Bowes Museum Park & Ride

 Cumbria Classic Coaches operated on a Park and Ride contract for the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle on the 21st and 22nd December 2013. Below is the 1955 AEC Regent UTC 672 turning into the gates of the museum on one of the many trips it carried out over the weekend.

Click pictures to enlarge

 1959 Bristol Lodekka 627 HFM makes a departure from the museum on 

Saturday 21st December 2013

As an added bonus 1950 Leyland PS1 LFM 302 arrived on an excursion
 from Kirkby Stephen and carried out at least one run on Park and Ride
duties whilst its passengers visited the Bowes Museum Christmas Fair.

 The buses worked hard over the weekend and above we see
 the Lodekka entering the museum with a healthy load of passengers.

Fleet Addition - 1950 Leyland PS1

Cumbria Classic Coaches have added a new vehicle to their fleet. 

LFM 302 is a 1950 Leyland PS1/1 originally new to Crosville and numbered  KA 226 in their fleet. The Weymann bodywork is configured to seat 31 passengers in a body that is classed as a coach, but is more bus-like in appearance. The seats are low backed bus type seats with a deep chrome hand rail above the the back rests.

When new, LFM 302 was one of a batch of 35 vehicles originally destined for Midland General but directed to Crosville and used initially as buses, painted in dark green and black with a cream band. They were re-designated as coaches in 1952 and re-painted cream and green.

Subsequently they carried cream above the waist-line and green below waist-line express livery during 1958-61, and the all over green with black wings bus livery (i.e. no cream band) during 1962-64. They were all withdrawn from service by October 1964.

Latterly LFM 302 has been a long term member of the Quantock Motors fleet owned by Steve Morris. It was in fact the first vehicle that Steve preserved so it must have been a difficult decision for him to let the vehicle go.

In the meantime check Facebook for more information

A report from Will Hamer.

On 20th June 2012 we were engaged by Langwathby CofE School to take about 154 pupils, staff and parents from the school to the coach park at the new Sainsbury's in Penrith where space was reserved for us. The school chose CCC because they wanted the children to experience some of the atmosphere of the last time the Games were held in the UK, i.e. London 1948.

Photo 1 shows some of the children and torch with their teacher, Mrs Labbett, who carried the torch through Penrith centre, posing in front of the buses. All the passengers were given a special souvenir ticket showing the buses, an Olympic Torch, date, school name and "Mrs Labbatt, Torch Bearer"

Photo 2 shows how to park 4 classic buses and coaches in a school lay-by just big enough for 3.

Photo 3 shows our Anthony trying to separate a torch bearer from his torch. Note the disconcerted look on the poor fellows face whilst he hangs on with 2 hands. The background just shows the state of a lot of Penrith. If the Queen was visiting, the buildings would have been spruced up!

Will Hamer

AEC on the move

Cumbria Classic Coaches have acquired a 1953 AEC Plaxton coach for use as spares for other members of the fleet. On Friday 11th May the vehicle was collected from its home near Carlisle and it made the 40 mile journey to Bowber Head.
Here's a selection of pictures showing the coach being retrieved from the barn where it had spent the last 18 years and also on the road during the journey.

Will Hamer moves out of the way to allow Anthony to
steer the AEC to the door

 We stand back as the coach eases into the sunshine

 The team pause for a photograph

 Ian looks happy and relaxed- no fears about the heavy steering

 Tight squeeze through Penrith

 We stop for a chat with Gordon and Ann

 Passing through Orton - nearly home now

 Arrival at Bowber Head

 Tucked away safe and sound between two other AEC's

More information and pictures can be found on the Focus Transport Blog
 http://focustransport2011.blogspot.co.uk/

David G

Spring Around the Corner

Spring is just around the corner and Cumbria Classic Coaches are busy preparing for another hectic year. 2012 sees the start of a new Wednesday contract to meet a steam special at Appleby station with one double deck vehicle and two single deckers to take passengers to Ullswater for a cruise on the lake. After the cruise passengers will be returned to Appleby to rejoin their train. This service commences on Wednesday 6th June and runs on certain Wednesdays during the summer. Wednesday is also the day that Cumbria Classic Coaches run their market day service to Barnard Castle via the picturesque route via Middleton in Teesdale, so on the Wednesdays that the steam special runs they will be using their other double deck vehicle on this service, maybe even boosted by a duplicate vehicle if numbers dictate this. Wedding and other private hire bookings are flooding in so another busy year for the buses - and the crews! David G

CUMBRIA SUMMER SERVICES END ON A HIGH

AEC Regent UTC 672 at Barnard Castle ((click to enlarge)

Cumbria Classic Coaches summer service to Barnard Castle ended on a high on Wednesday 26th Oct when so many passengers wanted to travel on the last run of the summer / autumn route via Middleton in Teesdale that a duplicate vehicle was called for. CCC have a policy of using duplicate vehicles whenever the loadings exceed capacity of the normal service bus to ensure that passengers are never left behind. The scheduled vehicle, ex Bamber Bridge AEC Regent, had already set off with a healthy load of passengers from the Bowber Head Bus Depot to the Fat Lamb where a significant queue was encountered, with more joining at Kirkby Stephen Station, so by the time the 1955 double decker reached Kirkby Stephen Market Square it was a forgone conclusion that a duplicate vehicle would be required.

Ian the conductor gives directions to alighting passengers (click to enlarge)

CCC had already prepared ex Preston Corporation Leyland PS1 and this was swiftly despatched to Kirkby Stephen to pick up the excess passengers. The 1946 PS1 set off in pursuit of the AEC Regent which had also left intending passengers at Winton and Brough, so, to their relief the Leyland PS1 stopped to collect them before making its way to Barnard Castle. Although the service to Barnard castle runs all year round, the normal summer timetabled service is via the more lengthy and picturesque route calling at Middleton in Teesdale before setting off again to Barnard Castle, with its thriving Wednesday market and shops.

Having dropped its passengers, the AEC heads for the coach park (click to enlarge)

The Cumbria Classic Coaches Tuesday market day route to Hawes also came to an end during the same week and unlike the Barnard Castle route, it ceases completely until Easter time when it re-starts again and this years final run using the AEC Regent to Hawes was also heavily used on the final day, but didn't require a duplicate.

David Gambles

Is there anyone there?

Well, it's gone very quiet on the Cumbria Classic Coaches blog so I thought I would post a few pictures from the Easter Kirkby Stephen rally. CRN 79 Visited and was posed alongside CRN 80, the first time they had been together for many years The steam bus also attended and it is seen here at the Cumbria Classic Coaches depot