Service Alterations Registered ~ 9th December 2015

Today's Notices and Proceedings Report, issued by the East of England Traffic Commissioner earlier this morning, contains little of interest affecting our local area

The only entry of relevance is an application by Konectbus to amend the route, stopping places and timetable of its 53/53A/53B services between Wroxham and Queens Hill, Costessey from 11th January 2016

The full East of England Traffic Commissioner's Notices and Proceedings Report No 2220 can be viewed HERE

Roy

Ensignbus Running Day

Saturday saw the annual Ensignbus running day using heritage vehicles from its fleet and some visiting vehicles. Routes radiated from Lakeside to Grays, Gravesend, Shenfield and Upminster and our regular contributor Tim Major was watching proceedings and sent these photos for me to use on the blog

First up we have a photo of a former London Transport, pre-war AEC Regal T499 at Upminster. The 38 seater was new in 1938 and has the registration ELP 223. Following behind is 1949 built London Transport RTL453 (KLB648) a rare preserved Leyland PD2 example of this famous class

Next up is ex Southend Corporation Daimler GLX913 which has a London Transport chassis with Massey Brothers bodywork of 1954 vintage. It was one of a batch of ten second hand Daimlers the Corporation used to replace its trolleybuses in that year

Tim said the vehicle featured on the X55 service to Gravesend and coped well with the climb over the Queen Elizabeth Bridge with a full load.

The penultimate photo shows former London Transport MCW bodied Scania Metropolitan KJD260P. MD60 entered service in the capital in 1976 at Peckham Garage. In 1980 it moved to Plumstead and was placed into store in December 1982. It was withdrawn twelve months later.

Ensign acquired the decker from a preservationist in 2008 and, after a lengthy period of restoration, it became operational again in August last year

The final photo is of ex Southend Transport Van Hool Astromega JEV245Y photographed at Lakeside. Tim says 'Not really my cup of tea, too modern! I know it is approx 18 years old and a bit of a beast' 

My thanks to Tim for the photos and anecdotal information

Roy

First Transfer Updates

Following last weeks news that Yarmouth and Lowestoft will be having a vehicle swap in time for the new X1/X2/X22 timetables beginning we can confirm that all the changes have now taken place this past weekend.

To recap, Geminis 37575/37576/37577 have moved to Lowestoft with ALX400's 30900 & 30901 moving to Yarmouth. Dart 43466 is now withdrawn at Lowestoft also.

30900 pictured at Caister Road on Sunday Morning now with a new engine.

In other news, Volvo 66168 W368EOW which recently transferred from Essex to Yarmouth with sister 66169 had been earmarked for withdrawl after Christmas will infact now be heading for Rotherham for refurbishment to comply with DDA requirements and then become part of the loan fleet which covers the group.

66169 lays over on Saturday afternoon at Caister Road

Thanks as always to Danny & Chris at First for the info.                   Grahame.

Ensign In November

Ross Newman regularly posts monthly comings and goings at Essex dealers Ensign and November's report contains some movements of interest locally

Among those arriving during November have been ten former Norwich P&R Dennis Tridents from Norse Commercial Services - namely PN03ULR/ UMC/ ULU/ ULV/ UMJ/ ULL/ UMH/ UMA/ ULP/ UMG. The last two mentioned also left during the same month for Belle Vue of Manchester

On the move - former Norse Trident PN03ULP is now with Belle Vue of Manchester

Other departures included ex Arriva London Wright Gemini bodied DAF LJ53NHV to Sanders Coaches of Holt and former Bluestar Trident T742JPO to Richards of Dereham

My thanks to Ross for the information

#TBT J853TSC

Our Throw Back Thursday this week features a former Konectbus double decker which has also recently found another use

Olympian J853TSC in company with Optare Excel R836FNG at Konect's Rashes Green depot in September 2010

The decker is an Alexander RH bodied Leyland Olympian new to Lothian Regional Transport in October 1991. J853TSC was subsequently acquired by Konect and gained fleet number 100 whilst with the Dereham based company

It was primarily employed on school runs when with the Norfolk operator and left them in December 2011. Both J853TSC and sister J855TSC subsequently ended up with Black and White Motorways and retained the livery of their former owner. There is a photo on Flickr of J853 on school bus duties in Winchester last year

Regular contributor Jamie Skinner has alerted me to the fact that it has recently found a new use in Staffordshire as a solar powered retro-gaming bus project for an organisation called FizzBus. The project is in its infancy with work just starting on removing its seating. See their Facebook page for more photos and information

Incidentally companion R836FNG suffered a worse fate by being cannibalised for spares following withdrawal

My thanks to Jamie for the information regarding the Olympian

Roy

Olympian Returns

As Mark Twain famously said 'reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated' and so it was speculated with the last Olympian at Caister Road following reports of the recovery of W431CWX by ASW on Facebook last night

34111 W431CWX on her regular run to Bernard Matthews this afternoon with ALX400 32064 following closely behind

Fortunately nothing major occurred apart from a split water pipe which was soon rectified. 34111 was quickly back on its regular Bernard Matthews duties this afternoon

The Olympian was accompanied by four former First Leicester ALX400s namely 32061-4 W221XBD, W422SRP, W223XBD and W224XBD

Roy

Rotherham Roll Call

Latest update from First regarding the repaint/refurbishment programme being undertaken at Rotherham's Midland Road Works.

Latest vehicle to go up North is 32106 LT02ZCV which was in Yellow line livery and returning to Norfolk is 33169 LR02LYJ .

32106 in a sunny Castle Meadow in April 2014.

Current list of vehicles at Rotherham is as follows, 32106,33160,33161 and 33162.

Loanee 60622 R785WKW has also returned to South Yorkshire after working from all of FEC's depots during its spell in East Anglia.

Grahame.