Event bulletin for the 31st May 2014

From Stagecoach

"Welcome to the first bulletin containing the provisional details about our event which is designed to commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the Cheltenham District Traction Co and also mark the retirement of our Managing Director, Ian Manning, who has led the Company for the last 11 years.

We hope you will enjoy what we have in store for you which is designed to provide a number of Classic Buses from the 1950s/60s/70s, mostly with conductors, in service on our ordinary route network for the day in place of the modern buses normally in use.

Most of the routes are in a triangle bounded by Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Tewkesbury and in addition to the ordinary services, we have reintroduced a historic route 541 from Cheltenham to Tewkesbury via Bishop's Cleeve for the day and additional journeys over and above the normal Service 71 journeys will run as Service 535 (the old BOC route number) between Gloucester and Tewkesbury. Service X94 which normally only runs on Mondays to Fridays between Cheltenham and Gloucester will also enjoy a special half hourly frequency for the day.

Classic buses will also operate on Service 43 between Tewkesbury and Bishop's Cleeve with some journeys on Service D (Bishop's Cleeve-Cheltenham-Hatherley/Warden Hill) and half the daytime runs on Service 41 from Cheltenham to Tewkesbury and Northway.

Most of the routes interconnect in Cheltenham, Gloucester and in particular Tewkesbury but there are various other places where you can change buses as well.

The Classic Buses will generally operate from about 0900 until 1900 hours with a few earlier and later journeys. Weather permitting, some journeys will be operated by Open Top buses. In addition it is hoped to run a free bus service from Cheltenham Promenade (Civic Offices side) to the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway Station at the Racecourse using a preserved left hand drive AEC Regent III of Carris, the Lisbon urban bus operator.

Ordinary fares will be charged on the Classic Buses and visitors are encouraged to buy the Stagecoach West Explorer Ticket priced at £6.50 which will provide excellent value for the day on all the vintage operations as well as on all Stagecoach West's other routes. There are Family and Group versions of the Explorer Tickets additionally available priced at £14 respectively (see separate publicity for more details)

At 2000 hours, Ian Manning will drive the Service 94 from Cheltenham to Gloucester , returning from Gloucester at 2040 hours and arriving in Cheltenham for the last time at 2110. These journeys will be duplicated as required in accordance with passenger demand"

CLASSIC BUSES IN USE AT THE RUNNING DAY

Double Deckers                   Fleet No.               Reg No.  Make & Model

Class VI for Ordinary Service

With some images but not necessarily in liveries that the vehicles will appear

Brighton & Hove                 91                           (KPM 91E)            Bristol FLF6G

Eastern Counties                FLF453                 (JAH 553D)           Bristol FLF6G

Cambus                                 FLF452                 (JAH 552D)           Bristol FLF6G

Bristol OC                             L8515                     (969 EHW)            Bristol LD6G

Bristol OC                             L8518                     (972 EHW)            Bristol LD6B

Bristol OC                             C8320                    (UHY 384)             Bristol KSW6G

East Kent                                                              (MFN 946F)           AEC Regent V 3D3RA

Barton                                   851                          (851 FNN)             AEC Regent V 2D3RA

Devon General                    507                          (507 RUO)            AEC Regent V 2D3RA

Clydeside Scottish             RM835                   (WLT 835)             AEC Routemaster

Stagecoach Devon/LBL   RML2451               (JJD 451D)           AEC Routemaster

Stratford Blue/LBL             RML2565               (JJD 565D)           AEC Routemaster

Stagecoach West/LBL      RML2657               (NML 657E)          AEC Routemaster

Stagecoach London         RML2760               (SMK 760F)          AEC Routemaster

Thamesdown                      145                          (JAM 145E)           Daimler CVG6LX/30

Shears, Blandford (Exeter CT )  50                 (TFJ 808)               Guy Arab IV

Southdown                          409                         (409 DCD)              Leyland Titan PD3/4

Single Deckers

Nu-Venture/Ulsterbus       2563                       (BXI 2563)              Bristol RELL6G

Bristol OC/Cheltenham    1000                       (KHW 306E)           Bristol RELL6L

District

Lincolnshire RC                 2474                       (RFE 482)               Bristol SC4LK

Bristol Greyhound             2149                       (FHW 155D)           Bristol MW6G

Western National                2250                       (617 DDV)              Bristol MW6G

(Royal Blue)

Stagecoach                          59939                     (HDV 639E)           Bristol MW6G

Bristol OC                             219                          (MHU 193)             Bedford OB

Class V for Free Service

Preserved Carris                 255                        {KSV 102}               AEC Regent III