David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos with the keyword: ECW

Saturday 30 September 1995 – Stagecoach owned United Counties Omnibus Company was operating a number of contracts to Cambridge Regional College in the mid 1990s, one of which commenced from Mildenhall. The company outstationed buses from their Huntingdon garage which were parked on what was the site of Fiveways Garage at Barton Mills. This was a used car dealer and Jet filling station occupying the area between the A1101 Mildenhall Road and A1065 Brandon Road which was redeveloped in late 2015 becoming a Shell filling station with a MacDonalds drive in. Access to where the buses were parked was from the A1065 near enough exactly where the entrance to the Shell/MacDonalds site now is. In this view we see Alexander RL bodied Leyland Olympian 712 (K712 ASC) which had been new to Fife Scottish, both companies owned by the Stagecoach Group. The other vehicle was Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR 871 (TNH 871R) new to UCOC in June 1977 which carried a special livery for CRC.

Saturday 30 September 1995 – Stagecoach owned United Counties Omnibus Company was operating a number of contracts to Cambridge Regional College in the mid 1990s, one of which commenced from Mildenhall. The company outstationed buses from their Huntingdon garage which were parked on what was the site of Fiveways Garage at Barton Mills. This was a used car dealer and Jet filling station occupying the area between the A1101 Mildenhall Road and A1065 Brandon Road which was redeveloped in late 2015 becoming a Shell filling station with a MacDonalds drive in. Access to where the buses were parked was from the A1065 (visible on the right) near enough exactly where the entrance to the Shell/MacDonalds site now is. In this view we see Alexander RL bodied Leyland Olympian 712 (K712 ASC) which had been new to Fife Scottish, both companies owned by the Stagecoach Group. The other vehicle was Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR 871 (TNH 871R) new to UCOC in June 1977 which carried a special livery for CRC.

Saturday 22 May 1993 (approx. 1307) – Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR206 (XNG 206S) loads at King Street, Mildenhall bound for Bury St Edmunds on service 155. Take a closer look at the first lower deck ‘window’ on the bus. This is part of the ‘T shaped’ advert for Eastern Electricity and is applied to the blank panel of the bus where the stairs to the upper deck are. The picture appears to give the bus an additional window and includes Aardman Animations ‘Creature Comforts’ animated characters from television and films. A number of Eastern Counties Omnibus Company buses carried adverts from this campaign which also ran on television. Just behind the waiting passengers a yellow and black taxi may be seen which is waiting on the taxi rank. The rank moved to this position when the car park entrance that had been located near the town map on the left was relocated into Recreation Way.

April 1980 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR365 (TNG 365G), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR, seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working a 974 (and not a 975) service.

Saturday 7 April 1984 (1435) – This was the period when the National Express service from Mildenhall to London service ran through to/from Kings Lynn as service 101. Ambassador Travel was the operator and Duple bodied Leyland Leopard LL822 (RNG 822W) was one of the regular performers on the service. In this photograph taken at King Street, Mildenhall it was working towards Kings Lynn. Behind it is Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR206 (XNG 206S) working service 970 to Bury St. Edmunds.

Sunday 25 July 1982 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR195 (TEX 405R) (new May 1977) and RL504 (BVF 667J) (new in June 1971) loading for Felixstowe at King Street, Mildenhall. ECOC outstationed two buses in Mildenhall to operate services into Bury St. Edmunds six days a week. Normally the pair remained parked 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 X12. Both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol, a VR double decker and an RELL single decker.

Circa 1980 - An Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working the Cambridge to Great Yarmouth service 098. It carries the National coach livery. The entrance to the car park can be seen beyond the person sat on the wall. When the lay-by was remodelled this entrance was closed off and cars entered and left the car park in Recreation Way. Note the ‘Buses and coaches prohibited’ road sign. After the entrance closed this sign remained and at some stage became turned round which looked rather strange. The town map in the display case was a feature for many years.

Saturday 19 May 1984 - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR267 (RAH 267W), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR, seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 1140 Cambridge to Great Yarmouth ‘Eastline’ service 790. It was unusual for a red bus to be employed on the service, normally vehicles in a ‘reversed’ livery (white with a red band) were operated. The original ‘No Entry’ sign had been replaced after suffering damage however the stump still remained.

Circa 1984? - ‘Will we all get on Mum?’ Eastern Counties Omnibus Company acquired the business of Burwell and District Motor Services in June 1979. Their Wednesday only Market Day service to Bury St Edmunds became service 977 under ECOC and the old B&D pick-up point in Kingsway, Mildenhall continued for some time after. This Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR had been new to Western SMT and was one of the buses that the Scottish Bus Group exchanged with the National Bus Company. VR333 (NAG 584G) was new as WSMT fleet number 2263 in October 1969.

Sunday 25 July 1982 - The Eastern Counties Omnibus Company outstationed two buses in Mildenhall to operate services into Bury St. Edmunds six days a week. Normally the pair remained parked 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 X12. This view shows the two outstationed vehicles loading for the seaside at King Street, both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristols. The double decker a Bristol VR is VR195 (TEX 405R) (new May 1977) and the single decker a Bristol RELL, RL504 (BVF 667J) (new in June 1971). The folks sat ignoring the buses were waiting for transport elsewhere, they had been out all night. I recalled there had been some musical concert at Mildenhall Stadium the previous night and with the power of the Internet more than 30 years later I was able to establish that it was an East Anglia Rock and Blues Festival event. This view, taken from Recreation Way, shows a little more of the layout of the lay-by area at King Street. Note that the bus shelter had not yet been constructed. The entrance to the car park is at the far end of the wall close to what is now the Abbotts Estate Agents building and near the case that housed a plan of the town.

Saturday 19 May 1984 – When Eastern Counties Omnibus Company began operating their ‘Eastline’ service 790 limited stop service between Cambridge and Great Yarmouth single deck vehicles were employed. They carried a white based livery with a broad red band although were only fitted with standard bus seats. The service proved quite successful and the company later used Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR double deckers of their own that carried the mainly white livery. Later still they loaned some similar buses from fellow National Bus Company owned Alder Valley (The Thames Valley and Aldershot Omnibus Company) which had higher backed seating. Alder Valley 983 (CJH 123V) is seen here at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 1520 trip from Cambridge bound for Great Yarmouth. The entrance to the car park can be seen beyond the rear of the bus. When the lay-by was remodelled this entrance was closed off and cars entered and left the car park in Recreation Way. Note the town map in the display case which was a feature for many years.

Wednesday 19 August 2015 - Eastern Coachworks bodywork was built in Lowestoft and these two examples were seen at the East Anglia Transport Museum, Carlton Colville. Left: C101 CHM is a Leyland Olympian new to London Buses (L101) in July 1986. It was subsequently acquired by Ipswich Buses (446) in whose livery it is seen. Right: OCK 985K is a Bristol VRT new to Ribble Motor Services (fleet number 1985) in February 1972. It was subsequently acquired by Eastern Counties Omnibus Company (VR385). Bothe were 'red' National Bus Company subsidiaries.

Wednesday 19 August 2015 - Preserved Lowestoft Corporation 21 (GBJ 192) at EATM, Carlton Colville. An AEC Regent II with locally built Eastern Coachworks bodywork new in 1947 before ECW ceased selling bodywork on the open market.