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

updated Sunday 30th December 2001
the next update will be on Sunday 6th January 2002

  Issue nr. 179

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.

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I have found a solution which does work normally - 
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Welcome to the last Issue of 2001, nr 179 and I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, special and peaceful New Year 2002. Although the holiday period seems to stretch onwards into 2002, I don't return to work proper until January 3rd, the days as always have flown by and I am writing to you on nearly the very last day of the old year, 2001.

I have tried to bring you interest and sometimes the unusual in my weekly News Page and I am conscious that the other parts of the page need some updating and revision. This will, I hope, be done during the first quarter of the New Year and if you have any suggestions please do send them to me.

Christmas Day dawned grey and overcast and I planned to give my mother a run out in the car, which could include a side trip to Heathrow. Reader Ralph Adams had noted that the Tube would be running via Heathrow on Christmas Day, a once yearly event when the Oxford express does not run. Ralph had suggested that pictures would be welcome. And so, not wishing to disappoint, Mother and I made our way to LHR to see what could be obtained. It was a far from warm day and I spent sometime planning where the best locations would be. We would see the 1140 to Oxford and 12 noon to London which gave several opportunities to "snap a Tube". I took a chance and parked in Central Bus Station on the staff bay, which was empty, indeed the place was deserted. I was able to get 45 arriving from Victoria in Central Bus Station, dropping off some passengers and departing. As I said the bus station was empty and you can see the result under Stagecoach in Oxford below. I then remembered that a nice shot  of the half size Concord could be gained from the A4 and moved on to that location. I took several shots but the one below seems to say it all. The only other operators I saw were the car park and hotel buses plus one Flightlink from Bristol and that did not enter the bus station. Just before this Tube, forming the 12 noon to Victoria, passed my lens there was an excellent photo opportunity when a Thai Boeing 7474-400 passed above the tunnel. Sadly there was nothing I could do but I hope Ralph and others appreciate the photo below. I did not get the fleet number sadly and the photo when blown up is too grainy to see the registration.

Whilst a Heathrow and realising the quietness of the day, I also went to the parking area for the Airlinks fleet. I like the shot below of the whole Airbus fleet lined up, there being no service on Christmas Day. I know its not Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire but it is interesting.

It seems the weather is not giving us a white Christmas, indeed it could just be summer looking at the photo below. The shadows are rather long but otherwise a very fine day. I love the Bisto advert on the child's bus, I remember these adverts on the back lower panel of buses when I was a child - and that's a long long time ago!!!!!

An Arriva Mercedes completes the picture taken in the centre of Wycombe near the church.

This week's Oxford Times runs a story that Gloucester Green Coach Station will close in February for 3 to 4 weeks in order that repairs can be carried out. The surface of the station and the roof of the car park there under are in need of repair. The cost is estimated at £169000 and services will use the Oxpens Coach Park during the work. It will be a very interesting period and there will be numerous photo opportunities. I will bring you further news as it becomes available.

Well the remaining news is covered under the operators and I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas. I spent a few days driving for Oxford Bus and this included two visits to Oxford United and their games against Luton Town (Boxing Day) and Halifax Town (yesterday - Saturday). The pleasure of driving Olympians is  really great and I include some pictures below under the Oxford Bus heading. My other duties included some X90 runs on clear and almost traffic free roads. If only it were always like that.

News from the companies - 30th December 2001

Airlinks

I show this picture of D314 on the 757 turning onto the M40 at Junction 5 as a comparison
for the photo below. Currently I have comment at the oft lack of use of the side and rear
destination screens on these fine coaches. I thought it was a legal requirement to show
a route number etc if the coach is fitted for same?

Airlinks D324 in full Virgin livery at Heathrow. I posted pictures of these coaches on
the day they were delivered, some 6 months or so ago. They are 32 seaters.
The coach next is YN51WGZ operating for GTA, a new Plaxton.

Arriva serving The Shires & Essex

My apologies for the error last week. In my haste to complete the page I failed to update the captions for the first two Arriva photos. You can read the correct captions on the archive page for last week, it's amended!

Arriva's 5135 pauses at Stokenchurch on a 275 journey to Oxford last Friday.
This was the second trip to Oxford that day for 5135, notable in displaying a correct destination.

Arriva 5823 calls at West Wycombe on its way to High Wycombe last Friday morning.
It was operating the 341 from Ibstone, which on a Saturday service runs via Downley.
Coincidentally last Friday, Arriva were running Saturday services!

Arriva's 5825, an ex Oxford Olympian, receives a steam clean at Newlands Bus Station.
It somehow seems quite bizarre to see a double decker bus on rams in a working bus station.

My only comments this week is the continued use of buses without any indication of their destination at Wycombe. Also, more amusing than anything is the increasing use of Wycombe Bus destination displays in recent weeks. I am told action is being taken but I did notice that one of the SLF Darts have Happy Christmas on the rear digital display so someone somewhere has the key!

Oh and I saw 3127operating the 329 on Friday.

The ex Dorking Coaches Ikarus of Beckwith is seen operating a Friday journey
on the 290 to London Victoria.

This very smart Mercedes operating with Execubus is seen on the 352 service to
Marlow Bottom around midday last Friday. It is the smartest bus I have seen in
High Wycombe for many a day.

Oxford Bus has fitted Trident 103 with an experimental destination display.
Very bright and clear, the display has received several very favourable comments.
 

Matt Wheeler sent this shot of 103 on the X3 service, loading in St Aldates.

Yes, I know, we've had one like this before. However there are four buses
in this picture taken on Boxing Day and three are Tridents in Grovelands, Kidlington.
From the back, 114, 102 and 103 with Olympian 221

More unusual was the use of an Olympian on the X3 to Abingdon. Seen at Oxford Rail Station,
it looks like a new bus. It also performs very well indeed, showing a clean pair of heels to
newer Darts and the like on the A34!!

Volvo coach 14 has had some amendments to its electronic display as indicated
on last week's page. Here we see the coach leaving Gloucester Green, bound for Heathrow.

Trident 120 has gone to Alexander's for rectification. It is expected that it will be followed by 108. 221 put in two trips on 35 road earlier last week and it's driver commented on how well received it was in the Kennington area, even by passers by.

I am also advised that Driver Training Leyland Leopard, T2 BBW23Y, ex coach 23, left last week for its new home in Ireland. It joins other coaches purchased by the same operator.

Also Volvo 619 has lost its X3 route branding.

Newman Morgan writes to say "I have a query over Trident 102. Just before Xmas this vehicle was operating the 300 road sporting its new red livery. Travelling on the bus from Pear Tree I noticed that its offside upper deck rear two windows were in a reverse order to the norm. In other words, an opening window was in situ at the top of the staircase with the next one behind it being a non-opening window. Most Tridents (if not all of the rest of them) have these two windows in reverse order. Indeed, 102's nearside equivalent upper deck windows were in the opposite order with the non-opening window directly opposite the top of the stair case. Has this vehicle always been like this, or was it involved in a rebuild job at some stage? I do remember one Trident colliding with the Marks & Spencer clock in Queen Street.

(I don't believe that it was 102 that "kissed" the clock in Queen St. Ed)

Stagecoach

An article in Buses magazine for January 2002, talks about liveries.
Certainly this Plaxton looks better in the new livery than in the old.
What comments do you have?

Stagecoach in Banbury and Warwickshire

Basil writes to enclose National pictures saying " Went for a ride on one of Midland Red’s Nationals from Rugby to Leicester yesterday (Sat 29 December). Took a few pictures which you might like to include on your site if you wish. The pictures are not as good as I was hoping for because of the low sunlight but they make a good record I suppose. Vehicle travelled on was no.772 (BVP772V) and the services used were the X40  1400 Rugby – Leicester and X40 1415 Leicester – Rugby.

772 loads in Rugby before working to Leicester. Thanks to Basil for the photos of 772.

Stagecoach in Oxford

I received several messages on Thursday evening of a tragedy which befell MAN 939 when operating the 1545 50 service from Chipping Norton to Oxford. It seems the bus hit a tree and the driver was a fatality. One really does hate to hear of such incidents and I am sure you will join me in wishing the driver's relatives well and our sympathies to Stagecoach at this difficult time.

Ralph Adams noted that on Christmas Day the Oxford Tube would operate via Heathrow to and from London. He suggested that some photos of this working would be most interesting. Well in the absence of any offers I went myself as described above. Here we see 45 loading at Central Bus Station LHR.

SCiO operates a 50 service out of Gloucester Green last week.
This bus is unable to display 50 on the side indicator due to fault.
It is stuck on 77A!

The London Tridents loaned to SCiO have been working the Bicester services during the holiday period.
Here we see TA431 (SCiO 529) working an afternoon 27 service to Glory Farm.

Trathens-National Express

The double deck diagrams operated by Trathens on behalf of National Express are receiving brand new Neoplan coaches. Here the 592 bight service to Aberdeen waits time for loading at Victoria Coach Station, London. It is fleet number 514 , registered YN51XMX.

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

The match between Oxford United and Luton Town on Boxing Day produced a record
crowd of 11,121. Some of Luton's supporters came by Hallmark coach and here we
see Hallmarks N4HMC, a Neoplan.

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

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