THE SHOWBUS ANGLIA BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Stagecoach East Sold buses
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From the days of Tilling and NBC ownership, the number of doubledeckers in the Eastern National fleet shrunk dramatically and no new doubledeck buses had been seen in over twenty years. Of the forty or so deckers remaining in 2005 was this Northern Counties bodied Volvo Olympian new to Viscount, 34018 (P546EFL), which came to First from the the Cambus fleet in December 2003. The bus is seen in Colchester on route to Brightlingsea in May 2005.
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 A long way from home is VR183 (OPW183P). The bus is now way down south in the original capital of New Zealand, Dunedin, on the City Tour. It joined the fleet of Dunedin City Corporation in 1994 and was painted in a red and white livery. The Corporation fleet has been disbanded and 183 was operating for Newtons when seen in their depot, a former tram shed, in April 2005. It is one of a pair, the other being a former Crosville bus. Both had been recently repainted in a dramatic two tone blue "First City Tours" graphics scheme, they also had received a thorough overhaul, though 183 was off the road in the depot. Newtons, who operated the majority of the city routes were lamenting the cost of refurbishment as surplus Hong Kong Olympians became available shortly afterwards. The VR is now registered TQ7480. Before reaching NZ it had a chequered past in the UK, passing to Cambus, when ECOC was split, in 1984, becoming 709. In 1989 it went to the associated Viscount fleet in Peterborough as B63, but went back to Cambus in 1991, but as 713 not 709. In 1994 it had a month or so as Buckinghamshire Road Car 3183 in Milton Keynes before returning to Cambus for sale to Brakell and export to New Zealand at the year end. |
 This Northern Counties Volvo Olympian was new to Viscount as 571 (P571EFL). Like the First Essex example above, it was one of a number snapped up by First when they came off lease from Stagecoach. The bus is seen at the Royal Victoria Bus Rally near Southampton on June 8th 2008 in the care of First Hampshire & Dorset as their 34071. Unlike 34018 above with First Essex, it is in the then new First livery. |
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 Former Premier Travel 458 (S458BCE) had been dragooned into the Megabus fleet and is seen here in Victoria in summer 2007. The Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M is thought to have been in the care of Midland Red South at this stage working out of Rugby depot. |
A true bus of the United Kingdom - if we ignore the German Mercedes 709D chassis. From Northern Ireland we have the Alexander (Belfast) body. The bus was intended to serve with Western Scottish, but instead was delivered to England as Cambus 210. However here it is in the capital of Wales plying the streets of Cardiff for Stagecoach Red & White as 392 (N643VSS). It reached Red & White via Cheltenham & Gloucester and had become 40643 in the national numbering system.
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