Holmes coach in service

Andrew Bagshaw writes (9 March 2010): G & J Holmes new Plaxton Profile C57F bodied Volvo B7R arrived yesterday (8 March 2010) in all over white registered YN10 AAU. It entered service within an hour! working school service 143 Newbold St Marys - Tupton

Andrew Bagshaw adds (10 March 2010): Please see below a picture of G & J Holmes new Plaxton Profile Volvo B7R YN10 AAU taken today 10th March 2010 at the depot. It is a regular on service 143 Tupton - Newbold St Marys and was used on its first private hire working yesterday evening 9th March from Chesterfield to Notts County Football Ground. It is expected to receive fleet vinyls within the next 3 weeks.

Colin Sellers writes (7 March 2010): Photographed today by Martin Arrand on Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield near to St Thomas's Brampton, it is the former Surestart big blue bus (see second & third photographs, taken at Inkersall in July 2003 and New Beetwell Street in 2005 respectively), then it did some NHS outreach. I thought that it could be the church run soup kitchen, so I contacted Tony Wilson but he said that's still the ex Bournemouth decker. So over to you???????

Neville Whitmore comments (8 March 2010): I am told on good authority (by a neighbour who works on the "Soup Kitchen" bus) that the Ex Bournemouth Fleetline was replaced several months ago by this big black bus G77 OKY which is now the "outreach" bus. The Ex Bournemouth Fleetline however, is still present in the CSG yard at Chesterfield where G77 OKY is also based.

Tony Wilson comments (9 March 2010): I too like Neville* shall eat my portion of 'umble pie (or perhaps 'umble soup), and accede to his wise words about the 'soup kitchen bus'. However, my observations show that the tri-axle no longer appears to be lodged at CSG, but within the confines of the new fire station behind the new B&Q warehouse on the new development area between Derby Road/Horns Bridge roundabout and Baden Powell Road.

In the photograph below is a line-up of buses still lodged at the CSG site, which includes the former Bournemouth Transport Daimler Fleetline / Alexander CO43/31F convertible open topper NFX 134P, fleet number 134. This was one of eight such vehicles supplied back in June 1976 to that operator.

The accompanying vehicles are NFS 173Y one of ten Leyland PSU3 / Alexander C49F coaches supplied in October 1982 to the Alexander Fife company as their FPE 173, whilst the final vehicle began life in January 1994 with OK Motors of County Durham. L404 FVN was one of four VolvoB6 / Plaxton buses delivered.

*To see Neville's humble apology scroll down this page to VEOLIA SENDS DIFFERENT VEHICLE.

Ian Moorcroft asks (10 March 2010): Re -Tony's photo of the CSG premises. Who owns the other two buses and does anyone know where the VK VODKA open top decker is stored or does anyone have a photo of it?

Nathan Cartwright replies (11 March 2010): In response to Ian Moorcroft, the VK bus is kept at VK's owner's headquarters (Global Brands Limited) which is located on Bridge Street, Clay Cross. (Eastern Bridge Street is known as Furness Hill).

. . . and Neville Whitmore adds (11 March 2010): When not being used, the VK bus is normally parked at the VK premises in Clay Cross, seemingly under a "verandah" so as to protect the open part of the upper deck. Going down Wingfield Church Hill towards Clay Cross take the first turn right and the VK premises are about 20 yards on the right, the bus, if there, can be seen from the road.

More answers . . .

Tony Wilson writes (12 March 2010): As for the question posed about the buses in CSG: I believe (but I stand to be corrected - more 'umble pie perhaps), but as the former Stagecoach offices are now the "Church in the Park" (or something like that), they could well be associated with that organisation.

In repsonse to Ian Moorcroft's request herewith below is the current VK bus taken in Chesterfield Market Square in December 2007. I am unsure as to the chassis (either Dennis Trident or Volvo B7), but the bodywork suggests East Lancs.

Colin Sellers writes (12 March 2010): Original VK bus - Sent Daniel to the files and look what he found, circa 2000/2001. AEL 176B, A Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 / Weymann body to the Alexander style. Formerly Bournemouth 176, this was one of a batch of ten new to Bournemouth in 1964. (Third photograph below)

Andrew Bagshaw adds (13 March 2010): I have seen the pictures of the first Vodka Kick Bus and the current VDL which is actually the 3rd bus! The 2nd was former London Transport DMS Fleetline GHM 800N converted by Ensignbus for the Philips Music Sound & Motion Promotion Tour. It was one of two, the other being KUC 943P and both received radical facelifts using a frontispiece similar to that found on a Jonckheere coach. They were converted to semi open top complete with a sliding roof to cover the open stage platform during inclement weather! Only GHM 800N joined Vodka Kick at Clay Cross, pictured arriving in Chesterfield on Baden Powell Road (second photograph below). This livery incidently is now worn by the current VDL East Lancs bus 44 VK having lost the black livery last year (as seen on the website) so a recent picture (I don't have one!) would be appreciated to bring this topic up to date if anyone can oblige?

Andrew Bagshaw comments again, NOT wearing his bus enthusiasts hat! (14 March 2010): Thank you for providing an excellent feature on the Vodka Kick buses. However just by viewing the picture above of AEL 176B it just proves that you don't always need to be up on board an open top bus when the scenery downstairs is just as interesting lol! I refer of course to the VK potential customers passing by!

Duncan Bingham brings us back on topic (14 March 2010): With regards to Andrew's comments about the second VK bus, I assumed that both GHM 800N and KUC 943P were with VK as they were both regularly parked together at the Duckmanton M1 Commerce Park. I think the latter was possibly purchased for spares in 2004, and was sold along with GHM on ebay in 2007. It is possibly that the London Bus Export Company bought the pair as GHM had subsequently been noted with the S4C television station in early 2008, although I don't know if that was a hire or a purchase. At that time it was noted wearing a 'playbus' style livery, which sounds very much like it had retained the VK colours. The revised front ends on this pair were done by Ensigns in the early '80s when London Transport were offloading the DMS class Fleetlines and Ensigns obviously thought that this revised front end design might make the buses more marketable - I seem to recall the conversion was called 'Enterprise' but I'm happy to stand corrected.

The current VK bus is an East Lancs bodied Volvo B7TL new in 2006 - it was originally registered PL06 RYN, but very quickly (possibly before entering service) re-registered with its current mark.

With regard to the buses parked at CSG, I thought they were owned by the Assemblies of God (Zion) church on Chatsworth Road. Certainly the Bournemouth Fleetline had been parked up at one stage on the waste land at the town end of Chatsworth Road.

sybuses says (7 March 2010):

0928 (R928 RAU) is one of 2 Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointers at Halfway, believed to be on loan. It along with 0924 (R924 RAU) both sport previous operators livery, 924 Kinchbus, 928 Trent Red.

1110 (G435 MWU) is resting in the depot yard the day after working some passenger journeys. As you can see one was on 293 worked on Friday 5 March.

T455 HNH is one of the latest TM Travel buses to receive their livery. It is seen in Halfway depot looking fresh, no fleet names applied yet.

Neville Whitmore comments (8 March 2010):

The blind on R928 RAU is very interesting! Does anyone know why "Old Tupton" would be on the blind, which I assume is a Trentbarton blind and not a TM Travel one?

Daniel Sellers replies (13 March 2010):

Re the comment on the website about the "Old Tupton" blind on one of the Trent Darts now at TM, Trent route 98 (Old Tupton - Clay Cross - Alfreton) used to run to Old Tupton before Stagecoach took it over and joined it up with the Chesterfield - Wingerworth route.

Matthew Vernals adds (9 March 2010): Below is a picture of Dennis Dart R924 RAU, seen in service with TM Travel on 09 March 2010, still branded and in blue and yellow livery. It's seen operating the short 252 journeys from Crystal Peaks to Marsh Lane.

. . . and 921 on the Trent Red Arrow leaving Chesterfield in 1993, then photographed on 26 January 2010, shortly after being transformed into TM Travel livery, one of the first two vehicles to be transferred to TM Travel from another company within the Wellglade Group

Richard Lomas comments (8 March 2010): I enjoyed seeing the two pictures of 921. I think those Darts have served Wellglade well and I wonder how many more will visit Halfway.

Seen today (Friday 5 March 2010) working the Veolia (Dunn Line) D5 service from Nottingham was AE57 CNA, a MAN with MCV Evolution B40F bodywork in University of Nottingham livery, the first time (to my knowledge) a BUS as opposed to a coach has been used on this service. One interesting fact is that it carried a Lamcote Motors disc, (together with three lots of legal lettering, but nothing unusual in that for Veolia/Dunn line). Lamcote Motors was a small coach operator based in Netherfield near Nottingham and was how Bob Dunn* started out on his own, by acquiring that company. Neville Whitmore

*Correction from Duncan Bingham (6 March 2010): With regard to the Veolia route D5 pic, some of the text unfortunately isn't quite right. Bob Dunn started out by acquiring Netherfield Coaches in 1984, although I think his father had previously run a Ford coach from Codnor. Lamcote Motors were based at Radcliffe On Trent and were a much later purchase by Dunn Line in 1996.

*. . . and from Michael Poole (6 March 2010): There is an error in the item 'Veolia Surprise'. The operator at Netherfield was Netherfield Coaches Limited, which was the basis of Dunn Line's initial operations. Lamcote was a separate operator based at Radcliffe on Trent which was taken over at a later date - can't remember exactly when, but I think it was in the late 1980s.

Final words from Neville (7 March 2010): Yes, I was wrong about Dunn Line, I shall eat a big piece of humble pie, but at least it shows that people are reading the web site!