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A look at 500 Group activities over the past twelve months

24th March 2008
The 500 Group has undertaken a lot of activities during the past twelve months. We attended bus interest events throughout the North and organised a study tour to see the operations of operators, large and small in the region.

These are some highlights of the events we have attended in the past year

Why not join us and enjoy this years events ?

David Hunter Chairman and web master

The Eden 80th Rally

Sunday 10th June 2007.
We are now well into the 2007 Rally season
This event was a new one in our callendar, ably organised by 500 Group member Graham Scarlett who currently runs "The Eden"
The event attracted a lot of local people and was well supported by bus owners from the West Durham area as well as ourselves and members of the N.E.B.M.T
Loline 99 waits for its turn on the "Shildon Shuttle"

Showbus - Duxford 2007

17th September 2007
30 members and friends travelled to Duxford yesterday to attend "Showbus" at the Imperial War Museums brilliant site on the airfield
The party made the long jouney in style in the Neoplan Skyliner owned and operated by member David Scaife. Its V10 Mercedes engine powered the 70 seat double deck body in fine style, the seats were magnificent and the whole journey was a joy.

Ths Skyliner takes up its place in the coach exhibition area of the site.

Some of the exhibits we examined

a bus much in the news was this ex Sunderland Crossley dating from 1947. It has been virtually re-bodied at tremendous cost but the finished result drew much admiration and praise

A very rare ex BEA coach

This coach is a version of the London Transport RF model but built for British European Airways when passengers checked in at the Central London Terminal and then were taken by coach to Heathrow to enplane in the 1950s
Its high upper deck is to accomodate the lower deck luggage locker for accompanying luggage for the journey
It gives the coach a wonderfull airy feeling inside particularly at the front. The layout is not dissimilar to that of our Neoplan but some forty years earlier in the Century.

When you want a bus -they come in tens

there were ex London buses everywhere, this is a line up of the venerable RT and RTL models in their various liveries, London Country, Greenline and London Transport

2007 "Bashers Day"

29th December 2007
Nine members took part in the annual post Christmas "Bashers Day" this year
This is an event which "blows the cobwebs" off you following any Christmas excesses. We all bought Explorer tickets and travelled to Heworth Metro on the excellent Go-Ahead X10 service. We travelled by Metro train to Gateshead interchange and then by Go-Ahead artic to the Metro Centre. An M.C.W. mini then followed to Stanley. The next one was a nicely painted Omnicity to Lanchester followed by an ex London Olly to Durham where a lunch break was taken. Unfortunately the party became separated here, the main thrust going to Hetton, the rest going to Sunderland, back to Newcastle and then returning to Stockton. The main party eventually made their way back to Teesside via more rural parts of East Durham. The tickets are great value, some rode on 15 vehicles for the one fare and saw a lot of the country side and visited places not normally on our routing.
The members waiting in the winter sunshine at Lanchester for a double decker.

A hardy lot in the 500 GROUP

23rd March 2008.
It is hard being a bus enthusiast in winter in the North Pennines
Today thirteen of us ventured across the Pennines from Teesside to the Eden Vintage Vehicle Group event at Kirby Stephen. The road was closed by the weather till 9.a.m. but it made for "picture postcard" scenes on the journey
The event was superb and thelocal people braved the cold to turn out in their droves - wonderfull
The Eden Valley seen from the cab of L544 on the A66 at Stainmore summit

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