IB TRIDENT 24 IN SERVICE

Photo from Stuart Ray https://www.flickr.com/photos/86020500@N06/

Today saw another Ex Lothian Buses Dennis Trident 24 SN51 AXO enter service on the X5 to Ipswich Hospital which myself just managed to see leaving town just before ten to four leaving town, this now leaves just 23 to enter service, something i didn't add yesterday was the new style numbers in white on the front and the Ipswich Buses telephone number added to the top offside corner.

Above we see another classic view this time of Eastern Counties RL 735 AAH 735J which was painted into this advertisement to send your parcels by bus just over a year from new in 1972 and from then on in was sent just about everywhere within Eastern Counties and survived the massive cull of the type in late 1982 ending it's day's with Cambus after the split of the Cambridge/Peterborough operations in 1984, seen here in Peterborough in 1983.

IB TRIDENT 25 IN SERVICE

Seen today after completing one trip back and forth on the 4 to Bixley this morning was freshly repainted Ipswich Buses Dennis Trident 25 SN51 AXP, 25 entered service on Friday on the 6/A. Other wanderings today included DAF Lowlander 59 PJ53 OLB on the X3, whilst X3 branded Dennis Dart/ALX 200 142 Y292 FJN was on the 12, and 138 was on the X1 so much for dedicated buses being on the right routes.

EX EASTERN COUNTIES OPEN TOP BRISTOL LODEKKA GETS A NEW HOME

After serving Quantock for many years ex Eastern Counties Ipswich/Felistowe allocated Open topper Bristol Lodekka OT 2 VDV 753 has acquired a new owner in the Bristol Vintage Bus Group. Seen here at Felixstowe Ferry.

ITM EVENTS FOR OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

Just time to today to plug two events that the Ipswich Transport Museum are hosting over the next two months to brighten up your Autumn months! Firstly on Saturday October 3rd there's the Classic Vehicles day an event with  classic cars and light commercials as well as some visiting buses including Dave Hale's excellent Eastern Counties Bristol RELH RLE 747 GCL 349N which would have spent some time in this area. Above we see ICT AEC Regent III 24 EPV 24 at Electric House on the 4 to Kingsway, photo by Stuart Ray which should be attending the museums 50 years event on Sunday November 15th both events will be open from 11AM-4PM, with Chris Speed's and Danny Beales Great Yarmouth AEC Swift 85 WEX 685M will also be attending, an AEC Swift head of with Ipswich's 82 JRT 82K should make an interesting comparison.

TWO FURTHER EX IPSWICH VOLVO B7RLES RECEIVE NEW COLOURS/HISTORIC PHOTO SPECIAL

EX Ipswich Volvo B7RLE 66980 KX05 MHJ has now received Turquoise line colours, photo by Dan High via Kieran's Norwich Bus Blog. Whilst below we see 66978 KX05 MHE on Purple Line 37 to Mulbarton, again thanks Kieran.

A REAL PIECE OF HISTORY

Now today's photo is a real piece of history as we travel back to before the formation of Eastern Counties with this picture likely to be taken around the late 1920's of a Reo Sprinter which passed to them from Bowyer and Topper from Ely in 1928 when a year old and withdrawn pretty much after takeover by the newly formed ECOC in 1931/2 as R65.

RECALLING THE PARK AND RIDE CHANGEOVER IN 2013

Raiding the archive today and looking back only two years on this one, here we see First Ipswich Volvo B7RLE 69424 AU85 FFL on Park and Ride duties shortly before it's repaint into the Olympia livery although it was repainted and refurbished into it's current livery the following year and below sister 69432 AU58 FFV now of course with First Essex freshly repainted in December 2013.

And a bonus photo to finish with recalling Lowestoft during the 1970's we see Eastern Counties FLF 475 KPW 475D in Lowestoft Town Centre heading for Oulton Village on the 687.

EASTERN COUNTIES TILLINGS LIVERY COMPARISION

 Due to what i can only call incompetence on my part i have lost all of today's camera photos when i left my camera gain some water ingress hopefully i have fixed the problem, so today i have an comparison for you with many thanks to Chris Munden for letting me use this, First West Yorkshire have repainted 37575 YJ58 RTX into the West Yorkshire Tillings livery, however if you compare it to Eastern Counties Bristol K LK 133 HPW 133 it's not quite the same! Anyway i can bring you photos so i will have to put it down in words, today's surprise was IB Open Topper Leyland Atlantean 9 MRT 9P complete with Leon Wells on the X3, Dart 86 was on the 15A instead of the 4 and a Decker which i didn't identify was on the X1. Deckers which i have spotted in use on the 4 this week include 68 yesterday afternoon, 22 on Monday Morning and again this morning and afternoon and 62 yesterday see picture below.

200,000 VIEW SPECIAL

A special blog tonight which charts some of my favourite pictures some are on here for the very first

time others are not above we see the classic Bristol MW/ECW on Eastern Counties LS 808 808 PW when allocated to Bury St Edmunds Cotton Lane when still in the Cream/Maroon livery and not the awful National Express White livery. Below was my highlight of last year was the allocation for only one Journey of First's Private Hire AEC Routemaster RML 2623 on the 77 complete with appropriate blinds made for the day, this years highlight was actually being able to conduct this very bus on the Norwich Running day back in March, well pushed into it by Chris Speed anyway it was good experience for my duties at the ITM later that year, mentioning Mr Speed his and Danny Beales Great Yarmouth AEC Swift 85 WEX 685M made it's re appearance this year and won best bus at the ETCS bus rally in August, no surprise really, see picture below. At the bottom you will see IBT AEC Regent V 60 SDX 60 back in 1980, no excuse other than it's my favourite type of bus and what got me into buses, in those days i would hang around town until one would pop up on the 4 to Broke Hall that or one of the ex Leeds Atlanteans, little did i realise all those years later i would conduct 63 ADX 63B for the ITM, boyhood dream achieved. Finally my favourite Single Decker Bus i know some people say they were cold and draughty at times and they rattled as well, but for someone who was brought up on the Bristol RE's there's nothing like waking up in the morning and hearing that distinctive Bristol engine, so below being aired for the first time is Eastern Counties Bristol RE RL738 AAH 738J on the forecourt of Felixstowe Bus Station in July 1981. The following i would like to thank for all there help over the last 3 plus years, Chris Speed of First, the bloggers Steve W, Kieran, Sam, Cameron, Grahame, from the bus companies Jeremy Cooper at Ipswich Buses, Viv Carter at Carters Coaches and all my loyal supporters of course.