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UOI 9161
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander DP49F
February 1980
Last Updated 19/3/98
161 is very unusual in the Ulsterbus fleet in having its front fleet number
positioned just above its left headlights, i.e. in the position normal on
Citybuses (see the photographs of Citybuses on the Citybus
Page.) Normally the fleet number is placed in a very cramped position on
the blue band just below the windscreen.
This bus also joined the Downpatrick fleet comparatively recently, probably round about the same time as 147. It is often used on a school service in Belfast, for which it displays the unusual destination '999 SCHOOL BUS'.
UOI 9168
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander DP49F
January 1980
Last Updated 23/1/98
This bus has just been repainted and looked very well when I saw it today. It's now 18 years
old, but still sees plenty of use not just on school bus routes. For at least
one or two years before last summer (1997), this bus would have been delicensed
for the summer, but last year it wasn't and had a very active summer, seeing
service on quite a few local routes where normally only much newer buses
would be used.
As a 49-seater bus 168 is nice and comfortable inside, but for as long as I can remember it's only ever had plain brown seats and not nice blue or patterned ones seen on some other dual-purpose-seated Leopards. I used to be on it coming home from school sometimes and I remember it had a leak in the roof above the second seat back on the left hand side. This bus is the oldest one in the Downpatrick fleet to be fitted with one of the newer style destination blinds with thicker lettering and a more comprehensive set of destinations, which enhances the bus's appearance and I suppose helps to make it, nowadays, one of my favourite buses in the Downpatrick fleet (though it wasn't always like that!).
VOI 205
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander DP49F
July 1980
Last Updated 19/3/98
New seats were fitted to this bus in early 1998, although it hasn't been
repainted. 205 and its sister 206 are the newest Leopard buses with
comfortable dual-purpose seating, and so are still mostly used on ordinary
service routes (which may carry mainly schools traffic but are not officially
schools services).
VOI 206
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander DP49F
July 1980
Last Updated 19/3/98
205 and 206 both never seemed to be able to go very fast- while going into
school one day a long time ago on one of them, I remember somebody saying
"The wee red light isn't even on!" (meaning that the bus was staying below
50mph and not breaking the speed limit). We used to have some very fast bus
drivers and it was not unusual for some of the buses to get up to 65 mph on
the straight flat parts of the road, but 205 and 206 were never able to get
much above 50.
WOI 2214
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander B53F
February 1981
Last Updated 19/3/98
This bus has one of the now almost extinct ads 'Ulster Television- The Best
View' painted on its exterior cove panels (I think that's what you call them).
This is a very old slogan- the local independent TV company's slogan is now 'UTV is
Your TV' and I remember some much older buses used to also have this
painted on them - in particular 1962 (KOI 9962)
XOI 2307
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander B53F
November 1981
Last Updated 16/4/98
307 is outstationed in Saintfield, from where it mainly does School Bus journeys
to Belfast. It was repainted in late February / early March. I have included a
rather blurred photograph of it taken in Glengall Street in Belfast round about
March 1998, when it was temporarily on loan to Ballynahinch depot, which explains
why it is running the 14:10 service to Ballynahinch. (However there is one
early morning service from Belfast to Ballynahinch operated by Downpatrick
depot.) As there seem to be so
few photographs of Ulsterbuses around on the Internet I thought I would include
this one anyway, but if anybody objects to my including bad quality photographs,
please let me know.
AXI 311
Leyland Leopard PSU3F/4R
Alexander B53F
September 1982
Last Updated 19/3/98
I got this bus in and out to school every day for a year or two in the early
1990s, but have hardly been on it at all more recently. It has a new-style
destination blind like 168, with thicker lettering and more destinations,
and was repainted into the new Ulsterbus-Translink livery towards the end of
1997.
AXI 312
Leyland Leopard PSU3F/4R
Alexander B53F
September 1982
Last Updated 19/3/98
312 was the first bus in the Downpatrick fleet to be repainted into the new
Ulsterbus-Translink livery, in about Autumn 1997. It is the only one of the
31- Downpatrick buses that hasn't been my regular school bus at some time.
It currently runs the early morning school bus journey from Downpatrick to Belfast (Malone Road) most days.
AXI 313
Leyland Leopard PSU3F/4R
Alexander B53F
September 1982
Last Updated 19/3/98
In the recent past (last few years) I have probably been on this bus more than
any other, although some of the Goldliners must be getting close from all
my journeys to and from Belfast. For 2 or 3 years up until I left school in 1996
it was my regular bus in the morning and afternoon, and even now it still
almost always does that service in the mornings. In the afternoons it operates
the Down Academy - Strangford - Ballyhornan - Shrigley duty almost invariably
and since I often come home by the 4:15 Ballyhornan service on Fridays I am
still making regular journeys on it.
313 recently had all its remaining hard-backed seats replaced with soft ones in a variety of colours, and it now has the widest variety of seat coverings on any Ulsterbus I have ever seen, ranging from vinyl-covered to three different patterns of cloth-covered ones.
AXI 315
Leyland Leopard PSU3F/4R
Alexander B53F
September 1982
Last Updated 15/5/98
This bus is simliar to 311-3, and at the minute I don't think it really has
any special distinguishing figures. I think I remember a long time ago
its gear lever had an unusual metal surround in that there wasn't a raised
bit around the first gear position. (The gear lever could be pushed into
this position without part of it having to be lifted.) 315 was also my regular school
bus for about a year, but by that time the unusual surround had been replaced
by a normal one.
FXI 417
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
June 1985
Last Updated 6/6/98
417 is the oldest Leyland Tiger in the Downpatrick fleet, but still can be
seen on service to Belfast sometimes-- even doing the express services on
Saturday mornings occasionally. Three years ago buses of a comparable
age would have been Leopards, but Leopards haven't been regularly used on the
normal Downpatrick-Belfast services for a long time now. I suppose this all
shows how the average age of the Ulsterbus fleet is steadily rising.
417 has steep steps at the front, and a slightly noisier-than-normal engine.
HXI 466
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander B63F
April 1986
Last Updated 15/5/98
466 is very interesting, in having been an 'express bus' at one stage in its
life, which I can remember. It used to have 'Ulsterbus EXPRESS' painted
on its side (this was before Goldliners were invented), and had special straps
attached to the roof inside, for standing passengers to hold on to. Both these
features have now been removed, but the other two remain.
The front windows on 466 are parallelogram-shaped instead of rectangular, I suppose sort of to give the impression that the bus is going so fast the windows have been stretched backwards, or maybe that the bus has a more aerodynamic front instead of a flat one. Also the 3+2 seating for most of the length of the bus inside remains, which makes 466 useful as a school bus where sometimes there are a lot of passengers to be carried.
HXI 470
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
April 1986
Last Updated 15/5/98
Whereas 417 is now quite regularly used in situations where a Leopard might also
be used, 470 hasn't got down to that level yet and is still regularly used on
Belfast services etc. Indeed a few weeks ago on the UTV news I saw it driving
past a reporter on Ormeau Road in Belfast.
IXI 1004
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
October 1986
Last Updated 13/6/98
I was on this bus twice very recently, and it really hasn't got very much
at all to distinguish it from all the other new-style dual-purpose seated Tigers like
1009, 1032/3, 1074, 1150 and 1239. It's just a nice comfortable fast and good
ordinary bus.
IXI 1009
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
November 1986
Last Updated 23/1/00
This bus was orginally outstationed in Strangford most of the time, and had a
sister 1008 which was burnt out in Ardglass depot in the summer of 1996.
JXI 1032
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
February 1987
Last Updated 23/1/00
1032 replaced 1008 as the first bus in Ardglass depot. You can nearly sort of
imagine it as being the same bus, but it's sad what happened to 1008. The bus
driver who used to drive 1032 retired around 1997 and since then
the bus has never really been parked out in Ardglass overnight but driven by
one or two drivers who parked it in Downpatrick and drove out to Ardglass in
the mornings and back in in the evenings and at other times during the day.
Since Summer 1998 there have once again been two permanent drivers at Ardglass depot so 1032 has been spending more nights parked out there, but can still be seen parked in Downpatrick often.
JXI 1033
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
February 1987
Last Updated 15/1/98
Sound Effect ! Recorded November 1992
You will need Realaudio Player version 3.0 or above to listen to this.
If you haven't got a copy you can download it from the
Realaudio home page.
KXI 2074
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
July 1987
Last Updated 23/1/00
LXI 1107
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
November 1987
Last Updated 23/1/00
1107 moved from Newcastle to Downpatrick in
the big bus re-shuffle of Autumn 1999.
LXI 1126
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander B53F
February 1988
Last Updated 15/1/98
LXI 7150
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
March 1988
Last Updated 23/1/00
NXI 1194
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander B53F
November 1988
Last Updated 23/1/00
1194
has been outstationed in Ardglass
almost all its life I think.
NXI 1195
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander B53F
October 1988
Last Updated 23/1/00
1195 is outstationed in Strangford.
In Strangford and Ardglass the two
drivers keep their buses and these perform alternate duties from week to
week. Strangford depot's duties include early morning in from Strangford to
Downpatrick and straight out at 18:05 for one or out via Kilclief on the
16:05 Ballyhornan via Ballyalton bus for the other. The 09:15 to Belfast and
17:00 from Belfast are run by Strangford depot. In school terms there is an
early morning school bus from Downpatrick to Belfast, while in the summer the
early morning Ballykinlar bus was included in the Strangford duty.
NXI 4239
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander DP53F
March 1989
Last Updated 15/1/98
OXI 1287
Leyland Tiger TRBTL11/2RP
Alexander B53F
January 1990
Last Updated 15/1/98
TXI 1349
Leyland Tiger TR2R56V16Z4
Alexander DP49F
March 1991
Last Updated 1/2/98
TXI 1351
Leyland Tiger TR2R56V16Z4
Alexander DP49F
April 1991
Last Updated 23/1/00
1351 came to Downpatrick from Newry in
1999.
TXI 1352
Leyland Tiger TR2R56V16Z4
Alexander DP49F
April 1991
Last Updated 23/1/00
One of the first buses to move in the
re-shuffle of Autumn 1999, 1352 came to Downpatrick from Derry in September
1999.
UXI 1368
Leyland Tiger TR2R56V16Z4
Alexander DP53F
June 1991
Last Updated 23/1/00
1368 replaced 1009 as one half of the
Strangford depot fleet shortly after joining Downpatrick from Newcastle in
1997-98.
WXI 4384
Leyland Tiger TR2R56V16Z4
Alexander DP53F
April 1992
Last Updated 1/2/98
DAZ 1545
Volvo B10M-60
Alexander B65F
November 1994
Last Updated 23/1/00
DAZ 1546
Volvo B10M-60
Alexander B65F
November 1994
Last Updated 1/2/98
EAZ 2592
Volvo B10M-62
Plaxton Premiere C53F
December 1994
Last Updated 1/2/98
JAZ 1628
Volvo B10M-62
Plaxton Premiere C53F
March 1996
Last Updated 23/1/00
1628 was badly damaged in an accident near
Hilltown when operating the Downpatrick to Newry Express in Autumn 1999, and
has been out of service since then.
JAZ 1629
Volvo B10M-62
Plaxton Premiere C53F
April 1996
Last Updated 1/2/98
PXI 5527
Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3ARZA
Alexander TE C53F
May 1990
Last Updated 4/5/98
NXI 6853
Mercedes-Benz 709D
Wright B25F
June 1989
Last Updated 4/5/98
TXI 7866
Mercedes-Benz 709D
Wright B25F
October 1991
Last Updated 4/5/98
JAZ 3897
Mercedes-Benz 711D
Alexander B25F
March 1996
Last Updated 5/9/98
AXI 2259
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Wright C49F
September 1982
Last Updated 4/5/98
This very interesting and almost unique bus in the Ulsterbus fleet quietly joined the Downpatrick fleet in February 1998 from the driving school. It still displays a driving school depot allocation above its fleet number. It has been used as a private hire coach, school bus and service bus since its arrival. Having no proper destination display it goes around with small bits of paper displaying e.g. 'K/LEAGH' or 'B/LUCAS' stuck up in its window. I haven't been on 259 yet but it looks like a nice comfortable bus to be on. The seating figure (49) implies that there is plenty of room and there are five roof windows (skylights).
Moved back to Driving School Autumn 1999
ROI 147
Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R
Alexander DP49F
June 1978
Last Updated 13/6/98
This bus has been in Downpatrick since about 1995-96. I've only been on it 2
or 3 times; something I think I remember about it was that it had an ashtray
installed in front of the front seat. Its most interesting feature might be
that the area around the destination blind is still painted white, the colour
it would have been in the old livery which was replaced about 1990-91 if I
remember right.
147 is now 20 years old and getting very near the end of its life; it now spends quite a few afternoons parked in the bus station as a spare while all the other buses are out enjoying themselves. For a time in November 1997 however, it temporarily moved to Ballynahinch depot and I saw it in Belfast heading towards Drumaness, which is quite a big journey for an old bus like that.
A lot of buses are now approaching 20 years old, and as soon as Ulsterbus buys some new buses (it hasn't bought any since mid-1996), I expect most of the ROI- registered buses will be withdrawn. 147 has just had its ULSTERBUS fleetnames painted out in preparation for application of the new logo however, so maybe it will be around still for a bit longer.
Moved to Dungannon Autumn 1999
Other former buses I can remember are 1960 (now scrapped or just might have gone to Bus Eireann [UPDATE (June 2009) - 1960 is still in existence, ex-Bus Eireann and dumped at Spruhan's yard in Co. Carlow! See photos on Phill's Ulsterbus Photos site]), 1961 (now tow bus in Newry) and 1962 (to Belfast Royal Academy and scrapped recently), 126 (to Newcastle and now tow bus in Dungannon), 134 (to Great Victoria Street and then Armagh maybe), 1008 (burnt by vandals as already mentioned), 1075 (to Armagh after the infamous malicious fire destroyed many buses there), 1385 (went to Newcastle). Some buses spent short periods here near the ends of their lives: 1973 (probably scrapped now), 105 (to somewhere like Dungannon and then withdrawn) and 117 (now Newtownabbey tow bus and re-registered). Citybus 2462 spent a month or two here early in 1999; ex-Sureline Lurgan 697 DAF coach was here for over a year recently.
Up to 1992 the Downpatrick tow bus was unbelieveably old (for the time) ex-Western Scottish and UTA Leyland Leopard L1 9533 (OCS 733). It was replaced by another ex-Scottish bus 1887 (RAG 383M) which was converted to a tow bus in Downpatrick, repainted and looked lovely, but unfortunately was itself involved in a bad accident near Dundrum after only a few months in service and was withdrawn. For a while then an old Bristol LH was the tow bus (I guess this because I remember it had an FOI number but I didn't know that much about bus types then). For a few years now it has been ordinary Ulsterbus Leopard 111, now re-registered TBZ 8399 and as far as I can see must be the only Ulsterbus ever with a Co. Down number (one Flexibus I think has a BZ number).
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