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GOODBYE OLYMPIAN!

The farewell event took place from Dewsbury on Saturday 30th September 2006.

ARRIVA-YORKSHIRE very kindly allowed me to organise this event.. The vehicle we used for the day was 604 (B604 UUM),which started life at Dewsbury in March 1985. It moved to Belle Isle in 1997 and was withdrawn from normal service on 31st August 2006. For some reason, Arriva chose to fit a new gearbox before sending the bus to the scrapyard and 604 was able to do one last duty, with me at the wheel. (There was a moment of panic when we discovered the live feed to the ticket machine had been removed, but Dewsbury Depot's Jason Dixon saved the day by installing another).

It was the last time a Leyland Olympian will run on "Yorkshire Woollen" routes. 603 had been withdrawn the day before, but 577 was still making appearances at Selby up to September 2007. There are now none left in passenger service. 329 (formerly 517) has been retained in the Training School. On 21st June 2007 only 612 was still in store at Belle Isle.

Thanks to all who sent me photos of the event - there are even more pictures on my Fotopic site, (see the "LINKS" page).

  1 2 3 4 5 6

  1. View 604 in 1989
  2. View 604 in 1994
  3. View Jason at work
  4. View Inside of 604
  5. View Window posters
  6. View My family
  7. View Bethany driving
  8. View Flushdyke
  9. View Belle Isle Depot
  10. View The new gearbox
  11. View At Wakefield
  12. View Chickenley
  13. View Northgate, Dews.
  14. View 604 with 1604
  15. View Willans Road
  16. View Wakefield BS
  17. View The Bullring
  18. View Westerton Rd
  19. View Morley
  20. View Pudsey Park
  21. View Liar, liar...
  22. View Kent Rd, Pudsey
  23. View End of the road
  24. View RIP - with 612

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FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME!

The November 2006 edition of the monthly magazine "BUSES" appeared on Friday 20th October. The article below appears on page 53.

Thanks to Stephen Whiteley for his efforts in getting it published, as well as supplying several of the photographs on this and my Fotopic websites.

Full sized view

A1:  604 in Yorkshire Woollen livery back in 1989

  (Copyright: Paul Hirst)

A2:  604 advertising Dewsbury College in 1994

  (Copyright: Paul Hirst)

A3:  Mechanic Jason Dixon doing some last-minute checks

  before the big day.

A4:  The inside of 604

A5:  The window posters I designed for the event.

  (If you want copies, please contact me)

A6:  Samantha, Bethany and Eloise came to see me off at the

  start of the event

B1:  Bethany tries the driving seat for size

B2:  604 pauses near the Flying Horse on service 127 to

  Wakefield (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

B3:  We called in for a tour of Belle Isle Depot, where many

  other Olympians rust in peace. While we were there, we

  took 612 for a spin around the yard.

B4:  The enthusiasts admire the new gearbox on its first (and

  last) day in service.

B5:  On the spare stand at Wakefield Bus Station

B6:  A heavily-loaded 604 thunders through Chickenley on service 126 (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

C1:  The crowds of shoppers alight at Northgate, Dewsbury

  (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

C2:  "A thousand apart" - 604 poses with brand-new 1604 at

  Dewsbury Depot during the lunch break.

C3:  Climbing the steep gradient of Willans Road on service

  212 (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

C4:  Arriving at Wakefield Bus Station (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

C5: Passing the Bullring on the way out of Wakefield

  (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

C6:  Turning into Westerton Road on service 205 to Pudsey

  (Copyright: S D Whiteley)

D1:  Another photo-call outside Morley Sports Centre

D2:  Before the last journey, the enthusiasts pose with 604 at

  Pudsey Park

D3:  "Liar, liar..."  The flashing indicator makes my trousers

  appear to be on fire! (Copyright: Paul Salmon)

D4:  Yet another photo-call, this time at Kent Road on the way

  out of Pudsey)

D5:  The end of the road.  604 finishes 21 years of work at

  Dewsbury Bus Station. For the record, the last passenger

  to step off was Paul Salmon, who is not related to me.

D6:  The Monday after the event, I parked 604 at Belle Isle, next

  to retired 612. I will never drive an Olympian in service

  again!

BLUE COAT BOY

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  COPYRIGHT

Tony Salmon 2008