AN681/R
Storage Yard
For a brief period in 2009/10, Rail Link, an independent operator, hired space at Network Buses storage yard, located rurally on the edge of the sinisterly named, but scenically beautiful Skeleton Forest.
In this view. towards the end of the stay, the operational fleet are all out at work and on view is a partially cannibalised Alexander RH Leyland Olympian alongside an MCW Metrorider.
The MCW Metrorider, perhaps the most 'bus like' and certainly the most aesthetically pleasing of the first generation of mini/midi buses proved susceptible to corrosion in real life. The ailment that led to its withdrawal here appears to have been engine related.
Also in the shot is a preserved Bristol K, still in the locality and seen around occasionally, plus the obligatory ancillary vehicle, this time an inspectors car, thoughtfully in similar colour scheme to the fleet.
The peugeot car was replaced in 2011 by a VW beetle. The RH was sold shortly after this shot was taken (for scrap). The MCW metrorider is still on the site, now partially hidden by shrubs and (I suspect) in the vague hope that it may one day become a preservation project.
The second RH (in red, almost out of shot) also remains in stock but out of use. Its also just possible to spot (far left) the ALX400 'flood victim' that was stored for a time here before sale.
Storage Yard
For a brief period in 2009/10, Rail Link, an independent operator, hired space at Network Buses storage yard, located rurally on the edge of the sinisterly named, but scenically beautiful Skeleton Forest.
In this view. towards the end of the stay, the operational fleet are all out at work and on view is a partially cannibalised Alexander RH Leyland Olympian alongside an MCW Metrorider.
The MCW Metrorider, perhaps the most 'bus like' and certainly the most aesthetically pleasing of the first generation of mini/midi buses proved susceptible to corrosion in real life. The ailment that led to its withdrawal here appears to have been engine related.
Also in the shot is a preserved Bristol K, still in the locality and seen around occasionally, plus the obligatory ancillary vehicle, this time an inspectors car, thoughtfully in similar colour scheme to the fleet.
The peugeot car was replaced in 2011 by a VW beetle. The RH was sold shortly after this shot was taken (for scrap). The MCW metrorider is still on the site, now partially hidden by shrubs and (I suspect) in the vague hope that it may one day become a preservation project.
The second RH (in red, almost out of shot) also remains in stock but out of use. Its also just possible to spot (far left) the ALX400 'flood victim' that was stored for a time here before sale.