66950 RETURNS AND OTHER NEWS

66950 seen today on the 53 at Tower Ramparts with Paulo Vank at the helm.

As can be seen above 66950 WX55 TZM entered service yesterday on the Felixstowes quickly followed by work on the 53 to Pinewood town service, also due today should be Enviro 200 44518 YX09 ACZ from Rotherham while Volvo B7RLE 69007 AU05 DMO has departed for refurbishment to Rotherham on Tuesday. Steve W's blog reports on the changes due to the Ipswich fleet in the coming months and i can firm this up thanks to Paulo at First that departing will be Volvo B7RLE'S 69431/32/33 AU58 FFT/V/W to Essex with either more of the 66976 05 plate batch from Colchester in exchange or the 66794-66837 05 plates from Chelmsford. Also worth reporting is the fact on 17th  August First Eastern Counties Routemaster 39480 JJD 480D will operate one journey from Ipswich at 10.25 and return from Felixstowe at 11.31, more on Steve's chat can be found here http://www.busandtrain.blogspot.co.uk/

Two further close up views of 32479 firstly an onside view and at the bottom a rear and offside view

DIFFERENT VIEWS OF 32479

32479 offside view at Martlesham Heath Terminus photo copyright Russell Young

32479 onside view this time in Halifax. Photo Copyright James Long

Just a quick photo blog today with two contrasting pictures of 32479 one in Martlesham and one in Halifax. 

32479 HOME AT LAST AND STRAIGHT INTO SERVICE

Photo copyright James Long

32479 AU53 HJV Ipswich's first Volvo B7TL/ALX 400 arrived home last evening and this morning went straight into service on the 66's to Martlesham.

44519 INTO SERVICE

Photo copyright James Long

Another quick blog again today sees the above First Ipswich Enviro 200 44519 YX09 ADO finally entered service a week after it's arrival back this afternoon on the 53, 32479 in it's post Deregulation livery should be back this afternoon at Ipswich depot and will be checked over prior to re entering service. Meanwhile AEC Routemaster 39480 JJD 480D and not 39623 has been chosen to come to Ipswich for a few summer Sundays to operate the Felixstowe's against Ipswich Buses 33 service.

IB East Lancs Dart 88 PJ53 OLK also now repainted into the new livery was unusually earning it's keep on the 10 to Castle Hill and Whitton, usually this is double deck operated but due to current traffic problems in the Norwich Road area it was added to the route.

66959 ARRIVES AT IPSWICH

66959 WX55 TZM a Volvo B7RLE/Wrightbus Eclipse seen here today at Foxglove Close on it's way towards Felixstowe on the 75 this morning. Thanks again to James Long for whom it remains his copyright.

Just a quick blog tonight to say that 66959 WX55 TZM one of the 3 remaining Volvo B7RLE'S at Norwich has arrived at Ipswich and was put straight into service on the Felixstowe's this morning, unfortunately the last Enviro 200 at Clacton 44516 which was supposedly due here at the weekend never arrived, while sister 44519 has still not re entered service.

Volvo B10BLE 62143 seen here resting at Tower Ramparts on Saturday whilst on the 60/61s

FIRST IPSWICH CHANGES FOR AUGUST

69432 AU58 FFV a Volvo BRLE yesterday on 60/61s to Gainsborough/Greenwich.

Not to much to report, fleet wise today apart from saying that Enviro 200 44519 hasn't returned to service yet as it was still in the depot yesterday. In other news First have announced there changes for August 31st the main plus being the takeover of the 192/H from Ipswich Buses, for which i would imagine the Trident used on this service will join the main fleet it will be renumbered to X66/H66 and will extend to the Old Cattle Market, the 66's extension to Halifax will be cut back to it's original terminus at the Railway Station. Other changes include less pm journeys on the 55 to Bixley and minor timetable adjustments to the 64/A/65 to Aldeburgh/Saxmundham, 67 Martlesham and the withdrawal of the 89 from Claydon at 0846.

While Maidenhall Green was closed during the week the Double Deckers had to find other routes including 59 PJ53 OLB an East Lancs Lowlander.

44519 FIRST PICS AND 23314

Taken from Chris Speed's Twitter feed today are two images from the first Enviro 200 44519 to arrive back from Rotherham this evening, first one shows the exterior view and the second the interior view following below is the first shots of 23314 which had arrived from Portsmouth early this week many thanks to James Long and the depot staff for permission to take the photos.

 It is certainly nice to see First Ipswich growing again after years of neglect, with new managers in place and new contracts being won, lets hope it continue. Many thanks for this news goes to Chris Speed at First for the continued updates.