Help! I'm looking for some buses!

[Leyland Bus]

Evening all!

After I posted on here about an Atlantean ringer and amazingly received an answer, I was wondering if I could possibly dig into the collective archive once more and see if it was possible to try and track down some vehicles...

The buses I'm looking for are all ex Stagecoach Manchester Atlanteans that are still recorded on the DVLA as SORN'd and one or two as export...

I know they're probably scrapped but the fact that 3 are registered as SORN'd made curious to check further...

The buses in question are:

4657 A657 HNB - SORN'd
4660 A660 HNB - Export (Ireland?)
4683 A683 HNB - SORN'd
4704 A704 LNC - SORN'd
4757 A757 NNA - Export to France
4762 A762 NNA - Export (Ireland?)

Would anyone have any further info to if they survive somewhere or if they were indeed binned??

Also, if anyone happens to know of a GM Atlantean pugged away in a barn or something daft that might still be soldering on, I'd be very grateful

Many thanks!!!

 

[jammy36]

Evening all!

After I posted on here about an Atlantean ringer and amazingly received an answer, I was wondering if I could possibly dig into the collective archive once more and see if it was possible to try and track down some vehicles...

The buses I'm looking for are all ex Stagecoach Manchester Atlanteans that are still recorded on the DVLA as SORN'd and one or two as export...

I know they're probably scrapped but the fact that 3 are registered as SORN'd made curious to check further...

The buses in question are:

4657 A657 HNB - SORN'd

Was being used by St Hugh of Lincoln School, Stretford as a learning bus by 2018. It was still there in 2021 and it looks like there is a bus in the school ground on Google Earth imagery dated 2023.

4660 A660 HNB - Export (Ireland?)

Exported to Cuba in 2000, nothing more recent

4683 A683 HNB - SORN'd

Went to Passenger Vehicle Spares of Carlton (breaker) in 2000, presumably (but not definitely) now scrapped

4704 A704 LNC - SORN'd

Went to T Wigley & Son Bus Ltd of Carlton in 2012, presumably (but not definitely) now scrapped

4757 A757 NNA - Export to France

The last record I've traced of it was with a Birmingham dealer (Scotswood) in 2011

4762 A762 NNA - Export (Ireland?)

Ended up at (the now cleared) Kells Transport Museum, Cork as 84-D-7336 so probably now scrapped

Would anyone have any further info to if they survive somewhere or if they were indeed binned??

Also, if anyone happens to know of a GM Atlantean pugged away in a barn or something daft that might still be soldering on, I'd be very grateful

Many thanks!!!

I've added what I've managed to track down for these in-line above. Nothing definitive, but hopefully a start.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Hi,

Many thanks for the info! I had no idea that A657 HNB had returned "home" to Manchester, although looking at the photos I've found of it, it's completely beyond saving now...

Cuba is an interesting destination, its probably still there somewhere but again, totally beyond repatriation...

I always thought Kells had A726 LNC and A764 NNA..? I'd read the site had been cleared, quite a shame but i think they were all a bit "past it" after being sat in the open so long...

I hope something else turns up!

 

[GusB]

@Leyland Bus I did a Google for "Kells transport museum" and it returned a link for an urban exploration forum:

Report - - Kells transport museum, Cork City, Ireland: August 2020 | Leisure Sites

The kells transport museum aka the bus graveyard of cork was, at one stage, the largest privately owned collection of buses and coaches in the whole of the UK. It was intended to be a huge outdoor museum that looked at the history of transport throughout Ireland but it never happened. The owner...

www.28dayslater.co.uk

There are photos of some very sorry-looking vehicles, sadly. One of them looks like a former Manchester vehicle - I wonder if it's the one mentioned above.

Edit:

Another thread, from two years later, shows the place where the row of deckers used to be, with just one left. I'd assume they've all been scrapped.

Report - - Kell's Transport Museum, Cork - July 22 | Other Sites

Kell's Transport Museum The museum is located about 1.5km west of Knockraha and about 10km north east of the centre of Cork itself. Opened in 2004, the collection consists largely of unrestored buses stored in the open air, some dating as far back as 1948. As of 2008, with 354 buses in the...

www.28dayslater.co.uk

 

[jammy36]

always thought Kells had A726 LNC and A764 NNA..? I'd read the site had been cleared, quite a shame but i think they were all a bit "past it" after being sat in the open so long...

I think it was A726 LNC (as 84-D-7221?) and A762 NNA (as 84-D-7336) that ended up at Kell's. A764 NNA also ended up in Ireland (as 84-D-7309) but I don't think this ever succumbed to the "care" of Kell's. Unfortunately the news is no better for this one as it is recorded as being burnt out in 2003.

 

[PAH]

Came across this photo of GM Atlantean at Au clos de la Chaume campsite, Vosges, France. It had been bought early 2022 by English owners at the campsite https://www.decisions-hpa.com/campi...bientot-transforme-en-logement-de-luxe/71776/ Checking back it had been exported to Nancy in 2010/1 wearing false plate MBR458T, to work as P'ti Plato. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17p3sj https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdriv3rtcetphotos/49493868306 This 2022 (attached) picture shows what appears to be an Irish reg on its rear after the paint has faded off. Its front destination box is now also visible showing Princess Rd depot. https://c.vosgesmatin.fr/economie/2...a-corcieux-pour-en-faire-un-logement-insolite . Am wondering if it had been originally exported to Ireland and then reimported and then exported to France. Would be great if this could be id'd.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Came across this photo of GM Atlantean at Au clos de la Chaume campsite, Vosges, France. It had been bought early 2022 by English owners at the campsite https://www.decisions-hpa.com/campi...bientot-transforme-en-logement-de-luxe/71776/ Checking back it had been exported to Nancy in 2010/1 wearing false plate MBR458T, to work as P'ti Plato. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17p3sj https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdriv3rtcetphotos/49493868306 This 2022 (attached) picture shows what appears to be an Irish reg on its rear after the paint has faded off. Its front destination box is now also visible showing Princess Rd depot. https://c.vosgesmatin.fr/economie/2...a-corcieux-pour-en-faire-un-logement-insolite . Am wondering if it had been originally exported to Ireland and then reimported and then exported to France. Would be great if this could be id'd.

Bizarrely, I'd been chasing this for a bit trying to work out what it originally was... Your photo now allows me to finally fit the pieces together!

It is indeed former GM 4348 MNC 538W, latterly a GMBuses South machine that acquired its Irish reg (TIL 6496) whilst working for Maghull Coaches, Liverpool!

It was touted as for sale at an Atlantean 50 event organised by the Manchester Museum of Transport way back in 2008, then disappeared off the map!

Many thanks for adding that! Sadly, post Brexit import fees would make repatriation extremely expensive and I seem to remember it was somewhat "rough" bodywise when I saw it at said Atlantean event in '08...

 

[PAH]

Bizarrely, I'd been chasing this for a bit trying to work out what it originally was... Your photo now allows me to finally fit the pieces together!

It is indeed former GM 4348 MNC 538W, latterly a GMBuses South machine that acquired its Irish reg (TIL 6496) whilst working for Maghull Coaches, Liverpool!

It was touted as for sale at an Atlantean 50 event organised by the Manchester Museum of Transport way back in 2008, then disappeared off the map!

Many thanks for adding that! Sadly, post Brexit import fees would make repatriation extremely expensive and I seem to remember it was somewhat "rough" bodywise when I saw it at said Atlantean event in '08...

Thanks for the id and info. Another survivor!

 

[m79900]

There's a few fairly modern ex Trent buses which were preserved a few years ago, but I can't find anything about them more recent than 2019.

Excel Y239DRC
Excel Y257DRC
Excel Y261DRC
Excel Y264DRC
Scania FJ03VVR

I'm asking as I was quite fond of these types, and there aren't many Excels left. Can anyone help.

 

[Leyland Bus]

There's a few fairly modern ex Trent buses which were preserved a few years ago, but I can't find anything about them more recent than 2019.

Excel Y239DRC
Excel Y257DRC
Excel Y261DRC
Excel Y264DRC
Scania FJ03VVR

I'm asking as I was quite fond of these types, and there aren't many Excels left. Can anyone help.

Your Excels aren't showing as taxed and one was last MoT'd in 2019 so I would guess they've been scrapped.

Much the same with the Scania as that was last taxed and MoT'd in 2021 (picture depicting tax and MoT dates is attached)...

Hope this helps.

 

[mic]

40704 A704 LNC also worked for Stotts of Oldham

 

[JD2168]

FJ03 VVR was last used by TM Travel in a dedicated 218 livery, it then went to preservation where it gained Velvet livery in a Pink colour, a quick Flickr search only goes up to 2020.