SUFFOLK INDEPENDENTS ON LOAN TO EASTERN COUNTIES.

 During the period of 1974-1975 Eastern Counties suffered from extreme vehicle shortages with lack of staff and buses of the road waiting to be repaired with Eastern Counties borrowing buses from a range of East Anglian Independents, some were driven by Eastern Counties staff, others came with the staff and bus or coach, this included Norfolk operators, Cullings, Red Car,Semmence, Eastons Starlings,Smith, Neave, Bridges, Sovereign, Keymers, Mascot Seagull and Carters amongst many including Great Yarmouth Corporation , however on this blog we concentrate on the Suffolk Independents, all these great photos were taken by the late Philip Back and are copyright of the ETCS.  The first shows a Beestons of Hadleigh UWW 173F a Bedford Vam/Duple on Norwich Bus Station, followed by Partridge & Son of Hadleigh JNN 128D also a Bedford Vam/Duple  still in Barton livery alongside Eastern Counties Bristol Lodekka LFS 120 FPW 320C, which presumably were bought along with 4 others for Eastern Counties to loan as when the loan period was over they passed on to other operators in 1975. On loan from Theobalds of Long Melford was this fine AEC Regent V with Metro Cammell body LJX 16 which came from Halifax and had a productive career with Theobalds. These have all been spruced up digitally and show a particularly difficult period for Eastern Counties and other NBC companies.

MULLEYS AUCTION SALE REVISITED

Copyright Unknown, from a batch of cards acquired.

Mulleys have a long and winding history going back to early 1939, the very first bus being a Gilford A56/Willowbrook, UT 7836 from Whelton, Coalville withdrawn around November 1951 followed in the May by 7 AG 8604 a Gilford 1680T/Weymann from Western SMT as seen above obviously dragged out of the field where Jack Mulley had left them, this was withdrawn around June 1959, these dates are when they were spotted to be disused, these two and 27 other assorted Buses and Coaches made up the auction in May 1975. Below is another withdrawn Coach waiting to be auctioned in 30 a new to Mulleys CCF 958 a Leyland PS1/Duple coach new in May 1950 and withdrawn in 12/69 , by the look of it it wasn't complete, all were sold to unknown buyers, several survived in preservation including the Ipswich Transport Museum's Bedford OB PV 9371.

Copyright ETCS . Seen here is ex Norfolk Motor services Bedford OB/Duple GFW 674 which had a very short life with Mulleys of around three years and was also sold in the auction in May 1975.

SATURDAY AND FOOTBALL TRAFFIC

Double bonus on Saturday when Ipswich are at home as you get to see Visiting Coaches and go past the IB Depot, seen here unloading outside the depot is Tendring Of Clacton Mercedes Benz O814D/Plaxton C33F, whilst Squirrells of Hitcham had 2 including behind a 20 year old Volvo B10M-62/Van Hool C53F SNZ 7183 and a interesting Mercedes Benz 0112l/Ferqui unfortunately with the angle i can't make out the registration it's either YLZ 1389 or 90. Another visitor this time from Neals of Isleham is what i believe a Volvo B12M with Jonckheere body OIG 6923, and finally from Whincop of Peasenhall is a Volvo B12B H9 PMW also with Jonckheere body.

DOING THE ROUNDS

Ipswich Buses Scania/Optare Olympus 68 certainly did the rounds starting the day on the 10 to Castle Hill before coming off and doing one trip on the 3 then the 5 to Ipswich Hospital, the 15/A to Stoke Park on Saturdays is now completely Double Deck operated, due to the traffic build up at Heath Road/Foxhall Road the 2/5/6 routes were delayed and had several substitutes of note on the 5 to Ipswich Hospital was Optare Versa 146 up to 1530, along with Scania Omnicity deckers 32 and 37 and Scania Omnidekka 60, usually the 3 is Versa operated but today included Dart SLF's 84 and 88 while the 4 to Bixley had 2 Versa's 147 and 149. Now repainted into the new Galloway livery is 350 YJ65 EWG an Optare Solo SR but without fleetnames. Finally a puzzle Ipswich Buses have another 45 a Scania Omnicity Decker YR61 RVE still in London red alongside is a visiting Carters Heritage Trident LX05 GCJ, perhaps someone knows, it's not a great photo but my eyes certainly don't deceive me as i also saw it on Wednesday when i thought hang on a minute...... 

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.