King Alfred UOU 419H in Winchester - 1 Jan 2004 (519-8A)

Thursday 1 January 2004 – ‘Friends of King Alfred Buses’ (FoKAB) Running Day at Winchester (and surrounding area)

Preserved former King Alfred Motor Services UOU 419H, a 1970 Plaxton Derwent bodied Leyland Panther PSUR1A/1R. One of three such buses (UOU 417/418/419H). Just 3 years old when the KAMS business was taken over, they became numbers 2697-9 in the Hants & Dorset fleet. Later they all passed to operators in South Wales. The ‘Friends of King Alfred Buses’ owns 417 and 419 and, for one day only, owned 418 which had suffered an engine fire. The remains of the bus were stripped for parts to keep the other two running before it went to the breakers yard. 419 was seen at Broadway loading as the 1245 service 5 to Stanmore, a journey of 30 minutes on the clockwise circular route to the southern suburb of the city. Rear engined buses had not found overwhelming favour when these buses were bought so the Panther model was not too common. Note how Plaxton made a break in the beading to accommodate the raised sword of the King Alfred logo. (Stagecoach 32314 and Mervyn’s HOD 75 in front)