FIRST IPSWICH E200'S IN SERVICE/END OF THE LINE FOR IB 7/11

Today was the first day of First Ipswich's operation of the 59 and 70 routes and as can be seen the 59 was particularly busy as can be seen by AD Enviro 200 44928 EU08 FHB loading up in Tower Ramparts this morning, while sister bus 45119 RT09 JPT,see belows pictures was on the 70 to Woodbridge both these routes as previously mentioned are under contract to Suffolk County Council.

 

As can be see by the picture above and below Ipswich Buses routes 7/11 will no longer exist from Thursday as they become 15A and 6A respectively, the 7 is particularly a long standing number as it's history goes back all the way to 1928 when trolleybuses first served London Road, while the 11 was created shortly after the second world war in 1947 to serve Sidegate Lane, the number 11A will be still used ableit as an 11A school journey for St Albans School, picture above shows Scania Omnidekka 62 PJ54 YZV on the 7 today whilst below we see recent repaint Dennis Trident 22 LR02 BBJ on the 11.

MORE MUTTERINGS

Sadly now departed to that great scrapyard in the sky, but back in 2004 before cascade down to the Ipswich area Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Pointer 2 43477 R477 CAH is seen in Castle Meadow Norwich.

Further to yesterdays blog i have looked back 11 years to 2004 and compared the scale of First Group's operation to that of 2015, the most important sell off a few years back was the sell of the entire London Operations, by looking back to the First Bus Handbook then you can see how much has been lost.
Glasgow: Cumbernauld and Stevenston, Manchester:Ince, sold to Stagecoach Wigan, Midlands:Sold to Stagecoach,Birkenhead and Chester, Closed Crewe,Newcastle Upon Lyme,Evesham,Hereford,Redditch sold to Rotala and Northampton,Leeds:Cherry Row,South Yorkshire:Halfway, Eastern Counties:Bury St Edmunds, Kings Lynn bus operations only,Essex:Braintree and Harwich,Beeline:Bracknell,Wales:Tycroes,Carmarthen,Llanelli,Maesteg and Pontardawe, Somerset:Yeovil,Bristol:Muller Road,Devon and Cornwall:Barnstaple,Plymouth and St Austell.

SUNDAY MUTTERINGS

Many thanks to Joe at Ipswich depot for sending me this the transfer of Volvo B7RLES 66976/78/80 to Norwich was completed this morning.

Now i don't like to moan very often on here but i think this open to debate, so please have your say if need be, it seems lately that First Group lately seem to be on the slide, throughout the UK, with the closures of Braintree, Bracknell, Plymouth and Hereford depots, most of those depots vehicles upon closure were rather old particularly Plymouth it seems to me that First seem to think that the major towns and cities such as Bristol and Manchester come off better for this years new bus orders, you only have to look at Stagecoach for example upon snapping up the Chester and Newcastle operations immediately invested in new buses which turned them into profit making depots, looking at the regional aspect here in Eastern England, we are rather rural in nature particularly Suffolk and Norfolk, indeed the last new buses excluding the ex Park and Ride B7RLE's was the 2003 batch of deckers for the 66 route, First in Ipswich under previous management particularly gave up many of their traditional routes, one example was the 90 route to Sudbury, which seems to do well with Beestons, Hedingham,Chambers and Stephensons equally as well have turned round previous First Essex routes. Steve W sadly has gone into retirement however yesterdays news on the movements up north in Norfolk was particularly worth reading http://busandtrain.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/first-vehicle-cascades-and-more.html so i won't repeat it here.

First Volvo B6 386 L101 WYS at the ITM back in 2003.

THE BEST AEC DOUBLE DECKER POLL

Copyright Clive Brown https://www.flickr.com/photos/cliveabrown/2828777874/in/photolist-5iYe7j

AEC RML 2610 NML 610E on the 37 to Hounslow.

Now time again for the best decker of the week poll, last weeks winner i can proudly announced with over half the vote drum roll please was the Bristol VR in all shapes and forms with 51%, the Lodekka came second with 29% and the poor Bristol K, last with just 18%. This week i have chosen the AEC as the make of bus, with two types familiar with former municipal operators in the Suffolk/Norfolk/Essex region that of the Regent III and the Regent V, along with the AEC RT and the Routemaster, so get voting.

Copyright Stuart Ray ICT AEC Regent III 22 EPV 22 in 1973 this would be likely be towards the end of it's life above you can see where offices are now in Crown Street are in Ipswich.

Copyright Barry Lewis https://www.flickr.com/photos/16179216@N07/15120898882/in/photolist-p3byr9

London Country AEC RT 4785 OLD 822 on the 441 to Old Windsor.

My vote goes for the AEC Regent V as i grew up just in time to witness the end of them during the late 1980's here we see 46 OPV 46 in 1974 with ICT in Crown Street. Copyright Stuart Ray

GALLOWAY SOLOS AND FIRST IPSWICH UPDATE

Many thanks to my colleague at the museum Owen for allowing me to use this photo, currently these two Optare Solo SR's are on loan until the two that are currently being built are ready in October one i can make out as KX15 BLK the other is also an KX15 as well by the look of things, these are going to be used for the newly won contract the 113/4 to Diss from next Tuesday. A footnote to yesterday's report is that currently ex Ipswich Volvo B7RLE's 66977/82 are at Norwich with 66976/78/80 leaving this weekend. Seen below is a better photo of the two Enviro 200's thanks Joe of the two on their way back to Ipswich with 44928 EU08 FHB leading, below back in May one of the departing Volvo B7RLES 66978 was unusually on the 53 sitting in for one of the regular E200's. In independent news Mulley's of Ixworth sister company of Beestons have two ex Dublin Bus Volvo B7TL/ALX 400 deckers one has been registered LW51 ZDY the other one is still awaiting registration.

RETURNING E200'S TO IPSWICH

Many thanks to my good friend at First Ipswich, Joe Thorpe for the first picture's of the two AD Enviro 200's 44928 EU08 FHB/45119 RT09 JPT, which were awaiting collection from Rotherham Works 44928  was new to Olympus Bus,Harlow and 45118 to JPT, Middleton both are scheduled to be used on the 59/70/A/72 contract's from the 1st September next Tuesday, leaving Ipswich will be 66976/80/82 Volvo B7RLE's to Norwich this is due to the reduction of PVR on the 64 service. 20514 WV02 EUP Ipswich's Volvo B12M private hire coach is also still there work is being done slowly at present.

BEESTONS AUSTIN CXB 1948 READY FOR SHOWBUS

If you are off to Showbus this coming month then you will see this splendid Beestons 1948 Austin CXB with a Plaxtom Body  BCF 802 which since these photos have been taken has been fully restored by Cobus over the last three years, this beauty has not seen the light of day since the 1960's, and currently is the only example of this coach with a Plaxton body in the UK, the other example is currently on the island of Malta with Cancau. With kind thanks to David Burrows of Beestons for allowing me the chance to feature this one of a kind.