Picture of the month archive.
JANUARY 2009 . The first picture of the month, Eastonways OJD396R speeds along Manston Road Ramsgate during 1994.
.MARCH 2009. A Bristol VR one this month and what better one to start with than 7681. Here she is back in August 2008 at a rather damp Minnis Bay on the Isle 0f Thanet road run celebrating the return of Paul Houselander's Bristol VR / Willowbrook open top 'The Pride Of Thanet' (0977 - RVB977S). It was here that I'd driven her in her final weeks of service with Stagecoach on service 9 and took some pictures in virtually the same location-but much better weather!
APRIL 2009: DMS115 is one of the latest of the type to enter preservation. Now owned by Stuart Boxall and Bob Mcleod, this former playbus now has a secure future. My thanks to Stu Boxall for the picture.
MAY 2009: A Bristol VR one then this month. FDL677V heads to The Needles Battery in an overcast October day in 1995 on the Isle of Wight.This bus is now with Johnson Brothers of Hodthorpe, one of the last major operators of the type
JUNE 2009: A DMS one -well most of DMS anyway! DMS2172 was involved in a fire at Catford garage in September 1980. It lay disused for over a year before being stripped to a bare chassis and shortened in 1982. In this form it was used as a mechanical trainer before being sold to Paddington Technical College. She is now in the care of LBPT at Cobham and is seen here last year at their excellent rear engined event.
JULY 2009: When 7681 met CHiPs! Actually these guys were Arizona Highway Patrol officers. Despite what it seems they hadn't just pulled us over but were standing next to us in the main ring at the Preston Steam Rally. Ever wondered what it's like to live on a bus? Well we took 7681 along to the rally which is held on a site near Wingham- about halfway between Sandwich and Canterbury in Kent. We arrived on the Saturday morning and stayed until the Sunday with a BBQ next 7681 on the Saturday night. So back to the question. Sleeping on a bus? Would you believe it, cramped!
AUGUST 2009: Yes it's DMS550 with front doors! However, these are only temporary doors from an ex GMPTE Leyland Atlantean that have been hung there to keep the weather out and provide some security whilst the front step is being built. Maybe a case of from Northern Counties with love? Later this month I have an electrician coming out to sort out 550's wiring so this time next month she may well be mobile again.
SEPTEMBER 2009: This season has been a busy one for 7681. The Herne Bay Rally and the FotEK Running Day where she was in service and carried good loads and proved very popular. In July 7681 had made her longest trip to date down to Rye and in October she is off out again to do a day trip down to Hastings just before she goes for MOT. This months picture shows 7681 back in November 2000 when she had been dragged out of the bodyshop at Westwood Bus Garage and dumped at the back of the yard for disposal with the other two remaining Bristol VRs 7671 and 7682. Her engine was in but unservicable due to a broken engine mount and she still wore Stagecoach stripes. 7681 has come a long way since then as I'm sure your agree!
OCTOBER 2009: Well those of you who have been following the progress of DMS550 will already know that she is now up and running thanks to MCS Electrics (see the video HERE) and now she runs and drops into gear. I'm hoping to move her inside this month and start on the bodywork BIG TIME! Also give her and 7681 a much needed service this winter too and maybe look towards getting DMS550 on the road for next summer. Also it looks like Imay be taking on another DMS project too. More will be posted on this soon!
NOVEMBER 2009: Well 7681 passed her MOT in October but not without problems. She needs work on her track rod ends, springs and prop shaft. Most of this has been done or started apart from the track rod ends which can be a complicated job with no pit to work in! Anyway, she is now off the road until May next so I have just over 5 months to sort her out. Once it's done it's done!
DECEMBER 2009: Top news this month is that DMS550 has moved under her own power to Sandwich garage (normally home to 7681) so work can start on her restoration Over the next few months she will be fitted with new tyres, batteries and exhaust, the brakes will be serviced and she will have a full lubrication and service. On top of that the front nearside area and platform will be rebuilt. Busy times ahead. May I take this chance to wish you all merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful new year.
JANUARY 2010: Well what did you get for Christmas? A wooly? A bottle of something nice? Some socks? I got a Bristol VR! Thank goodness my partner Claire didn't want to wrap it! Collected from Kent Police at Canterbury on January 5th is ex M&D PKE807M a series 2 VR with ECW bodywork. She has now been parked up in my yard alongside 7681 and Bernard's 7980.
FEBRUARY 2010: Talk about brief encounter! There I was back on 18th January trundling home from work through Sturry when coming down the hill from Herne Bay towards me was former DMS1955 now with the Gravesham Crime Prevention Panel. It turned towards Thanet and followed me up to Hersden where it was heading in to the test centre. I managed to snatch a couple of shots with my phone camera.
MARCH 2010: Things have been rather busy around DMS550's rebuild at the moment, but I have had tiem to pop over to the yard to check 7681 and 5807 (and also Bernard Sealy's 7980) all of which were ok. 681 and 807 were given a chance to stretch thier legs around the yard and apart from a sticky door alarm on 681 showed no real problems. I'm currently looking into the shows and rallies we will be at this year
APRIL 2010: Well summer is heading closer and those days out and shows will be upon us again really soon. I thought I'd put something a bit different up this month, another Bristol VR but such a rare old lady! This is Bernard Sealy's TFN980T ex East Kent 7980, the sole surviving roofed Willowbrook bodied VR left in the whole world (unless you know different, and I'd love to be proved wrong on that!) She passed her test this month on the 7th and will be out and about this season acting as 7681's running companion. Hopefully 7980 will be at Hastings Rally on 16th May, if not it will be 7681
MAY 2010: Farewell DMS2257! The rot in 2257's MCW bodywork has finally finished her off. After my initial visit where bits of inner stress panels were falling out from under the panels, Stuart Boxall paid her a visit and found the same thing. This sort of rot can cost thousands of pounds to cure and the more you uncover, the more needs doing. With this in mind we began to remove as much useful spares off of 2257 as we could. The more we delved, the more rot was found. In fact she is pretty well shot as far up as the top of the lower deck windows! As much as I hate breaking up a rare bus she had become an unpractical restoration and the good news is that I now have all the parts needed for DMS550 actually on DMS550.
More good news is that PKE807M passed her MOT on 5th May so now work can really concentrate on putting 550 back together again and making a push towards getting her own MOT.
More good news is that PKE807M passed her MOT on 5th May so now work can really concentrate on putting 550 back together again and making a push towards getting her own MOT.
JUNE 2010: PKE807M has now passed her MOT but as stated in 'Bristol VR News' her starter has decided thats it! Whilst I'm waiting for a replacement I've been in touch with a local company that breaks static caravans and have got some internal fittings to help the conversion along ready for the end of this month when she takes us to Preston Steam Rally near Canterbury. The idea is that she will be restored externally so she can attend shows in her own right too. With 7681 taxed and on the road this month too most of the 'fleet' is mobile leaving DMS550 still in the garage. Work on 550 has slowed down for various reasons of late but now all the woodwork is done and at last the panels are starting to go back on.
JULY 2010: More good news from the world of DMS and as my DMS Facebook group stated, DMS2127 has passed into preservation with Stuart Boxall after service trundling around Whipsnade Wild Animal Park. Stuart has also located some more DMS vehicles too, which we hope will at the very least provide spares for the other survivors. If your on Facebook, please search DMS550 and DMS2257 and that should take you to the group. I'm hoping to restart work on 550 this month too, inbetween shows and various running repairs. PICTURE STUART BOXALL.
AUGUST 2010: WKO137S has joined the fleet. Owned by Bernard Sealy she was new to Maidstone and District. She now has her own page HERE. She was also used on the recent trip to the Hellfire Caves in Buckinghamshire- a 250 mile round trip and performed perfectly. Her first true appearence as a preserved bus was on the 31st July and 1st August at the Coldred Steam and Country Fair near Dover where she stood in for PKE807M who is rather poorly. Don't forget, this Sunday (8th August) we will be at Herne Bay Bus Rally with TFN980T. See you there! PICTURE BY BERNARD SEALY
SEPTEMBER 2010: Another one from the archives. This is former DMS1614 (THM614M) at Ramsgate New Port when under the ownership of Eastonways in 1994. The bus had served previously with New Enterprise of Tonbridge before hand. Rumours of this bus existing dumped in a farm in Ramsgate proved to be wishful thinking. 1614 later passed to Big Bus where she was one of few DMS' to retain her roof. She was later used as spares. The Eastonways DMS fleet in Ramsgate was what got me interested in the type all those years ago.
OCTOBER 2010: A new member to the fleet is HIG5681 formerly NUW553Y and new to London Transport as T553. Although, technically only a year newer than 7681 she brings in different technology with air suspension. The brief story of how 'Nu' (pronounced nooo!) arrived with us can be found in the NEWS PAGE. We were also due to collect Leyland National EFN178L last week too but due to a sticky valve at FotEK she can not be moved right now. 'Nu' comes with an MOT and following a good clean will be on the road. Bernard and myself have decided to keep her single door and restore her as a 'provincial' bus.
NOVEMBER 2010: As you will have seen in the news pages our new National ex East Kent EFN178L has finally arrived. She is currently sitting in our yard in a scene which now resembles an East Kent depot yard circa 1988/9! We are offering shares in this fine vehicle which as you will see on her NEW PAGE, needs a few jobs doing to her before she can go for an MOT. On thing she does need is a new drivers side windscreen. If you can help with one of these or you'd like to ask about shares in her contact me here at the website. I'm hoping to pick up another bus maybe this month,it's actually been in Bernard's ownership for sometime now but has been away having work done to it. More on that later.
DECEMBER 2010: Nearly the end of another year and the weather had taken a bit of a dive here in Kent. As you can see from the picture it looks like the fleet has been moved to the North Pole! 5137 has been out recently attending the Stagecoach Dover Garage Christmas meal. Apart from some starting problems the fleet seems in good health despite the cold. News soon of another vehicle soon joining the fleet some time in the next month! May we take this chance to wish you all a really merry Christmas and a happy New Year and we look forward to meeting more of you at events next year.
JANUARY 2011: Happy New Year to you all! Hope you had a good Christmas too. This time of year is always a bit quiet as far as the fleet is concerned with them now all off the road and various MOT's looming. Between now and May 7980, T553 and hopefully 1178 will be tested and back on the road. Talking of 7980, her previous owner, Maurice Bean sent me a load of pictures of her when he had first saved her for preservation. More of them can be seen HERE .
FEBRUARY 2011: Sorry about the late change to picture of the month but I've had a few technical problems as of late. Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon as they say! During the cold dormant winter months I like to flash back to the summer, and here is no exception with 5807 seen here in the ring at Preston Steam Rally last year. This year she will be off the road due to her on going mechanical problems, however she still romps around the yard well so she's not dead but just resting!
MARCH 2011: Well spring is nearly upon us and typically the weather has turned cold! Never mind. Following a few technical issues I'm now back on line again and can go back to the regular updates. This year is of course 7681's 30th birthday and also 10 years of her being in my ownership - a double celebration. I will be planning something around August or September to mark the big day so keep checking the site to see whats happening. Back to the grind stone though as 7980 and 5137 will need MOTs over the next few months. Both shouldn't cause too many problems.
APRIL 2011: 5137 passed her MOT last month with the intention of taking her to the M&D centenary event at Detling, HOWEVER, the dreaded water leak put pay to this and she couldn't go. Anyway at least she is now on the road and it's better the pipe went in the yard than out on the road! I'm away in Yorkshire for a holiday but when I come back I have 7980 booked in for a test. After that it's Nuw our Titan up for test.
MAY 2011: By the time you probably read this 7980 would've been up for test (she goes up on the 4th). I've spent time trying to balance up the brakes so it'll be interesting to see how I've done. All being well she will be at various events this year, probably Preston Steam Rally and maybe Coldred Steam Fair too. Due to our vehicle availability I've still not worked out which buses are doing which shows, but I'm hoping that 7980 and Nuw can attend the steam fairs this year together and maybe 1178 and 7980 at Herne Bay with 7681 for good measure.
JUNE 2011: 5137 attended the Sellindge Steam Fair on 28th and 29th May, our first event of the season and first time at Sellindge too. The full report is in the 5137 gallery pages. Here is 5137 next to Kent Top Travel 304 (PO58KPT) a Volvo B7L with Optare Olympus bodywork. This month promises to be a busy one. We have a friends and family day out on the first Friday in the month with Preston Steam Rally at the end of the month.
JULY 2011: 7980 and 5137 attended the Preston Steam Rally last weekend (25th & 26th June). Originally we had intended to take 7681 and 7980 but it hardly seemed worth taxing 7681 for 2 days and losing a months worth of tax in the bargain. On the Saturday night when everyone had gone it gave me chance to wax the buses and polish them up. This month we will be at Quexpo in Birchington on the 9th and 10th and Chilli Farm, Coldred near Dover at the end of the month.
AUGUST 2011: Bernard's new coach has finally made it up from the West Country to her new home in The Garden of England. Ex Western National 3131 is a Plaxton Supreme bodied Bristol LH. She's one of the normal width ones which I believe were quite rare for this company, the standard width being 7'6" for those narrow Devon and Cornish lanes. As you can see she is in top condition and is ready to roll. I know Bernard is keen to see her out and about so keep an eye out at the local shows and events for this beautiful little coach.
SEPTEMBER 2011: What else could it be than the birthday girl herself, 7681. She celebrates her 30th birthday this month on the 9th. As you can see she has been moved around the yard now the flat tyre has been sorted out and despite a minor oil leak, she drives very well. Andy and me gave her a wax and polish which has brought the paintwork up nicely although the 'EAST KENT' lettering on the front dash panel is starting to look a little tatty. It's also 10 years this year since I first bought 7681 - my first bus. Now she's the only member of the batch left in the UK, I'm pleased I saved her (although if by chance I did win the Lottery I maybe would joining sister bus 7682 in the Caribbean!)
OCTOBER 2011: Last month 7980 (TFN980T) Bernard's rare Willowbrook bodied VR was used to take our friends from the yacht club into Ramsgate for a few drinks. Whilst waiting for them to return in Leopold Street, I couldn't resist setting the Thanet blind currently in 7980 to local route 7A to Newington Estate thus recreating a late night working of this route- although in practice I suspect most services would've terminated at the bus garage at this time (2245) of night! Bernard is hoping to get 7980 and 5137 'shopped' over the winter period and smarten them both up somewhat.
NOVEMBER 2011: Maybe as it's Bonfire Night this month, I should have had a picture of an East Kent Guy Arab... penny for the Guy... Oh dear! Here is our Titan, T553, or 'Nuw' as she's known. Not much has been done to her over the summer months with the routine work on the Bristol putting pay to anything else. Now with the quieter winter months here we're hoping to tidy her up a bit and get her out there on the road. She does drive very well - as you can see in one of 3 new YouTube videos I've uploaded. See Nuw on video here!
DECEMBER 2011: As things are a bit quiet at the moment I thought I'd delve into my archives. Here we see OUP679P, an early series 3 ECW bodied Bristol VR which was new to United in May 1976 as it's 679. It later passed to Western National, Devon General and Moffat & Williamson before turning up with Wiltax of Shanklin on the Isle Of Wight in 1994. It's seen here resting at Shanklin railway station in the summer of 1995. This bus later passed to Morris and finally 2 Travel who broke it up in 2004. A sad end to fine vehicle with an interesting history which would've fitted in well with our collection being a Bristol with West Country and Isle Of Wight connections. Both Bernard, myself and everyone else connected with the collection would like to wish you a very merry and peaceful Christmas and thank you for your continued support.
JANUARY 2012: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Now the festive season is out of the way, work can start on the buses again, getting them ready for the coming season. The above picture shows our decker fleet to date. At the moment the Titan is our only tested vehicle. We have got services due on 7980 and 5137, plus bodywork on 7980 to sort out as well as 1178's screen and 7041's ball joints. Enough to keep Andy and me busy for a bit!
FEBRUARY 2012: Flash back to 2008 when 7681 visited the old East Kent garage in Russel Street in Dover shortly after it had closed. This once busy location is now just an empty plot after the garage was quickly demolished. 7681 herself is still going strong despite not being on the road last year. This year she may well be 'kept back' again due to an apparent gearbox/driveshaft problem. She still happily circuits the yard though and is still mobile. Outside storage has started to make the poppy red paint fade to a more realistic 'pink' reflecting how many of the NBC era buses were at that time. Anyone working in the industry knows that buses don't stay smart for long!
MARCH 2012: Bernard's Bristol LH coach AFJ692T - ex Western National 3131 is this months picture of the month. This fine little coach will be out and about this season. I'm hoping we can use her for Hastings Bus Rally on May 20th as she is very fuel efficient and a pleasure to drive - apart from a rather heavy clutch! Look out for 3131, Nuw, 7980 and (hopefully) 1178 this summer at various events and shows in the southeast. Also, we should be at the Kent County Showground on March 31st to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the M&D and EK Bus Club
APRIL 2012: We made it to the M&D and EK 60 Event at the Kent County Showground at Detling. What a fantastic day we had. So much to see with classic cars, tractors, commercials and of course all the buses. Last year this was held to celebrate 100 years of M&D and this year was the 60th Anniversary of the M&D and EK Bus Club. Hopefully this rally will become an annual event and not just held to celebrate special events. As you can see from the picture above, we took Nuw who met up with a friend in the form of Nu-Venture's T857.
MAY 2012: Bernard's minibus finally made the journey up from Rye last month. The 40 mile run highlighted a few issues which will need looking at before she hits the road - even though she's MOT'd. Meanwhile, Western National 3131 is mow on the road and will be at Northiam this May Bank Holiday at the Kent & East Sussex Railway. This will be a good chance to check her before her long run this month to Hastings Bus Rally.
JUNE 2012: 7980 has left the yard for undercover accommodation so work on her refurbishment can begin. Her saloon floors are to be painted as are the lower deck seat frames. Outside she will be tidied up and repainted ready for next year. Who knows, she may even end up sporting advertisements! This month will also see Nuw MOT'd and we have several shows too - not least the Preston Steam Rally at the end of the month.
JULY 2012: Nuw passed her MOT last month and attended Preston Steam Rally on the 30th June / 1st July where we camped in her over the weekend. Members of the Facebook group would've seen the progress reports about how Claire, Paul and Me turned Nuw into a camper bus. She will be retaining this configuration for this month when we attend Chilli Farm Steam Fair at the end of the month but will be restored as 'Nuw the bus' for Herne Bay Rally on August 12th.
AUGUST 2012: It's been an odd sort of month. Although- on the face of it- there doesn't seem to be much happening on the bus side of things, we've been acting just like a duck on a pond. Gliding along gracefully on top but paddling like mad underneath! Some exciting changes are coming to the collection soon which will be expanded to include Paul Tripptree's DMS550 and Nick Moore's 1145 (seen above). Nuw attended Chilli Farm Steam and Country Fayre at the end of last month and 3131 and 1145 will be at Herne Bay on 12th August.
SEPTEMBER 2012: Here's someone you've not seen for a while, DMS550 (MLK550L) seen in a recent shot at Sandwich. As you can see, since I sold her to Paul he has been working really hard on her and now has the front doors installed and up and running too. Next he'll be sourcing an exhaust and giving her a general service. In the background can be seen 7980 undergoing overhaul.
OCTOBER 2012: Here's Bernard's rare Willowbrook bodied 7980 (TFN980T) undergoing a tidy up at Sandwich. Unfortunately, due to a change of ownership and policy at the garage, she has become somewhat of a dumping ground for all of our spares from inside here. Leyland National window rubbers sit on the platform alongside VR rear panels whilst inside is cluttered with spare wheels, panels and glass. This means that our store shed at the yard will have to be organised to allow these parts to be safely fitted in. This of course takes time and such politics distract us from the main aim- looking after the buses- BUS PRESERVATION! This can be mildly frustrating to say the least and it does seem that some preservation groups get more out of stirring up politics amongst members than looking after the vehicles! Hopefully work will resume on 7980 soon and she will be on the road within the next few years.
NOVEMBER 2012: Here's one that's not graced this spot before. This is new to Crosville VCA461W fleet number DVG461. After service in Wales at Llandudno with Crosville, she ended up moving through the British Bus (remember them?) and Arriva group before finishing up in Kent with New Enterprise. She later passed to Eastonways of Ramsgate and is seen here withdrawn from use in 2006. My regular vehicle on the Goodnestone to Sandwich Technology School contract when I first started there. The kids had a nasty habit of throwing the seat cushions out of the windows hence the... er... modifications to the upper deck sliders. She was also used on rail work too where she was quite a fast bus and rather warm too. She ended her service with Eastonways on the 965 school service at Manston when the lady driver mis-changed the gears and blew the gearbox up! She was never repaired and was replaced with a Metrobus. Although VCA isn't in the collection as such, I have quite a few spares and bits and pieces from her, so in a way, she lives on.
DECEMBER 2012:Top news from The Southern Counties Omnibus Collection is that Q255GRW the ex Dunlop, East Kent , Stena Line and Crosskeys Coaches Leyland National 2 has joined the fleet. Bought and owned by Peter Moore, this rare bus surfaced on eBay last month. She was collected and moved to preservation Wednesday 28th November 2012. She is now living with NPD145L (owned by Nick Moore - Peter's son) which is another ex East Kent and Stena Line National. Q255GRW was new in 1981 and used by Dunlop Tyres as a test vehicle on private roads. She later passed to East Kent who numbered her 1255 and registered her with a Q plate as the original documents had been lost. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
JANUARY 2013: Happy New Year! The first picture
of the month in 2013 is good old 7041 (MFN41R) which was East Kent's first
Bristol VR back in 1977. Last month she was given a run around yard - as all the
buses are regularly - which allowed this glorious shot in the late winter
sunshine. 7041 will be out at a few shows this year so keep an eye out for this
head turner coming your way. Unfortunately she will not be restored as a bus, so
rides at running days will be a no no, but I'm hoping to use her on some of the
weekend events where she will prove very handy as a camping bus.
of the month in 2013 is good old 7041 (MFN41R) which was East Kent's first
Bristol VR back in 1977. Last month she was given a run around yard - as all the
buses are regularly - which allowed this glorious shot in the late winter
sunshine. 7041 will be out at a few shows this year so keep an eye out for this
head turner coming your way. Unfortunately she will not be restored as a bus, so
rides at running days will be a no no, but I'm hoping to use her on some of the
weekend events where she will prove very handy as a camping bus.
FEBRUARY 2013: Here is a picture that will devide bus enthusiasts! Minibuses: You ether love 'em or hate 'em. Personally I think they're alright. Fun to drive - if you get a good one, and they played a big part in turning the industry around. Ok, they will never have the charm of a Lodekka or even a Leyland National but scenes like the one above (which was taken at Westwood Bus Garage in 2001) are now part of history and buses like this have been replaced by Optare Solos on the Thanet routes. Nowdays, a service bus with steps like these to climb up would be unthinkable. They may be a step up from breadvans but they can be cheap to buy, use off the shelf parts and are cheap to run which is helpful especially as many people in bus preservation are feeling the pinch with ever rising fuel costs. Definately preservation prospects in my eyes.
MARCH 2013: It came as quite a shock to me to discover that our 1178 had never been featured as the picture of the month! Part of her was shown in November 2010 and again May 2012 but not as a complete vehicle! Well here she is in all her glory last year on one of her trips around the yard. With both 1178 and Nick Moore's 1145 celebrating their 40th birthdays this month I am determined that this will be 1178's year and she will be back on the road this summer.
APRIL 2013: Sorry about the late update but I was waiting for the East Kent Bus Festival at Detling before I did anything, reasoning that I would get a good few pictures to choose from there! As you can see we took Nuw, as 5137 failed her MOT on the brakes - nothing serious which is good. In fact she's pretty much ready to go back for retest. Anyway, back to Detling. What a fantastic day out. The weather was a bit shaky to start with but as you can see, it soon cleared up and ended up more like the spring weather we should be having! Nuw did several trips around the extensive and spacious site and proved to be very popular.
MAY 2013: May already! Where is the year going? I thought I'd add something a bit different this month. This is 16356, a 1996 Volvo Olympian with Stagecoach's fairly standard Alexander bodywork. It's always odd to look on these - which to me and many others are modern vehicles - as preservation prospects, but at 17 years old they're certainly getting on in years. This and 16389 are certainly the best two that Thanet currently runs but their days are sadly numbered with new Enviro 200s coming in along with older Enviro 400s from Manchester. I never thought when I acquired 7681 I would get nostalgic about a Volvo but I will be sorry to see these go. I wonder if anyone will be getting nostalgic over the new Enviro 200s when they come out of service?
JUNE 2013: Rather a scenic shot for Picture Of The Month this time. Here we see Nuw driving past Deal Castle heading towards the Deal Motor Show which she attended on May 25th. This is the first time that we have taken anything to this event and we must say, we rather enjoyed it and will certainly be doing this one again next year. Nuw comes off the road this month and will be given a service and a tidy up. Hopefully 5137 will be taken her place but we are in the middle of a house move at the moment so everything is a bit up in the air for us personally. If things go a bit on the quiet side that's why! We're still hoping to attend Preston Steam Rally at the end of the month though.
JULY 2013: Apologies for the late update, our moving date came through... on the 29th/30th June - right on the same weekend as Preston Steam Rally! Typical eh? Needless to say we didn't have chance to attend which was a real shame and the first time we've missed it since 2008. This months picture is of a bit of an East Kent enigma, XJJ656V former 7656. She was a member of the large 1980 batch and was delivered in May of that year, she was well known in the 1980's for carrying a all-over advert for National Holidays. In fact I actually remember walking through the gates from my primary school and seeing this old thing waiting there to take us home! All went well until October 1992 when she collided with a fully laden skip in Sandwich which caused a massive amount of damage and resulted in her withdrawl. She was stripped of anything mechanically useful at Thanet garage and donated to the MOD fire training school at nearby RAF Manston where she was used for evacuation training. Here she sat until this year when her role ended and she was made available. I'm glad to report that she will be joining the collection soon and will be used as a store shed. She retains a full interior which will be used on 7041 to finally turn her back as a bus, as well as springs, axles and other smaller useful spares. More on her later this month when I hope to add 7656's page to the site as 'The Bus That Time Forgot!'
AUGUST 2013: Bit of an odd picture this month but all will be revealed. As you've no doubt read, East Kent 7656 has joined us as a source of spares and a store shed. The majority of her interior is destined for 7041 (MFN41R) East Kent's first Bristol VR. This will transform her from an exhibition unit to a bus again. Once 7656 was securely in the yard, we couldn't resist a peek under 7041's soft trim to see what lay underneath. This is the result... her Eastern Coachworks transfer is now proudly showing once more. More on 7041 later as the work starts on her.
SEPTEMBER 2013: 5137 is now back on the road but unfortunately has suffered with a fuel starvation problem on her first run out in Dover. It was decided to miss the New Romney Rally the following day to be on the safe side. This problem is being investigated at the moment at will hopefully be cured by next weekend. Apart from that, she ran really well. A rear panel was swapped with 7041 due to a broken hinge, but this will be repaired over the winter lay up. I've altered the lay out of the website a little with all the vehicles on one tab now - "Vehicles in the collection" . I hope this will make it look less cluttered and easier to use.
OCTOBER 2013: News from The Southern Counties Omnibus Collection is that Paul (DMS550's owner) is now the proud owner of this rather tasty coach. She's an ex Hedingham Leyland Tiger with Plaxton Paramount coach work. Registered B124BOO she has now become known as "Boo" (what else?) and even has her own Facebook group too.
NOVEMBER 2013: Big thanks to Michel Crisp for unearthing this fantastic picture of 5807 he took back in June 1993. At this time she was parked in the council's yard in Canterbury and was wearing this blue and white based livery. Interestingly, the graphics look pretty similar to what she was wearing after her later livery change. The Bristol VR parked next to her is former United WHN419G, at one stage a playbus in the Thanet area.
DECEMBER 2013: Big news this month is that Bernard's Mercedes minibus N306XRP has returned from having it's real axle replaced and is now in undercover storage whilst work on her continues. This will be another vehicle on the road for next year all being well, as she really only needs work to her doors, exhaust and front brakes for a ticket. Latterly with Stagecoach United Counties, Bernard had her repainted into a United Counties NBC green livery as something a bit different. Once done and completed this will be restored as a commemorative livery and although fictional, should look interesting and 'different'. It's that time of year again where we would like to wish you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful new year. I'd also like to thank you for your continued support during 2013 and look forward to more of the same in 2014.
JANUARY 2014: Well here comes another year and 2014 looks like it's going to be the year of the National for us. Not only are we aiming to have 1178 (EFN178L) on the road but fellow Southern Counties Omnibus Collection member Nick Moore is also working on the buses in our west Kent site. Here we see 1255 (Q255GRW) and 1145 (NPD145L) having their bodywork prepared for a re-paint. Although both buses are not original to East Kent, they have probably put in more years at Dover docks than they did with their original owners and represent a rather forgotten aspect of East Kent's operation during the late 60's through to the 90's.
FEBRUARY 2014: Here we see Eastonways Dennis Dart K987SCU on rail replacement standby duty at Ramsgate around 2005/6. Sadly Eric Easton formerly of Eastonways passed away recently and Eastonways ceased to exist from last October when current owner Carol Peters Coaches closed the unit down due to spiraling costs.
MARCH 2014: A little later this month and also next month too (more on that in 'NEWS' but well worth the wait in our opinion as Paul Tripptree's DMS550 rolls out of the workshop for the first time since 2011. Looking more like a London bus than ever, this shows the hard work that Paul has done on her. He still has some work to do on the old girl before she can even think about hitting the road but now at least he's well over halfway there.
APRIL 2014: Following a freak accident with the grinder on NPD145L, Nick Moore has decided to turn her into a convertible open top. Thought to be the only convertible open top single decker in the world she has only seen use on one day this year so far but due to the weather had to be re-roofed by midday. Here we see Paul removing the last of the long coach bolts that hold the roof in place. (By the way folks, this was our April Fool post ;) )
MAY 2014: Here we see a really rare survivor. The is an AEC Bridgemaster new to East Kent in 1962 for a route in Dover that passed under a low bridge. As a big Bristol Commercial Vehicles fan, I could of course say that the Bridgemaster was a knee jerk reaction by AEC to the Lodekka, but maybe that would be a little unfair? This is actually a superb vehicle to drive- as are most AECs - and still gives a comfortable ride, even if it gets a little choppy with the 1960's air suspension at the rear. YJG807 is now in the care of Friends of the East Kent (FotEK) and is seen here in Sandwich whilst running a free bus service in conjunction with a classic car show on the 20th April. WKO137S also helped out (you can just see her to the left!) as well as B124BOO.
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JULY 2014: Last month we attended Dover Transport Museum's Bus Rally as well as Preston Steam Rally. Both of these will be covered by my sister site Southern Counties Omnibus Collection over the next couple of weeks. This month will be slightly less hectic with just Chilli Farm Steam, held near Dover, at the end of the month. So what do we have here then? Well this is Stagecoach East Kent's 16187 (S957URJ), a Volvo Olympian with rather attractive Northern Counties Palatine 2 bodywork. Even now this looks a very modern vehicle and is a real credit to Stagecoach to how well it's kept and presented. New to Bullocks of Cheadle and operated around the Manchester area, this and sister bus S958URJ arrived to do school services in Thanet but also find themselves on regular work too, as seen here earlier this year as she leaves Margate Station on route 32A to Dane Valley. Hopefully one, if not both of these buses will find a safe home in preservation when withdrawn from service.
JUNE 2014: What a busy month May was and now we're halfway through the year already! Last month 5137 visited Dover Marina open day and attended Southern Counties Thanet Road Run. This was a great success and the only day of the bank holiday that the sun really shone! The Road Run managed to raise £107.90 for local charity, Cats In Crisis which was brilliant. Many thanks to everyone for your support on this great day. The Road Run also saw the launch of Nick Moore's Dennis Dominator N715TPK. As you may recall this was in the SCOC collection last year but was sold due to a big mechanical issue, well, as you can see, that's been fixed and now she drives like a dream. N715TPK is of course the penultimate Dominator built.