Messages

I agree and the buses in these places are on the whole pretty rubbish and I think that Whittle/Johnsons/Rotala/Stagecoach could if they wanted just run First out of business in the areas it doesnt like without having to buy anything!!

The only worry with someone like Whittles doing that is they registered all First's routes, First might do a 'fire sale' of the depot & buses to someone who is interested and who fights back against the routes Whittles already runs, but I agree, First are just about to become the aggressor in Ipswich, and I also don't think they themselves would put up too much fight in Kidderminster

Whittle will be able to buy kidderminster as the MMC and OFT are ok with smaller groups buying things. Also, Johnsons could buy Redditch tho do diamond honestly want Redditch-how would they be able to make a profit where First failed. Stagecoach will persuade them in Northampton that it cant survive on its own and anyway its only 30 buses. Rotala will be fine to buy things-they are a profitable company and are one of the parties who is extremely interested in the sale of these bus companies. It should definitely not be ruled out and I would predict it buying at least one company in this series of sales.

Just because they are a profitable company doesn't mean they would be able to 'buy things' and how do you know they are 'extremely interested' has they issued a statement to the stock exchange? I think not.

Rotala are a profitable company with some quite large debts, nothing wrong with that, Stagecoach & National Express are similar, but to buy another operation would mean they would have to raise the money to do that. They already have PrestonBus 'mortgaged' to pay for the purchase. They also owe their major shareholders some quite large sums they have loaned and profits will be servicing these debts. To raise the capital to purchase anyone else they would have to borrow money against the assetts (as per PrestonBus) and you would need a lender willing to do that against Redditch (not as easy as Preston specially the way the banks are now). You could issue more shares, but you have to find someone willing to buy those shares and it also devalues the existing shares, so may not please existing shareholders. You could issue bonds, as NatEx did to manage their debt, but you have to be able to guarantee a return. They could borrow more money of the shareholders, who they already owe large amounts to, or you could just do a straight bank loan, not cheap even if they are willing to do it!

I am not saying Rotala cannot or will not buy one or both of Kidderminster and Redditch, just stating it is may not be as easy as you seem to be saying it is.

I went. Compared to Bammot-not very good at all. Essentially a shed with a couple of buses and stalls-maybe thats because Bammot is an amazing museum to visit/be a member of, but I was far from impressed. More interesting was looking down where I wasnt supposed to at the buses that Volant are trying to sell!!

Give them chance! Their current location isn't even where they are going to end up, well half of it isn't, so they are not going to spend money making it nice yet, but they need open days etc, to keep the money coming in, so that they can make their new home nice.

If their plans do come to fruition as they were described to me I think it might be an excellent way of displaying old vehicles.

Rotala for Chester as an absolute definite-they like former municipals, Arriva for Redditch as Rotala wouldnt be able to buy it anyway, EYMS-Whittle-for Kidderminster, Stagecoach for Northampton and I imagine Wigan will raise a lot and possibly they will sell further bits of London to raise the money.

Remember Rotala have got to find the money to buy anything. To buy Preston (there only ex municipal) they borrowed against the value of the premises and fleet, I would imagine that would be a lot harder with Chester.

Why do you think Rotala wouldn't be able to buy Redditch, but Stagecoach would be able to buy Northampton and EYMS Kidderminster? There is no logic there at all!

Much that Stagecoach buying Northampton probably would be good for passengers having a unified network the interfering busy bodies at the MMC or whatever they are called this week would be having fits, the same as they did when Stagecoach bought Preston.

I reckon there will at least one really big surprise.

It looks like every garage except Bordesley has buses in for refurb/repaint at the moment

AG - 4112 & 4644
BC - 4428 & 4633
YW - 4372
PB - 4302 & 4479
WB - 4504
WA - 4764
WN - 45xx trident I cannot remember which one it is
PE - 1629
CV - 4204

There are probably at least two more as there are normally two at PB, and I only know of 4112 and one at YW.
1767 has just been completed, photo appearing soon.

dayvid did you mean a 37? only you have typed 73? I wouldn't have thought a '73' would last very long on its diesel engine. I know they have worked up to bescot (in pairs) for route learning in the last decade. One 73 did fail near warwick on a special back in the late 70's it finished up being towed to saltley where it stayed for about 10 days. just long enough for me to see it !!! I had seen all of the others so it was a nice suprise. I have a feeling tony might have a shot of it-73106 if I remember correctly.

The photo of 73106 has been on my site for some time
http://wmbusphotos.com/Trains/class73/73106.html

Tony

Off topic a little but has anyone got the pic of a class 73 working a cross country service out of new street due to the absence of a HST or 47 &mk3s ??

Which one?  ;)

At least 6 have made it to New Street to my knowledge:

21/08/82: 73108+73134
28/01/97: 73132+73139 (With me onboard from Leamington!)
A Further pair made it to New St one sunday in either 1997 ot '98 with me onboard, unfortunately this pair had 'boiled over' at Fenny Compton & were dead in tow behind a 47.

It was a single one, and it was the first one to actually get through, it was around 1982 just before 73108/34d I had driven into Birmingham and was just walking back to my car. I was walking along Navigation Street, looked over the wall and couldn't believe my eyes. I went down onto the platform and asked the driver what it was going back on. I bought a new film from Menzies (now Smiths) put in my camera, took a photo in New Street, ran back to my car, drove to International and took another couple of photos as it went back, only to find I had been sold a dud film which just tore the film when wound on as it was too stiff to pull out the case!

The only photo I ever saw was published in Railway Magazine taken at Birmingham International, so anyone with a 1982 archive of Railway Mags will find the number.

dayvid did you mean a 37? only you have typed 73? I wouldn't have thought a '73' would last very long on its diesel engine. I know they have worked up to bescot (in pairs) for route learning in the last decade. One 73 did fail near warwick on a special back in the late 70's it finished up being towed to saltley where it stayed for about 10 days. just long enough for me to see it !!! I had seen all of the others so it was a nice suprise. I have a feeling tony might have a shot of it-73106 if I remember correctly.

I to saw the 73 that got to New Street, it arrived about 2pm one saturday and sat on one of the centre roads until returning on a service to Portsmouth about 4pm

President on peak 37s

As stated several times previously, Presidents commonly appear on peak-time 37 journeys, so they don't really count as an unusual working.

4480 has been re-painted because I spotted it in Sutton working either the Sutton Lines or 907

You sure it hadn't just been freshly washed?  ;)

More likely missread the number on 4482 or one of the other repaints

The link to NXWM http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/4225-4474/4233.html
This is wrong and 4233 at now West Brom but not Perry Barr.

Now corrected

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise right clicking was disabled. I'm a bit of a security prude so I have Javascript disabled by default so don't see things like that. I'll remove the image if you don't want them edited etc.

(Without Javascript, it's very hard to get viruses from day-to-day browsing. Still happens but lessens it a lot.)

Note for future: yellow step  >:(

It wasn't me who commented, I like it, but if I wanted it gone I could remove it myself, but no, it is staying unless you decide you don't want it

Kidderminster & Redditch

see
http://www.passengertransport.co.uk/2012/06/first-seeks-buyers-for-seven-bus-operations/

Yesterday:

2096 - Branded with Mark Simon & working the 9 unusal
4718 - working 67 peak journey
1844 - May have been working 934/934A/33 as I spotted it comeing down the Kings Road displaying NOT IN SERVICE
4480 - Been Re-painted & was working in Sutton
ALX unsure of the Fleet Working 934/934A

4480? 4475 should be next out, I don't think 4480 has been done

4480 has been re-painted because I spotted it in Sutton working either the Sutton Lines or 907

Today Workings:
Gemini - working 33
1843 - working 907
4697 - working 115
1540 - working 141

& Blue Diamond numberplate Y274 FJN broke down in Sutton Coldfeild working the 119 I presume

4480 confirmed as NOT done! Two more now in the process are 1767 & 4428

70099 is a demonstrator built in Turkey. It is already registered on TOPS so should be arriving soon. I don't think it is a replacement for the Freightliner one, I think it is one other operators are looking at

Yesterday:

2096 - Branded with Mark Simon & working the 9 unusal
4718 - working 67 peak journey
1844 - May have been working 934/934A/33 as I spotted it comeing down the Kings Road displaying NOT IN SERVICE
4480 - Been Re-painted & was working in Sutton
ALX unsure of the Fleet Working 934/934A

4480? 4475 should be next out, I don't think 4480 has been done