PRESERVATION UPDATE
This year’s glorious Easter weather, with long periods of unbroken sunshine and rising temperatures, attracted visitors and photographers to the annual Cumbria Easter Rally for buses, coaches and commercial vehicles in Kirkby Stephen and Brough on the Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend.
Many of the participating vehicles operated the frequent free shuttle service between the two towns, as well as taking part in a road run on the Saturday afternoon.
Alan Dixon’s preserved Western Welsh 7 (TUH 7), a 1960 Albion Nimbus NS3N with 30-seat Harrington body, passing some of the drystone walls that characterise this northern England landscape. STEPHEN WHITELEY
The Workington Transport Heritage Trust brought K779 DAO, an early example of Stagecoach’s large fleet of Volvo B10M-55s with Alexander PS bodies. It was new to Stagecoach North West in 1993, operated later for The Big Lemon in Brighton and wears this livery publicising the trust. DANIEL STAZICKER
Making its first appearance at Kirkby Stephen was XSA 620, a Plaxton Highway-bodied AEC Reliance service bus new in 1963 to Aberdeenshire independent Burnett of Mintlaw, in whose livery it has been restored. It became Alexander (Northern) NAC145 after that Scottish Bus Group subsidiary acquired Burnett’s in 1967. GRAHAM ASHWORTH
Photographed leaving Brough for Kirkby Stephen on the Saturday is Blackburn Corporation 133 (CBV 433), a 1949 Guy Arab III with Crossley bodywork, followed close behind by a Leyland Steer truck and Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire AEC/Park Royal Routemaster RML2671 (SMK 671F), new in 1967. CHRIS NEWTON
Visitors head for the shops and outdoor sales stalls in Kirkby Stephen Market Square as Huddersfield Corporation 472 (HVH 472D), an East Lancs-bodied Daimler CVG6LX-30 new in 1966, awaits its next departure to Brough. PHIL HALEWOOD
McCall’s Coaches of Lockerbie attracted much attention with GAN 744J, a 12m Plaxton Panorama Elite-bodied Leyland Leopard new to Banfield Coaches in London in 1971. McCall’s acquired it in 2017 and has repainted it in this red and grey livery, retaining the fleetnames of former owner Tyne Valley. PHIL HALEWOOD
Charabus appears at Beamish
