An important, if still modern-looking vehicle has been preserved for posterity at family-run Delaine Buses, reports Nick Larkin
The first low floor vehicle delivered to Delaine Buses is now preserved as part of the renowned heritage fleet of vehicles new to the operator.
X7 OCT, a Volvo B7TL with East Lancashire Coachbuilders Vyking bodywork in H45/31F format, was withdrawn from service on 22 December last year, 23 years to the day since it first entered service in 2000.
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The bus has now been donated to the Delaine Heritage Trust, which runs the Delaine Bus Museum, which opened in 2019 with the fleet of buses as its centrepiece.
Delaine Buses director and museum trustee Kevin Delaine–Smith said: “This is a historic bus and has given excellent service. Several other museums have added a low-floor vehicle to their fleet and we decided to preserve X7 OCT.”
The bus will be kept fully tested and ready for the road so it could be used in normal service should the need arise.
Delaine bought four further East Lancs-bodied Volvo B7TLs, the last of which, AD5 OCT, arrived in March 2005.
X7 OCT’s arrival means there are now seven vehicles in the Delaine Heritage Fleet, the others being KTL 780, a 1956 Willowbrook-bodied Leyland Titan PD2, then two Yeates bodied vehicles, MTL 750, a 1958 Leyland Tiger Cub with 1960 Leyland Titan PD3, registration RCT 3, which has been with Delaine from new, ACT 540L, a 1973 Northern Counties Leyland Atlantean, and then there’s E100 AFW, a 1987 Leyland Tiger with Duple bodywork. Finally is M1 OCT, a 1995 East Lancs Volvo Olympian.
