MIB 7717 - Open-top Leyland Olympian with Kent connection?

[Neil Gow]

I haven't managed to identify an operator for this - former Original London Sightseeing J322 BSH. It was at the 2016 Herne Bay rally and the 2017 Worthing Rally, and has done some private hire work in Deal - so an enthusiast operator somewhere in Kent looks a good possibility. If so, it counts as another vehicle with a local connection at the Derby last week.

Neil G.

[Group_owner]

Neil, I think you will find that it is actually J433 BSH, not 322, and that the owner is (or was) Ian Burge, Chatham, who appears to be a preservationist rather than an operator, at least in his own name.  The name M&I Coaches has been quoted though, and does have its own website....

http://www.mandicoachhire.co.uk/ 

LOTS records it as sold by TOLST (before this company was sold by Arriva to RATP) in 2013, so was one of the first of the batch to leave the tour fleet. It should therefore be recorded as former OA333 (and originally London Buses, then Leaside, L333).  Online reports show it subsequently (since 2014, when it first appeared at Herne Bay) with M&I Coaches, receiving its current registration at a later date.

https://tinyurl.com/ydybtjzo 

See also 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gricerman/8793338892 

Derek J

[Neil Gow]

Thanks a lot, Derek. John G. Lidstone, of all people, quoted the J322 BSH registration - which I guess was a consequence of mispositioned fingers whilst typing!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46986413@N07/33323572514/

Neil.

[Neil Gow]

I looked into this a bit more and there are two former Arriva TOLST Olympians in this livery - J322 BSH and J433 BSH, with one becoming  MIB 7717 and the other becoming MIB 9070. Looking at before/after pictures of both on Flickr, I think JGL has it right and MIB 7717 is the former J322 BSH. The reason for this deduction is that J433 BSH and MIB 9070 pictures show Leyland and Iveco badges on the front, while MIB 7717 has no badges.

I would hate to unfairly malign JGL! - who also posted one of the pictures of MIB 9070, but without a previous registration assigment. At least one other photographer also states that MIB 7717 is the former J322 BSH (although he may have copied that from another caption). There is also one assigning ownership (or at least operation of) MIB 9070 to M&I Coaches.

Could it be that M&I own, or have access to, both - and that has caused the confusion? Could there be another clue in the choice of letters for the reregistrations: MIB = M&I Buses?

Neil.

[Michael Wadman 2]

Busdata has the following:

 

J322 BSH:

 

Commbus.com, Coleshill 2/15

Re-registered MIB 7717 5/15

Burge, Chatham (preservationist) by 8/16

Operated on behalf of Burge by Chameleon, Rainham

 

J433 BSH:

 

Burge, Chatham (preservationist) 5/13

Loaned as required to various local operators by 3/14

Re-registered MIB 9070 5/15

Sold 4/16

Re-registered J433 BSH by unknown owner 3/17

Noted in South Gloucestershire 5/17

 

This is based on reports from the PSV Circle and other sources, an I have to admit that parts of it look a bit suspect. The only M&I in the records is M&I Travel Ltd of Workington.

 

Michael Wadman

Sutton, Surrey

 

See my flickr account at https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelwadman/

 

 

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[Ken Lansdowne]

Mr Burge has had a number of vehicles over the years - in addition to these he has had two Metroliners and a Leyland Atlantean. All are/were operated in the pseudo-Kentish Coaches livery. M&I Coach Hire is his trading name. He does not have an operators licence so when the vehicles are hired they operate on hire to a psv operator - he has used a number over the years, the current one being Chameleon, Rainham who was operating MIB 7717 at the Derby this year. Attached photo of the rear of Metroliner AXZ 5572 at the Derby in 2015 shows the M&I Coach Hire name. I am not sure the fleet can be considered preserved in the traditional sense. J433 BSH was still that registration when it was at the Derby in 6/15 as per the 2nd photo attached. This one is/was part open top rather than full open top MIB 7717.

-- 
Ken Lansdowne
The M&D & East Kent Bus Club www.mdekbusclub.org.uk
The PSV Circle www.psv-circle.org.uk
Any photograph attached to this message is copyright © Ken Lansdowne 

[Neil Gow]

Thanks Ken.

Next time I go looking at badges to aid identification, maybe I should take a look at the roof first!

Neil.