Nick Larkin reports on the closure of a depot once known for its allocation of iconic double-deckers
Classic buses gave a send-off to Arriva’s South Wigston Garage in Leicester, which closed on 31 October. The depot was first opened for Midland Red bus operations on 5 October 1957, and went on to have an allocation of around 50 vehicles. However with the building’s fabric needing a lot of repair work, Arriva is concentrating operations on its main depot in Thurmaston with a smaller satellite depot at Barwell near Hinckley.
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To mark the final closure, a farewell rally of former bus types based at the garage was arranged by local enthusiast Trevor Follows with the permission of Arriva’s Area Managing Director Simon Mathieson. Commented Trevor: “I organised this farewell as Wigston Garage meant a lot to me as I used to walk home from school past it and it gave me my deep interest in Midland Red and buses generally.”
With the South Wigston Garage closure, only five new to BMMO/Midland Red garages remain in use across the former operator’s once vast operating area, at Banbury, Nuneaton, Rugby, Tamworth and Worcester.
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