First West of England (Bristol, Bath & The West)

[TheGrandWazoo]

no I originally put LH as i was putting it short hand as i was on my phone at the time.

The number of Barbie buses left is now done to 5 Bath has 32291 which I'm guessing is hanging on until the final Streetdeck arrives from Leicester and Hengrove have 66723/4/32 & 69253 which are used on the 72/72a.
There are 2 others but these are withdrawn at present 32283 & 66723.

You've quoted 66723 twice. Do you mean 66725 as the withdrawn one?

Only taken 9 years to get Barbie almost eliminated

 

[thameslink2000]

All of Weston's open tops currently stored in Lawrence Hill are now back to their W-PAE registrations.

*Mod note* Define abbreviations please, as required by forum rules.

Think it was just 32001 620HOD and 32002 RKZ4760 on private plates. If I recall correctly 32011/2/3 always had their W-PAE registrations?

 

[spw24]

yes meant 66725 as the withdrawn bus 23/4 are both still n service.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Think it was just 32001 620HOD and 32002 RKZ4760 on private plates. If I recall correctly 32011/2/3 always had their W-PAE registrations?

Correct - 32001/2 gained their private plates when refurbished and repainted for Bath Unibus services along with 32003/6/7/14/15.

 

[freetoview33]

Correct - 32001/2 gained their private plates when refurbished and repainted for Bath Unibus services along with 32003/6/7/14/15.

I missed them on the 3/4 when they moved over to Bath

 

[Private Baxter]

yes meant 66725 as the withdrawn bus 23/4 are both still n service.

Indeed 66723 is still very much in service. Saw it on the 8 yesterday, which is the first time I have seen anything bigger than a streetlite working it in many years.

 

[sbrignall72]

Indeed 66723 is still very much in service. Saw it on the 8 yesterday, which is the first time I have seen anything bigger than a streetlite working it in many years.

Ever since Steve Whites website finished I have lost track what is still in service now but have all the bendi buses been withdrawn and sold.

 

[cnjb8]

Ever since Steve Whites website finished I have lost track what is still in service now but have all the bendi buses been withdrawn and sold.

I believe all of them are gone except for one, which I can't remember

 

[Whiteway215]

Ever since Steve Whites website finished I have lost track what is still in service now but have all the bendi buses been withdrawn and sold.

As I understand it until fairly recently there was only one bendi left at Bath. This may have been 10036 which is believed to be preserved. However it may have been another which was due to be removed for scrap. Wigleys are known to have removed some of the bendis for scrap but it is not known if any other scrap dealers have been involved.

 

[Buses in Bath]

As I understand it until fairly recently there was only one bendi left at Bath. This may have been 10036 which is believed to be preserved. However it may have been another which was due to be removed for scrap. Wigleys are known to have removed some of the bendis for scrap but it is not known if any other scrap dealers have been involved.

10036 has been preserved

 

[DaveHarries]

10036 has been preserved

Wonder if whoever has preserved it might put it into original Badgerline livery. Might turn a few heads.

Dave

 

[spw24]

Wonder if whoever has preserved it might put it into original Badgerline livery. Might turn a few heads.

Dave

its going or gone back to Yorkshire so I don't think it will be a local livery.

 

[freetoview33]

Wonder if whoever has preserved it might put it into original Badgerline livery. Might turn a few heads.

Dave

I think it was heading to York to go into it's first livery

 

[Buses in Bath]

Wonder if whoever has preserved it might put it into original Badgerline livery. Might turn a few heads.

Dave

its going or gone back to Yorkshire so I don't think it will be a local livery.

I think it was heading to York to go into it's first livery

It will be going into York P&R livery

 

[Private Baxter]

Think it was just 32001 620HOD and 32002 RKZ4760 on private plates. If I recall correctly 32011/2/3 always had their W-PAE registrations?

So three of the W PAE buses have gone to a private company in Leicester, including one of the closed top coaster ones, making what I assume is their first trip out of the region since they were delivered in 2000. I don't know anything about the company who have acquired them - would the buses be for private use only?

It will be going into York P&R livery

I think it is going back in to Devastin' Dave.

 

[carlberry]

So three of the W PAE buses have gone to a private company in Leicester, including one of the closed top coaster ones, making what I assume is their first trip out of the region since they were delivered in 2000. I don't know anything about the company who have acquired them - would the buses be for private use only?

The company runs a lot of school services. The buses are PSVAR so they could use them on most things, except in part of central Leicester soon when a low emissions zone is introduced.

 

[Whiteway215]

I wonder if the Confidence company chose pink 32004 and 32008 for their outrageous colour scheme?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I wonder if the Confidence company chose pink 32004 and 32008 for their outrageous colour scheme?

Doubt it - Confidence may operate elderly deckers but they do tend to keep them pretty tidy in their black and light grey livery with red trim.

They'll probably be used rather sparingly and whilst they are PSVAR, I don't think Confidence even have any open school journeys.

 

[Whiteway215]

32007 was moved out from Bath depot this morning.
RUMOUR ALERT 32007 reported as moving to somewhere in Bristol for repaint.

Of the recently withdrawn Eclipses, at least 66720/25/26 are parked up in Bath depot today.

 

[Private Baxter]

32007 was moved out from Bath depot this morning.
RUMOUR ALERT 32007 reported as moving to somewhere in Bristol for repaint.

Of the recently withdrawn Eclipses, at least 66720/25/26 are parked up in Bath depot today.

Thanks for the updates, rumour and otherwise. Of the former, I would be pleasantly surprised to see it repainted for further service. If true I can only assume it would go in to coaster to replace the one recently gone to Leicester.... though why not just keep that one who knows.... Otherwise, the first of many going for Citylines 75/76??!!

On the latter, have 66720 & 66726 officially been withdrawn?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thanks for the updates, rumour and otherwise. Of the former, I would be pleasantly surprised to see it repainted for further service. If true I can only assume it would go in to coaster to replace the one recently gone to Leicester.... though why not just keep that one who knows.... Otherwise, the first of many going for Citylines 75/76??!!

On the latter, have 66720 & 66726 officially been withdrawn?

I was thinking the 32007 might be being repainted for a new owner. Remember that several of the W-PAEs were repainted in Avonmouth (and made PSVAR compliant) into overall white or overall sky blue in readiness for sale. In fact, I think they also did some of the ex Cymru ones that were stored at Lawrence Hill but never saw service (credit to photographer)

New lives

A pair of former First Bristol B7TL/ALX400 at the Avonmouth paintshop on March 2nd 2017 Former 32016 W816PAE is repainted for a new owner (?) whilst 32022 W822PAE has lost its fleetnames in readiness for a new coat of paint.

www.flickr.com

 

[Citistar]

From my recollection the Bath racecourse shuttles were some kind of private hire arrangement, paid for by the racecourse owners. Timetables and publicity came under their purview, as these were not commercially registered services.

From memory back in the late 1990s, the Bath Racecourse service was numbered 22 for some time, although i never saw a published timetable for it. It would depart from the first stop on Dorchester Street after the railway station entrance (back when it was one way around the old Bus Station loop), the same stop as was used by 94, 757 and one direction of the 17 - Kingsway perhaps?

I know Buglers have had a go at doing it at some point too.

 

[Whiteway215]

Thanks for the updates, rumour and otherwise. Of the former, I would be pleasantly surprised to see it repainted for further service. If true I can only assume it would go in to coaster to replace the one recently gone to Leicester.... though why not just keep that one who knows.... Otherwise, the first of many going for Citylines 75/76??!!

On the latter, have 66720 & 66726 officially been withdrawn?

66720/6 are officially withdrawn.

32007 has been reported to have been donated somewhere (Rumour was Bristol City Council, but stress that was a rumour)

 

[Private Baxter]

66720/6 are officially withdrawn.

32007 has been reported to have been donated somewhere (Rumour was Bristol City Council, but stress that was a rumour)

That, (and @TheGrandWazoo) suggestion makes more sense! One of them is, I believe, stored in a yard not all that far from me, though was unable to make out exactly what it was.

Shame about those two. Must have been very recent, as I'm sure someone mentioned 66726 in service over the weekend. Leaves just the shabbieat buses in service now over at Hengrove, nos 66723/4 and the admittedly much better 66732 and possibly 66734 if anyone knows about that one.

 

[Whiteway215]

That, (and @TheGrandWazoo) suggestion makes more sense! One of them is, I believe, stored in a yard not all that far from me, though was unable to make out exactly what it was.

Shame about those two. Must have been very recent, as I'm sure someone mentioned 66726 in service over the weekend. Leaves just the shabbieat buses in service now over at Hengrove, nos 66723/4 and the admittedly much better 66732 and possibly 66734 if anyone knows about that one.

According to the tracker for that day, 66720/6 were last in service on 20 January.

Confidence Bus & Coach have confirmed 32004/6/8 will be added to their PSVAR fleet for use on school contracts.

 

[Kremlin Stooge]

From observations over the last few days, it appears safe to conclude that Service 90 route-branding is now extinct. No Streetdecks with the red fronts are now carry this branding.

 

[freetoview33]

From observations over the last few days, it appears safe to conclude that Service 90 route-branding is now extinct. No Streetdecks with the red fronts are now carry this branding.

This does lend to the suggestion that the Streetdecks will be branded for the 75/76

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

This does lend to the suggestion that the Streetdecks will be branded for the 75/76

I don't know if it does lend to that suggestion. Just means that they have a pool that can be on the 90/91/92 without being on the wrong route (or indeed, any Hengrove depot route).

 

[freetoview33]

I don't know if it does lend to that suggestion. Just means that they have a pool that can be on the 90/91/92 without being on the wrong route (or indeed, any Hengrove depot route).

To be fair most of the Streetdecks are on the 75/76 with the B9TL Geminis on the 90/91/92

 

[Kremlin Stooge]

This does lend to the suggestion that the Streetdecks will be branded for the 75/76

TBH I’m not so sure anything can be read forward into the future, given the present wider circumstances. With operators all over the country relying on governmental support just to survive, frivolities such as launching a new route brand will be very much on the back-burner.