National Express coaches 1980s

Circa 1980 - An Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working the Cambridge to Great Yarmouth service 098. It carries the National coach livery. The entrance to the car park can be seen beyond the person sat on the wall. When the lay-by was remodelled this entrance was closed off and cars entered and left the car park in Recreation Way. Note the ‘Buses and coaches prohibited’ road sign. After the entrance closed this sign remained and at some stage became turned round which looked rather strange. The town map in the display case was a feature for many years.

Tuesday 19 March 1985 - Ambassador Travel was formed when the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company was split into smaller businesses in the lead up to privatisation of the National Bus Company. At its formation the coach fleet comprised vehicles that had been in the ECOC fleet. Plaxton Paramount 3200 bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R LT897 (A897 KCL) was new to ECOC in November 1983 and was seen here at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 0605 Norwich to Bristol service 747. This duty involved the coach working a Norwich-Bristol-Norwich round trip within the same day – around 450 miles. A number of the passengers boarding the coach here would be travelling to work, maybe at Newmarket or possibly Cambridge and they were buying tickets from the driver.

Tuesday 19 March 1985 – Two vehicles of Ambassador Travel (Anglia) Limited loading at King Street, Mildenhall both new to the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company before the split to create Ambassador. LL800 (OEX 800W) was a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R new to ECOC in December 1980. This was a regular performer on the RAF Mildenhall-London National Express service 097 for quite a while, it was operating the 0730 departure from RAF Mildenhall. Behind is Plaxton Paramount 3200 bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R LT897 (A897 KCL) new to ECOC in November 1983. It was working the 0605 Norwich to Bristol service 747. This duty involved the coach working a Norwich-Bristol-Norwich round trip within the same day – around 450 miles.

August 1986 – Ambassador Travel worked the National Express services from Norfolk to London and some services regularly used the impressive MCW Metroliner double deck coaches. They occasionally came into Mildenhall and (ML)904 (A667 XDA) was seen here at King Street. It had been new to Midland Red Express in June 1984 and was one of three such vehicles in the fleet.

Thursday May 1 1986 – The driver of Ambassador Travel MCW Metroliner 904 (A667 XDA) loads the passenger luggage through a side door in the rear luggage compartment at King Street, Mildenhall. Ambassador worked the National Express services from Norfolk to London and some services regularly used these impressive double deck coaches but only occasionally did I see them in Mildenhall. It had been new to Midland Red Express in June 1984 and was one of three such vehicles in the fleet. Note the white hoarding in the background surrounding the site that would later occupy Willow House (left) and the Budgens store (right).

Sunday 1 May 1988 – A crane lifting the roof trusses during the construction of Willow House across the road from the King Street lay-by in Mildenhall prevented coaches gaining normal access this morning so this Ambassador Travel MCW Metroliner double deck coach working the National Express services to London had reversed into the car park entrance to load. A Premier Travel Services coach working another National Express service was waiting further up the street.

October 1986 - For a time Cumberland Motor Services worked the London-Swaffham National Express service 097. On the first day the coach worked the Whitehaven to London National Express ‘Rapide’ service and then worked from London to Swaffham. On the second day of the duty it worked from Swaffham to London followed by a London to Whitehaven 'Rapide' service. Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodied Leyland Tiger 110 (C110 OHH), new in March 1986, is seen at King Street, Mildenhall. National Express ‘Rapide’ services were operated by toilet equipped coaches and also offered on board refreshments. This was the case on the Whitehaven-London service but the refreshment facility was not offered between London and Swaffham. I recall on the first evening of CMS operating the northbound service encountering the coach somewhat off route roaming through Barton Mills village with a number of drivers undertaking on the job route learning! I helped out by getting them to follow me in my car.

Sunday 8 November 1987 - Lancaster City Transport was another unusual National Express contractor to serve Mildenhall. Duple Laser bodied Leyland Tiger TRTCL11/3RH 99 (B99 YRN), new in June 1985, was working the 0900 Great Yarmouth to Blackpool 351 service. LCT only did this working for a short time and the trip alternated with Easey Travel.

March 20, 21 or 22 1989 (approx. 0655) – A peaceful moment at King Street, Mildenhall where we see Midland Red Coaches (Midland Red West?) 1018 (B567 BOK), a Duple Caribbean bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3RH new in December 1984, working the 0635 Newmarket-Norwich National Express service 747. Midland Red operated a Worcester-Norwich service 307 trip which, upon arrival at Norwich, then worked a 1920 Norwich-Newmarket evening trip on service 747. The following day it worked back to Worcester firstly by operating the 0635 Newmarket-Norwich service 747 - on which it is seen here – and then the Norwich-Worcester service 307. A few weeks later when the Summer schedules commenced (on 30 April 1989) these Norwich-Newmarket/Newmarket-Norwich ‘shorts’ were discontinued and we no longer saw Midland Red vehicles working into Mildenhall.

October 1987 – Pan Atlas Travel of London W3 D147 HML, a Duple 320 bodied Leyland Tiger new in March 1987, seen in Ipswich bus station between trips on National Express service 084 to/from London (Victoria).

October 1987 – Pan Atlas Travel of London W3 D147 HML, a Duple 320 bodied Leyland Tiger new in March 1987, seen in Ipswich bus station between trips on National Express service 084 to/from London (Victoria).

Mid April 1988 – Midland Red South 90 (XCK 221R) seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 0635 Newmarket-Norwich service 747. It was a Willowbrook Spacecar bodied Leyland Leopard PSU5B/4R that had been new to National Travel (West) in May 1977. This was an unusual working for Midland Red. The coach first worked the 1100 Birmingham-Norwich service 405 which, upon arrival at Norwich, then worked the 1840 Norwich-Newmarket trip on service 747. The following day it worked back to Birmingham firstly by operating the 0635 from Newmarket to Norwich as seen here and then the 1125 Norwich-Birmingham service 405.

Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 1988 (approx. 0655) – At the time of this photograph National Express controlled around 950 coaches operating its daily network. Originally the vehicles were provided by National Bus Company subsidiaries then later by outside sub-contractors. Prior to 1986 National Express Limited never owned any coaches itself nor did it have its own operator’s licence. In order to comply with the requirements at the time the company obtained an operator’s licence and owned a nominal fleet of just four vehicles which was administered and maintained by Midland Red at Digbeth, Birmingham. Midland Red operated the Birmingham-Norwich National Express service which, upon arrival at Norwich then worked a Norwich-Newmarket evening trip on service 747. The following day it worked back to Birmingham firstly by operating the 0635 Newmarket-Norwich service 747 and then the Norwich-Birmingham service. National Express number 1 (C182 RVV), one of a pair of Caetano bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3RZs acquired in May 1986, was seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 0635 service 747 from Newmarket to Norwich.

Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 1988 (approx. 0655) – At the time of this photograph National Express controlled around 950 coaches operating its daily network. Originally the vehicles were provided by National Bus Company subsidiaries then later by outside sub-contractors. Prior to 1986 National Express Limited never owned any coaches itself nor did it have its own operator’s licence. In order to comply with the requirements at the time the company obtained an operator’s licence and owned a nominal fleet of just four vehicles which was administered and maintained by Midland Red at Digbeth, Birmingham. Midland Red operated the Birmingham-Norwich National Express service which, upon arrival at Norwich then worked a Norwich-Newmarket evening trip on service 747. The following day it worked back to Birmingham firstly by operating the 0635 Newmarket-Norwich service 747 and then the Norwich-Birmingham service. National Express number 1 (C182 RVV), one of a pair of Caetano bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3RZs acquired in May 1986, was seen at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 0635 service 747 from Newmarket to Norwich.

Saturday 31 October 1987 (0905) - The cross country National Express 747 service saw variations to the terminal points at different times. Whilst most services worked between Norwich and Bristol some worked to/from Cromer, Great Yarmouth or Lowestoft at the eastern end and some terminated at Taunton, Paignton, Plymouth or Barnstaple at the western end. Was this white coach pretending to be a Red Bus?! Actually, Red Bus was the trading name of North Devon Limited, one of the four companies formed when the Western National Omnibus Company was split up prior to deregulation. Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodied Leyland Tiger 2508 (A508HVT) was seen at King Street, Mildenhall working the Norwich to Barnstaple National Express service 347. The photograph was taken from under the canopy of Corals Betting Shop. The building in the background was the Mildenhall Social Club that occupied the site where Sainsbury’s now is. The car park behind the coach became the site of Mildenhall bus station which opened in January 2006.

A Sunday in March 1988 – Premier Travel Services Limited 334 (FWH 37Y) was a Plaxton Paramount 3200 bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R that had been new to Yelloway Motor Services Limited of Rochdale. It had just left the King Street layby, Mildenhall (on the left) bound for Great Yarmouth on National Express contracted service 747. The driver wasn't aware that the usuual route was down St. Andrew's Street where the car is heading. Premier had previously been a joint operator on the service. This was a time of change for both Yelloway and Premier Travel, two famous independents that had had a working relationship on their joint services from the North West to East Anglia. Yelloway had been purchased by a new owner that had disposed of most of the more modern coaches in the fleet in an asset stripping exercise. The destination blind was one of the traditional small PTS blinds. It was normal practice to have two such blinds mounted side by side that were capable of showing up to four town names. In the style shown here the single blind looks a little lost.

Tuesday 13 September 1988 (1255) - S.U.T. Limited of Sheffield operated the National Express service 351 through Mildenhall for a time. XWK 7X was a Plaxton Viewmaster bodied Volvo B10M that had been new to Harry Shaw of Bedworth in June 1982. It was operating the 1010 National Express service 351 from Lowestoft to Manchester which, between Lowestoft and Cambridge, slotted into the schedule mainly covered by service 747.

Saturday 7 January 1989 (1255) - S.U.T. Limited of Sheffield operated the National Express service 351 through Mildenhall for a time. XWK 7X was a Plaxton Viewmaster bodied Volvo B10M that had been new to Harry Shaw of Bedworth in June 1982. It was operating the 1010 National Express service 351 from Lowestoft to Manchester which, between Lowestoft and Cambridge, slotted into the schedule mainly covered by service 747.