ON HIRE TO EASTERN COUNTIES

 During 1974 Eastern Counties suffered from acute bus shortages primarily in the Norwich area, at it's peak in the July there was 21 off the road, 5 LFS, 36/46/77/80/82, 2 LFL 56/61, 6 LH 526/30/685/910/13/15, 3 LM 602/34/936, 3 VR 127/331/81, RL 734 and LS 782, the shortages carried onto the next year of 1975 when the summer saw 11 of the early VR's off the road.
Above now beautifully restored back to it's original Bartons livery is AEC Reliance/Plaxton Panorama 868 HAL all Beestons Coaches provided were driven by Eastern Counties drivers. Following that we see Daimler CVG6/Roe 13 FEX 113 on hire from Great Yarmouth Transport and finally at the bottom, Theobolds Bedford/Duple OGV 696M about to shoot off to Sheringham.

AND DON'T FORGET THIS TO TOMORROW

CARTERS UPDATE

Carters Dennis Trident/ALX 400 406 LX04 FYB at the Ipswich OCM last month.

This month's Buses Magazines from which i have taken this news goes into a little more depth about the sale, taking chunks from the interview on BBC Suffolk a couple of weeks ago, the deal to take over the company is subject to due diligence and could me completed by the end of April with the fleet transferring from Capel St Mary to the Ipswich Buses depot in the early summer. In the interview Viv Carter stated that it's a good fit for Ipswich Buses as they already provide engineering support and there buses are similar with their own.

Carters MCV Evolution 260 AY60 BYD heading into Ipswich OCM, is the only Single Decker in the fleet.

MONDAY NOTES

Since the upgrade of the First Ipswich fleet nothing much seems to happen these days in Ipswich, although the 4 Enviro 200's due for Ipswich Buses should enliven things somewhat. Today was a case of using what small time i have these days in finding buses out of place somewhat from where they would normally be operating on, so here goes 4 branded East Lancs Darts 85/86 were both on the 8/13, while sister 87 was found on the 15A, of the ALX 200 Darts 144 found itself on the 19 in place of a Solo, 139 was on the 16 while 140/43 were employed on the X1, while DAF Lowlander 55 was on the X3, picture below. One thing that i did work was the decker that comes off the 4 at 11.29, today Trident 16 does the 17 to Stratford Court  then works back light to Tower Ramparts i would presume, before working out light to Bixley Farm at around 12.30. Above we see First Ipswich Volvo B7TL 32492 AU53 HKK one of three today on Felixstowe's, along with sisters 32490/91, Deckers are now much more common on these routes in recent times due to loadings being on the increase.

EASTERN COUNTIES ALLOCATIONS MARCH 1970

Bristol Lodekka LFS 101 DNG 401C was an Kings Lynn allocation in March 1971.

Bristol Lodekka FLF 460 KAH 460D was initially an Peterborough allocation in 1970 before moving to March and by the time of this photo had moved on to Norwich. 

THURSDAY RECALL

Today's flashback is again from an large amount of slides recently bought, including this rather evocative picture of the old Bury St Edmunds Bus Station, with Eastern Counties VR 174 TEX 404R and Bristol RESL RS 648 KVF 648E, on the 31st October 1978.

Here we see an interesting scene in Eastern Counties Bristol Lodekka LKD 192 still in Tilling Red/Cream but with the addition of the cream NBC fleet name shortly before it's withdraw in early 1973 from Cambridge.

MONDAY'S BUS OBSERVATIONS

Not a lot to talk about yesterday's observations Ipswich Buses wise, so here goes above we see X5 branded ALX 200 Dart 139 Y271 FJN continuing it's journey around all of it's town routes yesterday on the X1, while sister 142 also X5 branded was on the 12 to Chantry Cambridge Drive. Meanwhile 2 of the 4 branded East Lancs Darts branded for the 4 , 85 and 86 continued on it's now regular routes 8/13, with two deckers continuing on the 4 and one on the X3.

 One of the two deckers on the 4 yesterday was Trident 12 LG02 FDC.

A final addition to the news of First Ipswich's E200's transferring to Norwich is that two will transfer to Norwich 44517 and 44518,44517 seen above yesterday on the 60/61, leaving 44516 and 44519 here, however 44519 will be loan to Yarmouth and Lowestoft during the Summer returning after the school holidays.

EASTERN COUNTIES 1970'S RECALL

Two rather different Eastern Counties liveries for today's recall, particularly interesting is the first picture of LS 759 PVF 759 which was new in 1954 and converted to one man operation in March 1963 when they wee fitted with electronically operated jack knife doors and full destination blinds, renumbered and repainted in 1970 as LE 759 they lasted until 1972 when it was allocated to March.
FLF 458 JPW 458D had been repainted in this livery for London And Manchester Assurance in March 1973 until July 1975, this picture would have been taken in the spring of 1975, when allocated to Norwich.