News from Oxford, High Wycombe
& the surrounding areas

last updated Sunday, September 6th 1998 - 2300hrs

News item of the week must surely be the transfer of six deckers from Oxford to High Wycombe. Three Titans are on the move with 956, 960 and 968 leaving Oxford. More surprising is the apparent transfer of three Olympians, 202, 206 and 214 all bearing colour bus adverts, either for Morrells Brewery or Rosie O'Grady's Bar. The Olympians, as can be seen from our pictures below, carry Wycombe Bus Company vinyl's, whereas the Titans still carry Oxford livery. This suggests less permanent transfer of the Titans.

New deliveries to the area this week include 374 being one of Stagecoach Oxford's batch of Mercedes Vario 0.814's with Alexander ALX100 bodywork. Seating is B29F and the first one is due to enter service on the Bicester Town route during September.  Further deliveries of this batch registered S371-383DFC are due over the next few weeks. It is now understood that many of the batch will operate on the route 30 from Oxford to Abingdon. The MAN saloons with Alexander ALX300 bodywork, 913-941, are expected to be delivered in about 3 weeks.

When deliveries of the MAN single decks are complete, some of the Dennis Darts with Alexander ALX200 bodies will move within the the group. 821-829 are expected to go to WESTERN SMT. Others of this batch may also move on.

An opportunity to catch up with my fellow Editor, David Root, presented itself when I found him on 61 road with Oxford Bus 783, last Saturday. This is an interesting route covering some of the older areas of the suburbs of Jerico and I include a couple of pictures of the event. The City seemed as busy as ever and I was also able to record a few unusual workings, such as Stagecoach Volvo/Paladin 904 arriving from Heathrow on the X39.

Stagecoach had finally painted ex East London Dart 747 which is now being prepared for service at Horspath Depot. This week Volvo/Paladin 906 was on the 32 Didcot service.  

Oxford Bus works were host to Wycombe Olympians 235 and 238 plus Oxford 203 and 613. 518 is being finished off in the paint shop but other work has been delayed whilst the three Olympians being transferred to Wycombe were completed.

A short time was also spent catching up on Cambridge Coach Services who continue with excellent loadings on their 75 service between Oxford and Cambridge and another  coach on this service is including in our photo gallery this week.

We hope you continue to like this short section, which will give us the opportunity to comment on the local scene in an informal way. Please Email me, Malcolm Crowe, with any comments.