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 photograph, taken at Inkersall in July 2003), 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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!