Cheltenham Gold
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12th September 2009...
Cheltenham 80 Celebration
Just like May 2004, only better. Stagecoach West assembled an impressive collection of heritage vehicles at the Racecourse near the GWR Station and operating three services, all to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the erstwhile Cheltenham District Traction Company and the launch of Stagecoach Gold.
The services were:
- 80 Race Course - Arle Court via Centre, Hatherley (operating free of charge), every 20 minutes from 1100
- 94 Cheltenham - Gloucester via Churchdown (operating alternately from 1140 with brand new Stagecoach Gold Scania/ADLs and a variety of heritage vehicles, with a heritage bus every 20 minutes). Normal fares applied
- 97/8 Cheltenham - Gloucester via The Reddings, Churchdown village & Innsworth (all departures at and after 1110 ex-Gloucester on this half-hourly combined service requiring four Bristol/ECW RELLs). Normal fares applied
 This Bristol FSF performed the first heritage departure from Cheltenham. With its good load, it lost some time on the journey. It is former Cheltenham District no. 6037, a 1961 example of the shorter, relatively rare 60-seat FS type. Cheltenham had four, arriving in pairs, the first double decks with platform doors. Indeed, they were modern by comparison to the rear loading LDs in use at the time. The livery is traditional 'Cheltenham' red and cream.  The arrival of four Bristol RELLs from 1967 supplanted the four FSFs, sent to Western & Southern National. REs nos. 1000-1003 were numerically the first RELLs to arrive not just in the Cheltenham fleet but across the entire Bristol Omnibus. They were initially crew operated  Originally single door 53 seaters, 1000-3 soon found themselves converted to dual door 44-seat configuration, being the requirement at the time for vehicles engaged upon urban one man operation. 1000 was one of the four REs that worked the 97 & 98 between Gloucester, Innsworth, Churchdown village, Cheltenham the Reddings and Cheltenham town centre on 12th September. Churchdown once again rang out to the sound of 100 per cent Bristol RE operation  An impressive and almost-complete line up of vehicles present at the Racecourse to celebrate Cheltenham 80. From the left were a Bristol LH, Bristol KSW, Bristol J, Bristol MW, Dennis Trident, two Bristol Ls, a tucked away Bristol LD, Bristol FLF, Bristol RE, Bristol VR, a second Bristol RE and a Bristol VR  An ex-Bristol Omnibus 45-seat Bristol MW of 1958 heads a queue of suitably heritage arrivals. The MW has its original destination box as it would have been upon delivery. It was later modified by BOC with a higher dome and 'T' destination equipment. This was the first bus on the celebratory service 80  The second bus on the 80 was also a Bristol MW, no. 2514, seen here being readied for service by owner David Cole. This is a former Gloucester vehicle. No MW found its way onto Cheltenham District
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