This event was the 5^th occasion TV&GWOT had supported the Great Western Society at Didcot Railway Centre in organising a Vintage Bus Running Day alongside the Transport Rally.  Information about previous events can be found here.

The vintage bus running day provided free services from Didcot over a network of routes tracing former Great Western Railway Road Motors, Thames Valley and City of Oxford bus routes and include destinations like Wantage, Blewbury, Wallingford and Abingdon, many passing through pretty rural villages.  Services operated to and from Didcot Parkway Interchange.

The Transport Rally included a further 12 buses and coaches on static display in nearby Ladygrove Park together with a wide variety of vintage cars, some unusual commercials, and a miniature railway,  steam traction engines and a fire engine. 

 Ladygrove Park is just 5 minutes’ walk from the station but a shuttle bus also operated every 15 minutes (between 10:15 and 16:15) connecting the two sites.   

 The Didcot Parkway Interchange hub for vintage bus services is adjacent to the Great Western Society’s Didcot Railway Centre entrance where steam and diesel trains ran throughout the day offering unlimited rides alongside the exhibits and visitor facilities (see Didcot Railway Centre for information, including pricing and ticketing details). 

A souvenir programme produced by TV&GWOT for the bus and coach aspects of the day details the vehicles on display and in service, gives duties and timetables and includes an illustrated article describing the heritage origins in the Great Western Road Motors bus fleet and services. The article has lasting interest and remaining copies of the souvenir programme can be purchased at a discounted price – see below.

The Vintage Bus Running Day services were free, operating in accordance with NARTM (National Association of Road Transport Museum) guidance. 

As shown below, this was TV&GWOT’s first event showcasing the Trust’s three Thames Valley buses since major restorations were completed in 2022 with the help of Supporters and workshop volunteers over several years.  They had been variously road tested with finishing flourishes applied in the weeks in the lead up to the running day.

Thames Valley Tilling-Stevens No. 152 (MO9324) undergoes a successful road test with its replacement gearbox and upgraded electrical system (April 2022).	TV Bristol K6A No. 446 (DBL154) operates in service to Cheriton passing high above Winchester at the Fokab running day on 2 May 2022. All photos © Helen Billington unless noted	TV Bristol LL6B No. 556 (FMO938) has finishing touches applied following a major restoration (read more)
152 in service at Didcot Parkway Interchange on 22 May.  Royal Blue LS 1286 is loading behind and Western National VR 1106 is on layover above	446 sweeps out to Blewbury on the Villages circular, with over 400 passengers enjoying the vantage point throughout the day. © Chris Drew	556, fresh from the restoration workshops, looked stunning in the Chiltern landscape set off by the May sunshine and skilled photography.  © Chris Drew

RUNNING DAY PROGRAMMES

Remaining programmes can be purchased at a discounted post-event price of £3 including p&p by either:

  -   Sending a cheque payable to ‘TV&GWOT’ to Ledger Farm, Forest Green Road, Fifield, Maidenhead SL6 2NR, or

  -   Paying by Paypal (including any postal / delivery instructions in the notes)

BUSES & COACHES ATTENDING

Buses and coaches booked to attend (some giving passenger rides) include:

PREVIOUS EVENTS

Information about previous events and programme articles can be found here. 

TV&GWOT’s Blog also has an account of the 2016 Didcot event. 

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Company Registered in England No. 5035702.  Registered Charity No. 1125980