IB ROUTE DIVERSION

Due to a Burst Water Main on Foxhall Road this has meant buses on route 5/X5/11 have been diverted from Foxhall Rd Bridge via Derby Road, Felixstowe Road and Bixley Road, as seen above by Ipswich Buses AD Enviro 200 80 YX63 ZVV on Bixley Road, this has been in effect from last Thursday until Thursday this week, this has caused no end of difficulties with most buses I have seen running late

Heading the other way down Bixley Road and displaying the wrong blind is IB Dennis Trident 12 LG02 FDC.

MONDAY FLASHBACK

Something i know my good friend over in Norwich Kieran will probably enjoy so as he has done such a wonderful revamp of the blog especially for you a classic shot from my archive of a Leyland National 2 LN 626 UVF 626X in an all over advert for Norwich COOP of cause that's all changed now with all the regions of the COOP under the one name East of England.

MEMORIES OF THE NORTHERN CIRCULAR

Well after James Long prompting, I thought I'd better include the Northern Circular, introduced in July 1981
, this was a clockwise and anti clockwise service which took in the Northern section of Ipswich as well as linking the Eastern area of Ipswich, and Gainsborough to the Railway Station, personally i can't remember too much about the route, apart from one Sunday one I ventured out must of been around 1985, when instead of taking home the 4 to Broke Hall I used the Anti Clockwise 21 to get home on recent purchase Leyland Olympian/East Lancs 45 B45 NDX, now I always did like this bus and was disappointed a few years later when it was sold along with 3 Atlanteans 96-98 for 3 horrid Dodge Minibuses from Eastbourne 211-13 D471-73 UHC.

 Seen here heading around the old Cranes Factory in an area which now has a large retail park is AEC Regent V 65 DPV 65D still in it's original livery was finally repainted in the then current livery the following year, to a young enthusiast the remaining 3 in the IBT fleet 63-65 ADX63/64B, DPV 65D were an exciting prospect as they offered up something of a bygone area, even in Winter I would avoid the staple fare of Atlanteans on the 4 for these magnificent buses, fortunately for me they seemed to spend most of there remaining days on the 2/4/6 routes.

Seen here in 1984 heading down Bixley Road is Atlantean 29 SDX 29R on the Clockwise 20 service this was prior to the route being diverted into Broke Hall the following day, my memory consists of one of the ex Leeds Atlanteans being frequently used in the early morning on a school days only service complete with one of the remaining conductors although it could have been the 43 school service, memory hasn't been too kind on that front. Photo's come from Stuart Ray, who no doubt will pick me up on anything I missed and who's notes have jogged my memory no end.

OUR NEW LOOK...

Welcome to your new look Ipswich Bus Blog!

Kieran from Norwich Buses Blog has been busy rebuilding Ipswich Bus Blog to give it a fresh new look. It's now easier to find our previous posts, see what's popular, check us out on social media and locate the pages you need to find!

The new Ipswich Bus Blog header.

IB TRIDENT 22 ON SHOTLEY ROUTE AND A FURTHER REPAINT FOR BEESTONS

Not the best of images as it was a little bit hurried, Ipswich Buses Dennis Trident/Plaxton President put in a rare shift on the 202 Shotley service today, although with it being the School Holidays anything goes, following this photo is another repaint for Beestons in Scania Omnidekka YN54 OCY on the Sudbury route and finally a new overall rear advert has appeared on the rear of First Ipswich Transbus Volvo B7TL'S 32487/88 for Jonathan Waters Estate Agents.

IPSWICH BUSES 1980'S DEMONSTRATORS:A SMALL TASTE

Today's look back for a Easter weekend, looks at the curious types of demonstrators that Ipswich tried out during the early 1980's again from Stuart Ray's collection we see JGF 321K an ex London DMS repainted by IBT for Maxwell gearbox and is seen coming down Princes Street in October 1983, the bus itself had a very short life span being scrapped a few years later.

Again from Stuart Ray, this shows a very bizarre combination of a Marshall body on a Dennis Dominator single decker from Darlington 14 GHN 814V, this lead to Ipswich buying Falcon's but not Dominator's in 1983.

This unusual beast being the right word to describe this Leyland Articulated bus 2008 FHE 291V came down on loan from South Yorkshire PTE in Sheffield to try out use on the 12/13 routes, while they certainly could shift the crowds it certainly didn't catch on in the halcyon days of the 1980's but just over 20 years later they became a subject like Marmite you either loved them or you loathed them.

MEMORIES OF THE SOUTHERN CIRCULAR

Image Copyright Ipswich Buses

Now who remembers the Southern Circular service run by IBT from 1982 but the finish date now that's where my memory begins to play funny tricks, someone out there will know won't you, from the age of 11 I would spend every Saturday and some school nights on the peak hour extension which took in RSJ Works off Nacton Road and then visiting Hadleigh Road Industrial Estate on the way back into the town now this was enjoyable if you got the right bus particularly any of the Leyland Atlanteans but not 41/43/44, or worse still any of the horrid remaining AEC Swifts although any ride on a Bristol RE I wouldn't mind so much. Starting in 1982 the journey took in most parts of Ipswich starting from outside Electric House taking in Colchester Road, to Ipswich Hospital, Foxhall Road, Felixstowe Road, Nacton Road then Orwell Bridge and Wherstead Road into Town with the 18 being the clockwise route and the 19 the anti clockwise route.

Stuart Ray captures Leyland Atlantean 5 HDX 908N on the Wherstead Road bridge on the anti clockwise 19.

While heading down Heath Road is Leyland Atlantean still in ICT livery after 11 years on the clockwise 18 during 1983.Copyright Stuart Ray

And I always appreciated a ride on the East Lancs Atlantean's this one is 40 RGV 40W heading again down Heath Road towards the Foxhall Road Roundabout, during 1983 copyright Stuart Ray.

LOTHIAN DARTS AND THURSDAY FLASHBACK

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuthbus/14990131789/in/photolist-oQCkW6-degjiX-83pHLt-83pFG4-83sPcY

Due to complete incompetence on my part, my PC and camera combined have decided to wipe everything I have taken pictures off this week, over the weekend I have decided I will have to reboot my entire system so this will be the last one until Monday. In general there is not an awful lot happening at the present time apart from Ipswich Buses two recent arrivals, above we see Transbus Super Pointer Dart 98 SN58 AVP in Edinburgh whilst on the 12 to Seafield during 2012, the following picture is of sister 96 SN53 AVM in May 2012 on the 30 to Musselburgh, both pictures are copyright Steve Cuthill.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuthbus/7295661904/in/photolist-qfsgiH-c7G94y-c7Gb7d-8kotJm-nLqnsU-dkHDmw-85LPLA-bpfdH1-bW7YSJ-aFhi4U-8ndLVn-8BDuka

 THURSDAY FLASHBACK

Two completely contrasting photo's from my ever growing slide and Negative Collection tonight we see OT2 VDV 753 an Bristol LD at Felixstowe Ferry in around 1980, while the second is two Leyland National's in NBC Red but with different applications LN 594 WAH 594S has the new style post 1986 fleet names whilst LN 768 XNG 768S has the older style NBC white fleet names so picture dates it from around 1988, seen here at Lowestoft Bus Station.