BUSES IN THE SNOW

 A round up of yesterdays and today's Buses in the snow, First Ipswich Volvo B7TL 32486 was one of the two regular deckers on the routes 60/61, today it was 32490/94.

Recently added to the fleet IB Scania Omnicity decker 38 YR61 RRU was on the 15 in the morning but spare in the afternoon.

Today saw a full service complement run with a few unusual turns such as Trident 20 Y436 NHK on the 30 past the hour 15A usually single decker run, whilst the 4 had 2 solos running between 3.30 and 5.00 in 241 and 243 whilst the 3 continues to see a allocation of a Solo today being 243 and a Scania Omnicity 70, Versa 147 was unusually on the 13, whilst the 8's continue to be completely run by ADL Enviro 200's, the 7/14/16 run for the first time in several days, with two ex Lothian Darts in 135 and 137, whilst on Colchester's was a rarity in Trident 13. Lowlander 58 is still awaiting it's fate in the rear yard of the depot, while 5 Scania Omnicity Double deckers in 32/34/35/41 and bizarrely 44 looked like it had the number 45 on its rear.

 IB Versa 147 YK08 EPD on the 13 to Pinebrook and Tesco.

HEDINGHAM FLEET LIST/ALLOCATIONS

Representing the Single Deck fleet is 263 ADL Enviro 200 EU59 AYM in the original Hedingham livery carried before the take over.

Clacton

8/9 R453 FWT/S290 TVW Volvo B10M/Plaxton Premiere 320 C53F
253 EU04 BVF Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer 2 B37F
254-7 EU05 AUR/T/EU55 BWC/EU55 BWC/EU56 FLM  Dennis Dart Alexander Pointer 2 B37F
264/65 EU59 AYP/EU10 AUX/ ADL Enviro 200 B37F
293/94 EU59 AFF/J/OU57 FGZ ADL Enviro 200 B29F

561/65/71/81 V301 LGC/W425 WGH/W488 WGH/W956 WGH Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President H45/25F
701/02/12/17 T801/02/12/17 RFG  Dennis Trident/East Lancashire Lolyne B47/32F

721/22/23/26/27 W821-3/26/27/29/34 NNJ  Dennis Trident/East Lancashire Lolyne B47/31F

1512-20 YN55 PZR/U-X/YN06 JYB-E Scania Omnidekka/East Lancashire H45/29F

Sible Hedingham

5 N664 THO Volvo B10M/Plaxton Premiere 320 C53F

251 PJ02 RHE Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer 2 B37F

258/59 EU56 FLN/P  ADL Enviro 200 B37F

262/63 EU58 JCJ/EU59 AYM  ADL Enviro 200 B29F

295/96 SN10 CCX/Y ADL Enviro 200 B29F

470 EU05 CLJ Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse B43F

510-14 LB02 YWX/Y/LB02 YXA/E/F Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini B43/29F

517 LX05 EZR Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini B43/29F

563 V307 LGC Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President H45/25F

615/16  EU07 GVY/SN10 CCV Dennis Trident 2 /ADL Enviro 400 B47/33F

723 W823 NNJ Dennis Trident/East Lancashire Lolyne B47/31F

Kelvedon

289-91 EJ02 KYY /EX02 RYR/EU06 KCX Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer 2 B29F

569/73-79 W484/491/506/16-19/26/27 WGH Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President H45/25F

737/38/43 T107/08 BBW/X386 NNO Dennis Trident /Alexander ALX400 H47/26F, 743 H45/26F

Hedingham Scania Omnidekka/East Lancashire 1520 YN06 JYE seen in Colchester on the X76.

ANOTHER SCANIA OMNICITY IN SERVICE

 Seen above is the latest in service Scania Omnicity Decker snapped by myself lately purely by chance as the angle was dodgy to say the least we see the offside and nearside of 38 YR61 RRU in Crown Street Layby.

 Seen today on a trip to see the excellent work carried out by the ETCS at Attleborough is Viv Carter's famous last made Bristol VR VR 294 VEX 294X.

The ETCS have had this Bristol Lodekka LKD 229 OVF 229 in preservation since 1971 and very smart it looks too with an appropriate blind, Ipswich had the first Lodekka in LKD 228.

Only last week the Ipswich Buses 15/A had all 6 buses as single deckers a remarkable change around saw 5 out of 6 being Double Deckers, seen on the 15A is 31 YR61 RPY

IB SCANIA OMNICITY DECKER 44 ENTERS SERVICES IN RED.

Thanks to a tip off from Kenny Hammond via David Warren, i found out that Scania Omnicity 44 YR61 RRZ one of the remaining six to be converted to single door had been on the 92 Manningtree and Colchester route, working out the logistics of getting there in time worked out and it turned up as scheduled for the 1555 94C to Colchester,the appearance of this was according to the particularly nice driver was a shortage of serviceable buses, and was just for today, of late there seems to be moreof these on the ex Carters routes than the town services, now i have travelled on one back from Colchester there hard seats seem more suitable to town services. Off the new town services there seems to be more changing routes than before, for example the 4 has now been allocated 2 Enviro 200'S which are replaced after 1500, by a Solo, boy that will be loaded come 1710 and a Versa off the 3 will one of the Enviros switch to the 2 while the 5 at peaks which is every 20 mins now has 2 single deckers allocated out of 3 Buses and is getting over loaded especially after 4pm. The 8 has now 6 Enviro's allocated since Monday but the 13 still receives a mixture of buses, one positive move though has been a Double Decker added to the 15A at 1555 and one on the 15 at 1440 today Scania/Optare Decker 69.The 7/16 interchange usually with one Dart and one Solo. First continue to operate 2 Deckers most days on the 60/61 today Volvo B7TL's 32653 and 32493.

Allocated to the Manningtree/Colchester routes were 30,37 seen above 40 and 44.

NEW NUMBERS IN CHANGES FOR IB AND 32/34 ENTER SERVICE

Today Ipswich Buses changed route numbers reviving the 2 which used to be the 6 sorry no picture, but the two above show the X3 now the 3 on E200 SN16 OGH and the dropping of the X for the 5 to Heath Road Hospital shown by E200 YX63 LGF above, and below is the only Dart SLF in service today showing 6 87 PJ53 OLH which used to be the 6A.

 Both IB Scania Omnicity Deckers arrived over last weekend and were soon in service on Monday and Tuesday, above 32 YR61 RRU  on the  X5, and below 34 YR61 RSV also on the X5. Various spotting on Friday saw Lowlander 100 on the X1, Scania Omnidekka 62 on the X3, Trident 13 on the 4, Scania/Optare 69 on the 9 with Lowlander 55 on the 94 along with Scania Omnicity deckers 32/35 on the 92. Yesterday's spots include Lowlander 55 on the X3, Scania Omnidecker 62 and Trident 16 on the 4, and Dart SLF 87 on the X5.

IB Trident 16 took over from 62 during the afternoon yesterday on the 4.

BEESTONS FLEET

Bus Fleet

X568 YUG Volvo B10BLE/Wright B53F (Is this still in the fleet?)
YN03 DDA Scania N94UD/East Lancs H45/33F
YN03 DFE/J Scania N94UD/East Lancs H45/33F(DFJ is H47/31F)
YV03 PZL/M/Y Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/31F( PZM is H45/33F?)
MX04 MYW/Y Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/31F
YN54 OAE/H Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/33F??
YN54 OBB/X Scania N94UD/East Lancs H45/33F(OBX is H47/33F??)
YN54 OCJ Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/33F
YN55 NDY Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/33F
YN55 NJZ Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/33F
MX06 LDN Scania N94UD/East Lancs H47/33F
SN17 MTK ADL E40D/ADL H85F

Coach Fleet

FHJ 565 Mercedes Benz 1523L/UNVI C41F was SK07 LZD
524/526 FN Volvo B12BT/Van Hool CH61/18CT 526 was DW09 HAM
77 CJX Volvo B12M/Van Hool C53F was WA03 HPZ
219 GRA Scania K114EB/Van Hool C53F was BT02 LCT
221 GRA Volvo B12B/Van Hool C53F  was WA05 WLD/JN05 NEL/95-KY-3049
222 GRA Van Hool T916/Van Hool C49FT was YJ08 EBZ
226 LRB Volvo B10M-62/Van Hool C49FT was X777 GSM/YVF 158
YJ64 ATV Van Hool TX11/Van Hool C41FT
BF65 WHU Volvo B11R/Jonckheere C??FT
YX65 ZJU Volvo B11R/Plaxton C??FT
YX17 OHR Volvo B8R/Plaxton C59FT
There is a Midi Coach missing from my list can anyone remind me.

COLCHESTER INTERLUDE 2

Due to the loss of my camera today i can't bring you what i wanted to do however i always have a back up plan and this is the second time i have visited Colchester with several vehicles joining from Scotland including this 12 year old Scania L94UB SN55 JVK. Operating the 61 instead of it's usual 62/A/B was Volvo B7TL/Wright SN57 HDJ.

Hedingham and Chambers still have considerable presence in Colchester including the ADL Enviro 200 263 EU59 AYM on the 63 to Aldham Village Hall, whilst seen entering the so called Bus Station is Hedingham 1514 YN55 YZV an ex London Scania Omnidekka on the 87 to Brightlingsea.

I believe this has been transferred away from Colchester now but back a few weeks ago Trident 33195 LT52 XAF was working on the Green route the 62A.

Arriva Colchester's fleet is all Single Deck and is made up mostly by Dart SLF's and Enviro 200's transferred in last year, this strange Caetano bodied Dart is HX04 HUK.

Seen heading back to Ipswich from London via Stansted Airport on the 250 is soon to be replaced Galloways 300 FJ61 EVN a Volvo B9R/Caetano Levante.