10/2014 - current
| Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company
Ltd. 201 (preserved). Cheltenham District livery, 11/2019
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7/2014 - 10/2014
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Cheltenham District Traction Company
Ltd. 201 (preserved)
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| 1/2000
- 7/2014 | Hampshire Bus Company Ltd. 160. Renumbered 15760 in the Stagecoach national scheme, 12/2002.
Withdrawn and transferred to the preserved
fleet, 12/2004. Repainted in Stagecoach stripes, 9/2012 |
| 8/1993
- 1/2000 |
Cheltenham District Traction Company
Ltd. 5030. Renumbered 201, 7/1994. Stagecoach livery, 8/1995. Loaned to
Swindon & District, 15/4/1996 to 24/4/1996. Refurbished between 10/1996
and 13/1/1997 |
| 9/1983
- 8/1993 |
Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Ltd. 5030. Re-engined with 6LXB, 1/1984.
NBC red livery, 8/1986. Altered to H43/28F, 4/1988. Diamond
jubilee livery, 6/1989. Lettering altered for Centenary, 6/1990.
Red and ivory fleet livery, 3/1993
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| 3/1980
- 9/1983 |
Bristol Omnibus Company Ltd. 5030
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| 10/1975
- 3/1980 |
Cheltenham District Traction Company 5030
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Photo : Richard Sharman
In 2014 it returned to its native Cheltenham depot (on the retirement
of the depot manager who hated VRs!). It led a fairly quiet life as the
depot pet bus until late 2019 when a poll was conducted to establish which
livery it should be repainted into. The very satisfactory outcome was
this attractive version of the traditional CDT scheme.
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Photo : Gerry Tormey
5030 might reasonably have been expected to drift gently
into retirement after withdrawal from Cheltenham, but instead
it passed with several other VRs to Stagecoach's Hampshire
operation as their 160, allocated first to Winchester depot and later
moving to Basingstoke. In this 2002 view it has received the
"rolling ball" logo and fleetnames and has been renumbered once again, this time to 15760 in Stagecoach's
national scheme. For some time it was the group's oldest
double decker in regular service.
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Photo : Allan Macfarlane
Western Travel, the holding company that bought Cheltenham
District from the NBC, was itself bought by Stagecoach and the
fleet received the ubiquitous corporate livery. 5030 has by
now been renumbered 201 and was already the oldest VR in the
Stagecoach West fleet. It was completely refurbished
internally including carpet on the floor and walls and
remained in Cheltenham until January 2000 - almost 25 years of
unbroken service to the Spa town.
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Photo : Allan Macfarlane
By the time this view was taken minibuses reigned almost
supreme in Cheltenham, as can be seen behind 5030 in the shape
of a Mercedes in Stagecoach livery. This "Starskey &
Hutch" red and ivory scheme was the last Cheltenham
livery before the Stagecoach stripes arrived and was applied
in March 1993.
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Photo : Rob Sly
This special livery recalling the Cheltenham Tramways
livery was applied in June 1989 under the sponsorship of
the Gloucestershire Echo. 5030 was rebuilt to single (front)
entrance layout while carrying this livery.
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Photo : Rob Sly
Cheltenham reverted to NBC red livery in 1984 and 5030 duly
received these colours for the first time, albeit one of the
last of the allocation to be treated. Here it still retains
its centre exit door but has by now been converted from Leyland
to Gardner engine.
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Photo : Busspotter
5030 was delivered new in NBC green livery, which it carried
until August 1986. It is seen here in September 1981 sporting
advertising for Bristol Omnibus's family of farecards.
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