First 34156 - Eleven Months On

Exactly eleven months to the day I reported that First had donated Olympian 34156 P656UFB to Norfolk Fire Service and was being stored in a compound at Gorleston Fire Station

Regular contributor Jamie Skinner sought approval to access the interior of the decker which is still located just off High Road.

From the front it appears little has changed apart from the removal of the registration plate and he wondered what the inside held in store

Upon entry he was surprised the interior looked the same as when it was last in service - as the attached photo shows

Also observed was a 9656 plate - this was the fleet number given when P656UFB first entered

service with First Bristol during June 1997

The Northern Counties manufacturers plate was also photographed which declared Coachworks by Northern Counties Wigan Lancashire

Upstairs the seating was more or less intact there too - apart from a couple of pairs of seats at the front of the bus

The first impression was that the bus was still in reasonable condition despite being withdrawn and laying around for almost a year! In reality the seats upstairs had been cut out with an angle grinder with several poles removed, one smashed flat and cut off.

Additionally the side destination display enclosure had moss growing inside it and was rotten plus the upstairs front window appears to have let in a lot of water with the surround also rotten.

Many thanks go to Jamie for his photos and our appreciation to Norfolk Fire Service for allowing him access to the vehicle