National Express coaches 2000s

Monday 26 March 2001 at 2345 - Stagecoach Bluebird (Bluebird Buses Ltd) 622 (P622 ESO) seen at Milton Keynes when working the 2230 London-Edinburgh-Glenrothes National Express service 596. A Plaxton Expressliner bodied Volvo B10M.

Tuesday 27 March 2001 at 0909 - Stagecoach Bluebird (Bluebird Buses Ltd) 621 (T667 XTV), a 1999 Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M, seen in Dundee. Showing the destination '535 Dundee' I presume it had worked the 0750 service from Kettering the previous day.

Wednesday 28 March 2001 (approx 0710) - A damp morning in Aberdeen bus station. On the left Stagecoach Bluebird (Bluebird Buses Ltd) 605, a Plaxton Premiere bodied Volvo B10M in Scottish Citylink livery, was ticking over. It carried registration number VLT 54 that had originally been carried by London Routemaster RM54. It was new Park's of Hamilton as J430 HDS in 1993. On the right standing in silence was Bebb Travel V32 HAX, a Setra S315GT-HD, which would soon be fired up ready to work the 0745 National Express service 536 to Cardiff (due 2115).

Wednesday 28 March 2001 (approx 1050) - Plaxton Expressliner bodied Volvo B10Ms working National Express services seen in Buchanan bus station, Glasgow. Rapson's 646 (V944 JST) was working the 0630 Inverness to Coventry service 538 and beyond that was Stagecoach Cumberland 130 (N130 VAO) working the 0720 Aberdeen to London service 590 Where necessary passengers changed between services here to reach different destinations. South of Glasgow the London service travelled via Hamilton (1125), Carlisle (1300), Milton Keynes (1815) and Golders Green (1905) with an arrival in Victoria of 1930. The Coventry service travelled via Hamilton (1125), Carlisle (1305), Preston (1520-1525), Manchester (1620-1700), Manchester Airport (1735-1740), Hanley (1830-1835), Birmingham (1940-1945) and Birmingham Airport (2005) arriving in Coventry at 2025. I was travelling from Aberdeen to Milton Keynes on the London service and was aware of two passengers that had travelled from Pitlochry on the Rapson's coach changing to the Cumberland coach here to reach London.

Wednesday 28 March 2001 (approx 1530) - Stagecoach Cumberland 130 (N130 VAO), working the 0720 Aberdeen to London National Express service 590, seen at Sandbach Service Area in Cheshire (1528-1602). Intermediate points served were Dundee (0840-0850), Perth (0920), Glasgow (1035-1100), Hamilton (1125), Carlisle (1300), Milton Keynes (1815), Golders Green (1905) with an arrival in Victoria of 1930. I travelled on this coach, a Plaxton Expressliner bodied Volvo B10M new in 1995, from Aberdeen to Milton Keynes. We left Aberdeen at 0722 and arrived Milton Keynes at 1817! Cumberland also operated the Whitehaven to London service 570, with the drivers and coaches interworking. There was a driver changeover at Carlisle on this trip. I believe they were based at Whitehaven.

Thursday 20 February 2003 (approx. 0720) – The Red Lion at Whittlesford just south of Cambridge was regularly used for overnight accommodation by the drivers of two National Express service contractors working to Cambridge from the north of England. Two coaches seen here ahead of making their return journeys home. Left: Selwyns of Runcorn operated service 314 from Southport. Their 70 (P70 SEL) is a Plaxton Expressliner bodied Volvo B10M new in August 1996. Right: Arriva Northumbria operated service 326 from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Their 141 (V141 EJR) is a Van Hool T9 Alizée bodied DAF SB2300 new in November 1999. Note that both coaches carry a transponder close to the registration number plates to operate the rising bollards in Cambridge city centre. On my daily commute which I was making at this time it was always a bonus to see what coaches were parked up here.

Thursday 8 May 2003 – Selwyns Travel of Runcorn 91 (YJ51 EKY), a 2001 Van Hool Alizeé bodied DAF, seen parked near Whittlesford Railway Station, near Cambridge. It had worked the National Express service 314 from Merseyside the previous day. For some time the drivers of various National Express contractors stayed overnight at the Red Lion and they normally parked their coaches on the adjacent land. In this case the driver probably found the car park was full upon his arrival last night so resorted to parking on the road outside.

Monday 26 February 2001 (approx 1000) - Stagecoach Busways 2 (2 JVK) seen at Heathrow Airport passing through on a Gatwick bound National Express 'Flightlink' service 230. A Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M new in 1998 that took this registration from new, a number originally carried by a 1963 Alexander bodied Leyland Atlantean new to Newcastle City Transport.

Monday 26 February 2001 (approx 1000) - Stagecoach Busways 1 (1 JVK) loading at Heathrow Airport when working the 0810 Gatwick to Newcastle-upon-Tyne National Express 'Flightlink' service 230. Due in Newcastle at 1810. A Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M new in 1998 that took this registration from new, a number originally carried by a 1963 Alexander bodied Leyland Atlantean new to Newcastle City Transport.

Sunday 28 September 2003 - Stagecoach East Kent exhibited their 53010 (GU52 WTJ) at the ‘Showbus’ rally at Duxford. It is a Plaxton Paragon Expressliner bodied Volvo B12M that carried the new style National Express livery introduced earlier in 2003. At that time National Express also started to phase out their different liveries settling for the one basic style livery although there were still some different identifiers used like ‘Shuttle’ that replaced the ‘Express Shuttle’ livery. There was also ‘Airport’ that collectively replaced barnds like Jetlink, Flightlink etc. The James Bond style service number 007 was a genuine service number used on the service from Dover to London since the beginning of National Travel in the early 1970s.

Saturday 3 May 2003 (approx. 1300) – A Viscount Bus and Coach Company (Stagecoach owned) Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M-62 cruising effortlessly up the gradient of the A1(M) Motorway near Welwyn Garden City. It would have been working the 0840 National Express service 448 from Grimsby to London (Victoria) (due there 1420). Viscount ran four such coaches registered S457-460 BCE that were new in late 1998.

Thursday 8 June 2000 (approx. 1610) – Trathens Travel Services LSK 876 and LSK 877, Plaxton Expressliner 2 bodied Volvo B10Ms, at rest in Victoria Coach Station, London.

Holiday Monday 5 May 2002 – Trathens Travel Services of Plymouth LSK 500 seen at the now demolished bus station in Rochdale when working the 0845 National Express service 540 from Bury to London (Victoria). It was a Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M.

Holiday Monday 5 May 2002 – Trathens Travel Services of Plymouth LSK 500 seen at the now demolished bus station in Rochdale when working the 0845 National Express service 540 from Bury to London (Victoria). It was a Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo B10M.

Tuesday 27 March 2001 (0908) - Trathens Travel Services R264 OFJ, a 1998 Van Hool Astrobel bodied Volvo B12T, seen at Dundee when working the 2300 overnight service 592 from London (Victoria) to Aberdeen. Upon arrival in Aberdeen at 1045 it was fuelled and cleaned ready to work the 1150 service 538 to Manchester Airport (due there at 2040). The driver(s) that had driven up from London left the coach at Glasgow (0705) and a new driver took over to drive Glasgow-Aberdeen and at least back to Glasgow.

Tuesday 27 March 2001 (1056) - Trathens Travel Services R264 OFJ, a 1998 Van Hool Astrobel bodied Volvo B12T, seen at Aberdeen. It had worked the 2300 overnight service 592 from London (Victoria) the previous evening due in Aberdeen at 1045. It was then going to work the 1150 service 538 to Manchester Airport (due there at 2040). The driver(s) that had driven up from London left the coach at Glasgow (0705) and a new driver took over to drive Glasgow-Aberdeen and at least back to Glasgow.

Thursday 6 June 2002 (approx. 1513) – Trathens Travel Services of Plymouth was one of the small number of contractors that operated double deck coaches on National Express services. Neoplan N122/3 Skyliner 522 (YN51 XMJ) seen here at Milton Keynes Coachway when working the 1330 National Express service 570 from London (Victoria) to Fleetwood. Trathens operating diagrams involved inter-working these vehicles on West Country-London services and London-North West services.

Thursday 6 June 2002 (approx. 1513) – Trathens Travel Services of Plymouth was one of the small number of contractors that operated double deck coaches on National Express services. Neoplan N122/3 Skyliner 522 (YN51 XMJ) seen here at Milton Keynes Coachway when working the 1330 National Express service 570 from London (Victoria) to Fleetwood. Trathens operating diagrams involved inter-working these vehicles on West Country-London services and London-North West services.