Diary 2022

Friday 14 January 2022 (0948) – First Eastern Counties 36906 (YN69 XZK) seen passing the South Gate in King’s Lynn when working eastbound on the 0810 service B from Peterborough to Norwich. Both eastbound and westbound services travel in to and out of the town centre along this road from a roundabout behind the camera which enables two sightings of the same bus operating each trip. The First Eastern Counties garage stands to the right of the camera in an adjacent road and is home to most of the twenty or so dedicated buses used on the Excel services. The South Gate is the only surviving gatehouse for the town of King’s Lynn and dates to the early 15th century. As well as being part of the town’s fortifications it was also used to control entry into the town and until 1741 a gatekeeper was employed to collect tolls.

Tuesday 22 February 2022 (1129) – Eastons Coaches BD18 TNN seen at Chippenham Park near Newmarket during an excursion to see the snowdrop and other spring flower displays. It is a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new in August 2018.

Monday 28 February 2022 (1401) – Lynx (Coastal Red Limited) 62 (SK21 FNH) seen at The Green in Burnham Market when operating the 1230 Coastliner service 36 from Kings Lynn to Wells-next-the-Sea and Fakenham. Lynx currently operates two such Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400D MMC double deckers (61/62) that were new in April 2021, both carry lettering and a stylised map of the Coastliner service. The local bakery has a most novel direction sign in the form of the bicycle set halfway up the building!

Tuesday 15 March 2022 (1412) – Sanders Coaches HF54 HGN seen turning from Cromer Road to High Street in Mundesley when working the 1335 Coasthopper service CH2 from Cromer to North Walsham. It is a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B7RLE that was new to Wilts & Dorset (120) in November 2004.

Tuesday 29 March 2022 (1051) – First Eastern Counties Buses Limited 37572 (AU58 ECW) seen outside the Town Hall in Great Yarmouth when working the 0958 Coastal Clipper service 1A from Martham to Lowestoft. It is a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in October 2008. A bus with ECW as part of its registration number and one heading to Lowestoft at that! For many years the erstwhile bus body building company Eastern Coachworks (ECW) was based in Lowestoft now but a memory. (First Eastern Counties Buses Limited is now marketing itself as Coastal Reds in the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft area a name not to be confused with unrelated Lynx Bus in North Norfolk that is registered with Companies House as Coastal Red Limited).

Friday 29 April 2022 (1101) – The Go-Ahead Group’s East Anglian operations are licenced under the Konectbus name but vehicles sport liveries and fleetnames of their constituent companies. 802 (YN55 PZD), an East Lancs bodied Scania N94UD new to Metrobus (#902) in February 2006, seen passing the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St. Edmunds when working Chambers service 753 from Sudbury etc.

Sunday 8 May 2022 (1120) – The bus rally season is underway for 2022 and this gathering took place at the Mid Norfolk Railway in East Dereham. A general view of the main line up of exhibits which includes both preserved and currently operational vehicles. Over the next few days I will be posting more close up views of some of them.

Sunday 15 May 2022 (1221) – The Fenland Busfest at Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. The rally is held in the town centre occupying Broad Street and Market Street with the rally control/bus ride departures centred on the Market Place. Loading in the Market Place is Whippet Coaches WD446 (YN08 DHM), an all Scania N230UD new to London United in March 2008 as their SP26. Prominent in the Market Place is the Buttercross dating from 1680 originally a place for traders to sell goods. By the early 1800s it was used less and less and almost faced demolition but was re-roofed and survived. Before the present day bus station was created buses departed from the square and the Buttercross was used as a shelter by the waiting public. A rather nice period shot (1960s) of the square with two buses can be viewed at: www.francisfrith.com/whittlesey/whittlesey-market-place-c1965_w90013 and a much earlier one (circa 1920s) at: www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/market-square-whittlesey-2

Wednesday 1 June 2022 – Suffolk Show, Trinity Park, Ipswich. The Ipswich Transport Museum had this Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol FS5G Lodekka on display. It was new to the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company in November 1965 as their LFS125 (GNG 125C).

Sunday 12 June 2022 – G’s Growers, a salad and vegetable growing organisation, staged an ‘Open Farm Sunday’ at their site at Barway close to Ely in Cambridgeshire. The group provides transport services for its employees and Barway Services Limited, a G’s Group company, is licenced as a PCV operator. LJ05 BLF is an Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new to Arriva London South (VLA106) in May 2005 which today was acting as a rest area for the visiting public.

Friday 8 July 2022 (1135) – Ipswich Buses 155 (BF65 HVV), one of the three Mercedes-Benz Citaro O 285 models added to the fleet in September 2015, seen in Tower Ramparts bus station.

Saturday 23 July 2022 (1918) – Two Whippet Coaches vehicles working for Flixbus seen at the Trumpington Park and Ride site, Cambridge Nearest the camera is FX33 (OU22 ZWW), a Neoplan Tourliner new in early 2022, with FX29 (BV67 JZP), a Caetano Levante bodied Scania K440 new in January 2018 for the National Express contracts the company operated at the time. FX33 had worked from Paris at 2225 on Friday evening but was taken out of service at Cambridge Services due to a fault with the entrance door. FX29 continued to Manchester and then returned from there at 1450 arriving back at Trumpington at 1907 from where FX33 took over for the run to Paris.

Tuesday 19 July 2022 (0738) – BorderBus of Beccles 107 (BB12 BUS) seen arriving in Southwold to take up its first working of the day on the 0740 service 524 to Bungay. It is an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 bodied Dart that had been new to Ace Travel of Aintree (780) in March 2012 registered MX12 DYU. BorderBus was established by the former management of AnglianBus, both companies being based in Beccles, AnglianBus is now owned by Go-Ahead.

Sunday 7 August 2022 – A general view of one of the two long line ups of vehicles of display at the ‘BUSES Festival’at Sywell Aerodrome. The event was organised by Key Publishing, the publisher of BUSES magazine.

Sunday 14 August 2022 saw the first ‘Big Bus Show’ held at Stonham Barns about 8 miles east of Stowmarket in Suffolk. There were around 25 entries in the rally. This is the general view that greeted the public as they entered the showground.

Thursday 1 September 2022 (1044) – Stagecoach East 13910 (BU69 XYL) seen on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway bound for Cambridge on service B. It is one of twelve 98 seat Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB bodied Volvo B8L tri-axle double deckers delivered in December 2019. Seen from on board sister vehicle 13907 (BU69 XYG.

Sunday 25 September 2022 (1044) – Stevenage Bus Interchange opened on Sunday 26 June 2022 replacing the bus station at Town Square/Danestrete which is being redeveloped as a ‘multi-purpose event space’. The Interchange, built on what had been the Leisure Centre long stay car park, comprises a covered building with ten bus loading bays waiting area. Interior facilities include a food outlet, toilet facilities and security offices. The vehicle in the shot is Arriva Herts and Essex 4288 (GN14 GYH), a Wright Streetlite DF new in July 2014, which carries a heritage livery to mark the introduction of the ‘Stevenage Superbus’ network launched in July 1971. This striking colour scheme was introduced to launch a new era of bus services at a time when the traditional bus services were losing ground to the private car.

Sunday 25 September 2022 – Showbus 50 Rally, Hertfordshire County Showground The famous ‘B’ type bus operated by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC). B1609 (LF 8375) is an LGOC bodied AEC ‘B’ type dating from 1911.