Optare Excel Bus Group
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Totally still River Thames, enabling this reflection shot to be taken. The ExCeL Centre is on the right.
♫ DLR Band - Weekend With The Babysitter ♫
When you wish upon a star
Well, wish no more 'cause here I are
So you think that I got no respect
She's a no limits kind of creature
So let's hope that mom and daddy
Are at a triple feature
Suddenly occurs to me
Maybe I need therapy, yeah
'Cause I'm also hot for teacher
Telephone
Her voice is steady she knows
Little Elvis is combat ready
All right
Weekend with the babysitter
Weekend with the babysitter
JDNX 2001, a cabless Alco rebuild, resting between trains at Excel Mining's Scotts Branch tipple. This critter loads unit trains instead of having the CSX crews do it, and this might be the last active critter unit in the Eastern Kentucky coalfields. Excel Mining is shutting its doors in January 2025, so who knows how the future will go for this critter and tipple.
First Eastern Counties Dennis Enviro 400MMC bodied Scania YN69 XZM at Peterborough Railway Station on the B service.
Daytime long exposure shot at ExCeL Marina Royal Victoria Dock, London. In the background you see the O2 and the Emirates Cable Cars.
HSS Everyone!
Legendary Devon crabber Excel DH17 in Dartmouth Harbour, Devon on 6th June 2023. Built by J Hinks & Son of Appledore in North Devon, construction of the Excel was one of the fastest on record for a vessel of its size. The wooden fishing boat was launched in 1971 to take part in a lobster boom.
Just giving a little life-sign, this is done in Excel and then just used the aquarell-filter in Photoshop ^^
I'm very bussy this week, gonna reply on comments and stuff next week.
Shortly before withdrawal from the fleet, Express Motors Optare Excel EXI 790 exits Caernarfon on route 88 to Llanberis via Llanrug & Cwm-y-Glo. As X964 BPA this bus was new to Reading Buses where it was numbered 964.
Having climbed out of the Minnesota River valley, our eastbound train on the Minnesota Prairie Line continues to trundle along east of Franklin. The large equipment on the left is evidence of some recent maintenance work on the Excel Energy transmission lines overhead.
It's our 19th anniversary today and Terry bought me some flowers and this lovely rose was among them :)
Express Motors Optare Excels EXI 790 and Y248 DRC are pictured in Penygroes depot. The former was new as 964 to Reading Transport where it was registered X964 BPA while the latter was new to Trent Barton as their 248.
This is what I miss about First no longer operating in Plymouth, the random variety thrown up, well before 'bustimes.org' existed you never quite knew what might appear while waiting with the camera!
There were a few not so well presented buses but on the whole I always thought the Plymouth fleet was well turned out and the drivers friendly on the whole.
A none standard type vehicle within the group at this late stage it came to Devon with 3 others via Glasgow when First took over Hutchinson Coaches, Overtown.
Of course with First long gone from here the 2 services continues in the hands of Stagecoach but you won't find anything this rare operating on it these days!
Optare built over 600 examples of the Excel between 1995 and 2004 (inc), sandwiched between the Sigma on 'step entrance' Dennis Lance chassis and the Tempo.
Reading Buses was a major customer, taking 48 (numbered 901-45 & 961-3) between 1997 and 2000, split over several batches. The first 45 were 11.5m examples, whilst the final three were 11.8m. When the batch of seven delivered in Autumn 1998 (925-31) came up for withdrawal and sale in late 2009, five found their way to South Wales operators. New Adventure Travel purchased S925/9/31 LBL and South Wales Transport received S926/30 LBL.
Those with New Adventure Travel entered service in early 2010 at Pontypridd depot on Service 102 (Glyncoch-Pontypridd-Rhydyfelin), for which they received branding, though lasted for less than two years.
S929 LBL was one of several vehicles in the fleet to carry registration H2 KFJ over time, as illustrated in this November 2010 shot taken on Bridge Street in the town centre when heading for Rhydyfelin. It would seem that she ended her days with the company.
Optare built over 600 examples of the Excel between 1995 and 2004 (inc), sandwiched between the Sigma on 'step entrance' Dennis Lance chassis and the Tempo.
Reading Buses was a major customer, taking 48 (numbered 901-45 & 961-3) between 1997 and 2000, split over several batches. The first 45 were 11.5m examples, whilst the final three were 11.8m. When the batch of seven delivered in Autumn 1998 (925-31) came up for withdrawal and sale in late 2009, five found their way to South Wales operators in early 2010. New Adventure Travel received three and South Wales Transport received S926/30 LBL, plus older R916 SJH.
They initially entered service in Reading's cream, maroon and turquoise livery, and this gave way to all-over white before green was applied to their skirts and cove panels. This is illustrated by S930 LBL as she is captured on the West Way Metro Track in October 2010 during the 18 months that Swansea Bus Station was closed for re-development and Tesco funded a free service between its store and the temporary City Centre terminus points.
The trio passed to Ensignbus in early 2012, and S930 LBL was subsequently sold to P&O Ferries for foot passenger use at Dover Port. R916 SJH and S926 LBL were presumably sold by Ensignbus for scrap.
Optare Excel demonstrator T790 KNW, on loan to First Manchester.
Manchester, Cannon Street, 06/03/2000.