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  PENZANCE VR REVIVAL AND VINTAGE BUS RUNNING DAY - 17 April 2022  
     
 

The Cornwall Bus Preservation Society (CBPS) in association with the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust (TV&GWOT) organised the 14th vintage bus running day in Penzance on Easter Sunday 17 April 2022, following the original Final VR Running Day on 9 December 2006.


The Running Day services in 2022 ran from Penzance Bus Station (adjacent to the main railway station) from 10.00 until 17.00. Routes around West Cornwall linked Penzance with Camborne, St Ives, St Just, Hayle, Marazion/Perranuthnoe, Goldsithney, Praa Sands, Paul/Sheffield, Sennen Cove and Land’s End (and the airport), with small vehicles going into Mousehole - a highlight for many.


To accompany the event a fully illustrated 44-page colour programme was produced. In addition to timetables and details of the vehicles attending, the programme focused on buses & coaches in postcards from West Cornwall over the past century and more.


It also covered the CBPS restoration of the oldest remaining Bedford YRQ into Grenville guise, and a Cornish Bus Driver’s Song contributed by poet and onetime bus driver, Gray Lightfoot.
 

  
 

Extracts from the Souvenir programme – inside and out

 
 
     
 

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)
 

 
 

Blue skies at Moushole for Service 9 operated by Bristol SUS 600 (672COD) on 17th April 2022.

© Colin Billington

 

Bristol VR 1157 (AFJ764T) climbs steadily up from Sennen Cove en route to Land’s End.

© Helen Billington (uno)

 

Former Western National / Blue Bus 1557 (FDV787V) returns inland from St Ives to Penzance on Service 14.  © Chris Drew

The volunteers’ excursion on Bank Holiday Monday paused on the cliffs above Sennen Cove.

TV&GWOT & CBPS stalls, buses, crews, families and dogs made for a great Penzance running day 2022.

A fine sight at Cornwall Services as the shadows lengthened at the end of the Easter weekend.
 
     
     
 

PARTICIPATING BUSES & COACHES ATTENDING

Fleet No Reg No Chassis Body Body Code Year   Operator
279 EMW284 Bristol L6B Beadle C32R 1947   Wilts & Dorset
207 MHU49 Bedford OB Duple B30F 1949   Bristol Tramways
600 672COD Bristol SUS4A Eastern Coach Works B30F 1960   WN
2485 OVL494   Bristol SC   Eastern Coach Works   B35F 1960   Lincolnshire Road Car
- TUJ921J Bedford YRQ Willowbrook DP45F 1970   Salopia Saloon Coaches
1254 VOD124K Bristol LHS6L Marshall B33F 1972   WN
3131 AFJ692T Bristol LH6L Plaxton Supreme Express DP41F 1978   WN
1557 FDV787V Bristol LHS6L Eastern Coach Works B35F 1979   WN
3 283URB Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Plaxton Supreme C49FL 1982   Chesterfield Transport
1622 F622RTC Leyland Lynx Leyland B49F 1989   Bristol Omnibus (City Line)
357 L357VCV Mercedes Benz 811D Plaxton B31F 1994   WN
401 L401VCV Dennis Dart Plaxton B40F 1994   WN
628 L628VCV   Mercedes Benz 709D Plaxton     B23F 1994   WN
283 N283PDV Mercedes Benz 709D Plaxton Beaver B25F 1995   Plymouth Citybus
TT03/42860 TT03TRU Dennis Dart SLF Transbus Pointer 2 B37F 2003   Truronian/First Groups
- K29MBC   Transbus Int. MPD Plaxton Pointer 2   B29F 2004   Dunn-Line
- A11GTA SolbusSoltour (Integral) Solbus Soltour ST10 C35F 2008   Rosevidney Travel
         
DL640 MTT640   Leyland Titan PD2/1 Leyland Lowbridge   L53R 1951   Devon General
358 MCO658 Leyland Titan PD2/12 Metro-Cammell O30/26R 1956   Plymouth Corporation
1969 468FTT Bristol FLF6G Eastern Coach Works H38/30F 1960   WN
2019 824KDV Bristol FLF6G Eastern Coach Works H38/30F 1963   WN
1056 OTA290G Bristol VRT/SL6G Eastern Coach Works H39/31F 1969   WN
583 GNJ583N   Bristol VRT/SL3/510 Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1975   Southdown
1106 SFJ106R Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB  Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1977   WN
  Withdrawn with regret - crew members have Covid
1121 VDV121S Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1978   WN
1141 AFJ706T Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB  Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1978   WN
1157 AFJ764T Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB  Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1979   WN
1203 LFJ847W Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1980   WN
260 RAH260W Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1980   Eastern Counties
1226 LFJ873W Bristol VRT/SL3/6LXB Eastern Coach Works H43/31F 1981   WN
34137 L637SEU Volvo Olympian Northern Counties O47/29F 1993   First Devon & Cornwall
508 WF63LYS Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 Alexander Dennis H45/30F 2013   Plymouth 508
 
   

The Go Cornwall Bus Peace Bus is helping raise awareness of the Disaster Emergency Committee’s humanitarian appeal supporting the people of Ukraine.
 
     
 

PREVIOUS EVENTS

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

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

In 2020 Covid lockdown prevented an event going ahead and in 2021 CBPS and TV&GWOT mounted the Penzance and West Cornwall #Busflyby where 22 local vehicles looped between Penzance, Hayle and St Just in succession through the day.  The spectacle was streamed via Facebook for spectators to enjoy from their homes across the country.  Highlights can be reprieved here:

  
     
      
     
 

(C) Copyright The Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust

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