IB CITARO SERVICE PICTURES

Well after 12 days of not being able to get out i finally get to see Ipswich Buses Mercedes Benz Citaro's in service, well two out of the three as one 155 was taken out of service as early as 10.15, came in to Tower Ramparts, then parked up in the Lay By and when i came back later had disappeared, so the allocation today was Trident 22, Scania Olympus 68/69 and Citaro's 153/54. Below also saw me capture a golden oldie in Galloway Volvo B10M/Vanhool NJI 9244 today in Crown Street Lay by not many of these stylish beasts exist locally so made a nice change to spot one.

Galloway NJI 9244 a Volvo B10M/Van Hool on Swimming Contract.

NEW BLOG SCHEDULE

Eastern Counties Bristol Lodekka LKD 196 VVF 196 in Norwich around 1968 onwards was withdrawn in 1974 never recieving NBC Livery.

This is how things will be changing from now on in, blogs will appear less frequently partly due to health reasons and also i have run out of ideas, from now on in there will be one at the weekend and 1-2 during the week depending on the news that is available to me if people can help me out by spotting anything unusual or new either contact me via E-Mail or via Twitter. This week has seen the introduction of the IB Mercedes Benz Citarios and my good friend Steve W has written a good report on them, glowing maybe not, he made quite a few good points see it here http://busandtrain.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/what-grey-day.html#comment-form
I was to join him yesterday but unfortunately due to my continued problems i haven't yet.

FLEET NEWS

Beestons have a further coach in Scania K113CRB/Van Hool Alizee C44FT new to Durham Travel Services this was acquired from Silver Choice, East Kilbride, a further Scania Omnidekka ex Go Ahead London has been bought from Ensign in YN03 DFE.

Seen here is Eastern Counties Bristol RE RLE 869 WPW 869H at Felixstowe Bus Station in 1982.

TAKING A REST

I'm sorry to say for the time beginning that due to personal health problems and with my dad being ill, i no longer have the time to devote to the blog at this current time, unless someone is willing to takeover this will be the last one for some time unless things improve, unfortunately the blog has taken over my life leaving me with very little time for other things.

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