You may recall the story in CBW1368’s Industry Heritage about unique former Delaine East Lancs-bodied Volvo B10M, P2OTL having been secured for preservation.
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Commenting on the restoration, Delaine Managing Director, Anthony Delaine-Smith had said that he was very much looking forward to seeing the bus again.
This happened a little earlier than expected as after reading the piece the vehicle’s new owners, Nathan Merryweather, Stephen Longmire and Scottie Gibson, all of whom work for North Yorkshire-based Connexions Buses, were pleased to grant Anthony’s wish.
They took the bus, which is stored in Cambridgeshire, back to Delaine’s Bourne depot, where Anthony was reunited with it for the first time in nine years.
Not only that, but he even took the opportunity to take the wheel again.
P2OTL and sister bus P1OTL were delivered to Delaine in 1996 and were the company’s first Volvo single-deckers. They were used mainly on Delaine’s Bourne to Stamford service and also off peak on the run to Peterborough.
Said Anthony: “These were excellent buses and I’m really pleased that this one had been saved. It did feel strange to be back at the wheel of P2OTL for the first time in nine years though. The bus seems to be in excellent condition.”
P1 and P2OTL were both originally sold to Steve Morris’s Quantock Heritage operation based in Taunton, Somerset, and painted in a red version of Delaine’s legendary blue livery. P1 was later scrapped after becoming a victim of the Somerset floods a couple of years ago.
Only four vehicles were fitted with the East Lancs body as seen on the Delaine vehicles, the others being on American Spartan chassis.
P2OTL was latterly used on schools services with Berry’s Coaches of Taunton until earlier this year and made its rally debut at the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society’s Transport Festival on 4 November.
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