You must have realised by now I am not one for static displays. I like motion, I like sound. If something has been designed to move with a recognisable sound I want to see and hear it. Therefore as I set out Sunday morning to meet up with Tim in Beccles before attending the 30th Anniversary of the closure of Eastern Coach Works Event at East Anglia Transport Museum in Carlton Colville, I was not in a particularly optimistic mood. I had seen a few pictures from the previous day and honestly believed I'd be there for a couple of hours, get bored silly, and be home by mid afternoon. How wrong I was, and I'm delighted to say this post will be much, much longer than I anticipated.
I don't attend these events for the buses. I attend them to meet up with friends, to see people I only see at these events, and to have a good gossip. However, on this occasion the buses were important. I grew up with Bristols, Bristols and yet more Bristols. I have driven Bristols, ridden Bristols, been taken to school on Bristols, chatted to driver mates on Bristols, and they were as ubiquitous in my life then as Geminis or E400's are today. And all were bodied by the good folk in Lowestoft, at the Eastern Coach Works. Of course they were bodying buses long before the VR came along, but it is the Bristol VR I associate ECW with the most, and the Bristol VR I wanted to see, and more importantly ride at the event.
It seems the bus Gods were hearing me as round the corner on the free shuttle to the museum came Bristol VR OCK 985K, new to Ribble in 1972 before transferring to Eastern Counties in 1985. In 1996 it was withdrawn after 24 years in service and acquired by the Transport Museum. I actually like the fact it isn't in pristine condition - it looks like it did when it finsihed service and that's good as it is how they looked when I was catching them. It makes a change from something you are afraid to breathe too heavily on. No rattles, a lovely growly Gardner engine, and it did not feel 45 years old. In fact it felt a darn sight better than most new buses on the road today.
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| Bristol VR OGK 385K at Beccles |
We got to the museum and just took in the atmosphere, chatting to Andy and Richard on the gate, and admiring the impressive number of people attending the event. Many of them arrived on the Park & Ride service, operated by First, and with the most appropriate bus in the fleet. Andy Swan swears this was his idea so I'm giving him the credit. Volvo B9tl 37572 AU58 ECW was used, and I thought that was a great idea which added a nice touch to proceedings.
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| 37572 unloading at the museum |
Our next ride was on a visitor from Yorkshire. Bristol Lodekka NWU 265D. Built in 1966 it served the good public of Yorkshire before becoming a training vehicle and finally preserved in 1990. Again a really nice journey, and I began to appreciate just how good the body builders of Lowestoft were.
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| Bristol Lodekka NMU 265D at Lowestoft Station |
We left the Lodekka there to get a spot of lunch, which proved a wise decision as sadly the Lodekka broke down on the way back to the museum. It proved to be an even better decision as something rather special came round the corner to take us back to the museum after lunch.
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| Bristol L5G KNG 711 |
KNG 711 is a 1960 Bristol L5G, new to Eastern Counties as LL 711. I'm not normally that enthusiastic over anything that predates my memories but there are exceptions to everything and this is one. You could actually feel as though you were in the 1950's on this rickety little 35 seater. Displayed at the front was a poster advertising a daily coach service to London at the price of 17 shillings and sixpence for a day return. I'm guessing you didn't get much time in London. Book early on Megabus and it doesn't cost much more than that these days!
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| Vintage poster on LL 711 |
Another trip round Lowestoft on the earlier VR in the company of Norwich Buses Blog supremo Sam Larke, and the ever pleasant Jamie Glasspoole, and things really looked up. Another long distance visitor was open top former Southern Vectis Bristol VR, FDL 681V, looking superb in its Island Breezers livery.
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This bus is in superb condition. The only noise to be heard was the iconic engine (and nearside front spring according to the pleasant young driver). Open top buses are always pretty cool anyway but when it evokes such memories too it's a double bonus. Oh - I was right - those staircases were a lot easier than modern ones. No idea why but they were! It was a very enjoyable half hour. When we got back to the museum the driver conveniently parked next to the other VR, making a fine pair of Bristols!
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| A fine pair of Bristols, Matron! |
That was the major box ticked for the day. However a bonus that not even Brucie could have thought up was in store. A replacement was needed for the stricken Lodekka,, and what a replacement we got. New to Eastern Counties as D510 PPU this ECW Olympian coach has certainly done the rounds, seeing service with Sanders, Lodges of High Easter, Essex, Flagfinders of Essex where it was re-registered PLZ 2876, It then moved onto Tony Glew in Colchester before spending the last few years at Venturer Coachways in Brightwell. With Venturer's demise earlier this year this magnificent bus is now at Our Hire of Acle.
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| Olympian coach PLZ 2876 |
This is one of only three full length, low height Olympian coaches built for the UK market, and is strikingly different to the Olympian coaches I knew on Maidstone & District. What isn't different, though, is the quality. The seats are sumptuous and comfortable, and even now it has the feeling of something special about it. It's quiet, non rattly and powerful. Tyson Dundas, of Our Hire, who was driving told me when I asked him if he was going to preserve the coach, that he's intending to use it! So the working life carries on 31 years on! Tyson has also agreed to let me do a special feature on this bus, so look out for that in the coming weeks. It was just a joy to ride it, not, I sincerely hope, for the last time. It's completely wasted on kids, and how ironic that when First are struggling to find a new bus for the X1 we have here a vehicle that would have suited it to the ground 30 years ago.
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| The Ollie coach on Gunton Cliffs |
And that was about it. A return to Beccles on the adorable Bristol L5G, which cruised along the A146 at 45mph, and a highly enjoyable day was completed, with just one little blot on the landscape.
Where are the other buses that attended I hear you ask. They were on the back field, behind the museum and there were about 15 of them I'm told, although at least 5 of them made an appearance doing runs. It would have cost 9 quid to see them. EATM's brains decided they would be an added extra to their normal tram/trolleybus attractions. I've done them. Great for kids, not fantastic for 51yo's. Why on earth wasn't there a "ground" ticket for the day? I am not going to pay 9 quid to see 15 buses when it only costs a tenner to get into Showbus and around 600 buses! That was a bad move by the committee and I hope they review this for future events. I've heard insurance issues mooted but don't believe that for a second. Many attractions have different price scales depending what you want to do and I'd have happily paid 3 or 4 pound to get access to the buses, cafe, loos etc.
That excepted it was a great day, well attended, vehicles I wasn't expecting to see (and some I was which had nothing whatsoever to do with ECW) and some great chats. My thanks to Tim, Sam, Jamie, Andy, Richard, Thomas, Colin and anyone I may have missed. See you all at Norwich in August.
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| The Bristol L5G at Beccles |
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