AN EASTERN COUNTIES LESSON WITH LEYLAND TITAN TD1'S !

Today is a bit of a history lesson for you who perhaps unaware of the rich vein of history that the current First Eastern Counties has, Eastern Counties was formed of four smaller undertakings those being the Peterborough Electric Traction Company Ltd, Ortona Motor Company Ltd of Cambridge, Eastern Counties Road Car Company Ltd and United Automobile Services Ltd and became the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company on the 14th July 1931 although the transfer of the businesses didn't happen until 23rd October 1931. The first picture illustrates a Eastern Counties Road Car Leyland Titan TD1 A141 DX 8356 which kept it's number until 1937 when it was rebodied by E.C.W and increased seating to 53 seats when it became AH 141, alongside is another TD1 which is numbered A167 DX 9019 from 1930 and was also rebodied by E.C.W in 1939 to AH 167, bottom left we see an different TD1 which originally had an E.C.O.C body in 1933 but was rebuilt by E.C.W in January 1942 and became AH 210, seen here in Drummer Street Cambridge and finally to the right at the bottom we see another Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Titan this time A178 NG 1913 which had a new E.C.W body in 1939,and then an E.C.W 2 body in 1950 being withdrawn in 1951, AH 141 was renumbered AH 741 in 1949 before withdrawal a year later, AH 167 in 1951 AH 210 was also renumbered to AH 21 and withdrawn in the same year 1958.

FIRST IPSWICH BANK HOLIDAY CHANGES TO SERVICES

69426 AU58 FFN a First Ipswich Volvo B7RLE which will probably be used on the new X7 service.

As the First Ipswich changes are more numerous than usual and i know many people out there use my blog to find out the changes i have copied the full details of the First Norfolk and Suffolk site.

Service Changes - Ipswich and surrounding areas

Sunday 30 August 2015

From 30th August we will be making some changes to the network of services we provide in Ipswich and the surrounding areas. All services mentioned have had timetable changes to improve punctuality.
Services that are not mentioned will not change.

Below is a summary of the changes to each of these routes.

Service 59 (Town Centre to Rushmere) New
This is a new service to Rushmere via Belvedere Road. It replaces the current service 39 operated by Beestons and will be operated with a refurbished Enviro 200 to match the current Ipswich livery. There are no changes to either the route or timetable from the current version Beestons operate.

Services 63,64,65 and 65B (Ipswich to Aldeburgh)
This corridor will see a number of changes to both route and timetable. Certain journeys will still start or finish at Ipswich Rail Station and most peak time journeys into and from Ipswich remain. 
These services will combine to maintain the existing 30 minute frequency between Ipswich, Woodbridge and Melton, Aldeburgh and Leiston will have an hourly frequency.

Service 63 is a new route that will operate between Ipswich Town Centre and Melton via Martlesham Tesco and Woodbridge. It will also serve both estates in Woodbridge. Certain journeys will operate via either Fentons Way or Cambridge Road to replace the withdrawn service 68. 

Service 64 will operate its current route from Ipswich Town Centre to Saxmundham but will extend to Leiston. The service will not operate via Fentons Way as this is replaced by the new 63 service. Most peak journeys remain, but owing to low usage, the off peak frequency is reduced from hourly to 2 hourly. This reduction will also affect Farnham, Wickham Market and Ufford, although the Suffolk County Council sponsored 62 and 196 services will provide additional journey options. For details on these services please see their website www.suffolkonboard.com or telephone 0345 606 6171.

Service 65 will operate between Ipswich Town Centre and Snape along its current route with the exception of serving Martlesham Black Tiles instead of Martlesham Tesco. The service will then operate from Snape to Leiston, via Knodishall. Most peak journeys remain but owing to low usage, the off peak frequency is reduced from hourly to 2 hourly. This reduction will affect Snape, Tunstall, Rendlesham and Eyke.

Service 64A will be replaced as follows. When service 64 arrives in Leiston, it will continue as service 64 to Aldeburgh and when service 65 arrives in Leiston it will continue to Aldeburgh as service 65. The route between Leiston and Aldeburgh is unchanged.

Service 65B journeys between Ipswich and Rendlesham Monday to Saturday and between Ipswich and Melton on Sundays and Public Holidays are unchanged.

Service 66 (Rail Station to Martlesham)
There are no changes to the route but there are changes to the timetable. Off peak frequency is reduced from 15 minutes to 20 minutes.

Services 67, H66 and X66 (Town Centre/Rail Station to BT Adastral Park)
There are no changes to the route but there are changes to the timetable.

Service 68 (Town Centre to Kesgrave)
Service withdrawn and replaced with certain journeys on service 63 (see above)

Service 70 and 70A (Ipswich to Grundisburgh via Woodbridge) " New
This is a new service to Woodbridge via Grundisburgh. It replaces the current services 30 and 30A operated by Beestons and will be operated with a refurbished Enviro 200 to match the current Ipswich livery. There are no changes to the route and one timetable change from the current version Beestons operate that will see the 17.50 journey now depart 5 minutes later at 17.55.

Service 72 (Ipswich to Martlesham then Bucklesham and Ipswich) " New
This replaces the current service 72 operated by Beestons and will be operated with a refurbished Enviro 200 to match the current Ipswich livery. There are no changes to the route although the service will be timetabled beyond Martlesham rather than by request. The service will also run in service back to Ipswich providing an early evening journey into town.

Services 75,76,76A,77,77A and New X7 (Ipswich to Felixstowe)
This corridor will see the introduction of a new timetable to improve punctuality. There are no major changes to any of the existing routes apart from three journeys in the morning and three in the afternoon that will operate via the turning circle at Felixstowe Academy and both the 76A and 77A journeys will operate the entire length of Nacton Road, no longer serving John Lewis.

We will also be introducing a new Express service, the X7, between Felixstowe and Ipswich.
Initially this will start with two peak journeys into Ipswich in the morning and two out in the afternoon with three more in the off peak Monday to Friday and five journeys on Saturdays. The majority of these journeys will operate the same route between Grange Farm and Great Eastern Square as service 75 but will then operate non-stop between Great Eastern Square and Bourne Bridge via the A14, continuing on to the Old Cattle Market Bus Station via Ipswich Rail Station. Most journeys between Felixstowe Town Centre and Ipswich Town Centre will take around 30 minutes.

Services 88,88A,89,89A,987 (Ipswich to Stowmarket)
This corridor will see the introduction of a new timetable to improve punctuality. There are no major changes to any of the existing routes however certain journeys will change. There will also be a new 89A service that operates certain journeys via Sproughton and Bramford which will replace the 18A, previously operated by Ipswich Buses serving Claydon High School.

Service 972 (The Bealings to Kesgrave High School) " New
This is a new service replacing the current service 972 operated by Beestons and will be operated with a refurbished Enviro 200 to match the current Ipswich livery. There are no changes to either the route or timetable from the current version Beestons operate.

Service 978 (Felixstowe to St Albans/Nothgate High School)
No route change but timetable change in the afternoon only.

In addition to these route changes we will also be altering the stands that some services depart from at the Old Cattle Market Bus Station.

Departures from Sunday 30th August will be as follows

Stand A Services 75 and X7
Stand B Services 76, 76A, 77 and 77A
Stand C Services 66, 67 and X66
Stand D Services 88, 88A, 89 and 89A
Stand E Services 63, 64, 65 and 65B
Stand F Services 70 and 70A
Stand N Service 72

EX IPSWICH BUSES BRISTOL B21 RETURNS TO IT'S OLD HAUNTS

Well well i certainly got a treat this afternoon when Richard Walker bought along his fine ex Ipswich Buses Bristol B21 145 B115 LDX, what was even more of a surprise was we when we actually took out it out for a trip this afternoon, this excellent beast has been off the road for sometime since being withdrawn from Galloways, today was it's first trip out with passengers for many a year and what a joy to travel on it, Richard eventually plans to repaint into the last livery it wore with Ipswich Buses which is the Green with Dark Green rising towards the rear, in a matter of a few months it's gone from being stored externally to being back on the road, although it still needs work done on it.

And last weeks traction for the Free rides from the Museum was ex Eastern Counties Bristol RELL RL 516 EPW 516K which spent most of it's life in the Peterborough area.

SATURDAY NATIONAL EXPRESS FLASHBACK

Two 1980's memories of the days that Eastern Counties/Cambus coaches ploughed the way into London, first up we have ex Eastern Counties Bristol RELH 742 by now Cambus 153 GCL 344N at Cambridge Drummer Street followed by LL 841 VYM 518M ex National Travel London seen back in it's old haunts in London.

THREE IB DARTS NOW OUT OF SERVICE

Three IB East Lancs Darts Have now reached the end of the road seen above 91 X91 LBJ has been withdrawn due to mechanical failure, while Dart 97 has been withdrawn and stripped of parts and Dart 99 will be withdrawn tomorrow as it's MOT has expired.

IB Dart 97 X97 LBJ seen back in the summer of 2013 on the 4 to Bixley Farm.

THURSDAY BITS AND PIECES

Not a particularly a good day for me photo wise, as my one attempt at taking Ipswich Buses SPD Dart 135 ended in failure, however i did manage a decent shot of 134 SN53 AVG at Tower Ramparts on the 16, 135 was on the 12 and somehow i kept missing it!

Meanwhile First Ipswich Volvo B7TL 32489 AU53 HKG found itself on the 61 to Greenwich.

Ipswich Buses ALX 200 Dart 141 Y273 FJN found itself on the X3 with branded X3 sister 142 on the X1 i believe both X5 branded Darts have been debranded so if anyone can confirm this.

While below you can see confirmation of the registration of the new X7 service from First Ipswich.

FIRST EASTERN COUNTIES BUSES LTD, DAVEY HOUSE, 7B CASTLE MEADOW , NORWICH NR1 3DE From: Old Cattle Market, Ipswich To: Grange Farm, Felixstowe Via: A14 Name or No: X7 Service Type: Normal Stopping Effective Date: 30Aug2015 Other Details: Monday to Saturday

This dealer white holiday coach made a appearance on Monday for Alfa Tours YN13 BXA is a Scania Irizar I6 54 seater coach. 

ALL THREE LOTHIAN DECKERS ON THEIR WAY TO IPSWICH

Both pictures come from Leon Wells and remains his copyright

All three ex Lothian Deckers Dennis Tridents 601/06/07 SN51 AXF/O/P seen here above at Washington Services are on there way back to Ipswich as can be seen from the above photo 606/607 are painted in the later Lothian livery while sister 601 remains in the previous Harlequin style livery, thanks to MD of Ipswich Buses Jeremy Cooper i can reveal that  both will be repainted into fleet livery but will not be refurbished.

Above is one of the two Lothian Dart SPD's 135 SN53 AVK that entered service this week as i have previously stated due to a busy schedule i haven't got too much time to take photos at the moment so if any one has would you be kind enough to send me some. Copyright Hadleigh 1849 https://www.flickr.com/photos/76466268@N06/20215006461/in/photolist