Farewell Volvo B10M Mk 11 Volgren Artic tour 21 June 2009

[ozbob]

*The Volgren bodied Volvo B10M mkII artics were the first batch of articulated vehicles to be delivered to Brisbane Transport after nearly five years of demonstrators roaming city streets.  Having entered service in reverse order, Carina depot was allocated 982, 980, 970 and 978.  Toowong depot received 981 and Light Street depot received 977.  It was three years before another six Volvo artics came online (375-380).

*From the Tour Booklet.  

This was an excellent tour, well done to the organisers.  

Some photographs to mark the withdrawal of these artics from service.  Three have already been withdrawn the remainder in the next week or so.  The buses entered service in 1988.  So 21 years of stirling service.




Train I caught from Taringa to Roma St




Artic bus from Roma St to Garden City




977 arriving for the start of the tour



Inala






Quick visit to the new depot at Willawong




Acacia Ridge




Southbank




Carseldine - Tilt and EMU on a parallel run whilst we stopped






Chermside



Toombul




Tour over, back at Garden City



Photographs R Dow 21st June 2009

[ozbob]

Media Release 22 June 2009

Brisbane's first 'bendy' buses retire

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has highlighted the great service of the Volgren bodied Volvo B10M mkII articulated Brisbane Transport buses over the past 21 years.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The B10M Mk II articulated 'bendy' buses were the first in regular passenger service in Brisbane. Six of these buses were introduced in 1988 and have been carrying passengers ever since."

"Last Sunday a group of bus enthusiasts chartered one of these buses for a last grand tour of Brisbane suburbs.  Many of the old routes these buses travelled were repeated one last time. It is anticipated that the buses will all be withdrawn from regular passenger services this week. Newer modern buses will take over their important transport role."

"This is an important historical highlight of bus transport in Brisbane.  Well done to all the drivers and maintenance crew over the years who kept them running."


Bus number 977  at Southbank
Photograph R Dow 21st June 2009


Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[Sunbus610]

Last Sunday's farewell to Artic B10M Mk 11 Volgren tour was thoroughly enjoyable. It was so good seeing a Brisbane Transport artic bus on the northside (not a common occurrence usually).

EMU61 running parallel with the Rocky Tilt train into Roma Street as they passed through Carseldine railway station
[IMGt]http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3903/p6210075.jpg[/img]

W977 parked at Carseldine railway station (ie BT route 340 terminus)
[IMGt]http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/8369/p6210070.jpg[/img]

W977 at the Pick n' Pay Hypermarket at Aspley
[IMGt]http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5710/p6210083.jpg[/img]

BTW, it was good to catch up with you on the tour Ozbob

[ozbob]

Likewise Sunbus610!  Nice photos, thanks for posting them!

[Peter J]

Thankyou everybody for the positive feedback. I am glad everyone had an enjoyable day despite the weather being completely against us. Thankyou for attending and a really big thanks to 2 people who made a flying 1 day visit from Sydney after 1 of them had worked doing "Rail Replacement" until the early hours of the morning.

The most thanks must go to the following people who helped make this the day it was......

Ian Mackenzie......Depot Manager at Willawong who allowed us to use 977 for the Tour.
Ian Lynas............provided the historical info on the routes that was in the Tour booklet and also some photos.
Tony.................our volunteer driver for the day and provided the old route maps that were used in the Tour booklet.
Noel..................put all the info provided by Ian & Tony into the Tour booklet and getting it printed. A superb job & a great momento from the day.
Patrick Otto.........designed and arranged the making of the souvenir keyrings that everybody who attended was given at the start.


Lastly the following people who kindly allowed their pics to be reproduced for the Tour booklet........

Charlie Graham
Damian Milne
Ian Lynas
Leon Sharpe
Matt Browne
Norbert Genci
Patrick Otto
Peter Kane.

If i have forgotten anyone I do apologise.

Once again..........a thankyou to everyone.

[ozbob]

   second that!   

[QGT]

I second that  great Tour

[ozbob]

From the Southern Star 1st July 2009 page 16

Buses into retirement