lrtravel

The start of this fleet was inspired by Stevensons of Uttoxeter Ltd who i worked for for a number of years. Stevensons ran a wide range of all types of different vehicles and also had some odd balls to. So the idea was set, all was needed now was some buses and a name!!. LRTravel was the chosen name and in early 1993 the fleet had began. To start with a couple of second hand elderly Leyland national mark1's were aquired and also a Leopard coach Dominant coach. The nationals were not the best but they were ok for the time being. At this stage there was no idea of a livery, so they ran in the livery they wore with there previous owner, and so did the dominant. However the dominant with a narrow coach door entrance was no good for the local Rugeley stage carrige so a 3rd Leyland National was aquired but this time was a mark2. This arrived from BCTRAVEL, an operator from the Stoke on Trent area. This bus wore an impressive balck based livery with yellow and red stripes and was also fitted with coach seats. The national 2 entered service in this livery and carried reg number A11JFA. All was running well but not happy as the 3 buses in the fleet at this time all carried a different livery colour!! Late 1993 LR Travel had a chance to buy up some quality second hand service buses from a dealer who was selling off vehicles from a nicely presented fleet, Grey Green. A deal was struck for 5 buses, 3 saloons and 2 double deckers. These 5 buses were in tip top condition, they wore a very smartly applied light grey base colour with dark green applied either around the roofs, windows or skirt panels. When these 5 vehicles took to the Rugeley streets LR Travels first 3 original vehicles, the 2 mark 1 nationals and the dominant Leopard were quickly retired. The 5 'new' buses were here and making a good impression, the grey green livery was kept as all 5 buses were presented very nicely indeed, and by keeping that livery, hey LRT now has a livery scheme, grey and green it is!! The 5 ex grey green buses were as follows, x2 Alexander Y type Leyland Leopards, x1 Duple dominant 11m Leyland Leopard bus, x1 Alexander AL Leyland Atlantean and x1 Alexander RL Leyland Olympian 10m. Some of these buses can be seen in the shots below. In 1994 a 2nd Duple Dominant bus was purchased, this time it was sent away to have the grey/green livery applied which was done in a slightly different layout where the green was at lower panel level and swooped up just before the rear wheels and went up over the roof. Another purchase in 1995 was made, again coming from BCTRAVEL this time being a rather modern dennis dart with Carlyle body but only having 28 seats it wasnt kept in the fleet too long as it wasnt big enough for the routes operated at the time. With the local town services doing well a new time table network was to be introduced with some out of town services to Walsall and Birmingham being added. Late on in 1995 LR Travel took delivery of its first 4 brand new buses, these being Dennis Darts with Plaxton Pointer 1 bodys. Regestered M31/2/3/4LRT these buses then started a trend of cherished style number plates for the company, and the start of many more brand new buses to be purchased. Another Dennis Dart was ordered and arrived during 1996, N23LRT had a rather ugly wright handy bus body but soon settled down in its nice shiney grey and green livery on its duties. Below are a selection of the early fleet buses and a few more pictures will be added in from time to time....... Also the story will be continued up to the present day...

18/6/93 saw this alexander olympian enter the fleet,this was one of 5 vehicles purchased in this grey and green livery. This colour scheme was kept through till 2004, although the livery layout changed slightly over the years.

Leyland atlantean alexander LSU407V, this was another one of the 5 purchases to start the fleet in 1993, was withdrawn in 2000.

PSU157W an alexander ay short window bay Leopard is the next one of the 5, this survived until 2005, now preserved in the back of the depot.

Leyland Leopard UDD876X was also with the first 5 of 1993, this was withdrawn 2004 and one of the favourites

This dominant bus was actually a leopard but the garage staff thought it would be a laugh to put a B10M badge on the front. No64 originally, but got renumbered to 65 in 2004 when the olympian went, then was withdrawn itself in 2005, and also carried a different style of the livery.

B25JHX originally no 5 but renumbered 65 in 2001 is a long wheel base ecw olympian dp body purchased in March 1994, being withdrawn 2004.

The last one of the original 5 is an alexander y type leyland leopard, this was in the fleet up until 1997 when it was sold to another local operater in the Tamworth area.

Lepoard ecw ANA91Y was a 1997 purchase but did not remain in the fleet too long, was withdrawn 1n 1999.

K104ARE, a dennis dart with carlyle bodywork was aquired in 1995 from BC TRAVEL in Stoke on Trent. This was a quite a young second hand vehicle but only having 28 seats it was not really ideal and was sold the following year.

A11JFA, The mark 2 Leyland National in a striking black based livery. This bus kept this livery whilst in the LR fleet.

A34SOU Duple Dominant Leyland Tiger entered the fleet and in its latter days it recieved the new metallic green livery. This one was sold in 2005.

N23LRT, dennis dart wright handybus was LR's 5th brand new purchase. It arrived in 1996 and was kept until 2004 when it was replaced by a low floor dart.

From 1996 onwards LR Travel would now try and purchase as many new vehicles as possible. The revised grey and green livery had started to appear on all the latest intake of buses this being a grey base with dark green starting at lower skirt panel level from the front of the vehicles, then sweeping up just infront of the rear wheels and covering the last section of the roof and leaving the whole back end of the vehicles in green. From early 1997 LRT had a chance to operate on busy 825 service linking up Stafford throuhgh Rugeley, Lichfield and ending up in Tamworth. Some more 2nd hand purchases were made and put in to grey and green before entering service. Another dominant service bus had been aquired A34SOU this one being a Leyland Tiger, along with a Leyland Lynx, and another Leyland Leopard this time with ECW bodywork. The ECW Leopard was in a smart yellow based livery with a dark green waist band, so this livery was kept on this vehicle throughout its 2 year stay. In 1998 some more brand new purchases were made, 2 Northern counties dennis darts, 1 DAF Ikarus and a Optare Vecta. Later in 1998 4 more 2nd hand buses were purchased,1 mercedes star rider, 1 plaxton derwent Leyland Tiger, 1 Plaxton Bustler volvo B58 service bus and also a Alexander TE type Leyland Tiger. See the next few pictures below;

Leyland Lynx 2 K49NDU was purchased from Cardif city bus, this bus remained in the fleet up untill early 2006 and ended its days in the new livery.

Alexander TE E45MSU was a 1998 purchase, seen here wearing the revised grey and green livery. This vehicle was withdrawn in 2005.

Plaxton Bustler Volvo B58 SYR881W was also aquired in 1998. This was quite an unusuall vehicle and lasted in the fleet until 2005, in its latter days it was transferred to operate from the Uttoxeter base

Early 1998 saw the arrival of this Mercedes 814D Optare Star-rider 33 seater. J98RBJ was purchased with the winning of a contract to operate around the villages linking Rugeley to Lichfield.

1998 also saw the arrival of DAF Ikarus citybus R108LRT. Yhis was a brand new purchase and soon made its way on to operating on service 825. This vehicle was withdrawn late 2006 hence it gaining the new style livery.

LR also ventured in to the coaching market, not in a big way but we have operated a number of coaches from 1995 onwards.The first 2 coaches purchased in 1995 was in the shape of a Plaxton Paramount 8 metre Ford 35 seater for a school contract, followed by a Duple Dominant 3 Volvo B58, the Dominant volvo is now the cut down recovery tender. The 2 coaches were operated in a mainly white based livery, the ford was plain white, whilst the Dominant did have some red and yellow stripes added on at a later date. The idea of a different coaching livery was to seperate it from the bus operation. The 2 shots below show these first two coaches;

CVR559 A Duple Dominant 3 Volvo made its way in to the fleet in a plain white livery, but the red and yellow was addes in due course. After completing many years of reliable service, she was involved in an accident and was beyond economical repair for future coach service. After a spell of being in the back of the depot she re emerged heavily modified to be the fleet recovery tender, picture on the recovery page as she remains today.

Ford Plaxton Paramount 3200 NVP112Y was kept in the fleet until 1998

Moving on to 1999, LRT purchased 4 more brand new vehicles, Volvo Wright Liberators low floor service buses. These were placed on to the 825 service upgrading it to 100% low floor, however not having a spare low floor bus at the time the service was not advertised as a low floor route for some time yet. Also in 1999, three more coaches were added to the fleet, 2 Plaxton Paramount Volvo's, and a Plaxton Supreme mark 5 Volvo too. These next 3 pictures are of the Plaxton coaches;

Another 1999 addition to the coach fleet was this Plaxton Paramount 3500 Volvo B10M, C106XRU later re regestered to YHJ773, this also carried the grey and green stripey livery as per the supreme, but in 2005 it was re furbished and appeared in the latest metallic livery. This coach was then sold in early 2007.

Plaxton supreme 5 Volvo arrived in 1999, YHJ682 appeared in a revised livery of grey and green stripes and carried this 'new' style coach livery for all its time at LRT. This was withdrawn in 2006.

RIL8599 Volvo B10M Plaxton Paramount 3500 mark 3 came also in 1999 and also gained the stripey grey and green livery, but was shipped out in the new metallic livery by 2004. It was then withdrawn from service late 2006, then making a re apperance mid 2007 completley refurbished with new style front and rear panels, new round headlamps and chrome side effect strips anong the window lines. This coach is still in the fleet today and a picture of its latest look can be found on the contract coaches page.

Now as we enter the year 2000, in February of that month we took delivery of another brand new vehicle. This time it was in the shape of an Optare Excel low floor service bus, V10LRT. This also recieved the later swoop style grey and green livery along with the recently delivered wright liberator volvo low floors, a picture of the excel can be seen on Lichfield citi-connect page, and is still wearing its 2000 livery to present date, but no doubt in the near future it will be re furbished in to the new metallic green livery. Further developments on the coaching scene saw a few more coaches join the fleet. Two second hand Volvo B10M Vanhool T8 Alizee's joined the fleet, P729JYA and R990KCR, the latter one was re registered to R58LRT not long after going in to service. The two van hools were painted mainly base grey with just a shallow green skirt, but in 2004 they were both given treatment and shipped out in the new metallic green livery;

Piczo