MORE EX FEC BUSES ON THERE WAY OUT/THURSDAY FLASHBACK

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marauder43366/5155112903/in/photolist-8RxisX-5avXKf-xQYNZJ

Recent withdrawals in both Plymouth and the Bristol area have seen the final ex Hong Kong Darts which were at Norwich withdrawn from service the last one in use was 42754 S653 SNG above when with Devon & Cornwall in Plymouth, bought back from Hong Kong when New World First Bus changed ownership in 2001/02, they didn't stay long in Norwich being transferred out from 2005 onwards being swapped with some of Devon & Cornwall's P and R reg non Air conditioned buses. Recent buses placed into reserve elsewhere within First see's Scania's 65578 T578 JNG withdrawn in the Potteries at Adderley Green and in Scotland Glasgow have both 65591/93 W591/93 SNG in reserve with 65595 W595 SNG at Scotland East's Bannockburn depot. For Thursday's flashback another recent slide purchase sees Eastern Counties Bristol FLF 457 JPW 457D in a rather attractive all over add, originally allocated from new at Ipswich this transferred to Norwich mid 1970 seen here in the old Norwich Bus Station.

IPSWICH BUSES MERCEDES BENZ CITARO'S ENTER SERVICE WITH A LOCAL CELEB ON BOARD

Photo from Ipswich Buses Twitter feed. Citaro 154 BF65 HFU.

Ipswich Buses Mercedes Benz Citario's 153-55 BF65 HFT/U/V finally entered service today on the 9/10 Whitton/Castle Hill service on one bus local BBC Suffolk presenter Mark Murphy announced the stops as he already does on the Park And Ride and the X3 services, my debut aboard said buses will have to wait until Friday at least. One other thing to mention in today's Ipswich Star is the mention of the lack of toilets again in the Old Cattle Market, as the areas local WI are going on a campaign march next Wednesday, now it's been two years since the Bus Station was refurbished what idiots at SCC decided that at a major interchange you don't have any facilities! Bonus picture today from my archive sees ICT Karrier/Park Royal Trolleybus 112 PV 8869 at Rushmere Heath ready to travel back to Whitton on the 9, photo copyright Geoff Lumb.

MORE MEMORIES FROM 1982

More from 1982 today, mainly due to being stuck inside with a cold i thought i would trawl through Flickr and bring some more photos of the time, 1982 saw Eastern Counties abandon Shotley on Sunday with Ipswich Borough Transport stepping in to replace it, initially the buses were packed with Old Age Pensioners for just 2p, if memory serves me correct this route would renumbered 22-24 within the year and i would enjoy a round trip every Sunday for just 10p, here we see IBT East Lancs Atlantean 40 RGV 40W, photo from the Stuart Ray collection.

Photo Copyright Peter Horrex.
Following that we see Eastern Counties Bristol VR 390 BNG 452J on the 250 at Levington although by the Service blind you wouldn't know.

Another one from Stuart Ray sees IBT Atlantean 14 RDX 14R on Chantry, Robin Drive,still in the Cream/Green livery from 5 years previously by this time buses were beginning to return more to the Green with cream in the centre livery that the East Lancs Atlantean's 36-40 RBJ 36W/RGV 37-40W first appeared with the previous year.

Finally we finish with a picture from Peter Horrex of Eastern Counties Leyland National LN 599 WVF 599S heading back to Ipswich through the pretty scenery of Newbourne on the 241, Eastern Counties of course have long ago abandoned these places, so this makes it even more poignant. 

EASTERN COUNTIES ALLOCATION DECEMBER 1982: THE BRISTOL RE AXE

Both Pictures from my good friend Peter Horrex's collection and whose copyright they are.

The end of 1982 saw the beginning of the end for Eastern Counties and the Bristol RE, the one place that was mostly affected by the cull was Great Yarmouth with 6 being on the list for disposal, what was strange in some respects was by and large it was the younger ones from 1970-72 being chosen for the cull rather than the earlier flat screen versions, one of the Ipswich survivors seen above was RL 667 PPW 667F, the only one withdrawn from Ipswich was RL 728 YPW 728J. The youngest one withdrawn was RL 520 HPW 520L from Cromer at just 10 years old, the end would come four years later with many of the Ipswich allocation finishing there days at Bury St Edmunds the last one to depart being RL 513 EPW 513K in 1986.

Seen here in Claydon in 1980 was another Ipswich survivor RL 507 CNG 507K another one that finished it's days in Bury St Edmunds

EASTERN COUNTIES AFTERLIVES

 Two Eastern Counties after lives today the first one complete with it being a little lopsided is  LKH 74 GVF 74 which was the first of the batch to be withdrawn in 1963 after which it passed to Jordan's of Coltishall purchased in 4/64 it only lasted 5 months so this makes this picture rather rare. Below we see LSC 875 WAH 875 new in 1958 for coach operations and converted to one man bus operation in 1966 it was withdrawn after just 10 years use in 1968 passing to Jordan's at Coltishall, sold to V.C Transport LTD in Leigh on Sea in 4/68, then just under a year later passing to Bickers of Coddenham seen in there yard below finally sold for scrap in 03/77.

FIRST IPSWICH WIN CUSTOMER SERVICE POLL

First Ipswich Volvo B7TL 32655 AU05 MUV seen back in March on the 66 to Martlesham Heath.

Congratulations to the team at First Ipswich who won my first poll of the year, for the best customer service in Ipswich and Suffolk, there nearest rival was Ipswich Buses who polled just 34% of the vote, this presents a healthy picture for First in Ipswich who in there recent past suffered from poor customer service under the previous management team, so well done to all the drivers and management, Chris Speed, Stephen Fountain and Cliff Hussey amongst others, for this change around during the last 18 months or so.

Part of the improvement in Ipswich's performance was the refurbishment last year of all the fleet with E leather seats and Wi Fi as well as a new local identity and the repaint of Volvo B7TL 32479 into an Eastern Counties heritage livery. Here we see Volvo B7RLE 69008 AU05 DME.

Volvo B7TL 32479 AU53 HJV at the press launch last year of the heritage livery at the ITM alongside the museum's Bristol Lodekka LFS 125 GNG 125C.

THURSDAY FLASHBACK

After yesterdays launch of Ipswich Buses Mercedes Benz Citaro's time to step back into the time tunnel and recall two very different pictures the first is very local the second more to the west of the region. First picture illustrates the unique East Lancs Dennis Falcon C106 SDX bought at the same time with the Bristol B21's, the attractive half green and cream evidently was a throwback to the 1970's and in my opinion was an attractive livery and of the various types of Falcon body was probably the most attractive, 106 ended up in Jordans of Coltishall scrapyard, sadly being scrapped for a unique bus a shame. Below we see Eastern Counties Bristol KSW LKH 269 LNG 269 in Cambridge and with the Mini Van alongside it with an H reg Plate of 1969 it would indicate between  it was taken late 1969 and withdrawal in early 1971, there was two types of Bristol K's, Ipswich would of been allocated the Lowbridge type (LK) due to the low height of Ipswich depot, whilst others were as below LKH.