from THE OXFORD BUS PAGE
News from:
 Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

Issue 204
Sunday 23rd June 2002

Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the Editors' and in no way constitute 
any official points of view from the bus companies mentioned,  or indeed any other official body. 
As a news page we reserve the right to make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.

Visit the Archive Pages going back to 1998

Your reports are welcome at malcolmhc@aol.com

So we are at issue 204 and the weeks roll by. This week has been rather spares in terms of news from my correspondents but I hope we have a page with interest to all of you. The weather is still mixed and more like April than glorious June. The picture above is taken near Loudwater where the Flackwell Heath Road passes below the M40. Again the very hilly nature of the surrounding area can be seen and sadly the Tube is rather blurred as it speeds by heading toward Oxford. I rather like the idea of an Arriva climbing the hill under the M40 with a coach above. I might have to wait several hours or even days to get that one!

As I write this week's page I am sitting once again in Banbury Station waiting for my return working to Oxford on Rail Replacement. This week for a change I have Trident 101, nearly 601 but of course not quite. Time wise from Oxford the Trident performed well and even with a maximum speed of 50mph we arrived at Banbury on time at 1348. Return is at 1533 and the sun is breaking through a rather overcast sky. Below is 101 upon arrival at Banbury.

Tuesday last saw me at Henley for a day out on Temple Island downstream of the town. The organiser of the day out had asked me to arrange a coach and my usual sources were unable to oblige. This seemed mainly due to school work and Ascot. Little did I realise that when I asked Hallmark, the price would be very reasonable and we would end up with the Tottenham Hotspur's Team coach. It was a magnificent Neoplan with 32 leather seats, toilet, servery, video etc etc. The coach is seen below at The Leander Club in Henley waiting fro the return journey. HC6422 was once a T reg wqhen new.

Whilst around Oxford on Saturday I went to look at the new Park & ride site at Kidlington. Unless I was in the wrong place, work has not yet started and I will be most interested to see if it is ready for October this year, when services start. October is only just over 3 months away. The entrance to the site is seen below. I do however understand that work is due to start in early July.

I feel I must have a moan about certain happenings and reports of traffic matters in Oxford. The local papers report that Parking Wardens in Oxford have given fines out for illegal parking totalling in excess of £1 million. If anyone has been booked they will know how on occasion the wardens are more than zealous in their work. However it is noticeable that places such as the Cowley Road do not receive such "zealous" attention. I wonder why? Equally private cars still use areas restricted to buses, seemingly without penalty. Another area of frustration is that small piece of road by St Clements devoid of any road markings. I was parked there recently taking some pictures when the inevitable warden apprehended me saying I was parked illegally. He claimed that the double yellow lines on either side of the main road applied to this small bit of "sterile" roadway. I wonder how this would stand up in court? It seems a pity that the wardens cannot use the time to resolve areas of bad parking much in need of attention instead of the easy prey of motorists in the centre. Well enough on that subject but it is one that rankles.

Well now on to our area happenings.

News of the local companies - 23rd June 2002

Arriva serving The Shires & Essex

Ni9gel Peach writes "Interesting to see the fleet list from Aylesbury. I notice that Lincoln Rd only has one Lynx left (plus one D/T). This one, 3068 has been in the back row of the bus stn, nose in, for some weeks now. This was the one we expected would replace Lynx 3345 at NBS. (3344 went, replaced by 3069 from CRX.)

One of the SLF Darts has also been in that back row for a while now. It's front panel has been removed so I can't see which one. Fleet numbers are too small for me to read!

Re Lynx 3068. After weeks at the back of the bus station, yesterday it had moved to a different part of the building. Also, the SLF Dart I referred to now has its front panel back on, but it was obscured by another bus, so couldn't see number.

Newlands Bus Station, High Wycombe (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 (CRX)  (Think this needs an update!)

Mercs:2410,2196,2197,2198  - 2415 delicensed at CRX)  2200 (Staff Bus)

Lynx:3067 (Driver Trainer) 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:29 for service.

Oxford Bus (City of Oxford Motor Services)  http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk

Interesting workings last Friday were Olympians 221 later replaced by 223 on 5D card.. Earlier 223 had been on 5L card. 214 was on 13B card. 220 and 224 also saw service on 400 road though replaced by Tridents during the day. Thursday saw 821 do a few trips 35 road with both recent acquisitions 657 and 658 on that road.  223 was on 2O card on the same day. 208 appeared on 13D card and 614 on 15E card, normally a low floor duty. 613 appeared on 5L duty on the Thursday with 221 appearing on 400F card for part of the day. On that Thursday (20th) 224 was on 5H and 214 on 5K cards, both full day workings. Wednesday 19th saw FOUR Olympians on 5 road, 224/5D, 214/5E, 221/5K and 214/5L. 637 also appeared on 5F, making a very different picture from the usual dose of low floors. On the same day 223 was on all day card 4B and 222 replaced 101 on X3E card. On that day 208 was on 2B card.

An unusual visitor for attention in works is London General M1435, 435CLT. The reason is not clear but it makes a c\hange from the usual fodder.

Rail replacement on Sunday saw 101, 102 and 103 plus 657 on the days workings.

Due to traffic congestion on the Abingdon Road, the 300 service on Saturdays has been split once again - as last Christmas - and now operates in two sections. The inbound 300 from Redbridge is also routed via Donnington Bridge and the Iffley Road between 10am and 5pm.

Trident 112 passes St Clements  inbound from Redbridge on the revised working last Saturday.

Olympian 223 Kidlington bound last Saturday, near the new Park & Ride.

Volvo 608 rounds St Clements out of service. The two has worn white with age.
This bus is generally on 2 road.

Trident 102 also at Banbury today Sunday..

This picture should be entitled "little and large" - 34 passes Dart 407 on the
Magdalen Bridge last Saturday.

Red Rose, Aylesbury

I have tried unsuccessfully for sometime now to get a picture of the Red Rose
Golden Jubilee bus.
I have to resort to getting the picture from Mike Penn for whom I thank him.
Red Rose of Aylesbury RR 02 BUS is seen on a Sunday service at Milton Keynes
on April 21st 2002 displaying its Golden Jubilee livery.

Stagecoach in Warwick

Keith Wood writes "Both 459 and 460 (P363/364 DSA) have received new livery leaving just 472 ex Oxford as the last one. I assume that this will be done if it hasn't already in the near future. I see that the transfer of Banbury is finally taking place. This will allow me to concentrate on the Warwickshire depots.

An unexpected visit to Nuneaton ASDA yesterday showed that the ex Oxford Merc 709d's in the N***VSS batch have left for their new home".

Stagecoach in Oxford

Ralph Adams writes "I quoted T11 with an invalid registration number.  It was ...753. but should have been XOV753T.  Sorry for the mistake"

Vic Gackowski wrote to say "I am a bit bemused , confused , or have I missed something , but Ralph Adams comments that SiO are all Manual bar 5 early 7xx Darts doesn't seem correct. SiO have a lot more autos than this. In fact I think its only the older 3xx & 4xx mini buses that are Manual. Even the Varios are Auto. Did Ralph mean something different ?"

Neil Gow wrote saying "Stagecoach Tridents TN431 and TN433 were both at work on 77 and 77A today, also ex London Olympian 528 (not all at same time as only two buses are required at any one time on a Saturday).  By the way, there is no 10B (Cowley Centre or Crescent Hall - Brookes Uni) shown on the public tt since August 2001, but it seems one still runs.  I've seen it a couple of Friday mornings (Trident or Olympian) - it probably leaves Cowley Centre around 0915 and my guess is that it becomes one of the four buses that form the 0940 departure on the 77 to Wheatley.  One of your pictures of ex Midland Red Olympian at the depot also displays this number, so there may be a p.m. journey too."

St Clements again with Tube 43 heeling over as it hastens inbound towards the City Centre.

Bure Place, Bicester with two Alexander PS types on 27 - 235, and 29 - 203.

Dart 764 rests near the Horspath Garage showing off the fast disappearing stripey livery.

Thames Travel, Wallingford

Dart, 251 heads into Oxford by St Clements off the Wallingford service last Saturday.

Thames Valley Traction (Historical)

I have now traced two older staff from Stokenchurch depot. Charlie Maun and his conductress Bet Hoskins. I hope to have more recollections from Bet but she does remember that one bus, she thinks 730, without doors was always used on the 39 to Watlington. The one with doors, a Lodekka was used on the Radnage and Ibstone services.

Woottens of Chesham - http://www.woottens.co.uk

Woottens wheelchair accessible coach FE02FCA

News received from Michael Wootten reads,

A further new coach here is Volvo B7R / Jonckheere Modulo C57F  FE02 FCA.  This vehicle is air conditioned and fully wheelchair accessible - the first coach of its type to be operated by Woottens.

The new Volvo B7R joins recently acquired Volvo B12M / Jonckheere Millennium Mistral C51/53Ft FE02 FCC. This coach has a claim to fame in being the first new shape Jonckheere bodied B12M to be registered in the UK.  The B7R is also of interest in being the first Jonckheere bodied version to be wheelchair accessible.   Both new coaches are fitted with ZF fully automatic transmission which the company plan to make standard for all new vehicles. 

Bristol VRT \ Eastern Coach Works WJI 2849 (JWV 273W) has been extensively refurbished while Leyland Olympian \ Eastern Coach Works TSO 30X has been withdrawn along with Volvo B10M \ Van Hool SIL 3924 (PGE 859Y).

If you wish to be included on a mailing list where I will advise of any mid week news please
let me know on malcolmhc@aol.com

PHOTO CORNER
If you have a digital camera and wish to submit photos for this page please send them to the me at 
malcolmhc@aol.com

A Coopers Volvo in St Giles last Saturday ahead of a Tellings Golden Miller Volvo.
I was unable to check where this Coopers was from?


A "1" registered Merc N1VWL crosses Magdalen Bridge.
I've seen this before but do not know its owner.

I welcome your photos for inclusion on this page.
malcolmhc@aol.com

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