Races Special
The annual Cheltenham Festival usually attracts about 200,000 racegoers and visitors to the Cotswolds town over four days in mid March. This sees Stagecoach West loaning more than 60 double-deckers from other Stagecoach subsidiaries for use on frequent services that link the Railway Station and the Town Centre with Racecourse.
Vehicles are also hired from smaller operators, such as Marchants, and in 2014, North Somerset Coaches provided their preserved Bristol VR VDV 134S.
She is from a batch of 11 new to Western National in 1977 with ECW convertible open-top bodywork, and spent 20 years operating for Southern National, under National Bus, Cawlett and FirstGroup ownership. In 2003, she transferred within First to the Hampshire & Dorset subsidiary, and then passed to a preservationist in 2009. Chepstow Classic Buses operated her between 2010 and 2013, and then sold her to the owner of North Somerset Coaches. She now carries the Thomas Hardy name and green and cream livery that was applied by Southern National, and looks superb.
I captured her emerging from St George's Place, returning empty from the Racecourse to the Railway Station to collect another load of racegoers.
Races Special
The annual Cheltenham Festival usually attracts about 200,000 racegoers and visitors to the Cotswolds town over four days in mid March. This sees Stagecoach West loaning more than 60 double-deckers from other Stagecoach subsidiaries for use on frequent services that link the Railway Station and the Town Centre with Racecourse.
Vehicles are also hired from smaller operators, such as Marchants, and in 2014, North Somerset Coaches provided their preserved Bristol VR VDV 134S.
She is from a batch of 11 new to Western National in 1977 with ECW convertible open-top bodywork, and spent 20 years operating for Southern National, under National Bus, Cawlett and FirstGroup ownership. In 2003, she transferred within First to the Hampshire & Dorset subsidiary, and then passed to a preservationist in 2009. Chepstow Classic Buses operated her between 2010 and 2013, and then sold her to the owner of North Somerset Coaches. She now carries the Thomas Hardy name and green and cream livery that was applied by Southern National, and looks superb.
I captured her emerging from St George's Place, returning empty from the Racecourse to the Railway Station to collect another load of racegoers.