Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated - Monday 31st 2000

The next update will be on Monday 7th August 2000

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 !

A busy week with some days spent at Farnborough Air Show where Oxford bus contributed to the London General contract for internal transport at the show. As a result news from the area of Oxford & District is very limited.

Fleet News week ending 31/7/00

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

As recorded last week, 601 was prepared for work at Farnborough and spent from Monday 24th until Sunday 30th busy on internal car park shuttles. Your correspondent enjoyed several days with 601 and a few photos are included to show some of the sights.

The latest issue of Ian Allan's BUSES magazine reports in the fleet news that the last batch of Volvo B10BLEs 816-821 have received route branding for 15 road. This incorrect and the ONLY buses with any kind of route branding in the City fleet are those Volvo B10Bs used on the X3, 616-619. fitted for the occasion.

Oxford Classic Tour.

News reaches me from David Wilson via Andrew Gronneberg that Lothian Olympians 300/1/2/3 (E300MSG etc.) were delivered to Tappins at Didcot on Saturday 22/07/00, with Atlanteans 49,50 (BFS49/50L) and 939 (OSF939M) returning to Edinburgh on Sunday 23/07/00. The fate of the Atlanteans is 
unknown however BFS34L is dumped at Tappins yard in a very cannibalised condition and will not run again. Stef Soanes, the Oxford Express Manager kindly provided me shots of 302 in service last Saturday.

Stagecoach Oxford.  

Andy Gilmour writes to advise that L709-13JUD which were new to Thames Transit as 3000-4 for the Blackbird Flyer have now left East London and currently reside at Stagecoach Hampshire Bus' Winchester depot awaiting preparation for service. 712 arrived on 9/7/00, 710/3 on 16/7/00 and 709/11 today 23/7/00. 710 is now being prepared for painting into Stagecoach stripes - he believes all 5 are to be used at Basingstoke depot.

Wycombe Bus Company

301 should be back in Wycombe by now adorned with 326 route branding in the same style as 522. Dart 529 was at Oxford on Thursday for 326 route branding application.

I will be pleased to receive your reports for this section
Please send your reports to MalcolmHC@aol.com and thank you for all your sightings, they are most welcome.

  PHOTO CORNER
If anyone else has a digital camera and wishes to submit photos for this page please send them to the above email.

Oxford Classic Tour Olympian 302 seen leaving Oxford's Gloucester Green Coach station 
on one of the many round trip tours run in the course of one day.

The two photos above courtesy Stef Soanes.

Neil Gow kindly provided this fine shot of 208 working the 5 a week last Saturday.
Loadings on the 5 road are very heavy at present due to the large numbers
 of foreign student staying in the Cowley area. 208 is seen loading at the Rail Station.

Oxford Volvo 601 seen on layover at Farnborough last week. Various London General
 and London Central buses are seen in the picture plus part of a fleet of 14 Stagecoach Olympians
 which provided the shuttle service to Farnborough Rail Station.
The aircraft pictured was the Airbus A340 of Lufthansa which was part of the flying
display each day.

The weather was most unkind on the Friday afternoon when a thunderstorm 
broke out during the flying display. 601 is seen being "overtaken" by the Red Arrows !!

A chance to try something different ! Your Editor seen here before a round trip
on Millennium Dome DAF/East Lancs 2007 - V7GMT.
The overall impression was of a very nice and comfortable bus.
This bus was also at Farnborough operating the A gate shuttle service.
Oxford 501 was operating the I gate shuttle service and is seen next to 2007.

Memory Corner

The early '70s saw your Editor living and working in the Midlands. The chance came
to work part time for Harpers of Heath Hayes, where RT s and RTL s could be driven.
Although the RT s were ex St Helens, they were identical to London RT s and gave 
a number of years valuable service to Harpers. The single fare from Cannock to Birmingham, 
a journey of some 15 miles was just 18 pence !!! One of the numerous Harper rebuilds is
seen in the photo being a Guy Arab UF with Burlingham Seagull coachwork converted for 
bus work by Harpers themselves. This bus was a challenge to drive with crash box
reversed with 1 and 2 to the right and 3 and 4 to the left.

Photo courtesy of Peter Roberts (PSV Circle Manchester)

 If anyone has any further news please email below.

Malcolmhc@aol.com 

It adds to the interest of the page which I'm sure everyone appreciates.

THE OXFORD BUS MUSEUM