Friday Flashback ~ December 2010 (Part Two)

The penultimate Friday Flashback today comprises photos taken in Great Yarmouth during the early part of December 2010

Our first subject is Anglian Coaches (later Anglianbus) Optare Solo M950 335 MX08 MYV, in plain white livery, observed passing the long gone BHS store on Regent Road on the 581 Beccles service. Britannia Parking of Bournemouth was its first owners in April 2008. It later moved to Thames Travel and Carousel Buses which, together with Anglian and others, became part of the Go-Ahead Group.

Next up is another Anglian Solo and this time an M780 version. 307 AU54EOA was new in September 2004 and is seen here on Howards Street North in the town on the same day. Anglian was an early operator of gas powered buses and 307 had a pod fitted to the roof containing gas cylinders as part of a clean vehicle trial project. It later had the pod removed and was transferred to Vale Travel in Spring 2014 where it was frequently employed on Star Travel's routes 11 and 11a in Milton Keynes.

A third Optare Solo (an M920) YJ51 XSM in the black hole known as Market Gates on the 15th. Whilst the picture quality is passable, it is one of the few occasions when the lighting was OK. At that time the owners were quite often very frugal with the lighting in this area of the shopping centre! The Solo was new in September 2001 with Anglian acquiring it from Horsburgh of Pumpherston, Scotland in December 2010 - the same month the picture was taken.

Our final photo of this post is that of Shearings Holidays Kassbohrer Setra 111 BN09 FXA at Beach Coach Station also taken on the 15th. It passed to Thandi Executive, Smethwick, West Midlands in August 2016 and was reregistered THA 636 the following month. However, it had reverted to BN09 FXA by the time it passed to Grindle in April 2019 and was given its current mark of J300 TRG a month later.

Next week will be the last Friday Flashback as I have now exhausted my collection of old photos not published before on the blog. It will be a special one featuring vehicles operated by local independent Swift Coaches.

Roy