Miscellaneous: A to H

Thursday 23 December 2021 (0929) – Daish’s Coaches BF68 ZDW seen leaving Newmarket after picking up passengers that were to spend Christmas at the Imperial Hotel in Eastbourne. The Daish Group operates twelve hotels as well as its own coach fleet. This Mercedes-Benz Tourismo was new in November 2018.

Saturday 26 July 2014 (1155) - Eclipse Executive Travel of Stourbridge, West Midlands EXZ 7243 seen at Bury St Edmunds on tour work for Daish's Holidays. A Bova Futura FHD12.340 which I believe was new to Birmingham International Coaches in April 1999 registered T792 FWR.

Tuesday 30 July 1996 (approx. 1000) – County Bus and Coach TDL60 (C260 SPC), a Duple 320 bodied Leyland Tiger new to London Country in April 1986, seen in Welwyn Garden City bus station. It was working the 0850 Watford-Harlow service 724, a short run on what was the Heathrow-Watford-WGC-Harlow service.

Saturday 10 November 2012 (0912) – WA56 ENW, a VDL Bova Futura operated by Dartline of Clyst St Mary near Exeter, Devon seen loading outside The Grand Hotel on St. Nicholas Cliff in Scarborough when working a tour for Majestic Holidays. KX08 OMD of Amport and District, based near Andover in Hampshire stands behind - and in a remarkably similar colour scheme.

Wednesday 11 July 2012 (1341) - Crusader Holidays of Clacton-on-Sea EU07 FHY seen at Bury St Edmunds bus station. On 1 December 2011 Crusader called in the administrators but fortunately Motts Travel of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire acquired the business within a very short time. Note the police car in the background which had suffered a puncture on the front wheel.

Tuesday 5 June 2012 (1056) - DRM Coaches (D.R. Morris) of Bromyard UK09 DRM, a tri-axle Scania Omnilink new in December 2009 as YR09 GXP, seen in Ledbury arriving on the 1020 service 476 from Hereford. The poet Elizabeth Barratt-Browning (1801-1861) was brought up in Ledbury and the splendid clock tower in the photograph is a memorial to her. Built in 1896 the building housed the public library until 2015.

Sunday 5 March 2000 (approx. 1130) - R Bullock and Sons Limited of Cheadle, Cheshire was an old established family coach operator that branched out into stage carriage bus operation following deregulation. N634 XBU, a Wright Axcess Ultralow bodied Scania L113CRL new in January 1996, seen in St. Peter’s Square, Manchester. The Midland Hotel dominates the background and the pillars of the Central Library stand on the left.

Tuesday 14 July 1992 – Fingland’s was an old established Manchester based coach operator founded in 1907 and after bus deregulation expanded into bus service operation. The business was owned by East Yorkshire Motor Services from 1992 to 2013. Northern Counties bodied Leyland Atlantean AN68/1R 722 (ONF 665R) had been new to Greater Manchester PTE in August 1976 as their 7665 and was seen entering Market Street from Piccadilly in central Manchester. It was being followed by an East Lancs bodied Dennis Dominator operated by Ralph Bullock of Cheadle, another family coach business that expanded to operate bus services in post deregulated times. In 2013 East Yorkshire sold the Fingland’s coaching business to Bullock’s.

Tuesday 14 July 1992 – R Bullock and Sons Limited of Cheadle, Cheshire was an old established family coach operator that branched out into stage carriage bus operation following deregulation. C282 BBP, an East Lancs bodied Dennis Dominator which was new to Southampton Corporation in July 1986, is seen here in Mosley Street, Manchester. With Southampton it carried fleet number 282 which, no doubt inspired by the registration number, it carries the same fleet number with Bullock’s.

Tuesday 14 July 1992 - Citibus of Chadderton XWG 626T seen entering Market Street from Piccadilly in Manchester. It is a Roe bodied Leyland Atlantean AN68/1R that had been new to South Yorkshire PTE in October 1978.

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0906) - Empress of London YX66 WPJ seen taking a break at the Shell Service Station at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It is a Plaxton Leopard bodied Volvo B8R that was new to Crosville, Weston-super-Mare in January 2017 to work on the Somerset Passenger Solutions (a joint project between Crosville and First Group) contract to provide staff transport to the Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station near Bridgwater.

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0907) - Empress of London YX66 WPJ seen taking a break at the Shell Service Station at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It is a Plaxton Leopard bodied Volvo B8R that was new to Crosville, Weston-super-Mare in January 2017 to work on the Somerset Passenger Solutions (a joint project between Crosville and First Group) contract to provide staff transport to the Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station near Bridgwater.

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0915) - Goldline Executive Travel (London E12) BT15 KMA seen heading eastbound on the A11 at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It is a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new in June 2015.

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0931) – First Direct Cars Limited of Southend-on-Sea OU65 RHE, a Neoplan Tourliner N2216/3SHDL, seen heading eastbound on the A11 at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was new in September 2015 to Bennett (Hamiltons) of West Drayton

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0932) - Goldline Executive Travel (London E12) YN18 ZNV seen heading eastbound on the A11 at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It is an Irizar i6 intergral new in March 2018.

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0932) - Goldline Executive Travel (London E12) YN18 ZNV seen heading eastbound on the A11 at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It is an Irizar i6 intergral new in March 2018.

Saturday 28 May 2022 (0952) – Cooks Coaches of Westcliff-on-Sea SV08 HVG seen heading eastbound on the A11 at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working an excursion to Walsingham. It is a Bova Magiq MHD122 that was new to Maynes Coaches, Buckie, Scotland in March 2008 registered M17 YNE.

Saturday 10 March 2012 (0854) - Chariots of Essex Limited, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex L111 PVW seen at Bury St Edmunds. It is an EOS E180Z that had been new to Crusader Holidays (Staines), Clacton-on-Sea in April 1994. EOS Coach Manufacturing NV was a Belgian based company created in 1990 when the coachbuilding activities of LAG Pvba were separated from the main business of building construction equipment, semi-trailers and aluminium tankers. The LAG company was founded in 1947 by brothers Lambert and Arnold Geusens - their initials making the company name. This formalised the business started by the brothers during the 1930s. Following that separation EOS Coach Manufacturing was then sold to the famous Belgian coachbuilder Van Hool which continued to build EOS models until circa 2001-2002 which were badged as Van Hool from the late 1990s.