Where did all the time go?

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Originally receiving the Stagecoach fleet number 18500, ‘Spirit of London’ was later renumbered 19000 and is now in preservation. It is the first production Enviro400 and serves as a tribute to the 7/7 attacks in London. MAXSON GOH

Some buses still feel too new to be museum pieces, says Maxson Goh

I never thought I’d see the day when an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 would be called an ‘old bus.’ Yet here we are, with a few Enviro400s already old enough to enter preservation, even as many newer ones continue to earn their keep in regular service. Having been born in the ‘90s, seeing buses I grew up with like the Volvo B10M and Leyland Olympian preserved in museum collections doesn’t strike me as unusual as they were the ‘old’ buses of my childhood.

But here’s the thing… it’s one thing to look at a preserved bus and think ‘that’s the bus I rode to school on!’ but another experience entirely to see a newly preserved bus and realise ‘wait a minute… that’s the bus I excitedly camped out to photograph after school when it was brand new.’

I know for those with the benefit of life experience and perspective, this is just yet another chapter of a well-worn cycle. But for me, it’s the first time I’m experiencing this, and it feels… profoundly strange. So please, bear with me as I process this new reality and reflect on a few bus models that straddle this divide – still faithfully serving passengers daily on one hand while being cherished by preservationists on the other.

First Manchester 33854, a newer Enviro400 is seen covering a duty on Metroline-controlled route 216. This was a somewhat common occurrence on Saturdays after Metroline began operations in early 2025. MAXSON GOH

 

Preserved Rossendale Transport 114 takes a brief stop on the way to a bus rally. This Dennis Dart was destined for scrap in 2013 but was used by a York-based motorsports company as an airfield shuttle bus until it was acquired by Mancbuses in 2021 for preservation. MAXSON GOH

 

Preserved Stagecoach Manchester 612 on the turning circle at Heaton Park. This Dennis Trident ALX400 was renumbered to 17612 during its service life and was Stagecoach’s first low-floor double-decker to enter service outside of London. MAXSON GOH

 

Stagecoach Midlands 18410, another ALX400 bodied Trident still serves the community of Northampton today, seen here on route 3 to Camp Hill. MAXSON GOH