NEWS

This page will detail the latest updates and happenings with the BBPG fleet.

4/2/12 - More photos have been added to the DMS Survivors pages.  Our electrician has diagnosed the fault with 13's charging circuits and thus, hopefully, this will be rectified shortly.

24/1/12 - A few more of the DMS Survivors have been added.  This past weekend more progress was made on UWW13X, with the external door control now re-fitted, the Please Pay as you Enter sign fitted and wired up and garage plate holders fitted.  She also benefitted from a good clean.  A very productive weekend!  New photos have been added to the page.  We have also now booked a professional electrician to come down and have a look at her and hopefully sort her charging problem out.

21/1/12 - The DMS Survivors page is now up, but there are a few blanks.  If you can help fill them in, or have more up-to-date photos of those buses featured, we would be delighted to feature your photo.  Drop us an e-mail!

20/1/12 - Amongst our photos, we have discovered a photo long forgotten about.  And what a photo!  Check out the page on Boro'line 753!

19/1/12 - We are proud of our association with the DMS Fleetline and, as such, we have decided to have a new page, with a gallery of all known survivors.  This page is still in construction, but should be up before long.  There may be few in number, but those that survive certainly would have a story to tell!

13/1/12 - We are in the process of setting up a for our photos, and there will be some posted there that are not on this site, and vice versa.  Take a look, and visit regularly for new photos!  Whilst writing, please note that we also have a Facebook group, where updates are posted too!

10/1/12 - We are pleased to say that Paul Tripptree has joined our group, bringing DMS550 into the fold.  Paul has been getting his hands dirty volunteering on other group vehicles for some time, so is well known to us. 

3/1/12 - A new vehicle joins the fleet!  Former London Central NV1 has been acquired from First.

20/12/11 - We are pleased to welcome Tom Gurney into our group, who brings with him various buses.  Tom is proud to have built up his own Roundabout Heritage Fleet and new pages and photos will be uploaded shortly.

18/12/11 - Bromley Running Day - T1030 will be making her debut at this event, working routes 138 (Bromley to Coney Hall) and 119B (Bromley to Shirley, West Way)

8/12/11 - Metrobus 810 has passed a Class VI MoT.

November 2011 - L2 has passed her MoT and is now in storage for the winter.

1/11/11 - T684 has passed a new MoT.

September 2011 - Kentish Bus 563 has been sold.  With 3 other Palatine 2 Olympians in the fleet, it was decided that 563 could move on to a new home.  T1101 has also moved onto pastures new.

18/9/11 - Showbus 2011 was attended by T1030.

4/9/11 - Oxted Running Day 2011.  Metrobus 806 performed all day on route 410 between Westerham and Godstone.

25/9/11 - Metrobus 109 and 395 ran a celebratory run over the original Metrobus route 357 today.  JTM109V was the first bus to operate for Metrobus Ltd on 24th September 1983 when it covered the first journey on route 357.

August 2011 - Boro'line Olympian 753 has been acquired from Motts Travel.

August 2011 - Redhill Steam Rally was attended by DMS1868.

17/5/11 - today is the Sevenoaks Running Day.  Expected vehicles will be Metrobus 395, XF3 and T1101 operating routes such as the 401, 402 and 483.

May 2011 - apologies for the lack of updates!  We have recently moved a few of our vehicles to new homes.  As such, for Kentish Bus 563 and London General NV116 have now moved to Go-Coach of Sevenoaks, for them to operate Kent route 409.  L2 has also been towed the long journey to our friends at Routemaster Buses of Nantwich, for continued preservation.  T684 and Capital Citybus 250 have also moved to a new home at Retrobus.

17/4/11 - some of our vehicles will be in service at the East Grinstead Running Day, operating route 424.  Our Titans and Olympians will be out to play.

10/4/11 - Cobham's annual season opener today at Dunsfold.  Some of our vehicles will be attending today - see you there!

March 2011 - now it's found its way public, we are happy to announce the acquisition of Volvo Olympians 1 and 2 (chassis number 25001/25002), better knows as L888YTT/L888TTT, new as Capital Citybus 167 and 168.  Both have now been recovered from their Huddersfield home for the last few years for restoration to start.  Both have been robbed of some parts while withdrawn so it will be some while before they will be out and about.

February 2011 - Metrobus 395 has happily passed her Class VI MOT.  She has also been the happy recipient of panelwork and a shiny new coat of paint.

Winter 2010 - things have obviously been pretty quiet, what with another cold winter.  However, to update things, Metrobus 395 (C395DML) has now moved to Southdown PSV in order for work to be carried out in preparation for an MOT.

23/11/10 - D41 and T1030 are booked for MOT tomorrow, so today has been spent preparing both vehicles for test.  Also, DMS1911 has seen attention.  She is in need of chassis welding, so panels have been removed from the offside to facilitate that.

16/11/10 - D41, now having had her nice fresh coat of paint, has had her front provincial-style blind box replaced with a London mechanism.

5/11/10 - D41 has now been repainted, and looks stunning in her red and grey colour scheme.

27/10/10 - AN53 has joined the fleet!  She has sat off road for a number of years, but the plan is for an MOT before the end of the year. 

24/10/10 - it's been quiet of late on the bus restoration front.  However, we are pleased to announce that we are likely to be making a new acquisition this coming week.  More details (along with photos) in a few days!

30/9/10 - all the vehicles kept in the south came out to play today, for reasons that will become clear in the future.  Photos of the line-ups will be found in the Gallery.

26/9/10 - Showbus today - vehicles attending are Capital Citybus 250, T1101 and DMS1868.

12/8/10 - we have two more vehicles in the fleet.  Steve O'Connor has purchased L194 and Mike Welch is the new owner of RT3733.

10/8/10 - we are now happy to report that Metrobus 810 has made its journey south and is now stored alongside former Metrobus Olympians 13 and 395.

31/7/10 - SNB250 has sold for £650.99.  If the new owners see this, we'd love to stay in touch so please get in contact.

31/7/10 - CentreWest D41 (P411MLA) will be going in for a repaint on Monday!

26/7/10 - we have today received a call from Happy Al's of Birkenhead and thus we are delighted to announce that we will shortly be preserving ex-Metrobus all-Leyland Olympian H810AGX.

25/7/10 - a busy week has seen DMS1911 fully kitted out with seats and DMS115 having her lower deck ceiling panels removed for paint stripping (here we go again!!)

21/7/10 - SNB250, previously owned by Martin Clitheroe, has found itself on eBay.  Interested parties might like to take a look here.

10/7/10 - XF3 has joined the fleet, bringing another Fleetline into the fold.

4/7/10 - North Weald Bus Rally.  Attendees from the BBPG were Titans 684 and 1101.  Photos are available here.  T1101 has also recently featured at the Hertford Running Day.

1/7/10 - 1911's restoration continues unabated.  Paint and carpet glue stripping is now in full swing!

28/6/10 - Having rescued some pieces from DMS1968, Bob and Stuart have made a tentative start to DMS115, and this will now continue through the rest of the year.  The lower front has been removed to replace rotten wood framing.

27/6/10 - T1101 was star performer in a Veterans' Day parade in Brentwood for The Royal British Legion.  Click here for a photo on T1101's page.

26/6/10 - Another busy week working on DMS1911.  Finishing touches to the ceiling panels and beading strips and a start has been made to the seating.  Side blinds mechanisms now installed.

12/6/10 - A massive week, with four days spent working on DMS1911.  In summary, new ceiling panels and saloon lighting fitted on both decks, along with the start of some seating.

1/6/10 - We have gained another member today, bringing DMS1868 and SMS97 into the fold.  Pages will be added in due course.

31/5/10 - Exciting developments mean that there is a possible two more vehicles being acquired in the near future.  Watch this space for more news! 

31/5/10 - The BBPG has gained a new member, who brings with him Leyland Lynx E887KYW.  A page will be put together shortly showing the details.

31/5/10 - UWW13X made the trip from Longfield to its new home at Retrobus today.  Another oil leak is a minor setback, but the bus is now securely undercover.

30/5/10 - It can now be reported that DMS2127 has joined the group!

17/5/10 - A replacement front radiator grille has been acquired for UWW13X.  Many thanks must go to James Fairchild and the guys at http://www.typg.org.uk/ for making this available.

16/5/10 - Sevenoaks Running Day - T1101 again performed faultlessly on route 401 between Sevenoaks and Farningham, and was much admired.  Expect to see her out again at the Hertford Running Day in June.

10/5/10 - DMSs 1968 and 2257 are now sadly resigned to the previously owned section of the site.  Both these vehicles have now been broken sympathetically, to provide valuable spares for the other DMSs in the group.

25/4/10 - East Grinstead Running Day - BBPG vehicles L2, T684 and T1101 will be in action on the day, running route 424 between Copthorne, Southdown Depot and Forest Row Station, along with other preserved vehicles including XF3 and DMS1868.  Be sure to come along and enjoy a ride on vehicles now gone from front-line London service.

13/4/10 - It has been decided that DMS2257 is to be broken sympathetically in order to restore other DMSs in the group.  The bus will be dismantled screw by screw, rivet by rivet, in order to preserve as much as possible.

11/4/10 - Cobham Bus Museum Open Day - 3 vehicles from the BBPG are expected to attend this event.  DMS115, T1101 and Capital Citybus 250 should make an appearance.

10/4/10 - DMS115 has been prep'd for her first ever rally tomorrow at Cobham.  It's also Bob's first rally as a preservationist.  She won't be the prettiest thing on the Wisley runway, but she's coming along bit by bit.

10/4/10 - DMS1911 now has a rear blind too!  The mechanisms for the side blind have been acquired from DMS1968 and these will be installed at a later time.

29/3/10 - DMS1911 has seen more recent activity.  Friday 26th March saw the front panel drilled out and today its replacement was rivetted back in, along with the rollers and mechanisms.

28/3/10 - DMS1968 has started being stripped of its useful parts.  All the work is being done sensitively as parts will be used on other DMSs in the group.  A photo of it of her half stripped can be seen on 1968's page.

20/3/10 - a busy day at Hartfield saw DMSs115 and 1911 worked on.  115 now has a complete set of seats and Bob's next job is some re-panelling and to change some windows.  1911 saw more of the bench seating taken out, and the upper deck floor at the rear lifted in preparation to fit some blind mechanisms. 

14/3/10 - the BBPG are proud to announce her new arrival!  NV116, latterly in the Blue Triangle fleet, was new to London General.

Late February/early March - a new vehicle will be joining the BBPG fleet.  This is a major coup, and for a little while its identify is under wraps to keep you all in suspense!

25/2/10 - Capital Citybus 166 has had its new rear axle fitted and has this morning arrived back in London.

16/2/10 - J135PVC has passed its MoT today too.

8/2/10 - DMS2456 has passed its MoT!

6/2/10 - DMS2456 is due to go for its first MoT test in a decade today - keep your fingers crossed!

3/2/10 - restoration work has commenced on UWW13X.  Seats and tables (installed when the bus was used on TV and film sets) have been removed and the defective oil cooler sent away for repair/replacement.

Early February - Capital Citybus 166 is now at our friend Geoff Ripley's yard in Carlton, where it is having a new rear axle fitted and then should drive south in the coming weeks