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July 2010

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Reading Transport Open Day

04-07-10

Today Reading Transport held their third annual family open day at the Great Knollys Street depot. The doors opened at 1100 with tours of the control room and workshop, rides through the bus wash, bus cab photos, a grand raffle, face painting, road sign theory test, barbeque lunch, cake stall, historical Reading Transport film show, transport sales stalls and modern and preserved vehicle displays. A free vintage shuttle bus ran every 20 minutes to/from Great Knollys Street via the Station and Town Centre loop using a mixture of guest vehicles, whilst all proceeds from the day went to the Help for Heroes charity. There was also the opportunity to ride on Alexander Dennis Enviro 400H demonstrator SN59 AWW which returned to Reading for the event.

900 on 4 July 2010

SN59 AWW amongst the modern vehicles on display.

The Green Bus had a strong presence at the event with staff on hand to tell visitors about how school services to Theale Green and Little Heath will change from September.

708 on 4 July 2010

708 above has been in use on promotional activities at the schools recently.

A more unusual visitors was "The Pink Bus" former London Transport MCW Metrobus Mk 1 C385 BUV. The Pink Bus came about as the final piece of a degree course of two students at Reading University inspired by the amount of little and discarded possessions they observed, but also about the obsessive collections of objects that people hoard inside their homes. Inside there are a number of "environments" which include a fireplace, bar, stage, tree, and a love corner!

C385 BUV on 4 July 2010

For more information their website is www.pink-bus.co.uk

The day concluded at 1600 with a "cavalcade" of buses running a circuit around the town centre.

900 on 4 July 2010

SN59 AWW followed by some of the preserved vehicles at St. Mary's Butts.

728 on 4 July 2010

728 crossing Broad Street looking damp after running the bus wash shuttle all day.

The line up was as follows:

  • SN59 AWW - Alexander Dennis Enviro 400H demonstrator
  • Preserved Thames Valley Bristol JRX 823
  • Preserved Reading Transport AEC Regent 98
  • Preserved Reading Mainline No.25
  • 728 - Reading Generic (silver)
  • 811 - routes 20, 21
  • 1114 - route 17
  • Preserved Reading Mainline No.17
  • Preserved Reading Transport AEC Regent 3
  • 806 - route 5
  • 859 - route 33
  • 854 - Woodley routes
  • 841 - routes 15, 16
  • 848 - routes 4, 5, 6
  • 501 - The Link
  • 111 - routes 27, 29

Thanks are to be extended to Reading Buses for opening their premises for the event and raising funds for charity.


BTS Annual Tour

04-07-10

Friday 2nd saw the British Trolleybus Society's annual tour of Reading by preserved bus. This year former Reading Mainline Routemasters No.17 and No.25 were selected to commemorate 10 years since the final Reading Mainline services ran in Reading later this month.

N17 & N25 on 2 July 2010

No.17 and No.25 at the Three Tuns, alongside a recently replaced shelter. Thanks to Geoff Lovejoy for this photo.

N25 on 2 July 2010

No tour would really get started without a visit to the Turnham's Farm terminus of line A where No.25 is pictured. Thanks to Geoff Lovejoy for this photo.


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