DOUBLE DECKERS ON THE 4 AGAIN!

Not a great lot to report on today, mind you with my PC failing yet again i have try and use a Windows 10 laptop which suffice to say isn't easy! As i reported on Mondays Double Deckers seem to be holding sway on Ipswich Buses 4 to Bixley(Martlesham Heath), this week whether this is due a lack of the usual darts or a change of schedules, perhaps one of the drivers who read the blog might know! Yesterday's choices were Lowlander 54 and Trident 25 with Trident 19 employed on one Journey up and down after a school run. Today seen above on Penshurst Road heading back into the town is Optare Spectra 51 X151 LBJ, followed by Trident 19 V162 MEV, on it's single trip to Bixley, and finishing with Scania Omnidekka 62 PJ54 YZV both at Broke Hall Shops.

EASTERN COUNTIES COACH FLEET 1965

Eastern Counties Bristol MW LS 833 APW 833B, was new the previous year and was allocated to Peterborough at this time.

LS 750 OAH 750  Bristol LS5G/ECW C39F 1953
LS 751/52 OAH 751/52 Bristol LS6G/ECW C39F 1954
LS 753-56 OAH 753-56 Bristol LS5G/ECW C39F 1954
LS 757-60 PVF 757-60 Bristol LS5G/ECW C39F 1954
LS 764/65 SNG 764/65 Bristol LS5G/ECW C39F 1955
LS 766 UNG 766 Bristol LS5G/ECW C39F 1956
LS 767-78 VVF 767-78 Bristol LS5G/ECW C39F 1957

LS 779-87 YNG 779-87 Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1958
LS 788-91 5788-91 AH Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1959
LS 792-94 7792-94 NG Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1960
LS 795-800 4821-26 VF Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1961
LS 801-803 4827-29 VF Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1961,803 C32F
LS 804-15 3804-15 PW Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1962,804-06 C32F
LS 816-23 816-23 BNG Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1962/63
LS 824-35 APW 826-35B Bristol MW5G/ECW C39F 1964

BVS 848-53 PPW 848-853 Bedford SBO/Duple DP35F 1954
BV 854-65 PPW854-65 Bedford SBO/Duple C37F 1954

LSC 866-72 TVF 866-72 Bristol SC4LK/ECW C33F 1956
LSC 873-75 WAH 873-75 Bristol SC4LK/ECW C33F 1957

RE 876-78 AAH 124-26B Bristol RELH/ECW C47F 1964
RE879-81 GNG 479/92/481C Bristol RELH/ECW C47F 1965

With only one further year on fleet strength is Bedford SBO BVS 851 PPW 851 here still numbered earlier on as BV 481 at Great Yarmouth, 848-53 were converted to Dual Purpose use and used on normal service work, at the end of 1965 this was allocated to Norwich,

RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS

To paraphrase a Carpenters record 'Rainy Days And Mondays always get me down' what is it with Mondays lately it always seem to rain, fortunately for me it meant a change in the usual fare on my route the 4 from the usual Single Deckers usually Darts 84-87 well any two from the batch, today i was afforded a ride to and from town on 2 different Double Deckers firstly IB Trident 20 Y436 NHK then Optare Spectra 53 X53 LBJ which then runs on to a school contract in the afternoon, and both for their age were pretty good internally and gave particularly smooth rides, Trident 19 also put in appearance on the 4 subbing for a nearly 20 minute late school run Trident, also seen was Trident 12 on X3 and 15 on the X1. The Ipswich Star reports tonight that the future of the Ipswich Park and Ride services is under threat as SCC considers its future costing in the region of £750,000 per contract, reports indicate that both sites average around  70% capacity.

Ipswich Buses DAF Lowlander 59 PJ53 OLB on the 4.

Galloway Van Hool TX15 YJ13 GWG in Crown Street Lay By

EASTERN COUNTIES SINGLE DECKER FLEET 1965

Eastern Counties Single Decker fleet was beginning to change by 1965 with the Bristol MW the preferred choice replacing the Bristol L's of the 1950's. Seen here is LM 987 487 DAH originally LM 487 this was renumbered to 987 during 1965, seen here in the Old Cattle Market shed during the mid 1970's.

I have decided to continue the theme of 1965, by looking at the fleet of Eastern Counties now if i did it all in one go it would be rather long winded so i have decided to split it into sections, beginning with the Single Deckers, then coaches and finally Double Deckers.

LC 501 TVF 501 Bristol SCX,4LK/ECW B35F 1955
LC 502-32  TVF 502-32  Bristol SC4LK/ECW B35F 1956
LC 533-37 TVF 533-37   Bristol SC4LK/ECW B35F 1957
LC 538-53 VVF 538-53   Bristol SC4LK/ECW B35F 1957
LC 554-65 3001 AH-3003 AH,6557-65 AH  Bristol SC4LK/ECW B35F 1959
LC 566-75 6566 NG-6575 NG  Bristol SC4LK/ECW B35F 1960
LC 576-78 6576-78 NG  Bristol SC4LK/ECW B35F 1961

LM 600/01 600/01 ENG Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1964
LM 602/03 AAH 102/03B Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1964
LM 604-07 AAH 911-14B Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1964
LM608-11 BVF 608-11B Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1964
LM 612-615 CPW 612-615B Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1964
LM 616-19 DVF 116-19C Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1965
LM 620/21 ENG 120/21C  Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1965
LM622-26 EVF 622-26C   Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1965
LM 627-29 FAH 627-29C Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1965
LM 630-32 FPW 630-32C Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1965
LM 633-35 FVF 633-35C Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1965
LM 931-934 WPW 631-34 Bristol LS5G/ECW B45F 1957
LM 935-941 WPW 635-41 Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1958
LM942-61 3004-20 AH,9459-61 AH Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1959
LM962-70 8001-09 VF Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1961/62
LM471-92 471-76 BNG/477/78 BPW/479-82 BVF/483-488 DAH/489-92 DPW Bristol MW5G/ECW B45F 1963
LL666/71/72/74/75/88-91/93/94/96 GPW 666/71/74/75/80/88-91/93/94/96 Bristol L5G/ECW B35F 1948

LS704-708 KNG 704-708 Bristol LWL6B/ECW FC35F 1950

LL 713-23 KNG 713-23 Bristol LL5G/ECW B35F 1950
LL724-735 LNG 724-735  Bristol LL5G/ECW B35F 1951
LL736-43 LNG 736-43  Bristol LWL5G/ECW B35F 1951
LL 744 MAH 744 Bristol LSX 4G/ECW B41F 1951
LL 745-49 MAH 745-49 Bristol LS4G/ECW DP39F 1952
LE 761-63 SNG 761-63  Bristol LS5G/ECW DP39F  1955

N 973 NAH 973 Albion FT39L/ECW B35F 1953

LE 747 MAH 747 was a Dual Purpose Bristol LS/ECW and was an Ipswich allocation at this time.

1960'S BEESTONS COACHES.

Three recently bought photos from the Robert Mack Collection of Beestons of Hadleigh coaches, firstly we see a Bedford SB8/Duple C41F  OCF 246 which was new in 1959, we follow that with there now preserved Austin CBX/Plaxton C30F  BCF 802 and finally WGV 938 a Bedford VAS 2/Duple C29F which was new in 1963.

COACH VISITORS TO IPSWICH/BONUS FLASHBACK

Not an easy picture to take this one as this way crammed in against a Mulley's coach, bought earlier this year is Galloway Mercedes Benz Tourismo seen yesterday in Crown Street Lay By, following that in the picture below we Mulleys Mercedes Benz Clady/Euro BU51 MUL certainly an odd looking specimen, with Beestons Volvo B10M/Van Hool 77 CJX in the third picture below.

BONUS FLASHBACK

Now if anyone could identify the Eastern Counties Leyland National in the picture i would be pretty pleased, we can see one is quite clearly Ipswich stalwart Bristol RE RL 513 EPW 513K which i featured the other night, RL 513 note still has the the white NBC symbol and Leyland Nationals didn't appear in the Ipswich area until September 1977.

IB BRANDING AND OTHER BITS

Ipswich Buses Trident 11 LG02 FCX supposedly terminating at Ipswich Rail Station, me thinks the driver has the wrong destination.

Not a great lot to report today a few odd sightings one being First Ipswich Volvo B7RLE 66981 on the 66! whilst 44519 was standing in on the 59 for one of the normal shorter ADL Enviro 200's, Ipswich Buses had route 4 branded Darts 84 and 87on the 8/13 whilst below you can see the 9/10 branding on the new Mercedes Benz Citario's see picture below. Ipswich Buses will be running services on Boxing Day for the first time as it will fall on a Saturday, with an every half hour service on X5/8/9 and every hour on X3/6/A/10/12/13/15/A.