FLASHBACK AND A CAUTIONARY TALE

Ipswich Buses Bristol B21/Alexander 144 B114 LDX in the 1990's on the 3 during the time the route was shared with Eastern Counties.

Today's flashback ends this year's posts with the news that the blog is just about to reach 400,000 this in just over 4 years of reporting, after a slow year for the blog in terms of reporting there will be hopefully much more to report on next year with the changeover of the Park And Ride to First Ipswich and a new MD for Ipswich Buses. Lets hope that no more local based companies slip away from the local scene, there will be a rocky road ahead for many when the amount of money from local government for Concession fares reduces again to 20% in April and more cut backs to timetables and route abandonment, lack of provision for areas even in Ipswich with my area in Broke Hall having no provision in the evening or Sunday's, numbers of people using Buses is down in most parts of England, suffice to say traffic delays is a major cause and don't we know it in Ipswich.

Copyright ETCS. One of my favourite Bristol VR's at Ipswich was VR 405 KPW 405L, starting out in Peterborough after 8 years it came west to Ipswich, and boy did she fly down the A12 coming home on the 92/93 from Colchester.

MORE ON SATURDAY SERVICES ON A FRIDAY!

Ipswich Buses once again had some strange selections for the Saturday service on a Friday, including the above Scania Omnicity 72 YN56 NVD on the 16 with Dart 144 and if you look closely behind on the X3 was Scania Omnidekka 60 which was on the X3 with Lowlander 56 and Dart 137. The X1 had just the one Decker today with Dennis Trident 12 and Darts 139/41, the 4 had Darts 142 and 88 in the afternoon with Trident 23 as the extra bus in the morning. Unusually the 10 Castle Hill had Trident 25 and Lowlander 100, whilst the 8/13 had the 4 branded Darts 84/85/87.

NOT EXACTLY LOW FLOOR

As the title suggests Galloway weren't exactly doing themselves any favours putting out a Non Low Floor bus, with this Mercedes Benz/Plaxton Cheetah mini coach 4178 PP on the 118 service not only that but Typed out destination display.

SATURDAY SERVICE ON A WEDNESDAY

It's unusual for me too experience a Saturday service at the best of times as i tend to avoid the Town Centre however being a Christmas holiday, Ipswich Buses deployed a Saturday service on a Wednesday, in general the timetables don't differ to the weekday ones to the untrained eye, but today certainly threw up some unusual spotting for the enthusiast. Seen above IB ALX 200 Dart 142 was gainfully employed although with very little custom on the Free Shuttle around the town, the X1 which always seems to do very little trade against First's 60/61, had ALX 200 Dart 141 along with Scania Omnicity 70 see below, and Scania Omnidekka 61, the X3 had 2 Double Deckers Tridents 11 and 25 and a ADL E200 107. On my route the 4 was Trident 23 and Dart 139, X5 had Scania Omnidekka 62 in place of one of the usual Scania/Optare Deckers, the 16 had Dart 143, the 10 had Scania Omnicity 73 and the 13 had Dart 138. IB's Shotley service the 202 had Trident 21, whilst ADL E200 79 continued on Park And Ride duties.

 IB DennisTrident 11 LG02 FCX was one of two deckers on the X3 today.

FIRST ESSEX ALLOCATIONS DECEMBER

First Essex Dennis Trident 33191 LT52 XAB seen at Clacton Bus Rally.



BASILDON

DENNIS TRIDENT/PLAXTON: 33047/77/33178/33188/92/94

ADL ENVIRO 400: 33424/25/33504/07/44/45/46/48/49/51/52/53/55/57/58/59/61/62/63/67/68/70/72/73/74

DENNIS DART SLF/CAETANO: 41513/23/24/25/27/38/39/41/43/44/42519
ADL E20D :44659/60/61/62

WRIGHTBUS STREETLITE DF: 47650/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58

VOLVO B7RLE/WRIGHT ECLIPSE: 66806/13/19/22/23/24/25/26/27

ADL E200 MMC:67160/61/62/63/64

VOLVO 7900 HYBRID: 69901/02/03/04/05/06/07/08/09/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19

CHELMSFORD inc Braintree outstation


VOLVO B7TL/ALX 400:32480(BE)/81/82/83(BE)/84(BE)/85(BE)/32651(BE)/52(BE)/54

ADL/DENNIS DART SLF/PLAXTON POINTER 2 42484/42930/31/32/33/34/35/36 
ADL/DENNIS DART SLF/PLAXTON POINTER MPD: 43801/02/43845/46/47/48  
ADL ENVIRO 200:44537/38/39/40/41/42/43/44/45/46/47/48/49/50/51/44900
ADL ENVIRO 200 MMC: 67165/66/67/68/69/70/71


OPTARE SOLO: 53112/13/14/15/16/17/21/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39

SCANIA OMNICITY CN94UB: 65028/29/30/31/32
VOLVO B7RLE/WRIGHTBUS:66794/95/96/97/99/66802/08/11/12/14/15/17/18/29/30/66837/69421/34/69532/33
ADL E35H/ADL ENVIRO 350:67901/02/03/04
BMC 1100FE SCHOOL BUS:68508/09/10/20/31/32/35/51
VOLVO B7RLE/WRIGHT ECLIPSE 2:69512/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20

CLACTON

 ADL/DENNIS DART/PLAXTON POINTER 2: 42918/42922/23/27/28/37

ADL ENVIRO 200: 44596/97/98/99
ADL/DENNIS DART SLF/PLAXTON POINTER MPD: 42555/56/57/61

SCANIA L94UB/WRIGHT SOLAR: 65665/66/67/68/69/70/71/75/76/90/91/92

COLCHESTER

VOLVO B7TL/ALX 400: 32068/87/32475/76/77/78
VOLVO B7TL/WRIGHT ECLIPSE GEMINI: 32628/32631/32640/41
DENNIS TRIDENT/PLAXTON:33044/78/80/86/87/88/33184/33186/90/95/96

WRIGHTBUS STREETLITE MAX:63328/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44

SCANIA L94UB/WRIGHT:62407/08/09/10/65672/73/74/77/78/79/80/81/82/83/84/85/86/87/88/89
VOLVO B7RLE/WRIGHT ECLIPSE:66798/66800/01/03/04/07/10/16/28/69429/30/31/32/33 

HADLEIGH

DENNIS TRIDENT/PLAXTON:33072/73/81/95/98/33132/33/34/36/89/91/33229/32
TRANSBUS TRIDENT/ALX 400:33373/76/83/84/85

DENNIS DART SLF/MARSHALL:41730/35
ADL/DENNIS DART SLF/PLAXTON POINTER 2:42482/83/85/87/88/89                         
ADL ENVIRO 200:44001/02/03/04/06/76/77/7/79/80/81

WRIGHTBUS STREETLITE:47521/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/47643/44/45/46/47/48/47652/53/54/55/56/57/58
  
WRIGHTBUS STREETLITE MAX: 63161/62/63/64/65/66/67/68/69/70

 Stored/Withdrawn/De licenced  
Trident:32856/32864(Braintree) 33074/90 (Hadleigh)
Volvo B7RLE:66809(Colchester) 66821(Basildon)
ADL Dart:42486(Hadleigh)
Trainers: 62139/95/97/66179: Chelmsford
Shuttles: 43480/53008: Chelmsford  43360: Colchester

Seen on Canvey Island in October was Wright Streetlite 47654 SN15 AEU of Basildon Depot.

EASTERN COUNTIES ALLOCATIONS DECEMBER 1981

Eastern Counties Bristol RE RL 668 seen here in Felixstowe during the summer of 1981.

The winter was cold and very snowy towards Christmas in 1981, Human League was Number One with Don't you Want Me and the highlight on the Television would be The Two Ronnies on BBC 1 and on ITV it was another repeat of the Bond Film Dr No.
The below list may not come out well on page but will give you an idea what was happening at the time.

Copyright Peter Horrex. A classic line up of two Bristol VR's VR 191 TEX 401R from Felixstowe Depot, VR 332 NAG 587G which was living on borrowed time being withdrawn in 1982 and Saxmundham allocated Bristol LH 919 TCL 139R.

IB ALLOCATION WONDERS/INDEPENDENT ROUND UP

I can't understand whoever allocates Ipswich Buses at the moment as there are a lot of strange observations yesterday, what i can't understand is the continual allocation of Double Deckers to the X1 yesterday Lowlander 54 see above was allocated to it along with Scania Omnidekka 60, the token Dart was 4 branded 85, sister 84 was on the X3 with the usually X5 allocated Decker 69. Dart 98 which had again taken up work on the 4 again was now on 15/A with sister 94, and on the 4 we seem to be going back to ALX 200 Dart's again with 143 which sounded like it was about to expire!.

INDEPENDENTS ROUND UP

With Thanks to PSV Circle records, i can report that two new businesses have applied for licences those being Boomerang Coaches of Saxmundham for one coach and Y Not Touring of Sudbury for 7 Coaches, 5 at Great Cornard and 2 at Middleton. Two of the coaches which were not part of the sale to Suffolk Norse have been reported with new owners in Suffolk Volvo B10M/Plaxton V57 KWO is with Bucklands of Hacheston,Woodbridge and P616 FTV with M&A Dabbs of Felixstowe also an Volvo B10M/Plaxton. Mulleys of Ixworth have a further Volvo B7TL/ALX 400 from Dublin Bus LW51 ZHJ.

Mulleys X471 KUT Volvo B10M/Jonckheere seen here in Crown Street Layby on a school contract.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EVENTS: AN RETROSPECTIVE PART 1

A chance to look back at the highlights of the year, In March i was so busy conducting that i missed out on a lot of the rides, so i may or may not conduct next year for the Ipswich Bus Rally, only very recently finished off during the last year or so was this Sixty Nine Years old Northampton Crossley 146 VV 9146 the restoration was featured over the years in Bus And Coach Preservation Magazine, what a beautiful job. May saw 2 events firstly the ITM's Ipswich to Felixstowe run always see's a fine turn out for Buses including this Lowestoft AEC Regent II 21 GBJ 192 from the East Anglian Transport Museum, and finally for today the MNR at Dereham hosted there first bus event on a very hot day in the second week of May, although there wasn't too many Buses there it was my first chance to see Julian Patterson's gorgeous Eastern Counties Bristol RE RLE 864 WNG 864H in Dual purpose NBC red and white livery