Behind The Scenes - Ipswich Transport Museum

As I work at the Ipswich Transport Museum, as you’d know, we have restorations happening like the 1932 Bedford WLB, 1951 Morrison Electric Coal Lorry and the 1880 Cambridge Horse Tram is currently undergoing major reinstatement to return them into former glory to their original uniform.

As well as restoring buses, horse trams and Lorries, there are also other volunteers who do different stuff within the museum from IT staff to cleaners who’d sort and clean the vehicles to high-standard. Now I do cleaning on a weekly basis, so I predominantly clean the public transport area from Regents to Leyland’s, there needs to be something completed within the cleaning procedures or even sweeping with the errorless dustpan and brush – which is normal for me!

Also the Ipswich Transport Museum does visits from groups whether it could be schools, scouts or other related-groups which comprises a look-round the museum by one of the volunteers (who knows a lot) and he elucidates the commercials, engineering and buses within penetration. Mostly, on opening days, and event days, he commonly does a proficient commentary about the antiquity of the tram since brand-new to the ending of the tramways in Ipswich in 1963 – and when the Ipswich Transport Museum restored it from 1976 to its 1920’s condition.

Also within the ‘Priory Press’ (11^th October), there is wording that there is a possibility that the Ipswich Transport Museum could be extended and already progressing slowly, not quick.

Back towards 1880, and the Cambridge Tram is doing brilliantly as its having restoration as we express, most of the exertion has been completed like stairs, downstairs internal work, steel wheels for the rails, vintage signage, doors connected, bells ringing and have been tested, outside lights are functioning, but the conclusion hasn’t been completed yet like handrails, the remainder of the seats which are wooden, and essentially that would it the end of its 5 to 6 year restoration mission done (if it’s done on-time for Christmas or the start of the new year). Well done to the squad for making the most of the effort of developing the very vintage tram, they need a vacation for their labour. 

As of 24th October, I took a few pictures of the Behind The Scenes. 

Underneath, these are the current restoration projects undergoing major refurbishment comprising the 1880 tram to the left is almost completed which raises 'Cambridge Street Tram' and is hopefully to be on display at Ipswich Transport Museum within 2019 or December 2018. 

To the right-hand-side, is the 1951 Morrisons Coal Electric Lorry which is undergoing major restoration and is to be completed within mid-2019 or 2020.

And the centre picture represents the Bedford WLB which should be completed within 2019 or 2020 and its from 1932, and it has now the dashboard with the instruments like the speedo, etc. 

And lastly, here is a image of ADX1 on the pits taken on the 24th October. 

20th October Allocation and some News.

1	145,147
2	30 (comes off 15a),79,84,105 (comes on 15a)
3	148,151,152
4	83,149
5	46,39,31
6	172,88,108
7/16	103,245
8	104,81,173,82,106,171,70 (comes on 18:05)
9	154,134,153 (comes on 15a 18:30)
10	44,68,102
12	80,71
13	72,77,70,156,75,73
14	244
15	47,34,41
15a	30 (comes on 2),105 (comes off from 2),38,69
111	78
60/61	69426,44518,44516,66959,44519

Now as a bus devotee, I was at Tower Ramparts overlooking the allocations for the late-afternoon and early-evening services and there was a fair few coming off routes and going on other routes. I have noticed this within the previous year which is resuming to this day, so looking at the standard allocations above, you could see that I have bracketed the ‘coming offs’ and ‘coming on’ services within fleet and boards.

For example, I have reported two excellent exemplifications of them, well, three, because the 13:55 15a from Tower Ramparts goes out as the 15a, and preponderantly switches into a number 2 service for the Ipswich Hospital via Gainsborough and John Lewis and that has simply replaced E200 105 which came from a 2 service and done the 14:55 15a and there-on.

Now for the 13, I counted ‘70’ earlier this afternoon doing the usual duties for the 13 for Copdock Tesco’s and next thing I knew at 17:55, it went onto a 8 service bounded for Whitehouse Asda. Also noticed with Mercedes-Benz Citaro 153 doing the Whitton’s and transferring for a 15a for the 18:30.

Now for Eastern Counties, last week was almost every decker on the 60/61’s, but for today, it was all single-deckers doing the duties for the 60/61 services for the Greenwich and Gainsborough’s.

Also noticed today was Optare Solo 245 doing the 7/16 rota which is kind of unusual for these-days to serve Halifax Road and Anglia Retail Park.

Yes, and from next month (November), First Ipswich are to change the services like 61 becoming 60a and there is also a 60e for the evening services, and also some of the Felixstowe timetables are changing as well, but the X7 will be going every hourly and expanded to Grange Farm which means journeys are to please people for the Felixstowe, especially for the OAP’s. The 77/76 will no longer be serving the Felixstowe Road, Transport Museum and John Lewis as they will be going via Spring Road instead, like the typical 75 service which is daft because I work at the Museum.

Now there are some murmurs that Ipswich council could be ‘not sponsoring’ the services on Ipswich Buses services as it is due to save money – bloody stupid – also on Sunday’s could explain a last service around 4 or 5 but that will influence the customers who use the bingo hall on Lloyds Avenue which also expounds they will have to fork out taxi services instead. For Monday to Fridays, the last services could be about 7pm. As this is a murmur, I am not 100% certain, it could happen, it could not – so please bare for further information.  

Back for the evening services on 20^th October, I noticed Excel 173 coming off at 17:00, E200 106 coming off 17:15 and returning at 17:40, Excel 171 coming off at 17:30, 70 coming on from the 13 onto a 8 service for the 18:05 departure, E200 81 coming off at 17:49 from the 8, MCV 156 coming off at 18:00, and OmniCity 34 coming off the 15a at 18:04, and lastly, OmniCity 38 comes off the 15 at 18:08.

47 came from the 15 and done the 18:00 15a, 80 comes onto a 15 from a 12 and done the 18:15 15, 134 took place of 155, done the Whitton’s, and then done the 18:10 13, 75 from the 13 to a 12 for the 18:25 service, 153 as mentioned, came from a Whitton to a 15a for the 18:30, 41 comes off the 15, and lastly, I saw 73 on the 15 at Maidenhall Green as I went home on the Citaro which explained it did the 13, but done the 18:45 15 service.

Bus Allocations 13th Oct

On Saturday 13^th October, I saw some of the customary allocations of Saturday around Tower Ramparts and there was some misperception as well because normally, double-deckers are allocated on the 15a, until E200 108 joined the 15a throughout the mid-afternoon.

1	149
2	85,31
3	148,145
4	151
5	68,47,57
6	104,102,172
7/16	77,136
8	81,173,79,80,83,107,75 (80 came off and 75 took over from the 9)
9	103,75,154,171 (154 came on replacing 75 which went onto a 8)
10	34,105,43
12	106,72
13	73,70,71,87,137,156
14	241
15	40,32,46 (swaps to 15a’s around 4pm)
15a	35,60,31,108 (31 later went on 2, and 108 came on) (swaps later afternoon to 15)

Now, I was not counting accurately (myself doing shopping), so I calculated one Optare Versa on 1, and another on the 4.

When 75 came onto the 8, I went for a ride (with my bus pass) to Whitehouse Asda to get a couple of photos for the love of it. 

Scania OmniCity Saloon 75 (YN56NVG) at Whitehouse Asda.

News and more news!

Correct Scania Fleet and News

Now as Ipswich Buses have all Scania OmniCity decker’s in the fleet and replaced the Dennis Tridents but the Scania buses were in the incorrect order within number-plates and fleet lists – the Scania’s have also replaced some other buses within their list – although the original batch was 16 buses until a few months later they ordered a further 2.

Alphabetical list for the Scania buses for Ipswich Buses has been updated from the Ipswich Transport Museum cleaner.

Some of the fleet list with the registrations plates haven’t been in the precise alphabetical order since the first one came into service October 2017.

30	YR61RPV
31	YR61RPX
32	YR61RPY
33	YR61RRU
34	YR61RRV
35	YR61RRZ
36	YR61RSV
37	YR61RTV
38	YR61RUC
39	YR61RUH
40	YR61RUU
41	YR61RUV
42	YR61RUW
43	YR61RVA
44	YR61RVE
45	YR61RVF
46	YR61RVJ
47	YR61RVL

I have industrialised a modern and accurate fleet list with registrations in the correct order.

 Now moving onto some other news relating to buses, and it has established that First Ipswich has two different buses within the last month and transferred from Chelmsford for the extra capacity for rural services as single-deckers were crowded with customers. The buses themselves are 32652 (AU05MUP) and 32654 (AU05MUW) – 32654 was on-loan to Ipswich a few years ago and then transferred to Chelmsford.

Atlantean 9 has legitimately retired from its 42 year old career as it instigated as a closed-top bus between 1976 and 1984 until one firework managed to set it on fire and has been since converted to open-top duties since the late-80’s to the present-day. Two other Atlantean’s have survived with closed-tops and original liveries such as MRT6P at the Ipswich Transport Museum and SDX35R which has been preserved by an Ipswich Buses driver. 

Also in other news that Volvo Olympian 29 (915RYO) has left Ipswich Buses for the closing time and has now been preserved for the new titleholder.