ECOC Mildenhall outstation

May 1979 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR195 (TEX 405R) (1977) and VR378 (VNG 378H) (1969), both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs. Seen parked at the Mildenhall outstation site which at the time was the private car park of Kirby Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. The car park entrance, still identifiable today, was directly opposite Finchley Avenue. This was one of my earliest ECOC photographs following my move from Lancashire to Suffolk (to work at Kirby Pharmaceuticals) in April 1979.

Sunday x February 1980 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR365 (TNG 365G) (1969) and VR195 (TEX 405R) (1977), both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs. (The blue sticker on the front window was a Kilverstone Wildlife Park souvenir and had nothing formally to do with ECOC). Seen parked at the Mildenhall outstation site which at the time was the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. The car park entrance, still identifiable today, was directly opposite Finchley Avenue. The fence across the background forms the property boundary with a neighbouring company. (In 2016 the former Kirby-Warrick property is Nestor Pharmaceuticals and the neighbour is Cambridge Architectural Precast).

Sunday x March 1980 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR365 (TNG 365G) (1969) and VR195 (TEX 405R) (1977), both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs. Seen parked at the Mildenhall outstation site which at the time was the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited (originally Kirby Pharmaceuticals Limited) on Chiswick Avenue. The building in the background at left which still carried the singular Kirby name, is still identifiable today. That in the background at right, where the K-W Bedford TK delivery truck is parked, was subsumed into a new extension in later years. The car park entrance was behind the camera is also still identifiable today and was directly opposite Finchley Avenue. The buses were always parked in this corner of the car park. Over time the dripping oil and fuel from the buses attacked the surface of the car park and the K-W management asked ECOC to find alternative arrangements for parking.

Sunday 1 March 1981 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR311 (LFS 286F) and VR195 (TEX 405R), both Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs, parked at the Mildenhall outstation site - the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. The car park entrance, still identifiable today, was directly opposite Finchley Avenue. The building just visible on the right is also still identifiable. VR311 was new to Scottish Omnibuses (Eastern Scottish) in 1968 and had seats for 82 passengers whereas VR195, new to ECOC in 1977, seated the more normal 74 passengers. Kirby-Warrick became Schering-Plough in the late 1980s and the building in the photograph was sold to Nestor Pharmaceuticals around 2005.

Sunday 1 March 1981 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR311 (LFS 286F) and VR195 (TEX 405R), both Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs, parked at the Mildenhall outstation site - the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. The building is still identifiable today as is the car park entrance which was directly opposite Finchley Avenue. VR311 was new to Scottish Omnibuses (Eastern Scottish) in 1968 and had seats for 82 passengers whereas VR195, new to ECOC in 1977, seated the more normal 74 passengers. Kirby-Warrick became Schering-Plough in the late 1980s.

Sunday 15 March 1981 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR182 (OPW 182P) and VR195 (TEX 405R), the pair of Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs that I mostly associate with the ECOC Mildenhall outstation. In the late summer of 1983 they were both transferred to Cambridge garage (Haverhill outstation?) and as a result when the division of ECOC occurred they became Cambus vehicles. They are seen on the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. The car park entrance, still identifiable today, was directly behind VR182. The roadway of Chiswick Avenue is in the photograph. The two buildings are still recognisable today, the brick one owned by Norfolk Greenhouses.

Sunday 7 February 1982 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Mildenhall outstation site - the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. From time to time there was a break from the norm and at this time Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR VR281 (VAH 281X) was covering for resident VR195 which was apparently away at Bristol Commercial Vehicles for some modification. (When it returned part of the radiator grille was panelled over). An unusual partner was National coach liveried RLE746 (GCL 348N), a dual purpose (bus/coach) Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH. The car park entrance, still identifiable today, was directly behind the VR. The roadway of Chiswick Avenue is in the photograph. The buildings in the background is still there today although now clad with a modern corrugated covering.

Sunday 7 February 1982 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Mildenhall outstation site - the private car park of Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals Limited on Chiswick Avenue. From time to time there was a break from the norm and at this time Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR VR281 (VAH 281X) was covering for resident VR195 which was apparently away at Bristol Commercial Vehicles for some modification. (When it returned part of the radiator grille was panelled over). An unusual partner was National coach liveried RLE746 (GCL 348N), a dual purpose (bus/coach) Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH. The car park entrance, still identifiable today, was directly behind the VR. The roadway of Chiswick Avenue is in the photograph. The two buildings are still recognisable today, the brick one owned by Norfolk Greenhouses. My younger daughter, then four years old, was standing on the platform of the VR.

March 1983 – At some point during the previous months Eastern Counties Omnibus Company began parking their Mildenhall outstation buses on the public car park at the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue. This followed a request by Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals to find alternative arrangements for parking as over time the dripping oil and fuel from the buses had attacked the surface of the car park. The pair of Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs that I mostly associate with the ECOC Mildenhall outstation are seen here parked on the Chiswick Avenue/Hampstead Avenue car park. In the late summer of 1983 they were both transferred to Cambridge garage (Haverhill outstation?) and as a result when the division of ECOC occurred they became Cambus vehicles. The surrounding buildings and car park still exist today.

Bank Holiday Monday 30 May 1983 – The pair of Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs that I mostly associate with the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Mildenhall outstation are seen here parked on the public car park at the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue used after the move from the private car park Kirby-Warrick Pharmaceuticals. In the late summer of 1983 they were both transferred to Cambridge garage (Haverhill outstation?) and as a result when the division of ECOC occurred they became Cambus vehicles. The surrounding buildings and car park still exist today. Note that VR195 displays service number 24. Normally the outstation buses worked the services into Bury St. Edmunds six days a week and they remained parked up on Sundays when no services ran. However, for a few summers during the early 1980s the company utilised the buses on Sundays for an excursion type service operating to Felixstowe as service X24 and the previous day it had been to the seaside.

Tuesday 6 September 1983 – Two vehicles were the norm at the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company’s Mildenhall outstation at this time so it was unusual to see three there on this occasion. The two VR double deckers, VR269 (RAH 269W) (1981) and VR240 (HAH 240V), had been joined by RL504 (APW 504J) (1971). They were parked on the public car park at the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue.

Sunday 2 October 1983 – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR269 (RAH 269W), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR, seen in the car park on the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue on Mildenhall Industrial Estate used to park outstationed vehicles.

Sunday 2 October 1983 – The Mildenhall outstation of Eastern Counties Omnibus Company was under the control of Bury St. Edmunds garage. Bury garage didn’t have many Leyland National I buses allocated so the type was unusual to see in the Mildenhall area. Seen in the car park on the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue on Mildenhall Industrial Estate were LN577 (PVF 357R), a Leyland National I, and VR269 (RAH 269W), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR.

Sunday 2 October 1983 – The Bury St. Edmunds garage of Eastern Counties Omnibus Company, and consequently Mildenhall outstation, didn’t have many Leyland National I buses allocated so the type was unusual to see. I have photographs of LN577 (PVF 357R) on Mildenhall services during the period October 1983 into January 1984. LN577 parked on the public car park at the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue. The other vehicle there was VR269.

Tuesday 6 December 1983 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR165 (MCL 941P) hadn’t got very far from the Mildenhall outstation car park on the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue on Mildenhall Industrial Estate before failing on this rather cold morning. VR206 (XNG 206S) had arrived as a replacement. They are both Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs.

Tuesday 17 April 1984 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company RL513 (EPW 513K) and VR261 (RAH 261W) seen in the car park on the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue on Mildenhall Industrial Estate used to park outstationed vehicles. Both bodied by Eastern Coachworks and both on Bristol chassis, a VR double decker and an RL single decker the types designations featured in the fleet numbers.

Sunday 3 February 1985 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR269 (RAH 269W) and VR225 (BVG 225T) seen in the public car park used to park outstationed vehicles on Mildenhall Industrial Estate. Chiswick Avenue runs along the front of the buses and Hampstead Avenue is alongside the VR269. Both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs. The car park still exists today. The steelwork on the right is a building on the corner of Hampstead Avenue and Southgate Avenue.

Sunday 3 February 1985 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR269 (RAH 269W) and VR225 (BVG 225T) seen in the car park on the corner of Chiswick Avenue and Hampstead Avenue on Mildenhall Industrial Estate. This public car park was used to park outstationed vehicles. Both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VRs. The car park still exists today.