiary of the ‘Go-Ahead’ group.

 

One of seven carrying this branding.

 

LF61 OXF ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 44 Scania 3A265 BSY / Plaxton Panther. on

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

 

Seen in Subsidiary ‘Oxford Brookes University Airline 190’ branding.

 

UK63 OXF ‘Oxford Bus Company’ 64 Volvo B11RT / Plaxton Elite i. on

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

 

 

 

FJ60 KVP ‘National Express’ Volvo B9R / Caetano Levante. on

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

HSK 652 ‘National Express’ Volvo B9R / Plaxton Elite. on

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

 

Although branded for ‘National Express’ work the vehicle is part of the ‘Parks of Hamilton’ fleet.

 

 

After all that has gone before, the appearance of buses might seem a bit of a let down but no, they were quality as well.

 

 

OU62 CHO ‘Stagecoach Oxfordshire’ 15832 Scania N230UD / ADLtd. Enviro 400. on

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

 

 

Branded as ‘Stagecoach Gold’ and working on service S3 which runs via Woodstock to Chipping Norton.

LY02 OBK ‘Tom Tappin’ Dennis Trident / Alexander ALX 400. on

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

 

 

One of several buses working the open top tour circuit.

 

Formerly with ‘Stagecoach East London’ as 17558.

 

 

 

 

‘Scene’ on a Day Out with Dennis to Coalville on Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

This set of images is to illustrate an article written for a magazine called ‘All Things Local’.

 

This community magazine is produced and distributed from a base in Kilburn, Derbyshire and covers large areas of the towns of Ripley and Belper.

 

IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING FROM BELPER, 

 

Your first bus of the day will be ‘trentbarton’s (tb) ’the sixes’ from Belper to Derby.

 

A Swedish built Scania chassis carrying a Wright built body produced in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

 

FJ55 BZP ‘trentbarton’ 688 Scania L94UB / Wright Solar Urban on 

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING FROM RIPLEY

 

Your first bus of the day will be ‘trentbarton’s (tb) ‘the comet’ from Ripley to Derby.

 

Another Swedish built chassis but this time a Volvo fitted with bodywork again by Wright’s of Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

 

FJ09 XPK ‘trentbarton’ 750 Volvo B7RLE / Wright Eclipse. on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

From Derby to The East Midlands Airport  at Castle Donnington and again on the return journey from Loughborough to Derby, your bus will be provided by ‘Kinchbus’ of Loughborough on its ‘Skylink’  service who most commonly use German built Mercedes-Benz Citaro’s. 

 

A type that has all the quality that is expected of this iconic brand.

 

BX64 WHU ‘Kinchbus’ 907 Mercedes-Benz Citaro on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

From The East Midlands Airport to Coalville the service is provide by ‘trentbarton’ again using another of the Scania/Wright combination vehicles.

 

FH54 VRX 665 Scania L94UB / Wright Solar Urban on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

If you choose to return to Derby via Loughborough, then your bus from Coalville to Loughborough will be provided by ‘Arriva Midlands’.

 

YJ56 KFK ‘Arriva Midlands’ 4776 VDL SB250LF / Wright Gemini Eclipse on

Dennis Basfords ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

A Dutch built chassis fitted with a body from Wright’s in Northern Ireland again.

 

From Loughborough back to Derby you travel with ‘Kinchbus’ on the ‘Skylink’ service and from Derby home its either ‘the sixes’ to Belper or‘the comet’ to Ripley depending on where you live.

‘Scene’ in Chesterfield today 16/05/2016 on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

A quick trip today produced these two images of coaches that are years apart in age but are both interesting in their own right.

 

AT16 ATN ‘Attain Travel’ Scania / Higer Touring. on

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

TCZ 6124 ‘DW Coaches’ (of Clay Cross) Leyland Tiger TRCL10 / Plaxton Paramount 3500. on

Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk

 

Formerly with ‘Crosville Motor Services’ of Weston super Mare and before that with ‘Quantock Motor Services’ but new to Lothian Buses in 1989 as G68 DFS.