Episode 32 | Friends of King Alfred Buses - New Year’s Mini Running Day | 01/01/24

The New Year's Mini bus rally, organised by the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB), on the first day in 2024, sees eight of the former King Alfred buses owned by the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) fleet run free vintage bus services from Winchester Broadway to some of the villages in or out of Winchester and to some of the suburbs in Winchester. One of the two former King Alfred buses that was meant to attend was JAA 708, a unique Leyland Olympic HR40 that was built in 1950. It became Hampshire’s first underfloor-engine bus and was formerly operated by King Alfred Motor Services (KAMS). However, overnight from Thursday 7th to the morning of Friday 8th December 2023, this bus was tragically destroyed by fire alongside seven other preserved buses and a Royal Mail Sherpa van owned by Richard Aldous at a storage unit on Staddlestones Farm in Penton Mewsey near Andover. In addition, a second former King Alfred bus that did not run any of the services in and around Winchester was HOR 592E. A former King Alfred Motor Services (KAMS) Leyland Atlantean PDR1/2 built in 1967 by King Alfred Motor Services (KAMS) broke down whilst it was on the way to Winchester Broadway. This was replaced by HOR 590E, another Leyland Atlantean PDR1/2 that was built in the same year and had the same operator as HOR 592E. The main difference between the two Atlanteans is that HOR 590E is an open-top bus, whereas HOR 592E is a closed-top bus.
After the serious fire at Penton Mewsey near Andover, four main visiting vehicles were sent out to help out the charity from devestation, BRM 596 (291), a former Cumberland Motor Services (CMS), Leyland TItan TD4 built in 1936 and was rebodied with an ECW L27/28R body in 1950 based in Bishops Lyedard, owned by Quantock Motor Services and provided by Stephen Morris, ran trips on the route 14 service from Winchester Broadway to Alresford via Itchen Abbas, DWG 917 (RB161), a former operated by W Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd Leyland Titan PD2/12 built in 1953 and owned by Chepstow Classic Buses, ran trips on the route X14 from Winchester Broadway to Alresford via Morn Hill, WRD 162T, a former Reading Buses MCW train Metrobus built in 1979 based in Reading part of the Reading Transport Enthusiasts Club and owned by Adam Conner on behalf of Richard Rampton and 23 ACD, a former Brighton Corporation Leyland Titan PD2/37, built in 1962, was the first double-decker bus in Britain to have one-man operation since conversion in June 1966. Based in Ropley and owned by Duncan Richardson, running the Route 22, a non-timetabled shuttle service from Winchester Broadway to St. Catherine's Park & Ride.
One of the visiting vehicles that should have turned up was L622 TDY, a Volvo B10M-55 with an Alexander PS Type body built in 1994 that was formerly operated by Stagecoach Coastline Buses owned by Connor Goodard. It should have attended this event as listed in the programme, which was wrongly registered as L622 SDY. The vehicle did not attend this event due to unknown reasons and was replaced by DWG 917 (RB161).
The route 69 on the day was feeder service from Winchester Broadway to Fareham Bus Station for the Ale & Ride organised by The Provincial Society; the two buses on this were CCG 704C, a former King Alfred Motor Services (KAMS) Bedford VAL 14 built in 1965, part of the fleet of the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB), alongside 1013 MW (42), a former Silver Star Motor Services Ltd. Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 built in 1962 owned by the Silver Star 42 Group. This was also an extra visiting vehicle for the day that brought the total number of visiting vehicles to five.
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