Alder Valley VCG 599H in Farnborough - 24 Sep 1974

Wednesday 24 January 1973 – This is Farnborough Road in Farnborough which is a location unrecognisable today. Roughly opposite Oak Road the area behind the coach now forms part of the town’s modern day shops, offices and car parks. Alder Valley 52 (VCG 599H), a Duple Commander bodied AEC Reliance new in June 1970, had just pulled away from the stop as it continued on its way when working the Farnham to London express service. When new to Aldershot and District (as their 599 in June 1970) it would have sported the company’s coach livery of cream with green relief. In the early 1970s the National Bus Company formed National Travel and introduced the white based coach livery which was applied to the vehicles on this service. However, it was considered that this shorter haul service fell outside the remit of the National Travel network and it became more of a local express service employing vehicles carrying the NBC ‘local coach’ livery. (Alder Valley was the trading name of The Thames Valley and Aldershot Omnibus Company Limited which was created when the NBC merged Thames Valley and A&D).