Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas
Oxford, High Wycombe &
surrounding areas
updated
Tuesday 30th January 2001
the
next update will be on Sunday 4th February 2001
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.
Problems with the pictures ! -
sometimes it seems that the pictures do not load.
I have found a solution which does work normally -
RIGHT CLICK ON THE PICTURE AND THEN CLICK ON "SHOW PICTURE"
Good luck !
Well, it's nearly February and so much seems to have happened already this year. Old liveries are disappearing and new ones appearing. Wycombe Bus will soon be all but a memory and soon the new Stagecoach will no longer be new. I expect I will be catching sight of the last of the all too familiar stripey livery as some bus is seen escaping my lens.
My travels to Sweden are back again after a break from the weekly "grind" , although last weekend an airline industry function in the West End precluded me from my usual Oxford Express duty and also my visit to Sweden. This accounts for the late posting of this week's report and Monday saw me visiting this year's Toy Fair in the changed location of Excel at Docklands. Four Dart SLFs provide a shuttle service from the car parks and the buses are only two weeks old. New models from EFE for 2001 include a red and a green STL plus a lovely model of the Leyland Titan. The STLs are due for March, whilst the Titan will come towards the end of the year.
Company reports - to 30th January 2001
Arriva serving the Shires & Essex.
A few ex Wycombe buses remain un-renumbered with a few Lynxs still awaiting treatment. Surprisingly Olympian 234 still carries WBC vinyls. Indeed it is currently possible to see FOUR different liveries on the ex Oxford Olympians. Sadly it seems that 229 will lose its Thames Valley livery and 230 is the latest to return from repaint. By coincidence this Sunday view includes the four liveries.
This week's bus away for attention is the first of the Volvos to be treated to a new coat, 625. It should be back by Saturday 3 February.
Some buses have lost the Wycombe web site details from the their rear windows.
It is noted that Mercedes 2132 - N912ETM - has been transferred in to Wycombe and on Sunday this was working the Reading service. It seems that ex WBC Mercs 724 and 727 are due for withdrawal very shortly. Additionally Lynxs 3063 - E420EBH - and 3344 - H254GEV - are also allocated to Wycombe at this time.
Finally for Wycombe the WBC sign over the works area has now been replaced with an Arriva sign ! Also note that accident damage is being completed with Arriva blue rather than the dark blue of Oxford. (Lynx rear near side corner panel)
Matt Wheeler
e-mailed to say that my fleet
list for Aylesbury seems to be a little out of date, as Mercedes
"minis" 2116 and 2117 left for Luton in October. He also noted one of
Wycombe's Arriva liveried Northern counties bodied Olympians on a couple of
Aylesbury services and also parked in the Aylesbury depot. However, since then
the vehicle has returned back to Wycombe (5135) {Arriva's own fleet list,
which I worked from, also showed 5135 as having left Wycombe but it back
now Ed.} Of Aylesbury's old Leyland Olympians, Matt can confirm
sightings of 5056, 5060, 5062, 5067 and 5071 over the past couple of weeks.
Last week,
however, held two surprises for Matt ... the first, and less significant, was
the arrival of Roe bodied Leyland Olympian 5382 (TPD 115X) from (he would guess)
East Herts and Essex. It is in a modified version of Arriva livery (similar to
that of Greenway 3044) with the front having Arriva colours in the correct
proportions, but the sides being all aquamarine. It was operating route 54
(Aylesbury - Halton Camp), and had proper blinds fitted, so looked like a
permanent transfer. {My contact in Wycombe told me on Sunday that this bus
had now arrived at Wycombe Newlands BS for servivce. However I did not see it.
Ed.}
The second
surprise is set to cause chaos for bus passengers in Aylesbury for
at least the next few months, possibly longer. For quite a while now the bridge
over the railway on Oxford Road has had a 7.5 Tonne weight restriction, with a
special exemption for buses. As part of the building of a new bus lane along
Oxford Road, the bridge is to be replaced over the next year or so.
However, this morning posters on buses (and also the Bucks County
Council travel info website) are informing passengers that the bridge is in much
worse condition than thought. From Monday 29th, a 3 Tonne weight
Thanks to Matt Wheeler for the foregoing feedback on Aylesbury.
Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)
A quite week, though Wednesday 24th saw 814 appear on X3C card, then 15C card having started the day on 5C card ! Some reorganisation has eradicated the use of Darts on 2 road and on the same day only 601-643 batch buses were covering the turns.
Whilst in London as previously mentioned I had the opportunity to get a nice shot of coach 7 passing The Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in the morning sunshine.
Volvo B10M.62
heads towards Victoria, nearing the end of its journey from Oxford
Sunday 28th January 2001 - 1015hrs
Stagecoach in Oxford.
The new Stagecoach image is seen now on Volvo B6 838 the second Oxford bus to be treated to the new livery. A further photo is included below showing the livery treatment of the rear end. It does seem to need something more in the way of a vinyl, the red looking rather spartan.
My Sunday in London included this nice shot of Tube 55 on its way down Park Lane - all wheel trims in place !!!!
My final Stagecoach shot this week is of Transit bus 139 now serving as a Publicity vehicle and based at Horspath.
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
Another Kenzies
coach appearing on the Jetlink 757/767 services is the Volvo Van Hool D30BEW.
Seen leaving the M40 at Stokenchurch on its way to Cambridge last Sunday.
With no
apologies I include another shot of one of the "electric trams" used
between a downtown
bus terminus in Malmo and a local housing estate. "Christer" is seen
on its way to town !
The trams run on widened footpaths through the estate giving a rather excellent
service.
.
Visitor count since 19th April 1999.
