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Remember: click on the small photo, to view a much larger one! |
Sunday 18
August 2002
Day two of the Lathalmond SVBM weekend - and in total contrast to
yesterday, the rain totally p****d it down! The rain actually got
worse through the afternoon, to the point that several "lakes"
(lochs?) appeared in the road. However, this actually made for
good photos - who amongst you has a photo of an open top single
decker in the rain?
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Left First vehicle I nabbed on camera today was former Tayside Ailsa 276, seen here while (the weather) was only midly damp. Right First in Manchester brought two vehicles, including an Optare Solo as well as this Mercedes Citaro low-floor single decker. For those of you who say you cannot properly photograph these new LED displays, then just upgrade to a digital camera - mine managed it (despite being not the newest & sharpest one out there!) |  |
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Left The other ex-McLennans Leyland Tiger DGS 625, seen in the "Edinburgh" shed. Right Those of you on the Dundee-Bus group will be aware of the night when Strathtay ended service on route 51 - and all the bus displays were changed to read 51 Fowlis as a "passing gesture"... anyway, possibily to celebrate the re-extension of Service 5 to Oxgangs this year, some Lothian Bus Club vehicles look vaugely similar! |  |
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Now - splashing down at the top end of the site! Lothian Leyland Leopard OPEN TOP OSJ 636R, and Bluebird B349 LSO seen splashing through the water. |  |
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Left Another vehicle to make the trip north on one day only was this Arriva north-east England coach. Right After taking this shot encompassing a McGills MetroRider, the Glasgow Bus Museum Leopard, and Ailsa 276, the camera went away to avoid getting totally drenched! If you look down a bit you will see why I could not get any closer! |  |
Saturday
17 August 2002
It's the Lathalmond (Scottish Vintage Bus Museum) open weekend
once again - is it that time of the year? Although I was
not there last year, the weather was - allegedly - better in 2002.
For more details on the museum, visit their website at http://www.busweb.co.uk/svbm
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Left Fife Council brought their non-PSV MCW Metroliner double deck "coach", A957 USL. Right Former Tayside Ailsa 266, WTS 266T. This was the only one of the batch to be repainted into the cream & dark blue style. |  |
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Two "yellow" school buses were brought to Lathalmond - both representing different ends of operator spectrums. Left First Group is hoping to convince local authorities to adopt yellow school buses universally, rather than just giving passes to kids living more than 2/3 miles from school. Two were brought to Aberdeen for demo work, and one has won a contract for a private school in the city. Meanwhile, on the right, Fishers Tours have several UK-built buses, refitted with CCTV etc. and repainted as school buses. The nine services run for Angus Council are now being registered as local bus services, as of Tuesday coming. |  |
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Dundee Corporation Daimler CVG6/Croft 127 (AYJ 379) is a recent addition to the collection. Back in the 70's the council (as it was then) kept the bus for display in a possibile industrial museum for Dundee - a plan that is unlikely to see light of day again, but would be popular for tourists and visitors, not just transport i.e. other industries in the city in the past... Anyway, back to the main story... the bus is now on-loan to the Museum for just now, as Dundee City Council ran out of ideas for places to keep it. The right picture shows the plate - including "no commercial photography" ruling - which is standard in Dundee musuems & art gallieries anyway..... | .jpg) |
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Left A well-restored Seddon Pennine/Alexander M-type, MSF 750P. This coach was new for the Scotland - London overnight services. Right It is always interesting to see what is under the paint, when sanded down... this has revealed on ex-First 416 (ULS 716X) a "crest", or logo of some time. Any ideas? |  |
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Left Halley's dark brown & yellow/cream livery looks much brighter from the back, as seen on this Bedford coach. Right New-to-Eastern Scottish Bristol VR LFS 288F is seen here. The topless conversion followed a stint with a York sightseeing tour company. |  |
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Left Not all the buses were in the main section of the museum... several Highland Country staff came down in this Ford Transit N111 JDP, acquired with the Peace business - which got left in the car park. Why? Such a nicely repainted bus too.... Right Gardner-engined Leyland Olympian B349 LSO is another arrival - earlier this year - at the museum. Apparently the only one of the batch with such an engine. |  |
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Left Halls of Kennoway were the last "user" of this Beford YRQ/Y-type - having got the vehicle from a farmer, the bus was not used in service by them. It was sold to an Edinburgh area preservationist last December (via a dealer), and is now being repainted into this Eastern Scottish livery version - slightly brighter with more white. Right Former Fife Ailsa LSX 16P is a future restoration project - seen here on the grass. The same owner now owns SSC 212P (ex LES 44P) for spares. |  |
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Left Eastern Scottish Volvo Ailsa CSG 773S is NOT the only SBG vehicle to come under the "Lothian Bus Club" banner - as they also have an AEC Reliance (correction added 21/08).Right Speaking of Edinburgh, I showed a pix of the two-door Nationals on Thursday past. Here, 124 (EGB 91T) is seen with a display that could be read an number of ways! The bus was new to Central SMT, passing to them via McKindless. |  |
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Left Ex-Aberdeen Journals Leyland Atlantean HRS 270V is now owned by a private owner. Right SV421 of First in Glasgow - the first to be painted into the "Barbie Express" livery with X6-X7 route-branding, fully retrimmed seats etc. I know I've mentioned before about why the X6/X7 is a "premium" service for Day and Weekly ticket holders. However.... if all the vehicles are up to this standard, it is money well spent! |  |
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Lothian Leyland Leopard Open-top OSJ 636R - compare this with the Sunday 18th photo in the rain! Front & rear. | .jpg) |
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Left Docherty's Midland Coaches preserved, rebodied Leyland Tiger JA 5155 seen napping. Right MacTours single deck Leyland Tiger ex-Guernseybus, YSL 334 - fleet 27. |  |
Thursday
15 August 2002
Visit to Edinburgh today. This included an afternoon trip on one
of the soon-to-be-replaced Leyland National 2's on Service 38...
as Lothian have 36 new Dennis Dart SLF/Transbus single deckers on
order.
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Left Open-top Dennis Trident 633 (W633 PSX) seen picking its way through roadworks, to get into Lady Lawson Street. Right Leyland National 147 (B147 KSF) seen here at Sainsbury's Superstore, Craigleith. |  |
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Left First in Edinburgh are presently recieving a batch of ex-Hong Kong Dennis Dart SLF's with air conditioning and tinted glass. In return, First in Huddersfield are getting the Darts from Edinburgh (that were new to Huddersfield) back again! Here, 332 is seen on Service 86 - but it was working Service 79 earlier in the day. Right As has been mentioned on the newsgroups, Guide Friday's Edinburgh operation is now operated by Edinburgh Tours Ltd - a 100% owned subsidary of Lothian Buses (like Mac Tours). A new "livery" version is being brought in, as seen on this elderly Olympian at the west end of Princes Street. |  |
Tuesday
13 August 2002
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Amongst other things in Dundee today - Bluebird (Stagecoach in Perth) sent Leyland Olympian 9 in on Service 16. This also carries "Stagecoach Bluebird" fleetnames - like 86 which I mentioned last week - although this has been changed! |
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by Andrew Gronneberg/ScotBus/The Mod 1997 - 2002.
Serving the Scottish bus enthusiast (online) community since July
1998.