I have received confirmation that the 3 Ipswich B7rle's transferred to Norwich today were 66976, 66978 & 66980, not 66980/3/4 as reported yesterday. My apologies for the inaccuracy, which was contained in an official First document.
And on that note I bid you all farewell. It's been fun but the fun has stopped. I will leave the blog open so you can look at the archives, and who knows I may decide or let myself be persuaded to restart sometime in the future. Thanks for reading, and I hope those TRUE friends I have made through the blog will continue to be friends.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Saturday, 29 August 2015
First Vehicle Cascades And More
This week I decided to ease back on news gathering. I started the blog to reflect my own experiences and opinions, and over the last few months I have been rather sucked in to the blog paparazzi culture. No more, and unless I have first hand news I won't be publishing it. So naturally over the last 24 hours there has been a torrent of news falling into my lap!
We start with First, and I must thank my contact for supplying and clarifying all of the following. It is going to be a busy few weeks with vehicles transfers and cascades happening. It has been widely reported that 3 more B7rle's are transferring fromm Ipswich to Norwich this weekend. 66980/3/4 are the confirmed vehicles concerned, but what hasn't been known until now is that two will be repainted into Purple Line livery, thus completing the Purple Line repaint programme unless the little Darts are repainted of course, and rather surprisingly the third to be repainted into Turquoise Line livery. This will see the withdrawal of 3 of the B7l's of which more as we go on. Of course we are still waiting for 66982 to emerge with her Yellow front!
Two more B7l's will be withdrawn due to PVR requirement reducing, and another two withdrawn being replaced by two President B7tl's transferring from Great Yarmouth, so if my maths is correct that is 7 bum numbing buses off the streets of Norwich in the next 3 weeks. However it doesn't end there.
Over at Yarmouth two of the Olympians are coming off the road this weekend and are to be kept in reserve in usuable condition. The peak Bernard Matthews season is coing, and it is pretty likely the Ollies will be back out in service at some point, probably on the 8's as there are issues with them on Bernies, which is why they haven't been seen much on them recently. Also one of the B9tl Geminis is to transfer to Lowestoft and Jersey Dart 43863 is to join the withdrawn Norwiich B7l's by cascading to Bristol, where I have heard whispers they may move on down to Cornwall, although that is yet to be confirmed. Indeed ALL the Jersey Darts will soon be leaving FEC, although as yet there are no confirmed replacements. No tears shed there!
Coming to Norwich in October/Novemeber are 11 full length Streetliites. Of those 7 are to be painted into Green Line livery, with the other 4 painted in generic Urban livery. This will obviously see the end of more B7l's. There are also two more Geminis on the way, an 03 reg and an 08 reg from Green Line in Southampton, so not the ones originally expected. Their use has yet to be determined.
Finally from First confirmation that the last ever Olympian built 34110 has been saved and should be collected in the next couple of weeks for preservation. Can't say how pleased I am about that and I'll give more details when I have them. Parts have been donated from the other withdrawn Ollies at GY and they are all to be collected for scrap in the near future.
Moving onto Anglian and I received news yesterday that long serving Optare Excel 229 is to be withdrawn by Tuesday at the latest. This is because all 5 Versas have now transferred back from Konect, the last one arriving yesterday. Also from Anglian I can report that of the Streetlites recently taken out of service (there were only ever 4 of them) only MX60 BWJ has been painted white, with MX60 BWH currently being painted. Thanks, as always to my contact at Anglian for the updates. I'm hoping for more news re the Streetlites next week.
As reported on Ipswich Bus Blog Galloways have taken two 15 reg Optare Solo SR's on loan until their own new ones are delivered. KX15 GLN has been given fleet number 352, and KX15 GLK 353. Also from Galloways the on loan Stephensons Olympian has had all Stephensons logos removed but will retain the basic livery. Also on order for next year are two Van Hool TX16 coaches to replace the 11 reg Van Hool's 296 and 297. My grateful thanks to David Green for his continued and regular updates.
We start with First, and I must thank my contact for supplying and clarifying all of the following. It is going to be a busy few weeks with vehicles transfers and cascades happening. It has been widely reported that 3 more B7rle's are transferring fromm Ipswich to Norwich this weekend. 66980/3/4 are the confirmed vehicles concerned, but what hasn't been known until now is that two will be repainted into Purple Line livery, thus completing the Purple Line repaint programme unless the little Darts are repainted of course, and rather surprisingly the third to be repainted into Turquoise Line livery. This will see the withdrawal of 3 of the B7l's of which more as we go on. Of course we are still waiting for 66982 to emerge with her Yellow front!
Two more B7l's will be withdrawn due to PVR requirement reducing, and another two withdrawn being replaced by two President B7tl's transferring from Great Yarmouth, so if my maths is correct that is 7 bum numbing buses off the streets of Norwich in the next 3 weeks. However it doesn't end there.
Over at Yarmouth two of the Olympians are coming off the road this weekend and are to be kept in reserve in usuable condition. The peak Bernard Matthews season is coing, and it is pretty likely the Ollies will be back out in service at some point, probably on the 8's as there are issues with them on Bernies, which is why they haven't been seen much on them recently. Also one of the B9tl Geminis is to transfer to Lowestoft and Jersey Dart 43863 is to join the withdrawn Norwiich B7l's by cascading to Bristol, where I have heard whispers they may move on down to Cornwall, although that is yet to be confirmed. Indeed ALL the Jersey Darts will soon be leaving FEC, although as yet there are no confirmed replacements. No tears shed there!
Coming to Norwich in October/Novemeber are 11 full length Streetliites. Of those 7 are to be painted into Green Line livery, with the other 4 painted in generic Urban livery. This will obviously see the end of more B7l's. There are also two more Geminis on the way, an 03 reg and an 08 reg from Green Line in Southampton, so not the ones originally expected. Their use has yet to be determined.
Finally from First confirmation that the last ever Olympian built 34110 has been saved and should be collected in the next couple of weeks for preservation. Can't say how pleased I am about that and I'll give more details when I have them. Parts have been donated from the other withdrawn Ollies at GY and they are all to be collected for scrap in the near future.
Moving onto Anglian and I received news yesterday that long serving Optare Excel 229 is to be withdrawn by Tuesday at the latest. This is because all 5 Versas have now transferred back from Konect, the last one arriving yesterday. Also from Anglian I can report that of the Streetlites recently taken out of service (there were only ever 4 of them) only MX60 BWJ has been painted white, with MX60 BWH currently being painted. Thanks, as always to my contact at Anglian for the updates. I'm hoping for more news re the Streetlites next week.
As reported on Ipswich Bus Blog Galloways have taken two 15 reg Optare Solo SR's on loan until their own new ones are delivered. KX15 GLN has been given fleet number 352, and KX15 GLK 353. Also from Galloways the on loan Stephensons Olympian has had all Stephensons logos removed but will retain the basic livery. Also on order for next year are two Van Hool TX16 coaches to replace the 11 reg Van Hool's 296 and 297. My grateful thanks to David Green for his continued and regular updates.
Why Are Cuts Always The First Resort?
As regular readers will know my nearest First bus route is the 64, which runs between Ipswich and Aldeburgh via Woodbridge, Saxmundham and Leiston. For 5 years while I lived in Wickham Market it was my main route. I still use it regularly to get to and from Ipwich, and particularly Wickham Market, as I still have many friends there, in particular an elderly lady who I became close friends with when we were both nursing an old friend of mine in his last days. I try to visit her at least once a week if I can. That is now going to prove extremely difficult as yet again First are cutting the service between Leiston and Melton, this time by 38%, reducing the service from 13 buses a day to 8.
Now to put this into perspective I moved to Wickham Market October 2008. I'm grateful to Clive Nixon who has found copies of the relevant timetables in Ipswich Transport Museum to help me confirm my memories of the bus service at that time - remember less than 7 years ago. It's not a long time, however a lot has happened to the bus service in that time, and none of it positive.
One of the main boxes that was ticked when I decided to make Wickham Masrket my new home was the bus service. Not only was there an hourly service on the 64 between Ipswich and Aldeburgh but there was also an hourly service on the 63 between Ipswich and Framlingham (normally operated by lovely old Ollies) giving Wickham Market two buses an hour. Evenings and Sunday there was a two hourly service, and a last service of 2305 from Ipswich 7 days a week. I was on that late bus at least twice a week, including Sundays, as I was playing pool for an Ipswich pub at the time. It was a great service, my only gripe being the return fare to Woodbrdge was the same as a return to Ipswich, which I couldn't then, and still can't work out. In short on a weekday there were 25 buses each way between Ipswich and Wickham Market - I could even get to hospital in West Sussex and back without having to trouble friends for lifts.
Then things started going pear shaped. First of all the 63 was reduced to two hourly, which had the effect of pushng Framlingham passengers onto the cross country 118/119. So you didn't get the same number of passengers on half the buses. You got emptier buses so the inevitible happened and the Framlingham service was scrapped completely bar one school journey a day. Suffolk County Council stepped in providing a 3 times a day Mon - Fri minibus service between Framlingham and Woodbridge which most people still don't realise exists.
Then the austerity cuts were announced. The very first bus service to go was the evening and Sunday service to Wickham Market and Rendlesham. At a stroke the last bus was brought forward 5 hours on weekdays and my pool career summarily curtailed. All of a sudden what had been 25 buses a day was 13. Last year a Sunday service was restored between Ipswich and Melton - WHY MELTON??? Melton has a station - neither Wickham Market or Rendlesham do! Well Wickham Market has one in name but it is 3 miles away from the village down an unlit road with no pavements. So the communities who needed the bus most lost the most, and come Tuesday they will lose even more. In late 2011 Anglian started a service between Saxmundham and Ipswich, which was quicker and really gaining in popularity when Go-ahead took over and their first act was to axe the Ipswich services. The 164 disappeared after 6 months as quickly as it appeared.
Now before I continue it must be noted that First are cutting services and closing depots countrywide. Plymouth, Hereford, and Braintree depots are closing for example, and many services elsewhere are suffering cuts. I have spoken to local management and they are just following orders - this is coming from Head Office who obviously know everything about local needs and services. I have been holding this under my hat for a long time now, but I interviewed David Squire before he left as Managing Director of First Eastern Counties, and he gave an extremely strong hint that he was joining Rotala as he would rather be with a company looking to expand as opposed to a company looking to make cuts. I doubt he will be the only one within First to do that. So I am not having a go at local management here. The managers I have spoken to recently share my views and it would appear they are having to operate with one arm tied behind their backs.
So back to the 64. If you live in Leiston you will actually have a better service to Ipswich than you did in 2008 thanks to the re-routing of the 65, although if you shop in Saxmundham you'll only have one bus every two hours so I urge you to use the 521 as much as possible - it is reliable, an alternative and yes only every three hours but you may find the length of time in Saxmundham is better than the hour and 50 mins you'll have to wait for a 64 back. However Leiston is the exception. If you live in Aldeburgh, Knodishall, Snape, Tunstall, Rendlesham, Eye, Saxmundham, Stratford St Andrew, Glenham, Wickham Market or Ufford then you are down by 38%. How ironic that in 2008 there were 8 buses on a Sunday between Ipswich and Wickham Market - the same number as there will be on a weekday from Tuesday. So why is this happening?
Well First claim that passenger figures are low on the sections of route being cut. They claim people from Saxmundham would rather get the train to Ipswich as it is faster. The train also a lot more expensive, but then of course trains run later than the buses. And on Sundays. Oh yes and they connect with other services. As of Tuesday the 64 will not connect with any of the once or twice a day rural services that it currently does - hence my problems visiting my friend in Wickham Market, although I understand that will be corrected for the next timetable change, indeed I have been asked to supply the connections that need to be restored. There are many - the 64 doesnt even connect with the trains now for passengers from Aldeburgh or Lesiton. Oh they don't connect in Woodbridge either. When I saw the timetable my first reaction was that First were trying to drive as many people off the route as possible so they could eventually axe it. I am assured that isn't the case, but this Summer 5 buses have left Ipswich for Norwich - not the sign of an expanding depot.
So why don't more people get the 64 - incidentally plenty do especially between Leiston and Saxmundham - and what could be done rather than cutting services? This Summer has seen £1 fares on the 99 in Kessingland competing with Anglian, and £1 fares on the 53 in Ipswich competing with Ipswich Buses. In the nearly 9 years I have lived in Suffolk I haven't seen a single fares promotion on the rural routes. Lots of fares rises but no promotions. Why not? These days you have got to give people a reason to get the bus. Had Anglian done a major leaflet drop of the area when they started the 164 offering a free journey to sample the service it would have taken off in a huge way. Instead people just looked at the buses wondering what they were and not wanting to get on them - remember country people and change! So we have the lack of financial incentive despite being cheaper than the trains.
Journey times are also too long. Believe me passengers travelling from Aldeburgh and Leiston etc don't want to go round every housing estate there is in Woodbridge, or pick up every shopping trolley there is between Ipswich Hospital and the town who should be on the 66. Years ago there was a shuttle bus operating around the estates which linked up with the main service at Woodbridge. Restoring this would slash journey times from the furthest part of the route, as would making the route limited stop from Ipswich Hospital, and morning and afternoon express services to cater for workers and students travelling to Ipswich. Give them a reason to drop the train. First are doing it from Felixstowe after all.
The last point I have is one that has always been a mystery to me - and that is why do bus services go to outposts and back, rather than via the outposts to somewhere else. Saxmundham is good for an hour's shopping and that's it. Leiston, well is Leiston, and Aldeburgh just doesn't really attract those travelling by bus. So yes, buses may leave Ipswich full and arrive in Ipswich full, but by time they get to Aldeburgh there's hardly anyone left. So why isn't Saxmundham used as a hub (as suggested by ESTA a couple of years ago) and the 65 extend from Aldeburgh and Leiston with the 64 linking up with it but continuing to Southwold. I know there is demand for an Aldeburgh - Southwold link and it would open Southwold up to a new market of people on the Ipswich side. Extend the 99 to Southwold again and hey presto the Ipswich/Lowestoft service is back! You cannot expect people just to get the bus these days, unless like me they have no choice. But no - it's much easier to cut services as opposed to trying something new and innovative. The only new services First have launched recently (X7 excluded) have been on routes already operated on by competitors. That's not enterprise or progress - it's poaching and copying, and is the perfect argument for re-regulation.
It is interesting to note that First are cutting services in Norwich. But hang on a moment. Sanders are taking over the route in Stalham to replace the 12. Konect are putting on extra 53's to replace the 14, and First have been forced to backtrack and continue a limited nght service on the 25 to the University. But there's more. Stagecaoch have taken over First's routes in Plymouth, and in Braintree it has been announced that not only are Stephenson's going to take over some of the routes abandoned by First Essex they are also going to open a depot there and are appealing for First drivers at Braintree to join them. If these routes were so unprofitabe, or lacked any potential would these companies be taking over so readily?
However salvation for passengers on the 64/65 corridor looks bleak. Other operators are refusing to consider the route. Suffolk County Council have ruled out any sponsoring of the route - hardly surprising really as public transport is so low on their list of priorities as to be negligible. No point keeping day centres open, Smurf, if there's no public transport to get there in the first place. I was informed today even Suffolk Links, my lifeline, has been told to make cuts. Cuts mean a poorer service, no matter what spin is put on it. The phrase "greater efficiency" is a death knell.
But hey it's not all bad news. Only 8 days to go and car drivers in the Norwich area get 18 brand new buses to take them into the fair City with wifi, idiot proof on board screens telling them they have arrived and USB chargers. Of course you cannot access these services if you don't drive, or know someone who does. WHAT ABOUT ORDINARY BUS PASSENGERS? If the councils gave them as much priority as they do pandering to car drivers (don't bother telling me Norwich P&R is now commercial - I know) then we would have such a decent public transport system that P&R would be unnecesary. Allow the councils to charge £30 a year for concessionary passes and use that money to subsidise loss making services. It could be done if there was enough desire to do it, and less apathy at high levels. When are top management going to start looking for reasons for, rsther than reasons against.
So are First right, or are they letting down their loyal and dependent customers by not trying to save services with innovation before simply cutting them? Shouldn't cutting be the last resort not the First?
Now to put this into perspective I moved to Wickham Market October 2008. I'm grateful to Clive Nixon who has found copies of the relevant timetables in Ipswich Transport Museum to help me confirm my memories of the bus service at that time - remember less than 7 years ago. It's not a long time, however a lot has happened to the bus service in that time, and none of it positive.
One of the main boxes that was ticked when I decided to make Wickham Masrket my new home was the bus service. Not only was there an hourly service on the 64 between Ipswich and Aldeburgh but there was also an hourly service on the 63 between Ipswich and Framlingham (normally operated by lovely old Ollies) giving Wickham Market two buses an hour. Evenings and Sunday there was a two hourly service, and a last service of 2305 from Ipswich 7 days a week. I was on that late bus at least twice a week, including Sundays, as I was playing pool for an Ipswich pub at the time. It was a great service, my only gripe being the return fare to Woodbrdge was the same as a return to Ipswich, which I couldn't then, and still can't work out. In short on a weekday there were 25 buses each way between Ipswich and Wickham Market - I could even get to hospital in West Sussex and back without having to trouble friends for lifts.
Then things started going pear shaped. First of all the 63 was reduced to two hourly, which had the effect of pushng Framlingham passengers onto the cross country 118/119. So you didn't get the same number of passengers on half the buses. You got emptier buses so the inevitible happened and the Framlingham service was scrapped completely bar one school journey a day. Suffolk County Council stepped in providing a 3 times a day Mon - Fri minibus service between Framlingham and Woodbridge which most people still don't realise exists.
Then the austerity cuts were announced. The very first bus service to go was the evening and Sunday service to Wickham Market and Rendlesham. At a stroke the last bus was brought forward 5 hours on weekdays and my pool career summarily curtailed. All of a sudden what had been 25 buses a day was 13. Last year a Sunday service was restored between Ipswich and Melton - WHY MELTON??? Melton has a station - neither Wickham Market or Rendlesham do! Well Wickham Market has one in name but it is 3 miles away from the village down an unlit road with no pavements. So the communities who needed the bus most lost the most, and come Tuesday they will lose even more. In late 2011 Anglian started a service between Saxmundham and Ipswich, which was quicker and really gaining in popularity when Go-ahead took over and their first act was to axe the Ipswich services. The 164 disappeared after 6 months as quickly as it appeared.
Now before I continue it must be noted that First are cutting services and closing depots countrywide. Plymouth, Hereford, and Braintree depots are closing for example, and many services elsewhere are suffering cuts. I have spoken to local management and they are just following orders - this is coming from Head Office who obviously know everything about local needs and services. I have been holding this under my hat for a long time now, but I interviewed David Squire before he left as Managing Director of First Eastern Counties, and he gave an extremely strong hint that he was joining Rotala as he would rather be with a company looking to expand as opposed to a company looking to make cuts. I doubt he will be the only one within First to do that. So I am not having a go at local management here. The managers I have spoken to recently share my views and it would appear they are having to operate with one arm tied behind their backs.
So back to the 64. If you live in Leiston you will actually have a better service to Ipswich than you did in 2008 thanks to the re-routing of the 65, although if you shop in Saxmundham you'll only have one bus every two hours so I urge you to use the 521 as much as possible - it is reliable, an alternative and yes only every three hours but you may find the length of time in Saxmundham is better than the hour and 50 mins you'll have to wait for a 64 back. However Leiston is the exception. If you live in Aldeburgh, Knodishall, Snape, Tunstall, Rendlesham, Eye, Saxmundham, Stratford St Andrew, Glenham, Wickham Market or Ufford then you are down by 38%. How ironic that in 2008 there were 8 buses on a Sunday between Ipswich and Wickham Market - the same number as there will be on a weekday from Tuesday. So why is this happening?
Well First claim that passenger figures are low on the sections of route being cut. They claim people from Saxmundham would rather get the train to Ipswich as it is faster. The train also a lot more expensive, but then of course trains run later than the buses. And on Sundays. Oh yes and they connect with other services. As of Tuesday the 64 will not connect with any of the once or twice a day rural services that it currently does - hence my problems visiting my friend in Wickham Market, although I understand that will be corrected for the next timetable change, indeed I have been asked to supply the connections that need to be restored. There are many - the 64 doesnt even connect with the trains now for passengers from Aldeburgh or Lesiton. Oh they don't connect in Woodbridge either. When I saw the timetable my first reaction was that First were trying to drive as many people off the route as possible so they could eventually axe it. I am assured that isn't the case, but this Summer 5 buses have left Ipswich for Norwich - not the sign of an expanding depot.
So why don't more people get the 64 - incidentally plenty do especially between Leiston and Saxmundham - and what could be done rather than cutting services? This Summer has seen £1 fares on the 99 in Kessingland competing with Anglian, and £1 fares on the 53 in Ipswich competing with Ipswich Buses. In the nearly 9 years I have lived in Suffolk I haven't seen a single fares promotion on the rural routes. Lots of fares rises but no promotions. Why not? These days you have got to give people a reason to get the bus. Had Anglian done a major leaflet drop of the area when they started the 164 offering a free journey to sample the service it would have taken off in a huge way. Instead people just looked at the buses wondering what they were and not wanting to get on them - remember country people and change! So we have the lack of financial incentive despite being cheaper than the trains.
Journey times are also too long. Believe me passengers travelling from Aldeburgh and Leiston etc don't want to go round every housing estate there is in Woodbridge, or pick up every shopping trolley there is between Ipswich Hospital and the town who should be on the 66. Years ago there was a shuttle bus operating around the estates which linked up with the main service at Woodbridge. Restoring this would slash journey times from the furthest part of the route, as would making the route limited stop from Ipswich Hospital, and morning and afternoon express services to cater for workers and students travelling to Ipswich. Give them a reason to drop the train. First are doing it from Felixstowe after all.
The last point I have is one that has always been a mystery to me - and that is why do bus services go to outposts and back, rather than via the outposts to somewhere else. Saxmundham is good for an hour's shopping and that's it. Leiston, well is Leiston, and Aldeburgh just doesn't really attract those travelling by bus. So yes, buses may leave Ipswich full and arrive in Ipswich full, but by time they get to Aldeburgh there's hardly anyone left. So why isn't Saxmundham used as a hub (as suggested by ESTA a couple of years ago) and the 65 extend from Aldeburgh and Leiston with the 64 linking up with it but continuing to Southwold. I know there is demand for an Aldeburgh - Southwold link and it would open Southwold up to a new market of people on the Ipswich side. Extend the 99 to Southwold again and hey presto the Ipswich/Lowestoft service is back! You cannot expect people just to get the bus these days, unless like me they have no choice. But no - it's much easier to cut services as opposed to trying something new and innovative. The only new services First have launched recently (X7 excluded) have been on routes already operated on by competitors. That's not enterprise or progress - it's poaching and copying, and is the perfect argument for re-regulation.
It is interesting to note that First are cutting services in Norwich. But hang on a moment. Sanders are taking over the route in Stalham to replace the 12. Konect are putting on extra 53's to replace the 14, and First have been forced to backtrack and continue a limited nght service on the 25 to the University. But there's more. Stagecaoch have taken over First's routes in Plymouth, and in Braintree it has been announced that not only are Stephenson's going to take over some of the routes abandoned by First Essex they are also going to open a depot there and are appealing for First drivers at Braintree to join them. If these routes were so unprofitabe, or lacked any potential would these companies be taking over so readily?
However salvation for passengers on the 64/65 corridor looks bleak. Other operators are refusing to consider the route. Suffolk County Council have ruled out any sponsoring of the route - hardly surprising really as public transport is so low on their list of priorities as to be negligible. No point keeping day centres open, Smurf, if there's no public transport to get there in the first place. I was informed today even Suffolk Links, my lifeline, has been told to make cuts. Cuts mean a poorer service, no matter what spin is put on it. The phrase "greater efficiency" is a death knell.
But hey it's not all bad news. Only 8 days to go and car drivers in the Norwich area get 18 brand new buses to take them into the fair City with wifi, idiot proof on board screens telling them they have arrived and USB chargers. Of course you cannot access these services if you don't drive, or know someone who does. WHAT ABOUT ORDINARY BUS PASSENGERS? If the councils gave them as much priority as they do pandering to car drivers (don't bother telling me Norwich P&R is now commercial - I know) then we would have such a decent public transport system that P&R would be unnecesary. Allow the councils to charge £30 a year for concessionary passes and use that money to subsidise loss making services. It could be done if there was enough desire to do it, and less apathy at high levels. When are top management going to start looking for reasons for, rsther than reasons against.
So are First right, or are they letting down their loyal and dependent customers by not trying to save services with innovation before simply cutting them? Shouldn't cutting be the last resort not the First?
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Old Buckenham Rally Video
Sometimes video is better than pictures, and courtesy of Tim Miller I can bring you a video of some of the activities on Sunday involving the Great Yarmouth Transport duo 59 and 85, with a couple of cameo appearances from VA479 to appease out Ipswich brethren! Many thanks, Tim, and somehow you have managed to disguise the fact there was a mighty wind blowing!
Monday, 24 August 2015
Old Buckenham - The Alternative View
So who in their right mind would get up early on a Sunday morning, sacrifice the comfy viewing of a Chelsea match, and spend the day in a field in a howling gale talking to a load of old farts about buses. Erm me as it happens.
Yesterday as you'll know unless you've been living in a cave was the 4th Old Buckenham Bus Rally. The predicted washout didn't occur, instead a strong wind persisted all day, but us transport enthusiasts are a hardy lot and a bit of wind is nothing. There was a turnout of around 21 vehicles, including 3 Routemasters, 3 from various First depots, my favourite coach in the region (Fareline's superb Jonckherre bodied B10M), some blue and white thingy and a bus that declared it most certainly wasn't a Routemaster. "I'm not Spartacus"!
But that wasn't my reason for missing the Chelsea match. The whole reason for going to these events is to catch up with friends, annoy enemies just by being there, and take the mickey out of Chris Speed. It's fair to say I concentrated on talk and not taking pictures as I knew there would be ample opportunity to view them elsewhere. So just a couple were taken, all involving my base for the day, the rather superb Yarmouth Transport Swift 85, owned by Chris and Danny who have kept it feeling like a bus and not a museum exhibit.
As others have mentioned these are days to catch up with everyone and like an Oscar acceptance speech I'm going to mention everyone, so Tim, who drove virtually the width of Suffolk to get me there thanks buddy, Chris, Danny, Grahame, Clive, Sam, Cameron, Jamie, Zak, Harry, Colin, Joe, Des, Luke it was a pleasure to see you all and have a good gossip. It was a shame Roy, John and Alex couldn't make it but there's always next year. A special mention must go to Willow, who kept me so engrossed in seriously good conversation I hardly noticed the ride to Attleborough and back on 85! Old farts? Yup, and I'm a fully paid up member!
85, as it happens was voted Best in Show, beating a Border Terrier and a Chihauhua, and a good day was had by all.
However it would seem that fame is getting to 85's head. I am indebted to Zak Nelson for allowing me to use this picture he took whilst on the way back to Yarmouth, which appears to show 85 and 59 holding up the entire Acle Straight while holding an impromptu photo shoot. You can even see the trophy in the windscreen. Bloody celebrities holding up the peasants!
Yesterday as you'll know unless you've been living in a cave was the 4th Old Buckenham Bus Rally. The predicted washout didn't occur, instead a strong wind persisted all day, but us transport enthusiasts are a hardy lot and a bit of wind is nothing. There was a turnout of around 21 vehicles, including 3 Routemasters, 3 from various First depots, my favourite coach in the region (Fareline's superb Jonckherre bodied B10M), some blue and white thingy and a bus that declared it most certainly wasn't a Routemaster. "I'm not Spartacus"!
But that wasn't my reason for missing the Chelsea match. The whole reason for going to these events is to catch up with friends, annoy enemies just by being there, and take the mickey out of Chris Speed. It's fair to say I concentrated on talk and not taking pictures as I knew there would be ample opportunity to view them elsewhere. So just a couple were taken, all involving my base for the day, the rather superb Yarmouth Transport Swift 85, owned by Chris and Danny who have kept it feeling like a bus and not a museum exhibit.
 |
| VA479, 59 and 85 at Old Buckenham yesterday |
85, as it happens was voted Best in Show, beating a Border Terrier and a Chihauhua, and a good day was had by all.
However it would seem that fame is getting to 85's head. I am indebted to Zak Nelson for allowing me to use this picture he took whilst on the way back to Yarmouth, which appears to show 85 and 59 holding up the entire Acle Straight while holding an impromptu photo shoot. You can even see the trophy in the windscreen. Bloody celebrities holding up the peasants!
 |
| The trophy in the wndscreen 85 holds up the Acle Straight basking in her glory! pic (c) Zak Nelson |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)