LEICESTER MEETINGS - BY BRIAN DICKS
The Leicester group have again had a busy first half to the year. In traditional style, our January meeting was our annual Quiz and photographic competition. This year’s mastermind was Denis Hemsley , with 27.5 points, closely followed by Simon Gill with 26 and Phil Hayman with 23. (The first 15 questions were featured in Omnibus 139). Our slide competition winner was Simon Gill’s early morning shot of preserved Leicester Renown 190 at Humberstone Gate , whilst the winning print was of a United LS by Mike Greenwood.
Mike Fenton came and gave our February slide show , showing buses in Yorkshire in the 1970s. Curiously , after a while the show was sub-titled "That's another bus driving on the wrong side of the road" as many photographs appeared to show buses doing just that. Mike joined in the good humour, but could not give a logical reason for this illusion.
Malcolm Keeley visited in March and gave us operators 'beginning C and D'. Also in March, to mark the 20th anniversary of the first Leicester BaMMOT meeting (the first meeting was held on 21st March 1981), we held a meal at the Platform 5 themed restaurant at Nuneaton on 24th for members and wives. This was the third Saturday in March and chosen as appropriate , since at their inception, our meetings were always on the third Saturday in the month. (It was also more convenient for Dave Pritchard who had been in Tenerife).
April saw Trevor Followes gave a review of Nottinghams Atlanteans and Fleetlines, together with a look at recent deliveries which by comparison are of a much more mixed nature. Allan Murray-Rust came as our guest speaker in May and gave a show on "Out of Town" with buses in subsequent owners.
And so to June, again traditionally the month for our study tour. This year, we had the services of Andy Harris's preserved ex-Leicester Metropolitan 301 (GJF 301N), very smartly presented . Picking up the vehicle at County Hall, Glenfield, our first point of call was the Markfield facility, home to a number of preserved Leicester vehicles. Pride of place this visit was Andrew Tucker's AEC Renown , ex Leicester 40(FJF 40D) , now back in Leicester having spent the previous 20 years in Merseyside and already work starting in earnest on restoration. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the only rear entranced Renown now existent?
After a lengthy stop at Markfield, our next 'port of call' was to Country Hopper at Ibstock. This is a very smartly turned out fleet of Dennis Darts (yes, they can be so ) and Fleetlines that originated with Western SMT. As with using preserved vehicles, things do not always go according to plan and having had our obligatory group photo shot, we found 301 immobile with an inexplicable leak in the air reservoir. All credit must go to the Country Hopper mechanic who tried to retrieve the situation, but to no avail, and also to Mr Country Hopper himself who then provided a replacement steed at point blank notice in the shape of Fleetline/Northern Counties ECS 877V . I later learnt that 301 did eventually get back to its'home' at Markfield.
So to July, and Dick White provided us with a very interesting show on vehicles in Ireland and, as it is sort of over the Irish sea, the Isle of Man. Having been there a fortnight earlier, Denis Hemsley updated us on current happenings on the Manx island .
And so to August, and the turn of Chris Aston coming all the 167 miles from Bournemouth. This was an extremely interesting show of Lancashire municipals in the 1960s and 1970s . Messrs Jordan and Keeley represented the West Midlands , as the show turned out to be a points scoring exercise on the variations of Leyland PD2s which appeared ubiquitous in the area. Malcolm 'two books' Keeley had the final say each time, consulting the Ian Allan BBFs, although early on it appeared he was measuring the screen to ascertain whether the Titan in question was 27'-0" or 30'-0". Thanks go to Chris for an informative show and, having had a secondment there himself at some stage, to his explanation of the route letter numbering system in Preston. This, despite some heavy barracking at the apparent size of the bus station appearing to be larger than the town itself. All good humour.
Well, that completes the show so far. All are welcome , first Saturday in the month. See you there, between 10am and 1pm, at the West End Neighbourhood Centre, Andrews Road, Leicester
Meetings for the remainder of this year are:-
Saturday 3 November - Slide show by Peter Cordwell
Saturday 1 December – Slide show by Barry Ridge
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
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