Days Out And About 2009
Days Out And About 2009
Below are details and pictures of various days out that myself, friends and other museum members have had on GCS 50V, HSD 73V, B509 YAT and E187 HSF. This page of course will be updated over time! If anyone has any other pictures taken on any of these days out please let me know!
Sunday 11th January 2009
Sunday 11th January 2009
Today was GCS 50Vs first trip out of 2009. Due to last minute non availablity of the booked vehicle, G750 was requested to operate the G.V.V.T tour to Edinburgh and the Museum of Flight at East Linton near North Berwick. Leaving Beith at around 8am we collected our 30 Guests from George Square and the G.V.V.T in Glasgow. G750 arrived at Edinburgh Park station approx 45mins later having made light work of the M8, both keeping up and passing other much younger buses & coaches! Next it was on to the Museum of Flight at East Linton, where an enjoyable few hours was spent. Longnidry was our next stop, where after parking GCS 50V at the Local Station car park, a wonderful lunch was enjoyed in the local Inn! After lunch we headed for the city centre, where due to high winds our tour bus was unable to meet us. Therefore it was left to G750 to complete the City Tour complete with our own guide. Although not the most ideal vehicle to navigate round Edinburgh city centre, the bus and my driving skills managed it and a well earned drink awaited me when I got home!
All in all a fantastic day out and just what the old girl needed after the winter. Many thanks to both Gary Conn and David J Kerr for for allowing me to use a few of their photos, will need to get a better camera that can take good night shots!
GCS 50V At Edinburgh Park Station, making sure Martin got to work on time!
We made it! GCS 50V is parked up at the Museum Of Flight, enjoying a well earned rest!
Big bus and wee bus!
GCS 50V and a err British Airways plane. Sorry not too good with types of planes, but it makes a great photo!
Longnidry Station during our lunch stop, good choice of Restaurant andy, spot on!
GCS 50V At the start of the Edinburgh City tour.
The "strange" building in the background is the Scottish parliment.
G750 Outside Dynamic Earth.
GCS 50V at Waverley Bridge, during the Edinburgh City Tour, with the Scott Monument in the background.
GCS 50V at Waverley Bridge, during the Edinburgh City Tour. Photo Copyright Gary Conn.
GCS 50V at Waverley Bridge, during the Edinburgh City Tour. Photo Copyright David J Kerr.
The Clydeside Crew back safely at Beith after a long day!
Sunday 12th April 2009
Sunday 12th April 2009
Today Easter Sunday 2009 it was planned to have a family day trip out on my recently completed Eastern Scottish Volvo Citybus E187 HSF. However due to a vehicle awaiting engine parts being in front of the Citybus, a last minute change of plan ment GCS 50V was our vehicle for the day. After leaving Beith we headed to Johnstone and follwed the route of the former Clydeside Scottish No. 20 through Linwood, Houston, Bridge Of Weir, Kilmacolm, Port Glasgow and Greenock. The weather was fantastic and a great day was had by all, this was the first time my family had been out for a run on one of my vehicles. We also had a booked lunch stop at Cardwell Garden centre just after Gourock. After a pleasent lunch it was on down to Largs before returning to Beith via Ardrossan and Kilwinning.
Looking back G750 was the perfect vehicle for the trip taking her back to locations and routes she would have operated previously. It was also noted that 2 days prior to the tour she was 29 years, happy birthday GCS 50V! Some photos of the day are below.
Gran Barclay takes the wheel during our trip out!
My family with G750 on our Easter Sunday trip out Sunday 12th April 2009.
Saturday 25th April 2009
Saturday 25th April 2009
Today GCS 50V moved to her new home at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, Bridgeton Bus Garage. I was delighted to find out during the week that both GCS 50V and HSD 73V had been accepted to join the fantastic museum collection. HSD 73V will join GCS 50V in few days after some MOT work is completed in Paisley. The photos below were taken in the yard at G.V.V.T when G750 arrived. She is pictured next to a similar Ex Western Scottish Leyland Leopard.
G750 Arrived at her new home at G.V.V.T, Saturday 25th April 2009.
GCS 50V is seen in the yard at G.V.V.T shortly after arrival with fellow Leopard SCS 335M.
Sunday 17th May 2009
Sunday 17th May 2009
Today was the spring 2009 S.V.B.M (Scottish Vintage Bus Museum) running day at Lathalmond in Fife. Both GCS 50V and my Eastern Scottish Volvo Citybus E187 HSF attended. This was the first event for E187 HSF after her restoration, and although she made to to Lathalmond and back ok she did cause a few problems! Whilst operating one of the free shuttle services to Dunfermline one of the fuel tank straps broke causeing minor damage to the vehicle behind . However she made it back to Lathalmond where Hugh Cummings was able to carry out a temp repair to get back to Glasgow. She made it safely back to GVVT and a full repair will be carried out shortly. Thanks again to Hugh for fixing E187 HSF, much appreciated. Thanks also to John Weaver and David Godon for the photos of GCS 50V and Steven Booth for the shot of my two vehicles together since for some reason I never took a picture myself! Other than that a most enjoyable day with fantastic weather yet again.
G750 Ready to leave GVVT on the Sunday morning for Lathalmond.
A quick fuel stop for GCS 50V before heading out of town.
GCS 50V Parked up safely at Lathalmond.
G750 part of the line up at Lathalmond.
G750 Operating a free shuttle service during the running day 17th May 2009.
Scott Houston at the wheel once more!
GCS 50V and my Eastern Scottish Volvo Citybus E187 HSF side by side at Lathalmond. Photo Copyright Steven Booth.
G750 operating a free service around the Lathalmond site on Sunday 17th May 2009. Photo Copyright David Godon.
G750 operating a free service around the Lathalmond site on Sunday 17th May 2009. Photo Copyright John Weaver.
G750 operating a free service around the Lathalmond site on Sunday 17th May 2009. Photo Copyright John Weaver.
Sunday 26th July 2009
Sunday 26th July 2009
Over the past few weeks friend and fellow enthusiast George Gray had been helping me get GCS 50V ready for MOT and serviced. She went for test on Tuesday 21st July at North Ayrshire councils Kilwinning depot where she almost passed with flying colours. A brake imbalance of 40% regrettably resulted in a failure and would require a partial retest. To ensure GCS 50V was going to be ready for her retest we asked Arriva if it would be possible to test G750 on the rolling road / brake test equipment on Sunday 26th July 2009. We were granted permission and turned up with G750 at Johnstone Depot shortly after lunch ready for testing. The first reading was still a wee bit out, after a few more adjustments and road run the second set of results were spot on. I must admit it was strange for me being back in Johnstone Depot after around 20 years and although the vehicles and colours have changed as can be seen in the photo below Clydeside still lives on, this was also the depot that GCS 50V was first allocated to back in 1980. Many thanks to Ralph and his staff at Arriva for all their help.
Service complete and almost ready for MOT.
Leaving GVVT on our way to Arriva's Johnstone depot in some typical scottish summer weather! Photos copyright Alexander McKillop.
After arrival at Johnstone Depot, George backs G750 onto the rolling road.
G750 on the rolling road during test at Johnstone Depot.
Ah Clydeside lives on at Johnstone in 2009!
Arriva 4408 and Clydeside Scottish G750, the old and the new side by side at Johnstone Depot. Both vehicles were allocated here from new, just 28 years apart!
Saturday 15th August 2009
Saturday 15th August 2009
HSD 73V & GCS 50V Arrived and parked up as part of the line up on Saurday 15th August 2009.
At long last my three completed vehicles are pictured together at Lathalmond 15 August 2009.
G750 & M73 Ready to leave Lathalmond for Inchinnan depot.
M73 & G750 parked up inside Inchinnan depot after a good wash inside and out ready for Sundays open day!
Sunday 16th August 2009
Sunday 16th August 2009
Sunday 16th August 2009 was the day of Arriva's Inchinnan Depot open day. The event was organised to celebrate the arrival of a fleet of new vehicles for the 23 service. I received a request from the Managing Director, also a former Clydeside Manager! For a loan of my two Clydeside vehicles. The event was due to open at 10am and we decided it would be best to drop the vehicles off at Inchinnan depot on the Saturday evening after Lathalmond, to enable the staff to position them where they wanted when setting up on the Sunday morning. We arrived at the depot around 6pm after some heavy traffic on the way back from Lathalmond, I believe Adam decided to take the A803 through Kirkintilloch and Springburn to avoid the traffic which made good sense, although I would have loved to have got a few photos on the way! A warm welcome awaited us at Inchinnan and after the vehicles passed through the wash and received a quick clean inside, we headed home ready for Sunday!
We all arrived at Inchinnan around 10am just as the event was due to open, I thought my vehicles would have been part of a line up in the yard, so was most shocked to see them sitting pride of place on newly painted and lined sections of the floor at the main depot entrance. The staff had been busy decorating the vehicles with balloons and printing a supply of information sheets for each vehicle. They had even managed to find appropriate destinations for service 23! The reaction from the public and staff was fantastic, and it was nice to see both vehicles back at Inchinnan depot again since they were both previously allocated there in the Clydeside days! The event finished around 3pm and the Arriva management were delighted with the turn out from the public and the day was deemed a great success.
Since we would not get back into GVVT till after 6pm that evening with everyone either at the Bigger rally or Lathalmond, we decided to take M73 for a run down to Largs. A few friends who had arrived at the open day towards the end decided to join us. We headed over to Paisley and down to Largs via the "High" road, Beith, Kilbirnie and the Hailey Brae. After descending the very steep Hailey Brae we parked up in Largs and went for tea and cakes, allowing the brakes to cool down! Return trip to Glasgow was up the coast road to Gourock, Greenock, Port Glasgow and Erskine. We called back into Inchinnan Depot and collected G750 and finally parked both buses safely back at GVVT approx 7pm.
All in all a fantastic weekend and I was delighted everything ran smoothly. Many thanks to both Adam and Simon for taking the time to come up and drive for me and their help in making both days a great success.
M73 & G750 Take up their positions at the door of the depot ready for the public with one of the new VDL vehicles behind.
The public arrive...!
G750 & M73 sit on the freshly painted floor, complete with balloons and route 23 destinations!
Years ago this would be an everyday sight! Leopard and Fleetline at Inchinnan!
Both buses ready for the public. Photo Copyright Arriva Scotland West.
Adam Connor, Myself and Simon Green All complete in Clydeside uniform! Photo Copyright Arriva Scotland West.
Driver Barclay hard at work in M73! Photo Copyright Arriva Scotland West.
M73 gets ready to leave Inchinnan once more! Photo Copyright Adam Connor.
M73 Leaving Inchinnan Depot for our afternoon trip to Largs. With some of the new VDL vehicles behind!
HSD 73V at Largs whilst we all went for tea and cakes M73 had a break to let the err brakes cool!
HSD 73V at Gourock, Glasgow bound or maybe Paisley!
The classic Greenock photo at Kilblain Street with the Horseshoe Bar and former Tesco supermarket in the background. On the G750 Clydeside page there is a photo of G750 taken here too!
G750 awaits our return at Inchinnan after our trip to largs and Greenock. Time to head back to GVVT.
Sunday 11th October 2009
Sunday 11th October 2009
This was the annual G.V.V.T (Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust) open day in Glasgow, where both G750 and M73 are kept. Today it was the turn of M73 to help out! She worked a Southside tour along with fellow museum vehicle Glasgow Corporation D217. The hour long tour included visits to Peoples Palace at Glasgow Green and Battlefield Rest. Over 50 people joined us on board HSD 73V for the tour and she performed very well taking all the hills in her stride including Prospecthill Road! Later in the day she worked a few runs to George Square and along to the Glasgow Transport museum. A great day with good numbers and fine weather and a relieved owner that M73 had behaved herself!
Although not out in service today, G750 was at home in her usual space in G.V.V.T
M73 awaits its first turn outside the museum on a fine October Sunday.
A rather unusual shot this of a S.B.G vehicle BEHIND a corpy bus!!
M73 and D217 at the Peoples Palace, Glasgow Green heading back to Bridgeton after out Southside tour.
HSD 73V at Glasgow Green with a good load ready to return to Bridgeton.
M73 at the museum of transport, soon to be replaced next year. (the museum not the bus!)
M73 at the museum of transport, soon to be replaced next year. (the museum not the bus!)
M73 back at George Sq, ready for the last run back to G.V.V.T at Bridgeton.
Sunday 29th November 2009
Sunday 29th November 2009
Some photos taken during the G.V.V.T Clydeside Country tour on Sunday 29th Nov 2009. The vehicle used was my own former Clydeside Scottish Leyland Fleetline HSD 73V. We departed Bridgeton at 10am and followed the route of Clydeside Scottish service 23 to Arriva's Inchinnan Depot where a Depot tour was organised for 11am. After Inchinnan we made our way through Erskine, Bishopton, Port Glasgow and Greenock to Cardwell Garden Centre, near Gourock.
A fantastic lunch was provided and there was some time for a look around the Xmas stalls, before we started our return journey back to Bridgeton this time via Kilmacolm, Johnstone and Paisley. A fantastic but cold day! Also the last time HSD 73V would be out and about for a while since once her tax disc expires at end of Dec 2009, she will be taken off the road to enable the remaining restoration work to the lower deck to be completed. Many thanks to Ralph at Arriva for allowing our visit to Inchinnan depot.
M73 at Govan bus station, Sunday 29th November 2009.
HSD 73V at Inchinnan depot next to some newer Arriva vehicles, Sunday 29th November 2009.
Group shot taken at Inchinnan Depot during our tour on Sunday 29th November 2009.
M73 At Greenock heading toward our lunch stop at Cardwell Garden Centre, Sunday 29th November 2009.
HSD 73V back in my home village, Kilmacolm. M73 is seen at Kilmacolm Cross on Sunday 29th November 2009.
A night shot of M73 at Paisley Cross, heading back to Bridgeton after our Clydeside day out, Sunday 29th November 2009.