IPSWICH DOUBLE DECKERS FROM THE 1980'S AND 1990'S

Carrying on from Sunday's blog we have now reached the 1980's, but as i have mentioned previously Ipswich bought mainly Single Deckers right through this period and into the 1990's and haven't bought Double Deckers in large numbers since the 1970's, in 1984 Ipswich Borough Transport went an tried 2 different Double Deckers in the Dennis Dominator and the Leyland Olympian, both came with an unusual single door arrangement a la Nottingham and both with East Lancs bodies 82 B82 NDX being the Dominator and 45 the Olympian, 45 had a particularly short life span of just 2 years being swapped for 3 ugly Dodge S56 minibuses from Eastbourne, the narrow door didn't catch favour although the Dominator was with 81 F81 ODX arriving in 1988. Strangely by 1995 Ipswich went back to the Olympian by this time manufactured by Volvo in 40-41 M640 EPV/M41/42 EPV in 1995. Another time i will complete the story taking as up to today from the Ex London and Trent Olympians in 1998 to the Scania/Optare's in 2011 and Ex Lothian Tridents in 2015.

Archive photos from the Jim Long Collection.