No pictures this week but lots of very interesting news.

Nigel Peach writes "the bus station seemed almost empty this lunchtime (Mon 30th). Olympian 5826 has been parked up out of service for some weeks now.

Lynx 3069 (newly transferred from Cressex) was working the 326. Good to see that it already has the correct blinds! Also noteworthy on this bus is the bold, easy to read, fleet number on the rear (one for your camera!).

Re your allocation lists, the B6s 3127 and 3138 are back at Lincoln Road.

Re the Lincoln Road list, B6 3110 has been omitted from your list. It's a regular performer on the 300. Sister 3116 is not included in the latest Arriva handbook. This was the bus that was damaged in the arson attack which wrote off 3247. I'd thought that 3116 was being/had been repaired. Perhaps
Steve can enlighten us?"

Steve writes to say "The current Wycombe allocation is as follows:

NBS

Lynx:3069,3070,3076,3345,3806,3808,3809,3810.

Dennis Dart SLF:3821,3822,3823,3824,3825,3826,3827

Dennis Dart DW:3811,3812,3813,3814,3815,3816,3817,3818,3819,3820

Dennis Dart DM:3833,3834

Scania:3144,3145,3146,3158,3163,3169

Olympian:5822,5823,5824,5825,5826,5827,5828,5829,5830,5831,5832,5833,5834,5835,5379,5074

Volvo:3841,3842,3843,3844,3853,3854,3855

Total:56

CRESSEX

Mercs:2410,2196,2197,2198

Lynx:3062,3063,3067,3068,

Volvo B6:3110,3115,3116,3126,3127,3138,3139,3242,3243,3244,3258,3259,3260

Olympian:5075,5076,5081,5108,5109,5110,5134,5135,5167

Total:30

NBS vehicles off the road are:3821,3824,3813,5074,5828,3146,5825(away refirb)

Saturday 4th May,

The 09.15 323 to Aylesbury was operated by NBS Olympian 5822 and the 11.50 300 service to Uxbridge was operated by NBS Olympian 5829.

Olympian 5830 was on 303's today.

Newman Morgan wrote in some details on his memories of Wycombe. I am sure you will all find it most interesting. He says "I was very pleased to see the rear end of ex Thames Valley Bristol K DBL 154 in this week's Bus Page. I grew up in Sands, High Wycombe, spending 20-odd years of my life there, and DBL 154 was one of several Bristol K's that performed on the 38 and 42 roads. If my memory serves me well (!) DBL had a sister DBL (or was it DMO?) whilst the remainder of the Wycombe Bristol K's were later models with EJB registrations and I believe there were a couple with FMO reg's. DBL and its sister (DMO 28 comes to mind but don't quote me!) were easily recognisable as their front number plates were placed a few inches below the half cab windscreen. All the later models had their plates immediately beneath the half cab 'screen. The 38 road ran from Wycombe Rail Station via High Street, Oxford Street, West Wycombe Road, Chapel Lane, Sands, New Road, Booker Turnpike and Cressex Road to turn at Booker (Limmer Lane) opposite the old Booker Hospital (is it still there?). The service frequency was a rather awkward every 25 minutes off peak which required 2 buses. The 38 road also had some wholly different peak journeys that dovetailed the Reading 28 road. These ran from Frogmoor via High Street, Queen Victoria Road, Marlow Hill, Marlow Road then either along Cressex Road or via Lancaster Road and Coronation Road to Cressex Road to terminate at either the Turnpike or Limmer Lane. These odd journeys were often the preserve of new or nearly new FLF's.

I remember when the old RAF houses at Clayhill were sold off and several 38 journeys were extended to Clayhill.

I used to catch the 8.29am from Sands Hour Glass (8.21am from Limmer Lane), firstly to my junior school (now gone) on the West Wycombe Road and subsequently to the Rail Station where I walked over to Crendon Street to catch an RT on the 362 or RML on the 363 to the RGS at Terriers. I remember it was 3d (old pence) to ride up the hill.

I also remember a near riot when TVT upped the fare from Sands to the town centre from 11d (old pence) to 1/1d (one shilling and one pence). The thoughts of a shilling plus bus fare just couldn't be believed! I wonder what Arriva serving Themselves charge these days?

The 8.29am through Sands for years had a relief at 8.31am. This was in fact scheduled at 8.26am from the Turnpike to Hearn's Corner, arrive 8.39am. The bus then ran dead into Frogmoor Bus Station. This journey had run out at 7.55 am from Frogmoor on the Marlow Hill route to the Turnpike and was often an FLF.

I used to return from the RGS on the 4.40pm or 4.45pm from the Rail Station. The 4.40pm was an extra that ran to the Turnpike and then along Cressex Road, Coronation Road to Lancaster Road. It was often worked by a Bristol LD. The 4.45 was a 'normal' Limmer Lane journey. Sometimes I made the 4.20pm Limmer Lane ! And sometimes I made the 3.55pm to Coronation Road but we won't mention why I was on a bus from town 5 minutes before school closed!! Although Coronation Road and Lancaster Road are different ends of the same road through Cressex Industrial Estate, the two destinations were in fact different stops, Coronation Road being outside the old Hoover factory and Lancaster Road being outside the old Broom Wade and Desborough Engineering factories. My late father was works manager of the Broom Wade site for several years until they relocated much of it to Ystalyfera near Swansea and mother very definitely decided she did not want to be Welsh!!!!! (My Morgan surname is Irish, not Welsh! - very Irish!!).

The 42 road ran every half hour between Wycombe Marsh P.O. and Booker Hill Estate via London Road, Easton Street, High Street, Oxford Street, West Wycombe Road, Chapel Lane, Sands, New Road to the top turn into Booker Hill Road near the top of the hill, then round Booker Hill to turn at Field Road. The 42 actually turned at Wycombe Marsh in the TVT garage. There was another 42 also running every half hour between Loudwater, Station Turn and West Wycombe Swan via London Road etc through to West Wycombe Road, West Wycombe Station (yes the trains did stop occasionally!) and West Wycombe Swan. I believe the odd journey ran on to Piddington. Both the 38 and 42 were worked from Desborough Road garage.

The 42 was ok when the Bristol K's were in charge as their blind displays would show destination 'LOCAL SERVICE' and the combined route number/via box would read either:

WYCOMBE MARSH LOUDWATER
BOOKER HILL ESTATE 42

or

WEST WYCOMBE 42
WYCOMBE MARSH LOUDWATER

depending on which route 42 the bus was running. When the later KSW's, LD's or rare FLF operated the route, their T-box displays were a nightmare as they usually showed the lazy :

LOCAL SERVICE 
42

leaving one to work out whether it was a WW bound or BHE bound bus. Like everyone else - I got it wrong occasionally!!!

Booker was also served by the 81 / 81A, the 81 from Frogmoor via Desborough Avenue and the 81A coming all the way from Wycombe Marsh. Again these were worked by Desborough Road garage.

Sands was also served by the 26 / 26A, the 26 coming from Wycombe Marsh and the 26A from New Bowerdean (i.e. where the Happy Wanderer pub is (or was) on Bowerdean Road. The 26 mirrored L.T. Route 326 more or less (fore runner of the present 326). Both the 26 and 26A were hourly each whilst the 326 ran an odd timetable. 2 journeys an hour Micklefield - Mill End Road one journey per hour Micklefield to Castle Street or LT Garage via a different route and one journey an hour New Bowerdean to Castle Street or LT Garage.

The actual routes were: Micklefield,Woodside Road North (326), Micklefield Road (326), Wycombe Marsh (26/326), London Road (26/326), Gordon Road (26/326) to Bowerdean Cross Roads. From New Bowerdean the 26A and 326 ran down Bowerdean Road to Bowerdean Cross Roads. The routes were then Totteridge Road, Amersham Road Railway Bridge, Castle Street, Oxford Street, Oxford Road, Bridge Street, Desborough Road, Dashwood Avenue, Desborough Park Road, Abercrombie Avenue, Eaton Avenue, Mill End Road to turn at the old bakery at the junction of Mill End Road, Dashwood Avenue and Gallows Lane. Some peak hour and lunch time journeys on 26A and morning peak on 326 ran on to Sherwoods Corner non stop. This is the stop on Lane End Road opposite the present Monsanto premises. These were run for the benefit of G D Searle employees and the earlier Thawpit Soda factory that was on the same site. L T buses showed MILL END ROAD or SANDS whilst TVT buses showed MILL END ROAD or SHERWOODS CORNER. Later the hourly 26A was extended all day beyond Mill End Road to Roundwood Road, half way along Lane End Road between the Hour Glass and the Industrial Estate. Some drivers stopped at the Hour Glass, some didn't. In actual fact the drivers shouldn't have stopped at the Hour Glass as the Police refused to sanction a right turn immediately on leaving either of the Hour Glass bus stops that were outside and opposite the pub. These 26A journeys showed ROUNDWOOD ROAD. The buses came along Lane End Road and turned into Roundwood Road where there was a stop. They proceeded by going up Roundwood Road left into Booker Hill Road, left into New Road and back to Sands to Mill End Road. Town bound they picked up at the Castlefield Woods stop on New Road. I believe, but not 100% sure, that the 26/26A were worked by Wycombe Marsh garage.

The remaining 326 journey each hour from Micklefield carried on along the London Road into Easton Street and then went left into Queen Victoria Road to the L T Garage (where Staples is at bottom of Marlow Hill). When Abbey Way was opened they were re-routed I think to terminate in Union Street outside the Bus Station and started from Denmark Street. The Bowerdean 326 journeys picked up the vacant 20 minute slot between Bowerdean X Roads and Castle Street or Crendon Street on the 326 journeys along Totteridge Road.

Also there was the 36 to Cadmore End with its early morning journeys from Fingest and Turville respectively worked by Fingest outstation.

I have just remembered that the car running numbers for the main 38 road were 29 and 30, those for the Booker Hill 42 were 35 and 36. In those days Thames Valley used running numbers at both Wycombe and Maidenhead depots a la London Transport style. They didn't use garage codes per se, but the Wycombe numbers at least had a small 'W' engraved into the metal running number plate. I have a '39'  in the loft - I nicked it off a Watlington-Wycombe Marsh Route 39 journey late on a Saturday night. (now no one is to tell!! Ed.) On Saturday nights the 9.25pm Wycombe to Watlington was worked with a bus off the 28 road (usually a late FLF) and the return journey at 10.20 something from Watlington ran through to Wycombe Marsh on service. This Saturday duty used running no. 39. The bus arrived in Wycombe off the 28 at 9.10pm. For me, this relatively late journey was a handy way of getting back to Downley Turning on the West Wycombe Road after a night's boozing in either the Kings Arms at Stokenchurch (or St. Okenchurch as we used to call it) or the Studley Arms at Studley Green. Mind you, I wasn't actually old enough to drink!!

In my loft I have some immaculate 1960s TVT timetables together with a fare table which a lady conductress erroneously left on the seat next to me on a 38 journey being worked by a KSW with those awful staggered seats. I managed to make the fare table fall down the side of the seat and as I got off the bus at Sands I slipped it into my school bag. The poor old girl conductress was having nightmares as the fares had just gone up and she couldn't find her faretable!! I sure she suspected me but never said a word but I could never look her straight in the face again! Thank God for one man buses - until the conductress passed her driving test!!!

For the record, Wycombe's running numbers during the late 60's were

1 - 41 double deckers, all crew operated
51 - 70 single deckers, all crew operated
81 - 85 one-man single deckers which were used solely on the 32 Thame road,
the 34 Speen road and the 80 Aylesbury via Hampden, Lacey Green, Risborough, Longwick, Meadle and most of the rest of Bucks.

So, in those days, TVT needed 66 vehicle duties to maintain a full Monday to Friday schooldays service and in addition of course there were Maidenhead vehicles on the 20/20A, plus the COMS 75 service and the limited service on 80 (nothing to do with TVT's 80), and the London Transport High Wycombe (HE) allocations plus Amersham (MA) on the 362/362A/364, Reigate on Green Line 711 and Romford on Green Line 724 (this fore runner of the Arriva 724 ran from Romford to High Wycombe)

A far cry from Arriva's present peak vehicle requirement! Actually, for a time I think that Reading appeared on Saturdays only on the 28 road as the Saturday service to Reading was half hourly as opposed to hourly during the rest of the week.

Very many thanks to Newman for those comprehensive notes which I certainly found most interesting. I hope he will not mind me quoting verbatim but I am sure anyone who was interested in losing a timetable or a running board will have long since passed beyond the Thames Valley bus company.

I look forward to more historical notes from Newman and anyone else with a good memory.

News of the week is from an information source close to the company. As many will be aware the fifth Park & Ride site is now under construction and is scheduled to open in October of this year. Oxford Bus will operate the service from the site to the centre of Oxford and have ordered SIX new buses to operate the service.

A major change in policy sees a new type of full size single decker joining the fleet for this operation. Doubtless, much to the surprise of Volvo, until now the choice for full size single deckers, a new marque is to enter Oxford Bus.

The Mercedes Benz Citaro is the bus chosen and all six will arrive during October in time for the start of the new service. Full details of the order are not yet to hand but you maybe sure I will keep you posted as they become available.

I took the opportunity to ride on the Dutch one seen earlier in this report and can confirm that the ride is superb, quiet, smooth and rattle free. Indeed I could not initially fault the bus in question and its driver was most enthusiastic about his charge. I certainly look forward to seeing more of these buses. The floor is flat right up to the rear seats making access much better.

Further news is that 658 has now entered service but 657 has yet so to do. The destination display is excellent as can be seen from the photo below.

 During the time coaches replaced trains at Oxford today, such was the volume of traffic that cars were banished to another area and normal service stops were moved to other areas of the station forecourt.

As can be seen Oxford local services were moved to the far side of the forecourt.

Here 812 on the 5 waits time at its temporary stop.

Demonstrator Scania 850 has seen service on 2, X3 and 4 roads during the past week.