Re-filmed because I wasn’t satisfied with my old video.
The final video I got at Quorn was a more recent vehicle. This is 32059, a Volvo B7TL ALX400, which has been preserved for nearly 2 years now. It has also received a new turbo recently.
This was actually my second run of the day on it, having missed Commander 3704 thanks to 1902 getting badly held up by the roadworks in Loughborough. This means that in not even two years, I have now had three runs on it. Not bad considering my experience of these in Leicester service is pathetic, a few trips on the 14 in 2005 and 2006, and one on the 88 in 2012. And no, I never managed any in Manchester.
32059 was new to Leicester as 219 in July 2000 as part of a batch of 12 that were originally branded for the 22. These were Leicester’s first ever low-floor double-deckers. Debranded by the end of 2002 so the last of the newer batch could have the branding, this batch remained in Leicester until March 2014, when they were forced out due to the arrival of ex-London Enviro400s (which were forced out themselves by new StreetDecks just two years later). The first few went to the Potteries, while the others went to Great Yarmouth.
This was one of the Great Yarmouth transfers. A year later, they started repainting them into the Olympia livery, though this one received the old blue and cream Great Yarmouth Transport livery instead. It retains this livery for now, but will be restored to Barbie in the future. It might even have the 22 branding restored.
2020 rolled around, a bug was starting to consume the entire world, eventually forcing it to shut down, and it would also be the end of the line for all of Great Yarmouth’s ALX400s. That was all except 32059, which, thanks to its heritage livery, got to stay in service until we entered 2022. Following a farewell event, and with B9TL 37562 repainted to keep the heritage livery alive, it was preserved and brought back to Leicester.
One of the batch that came later, 32067, was preserved earlier this year, but resides in Birmingham. That is also undergoing restoration work since it was looking very shabby at its time of purchase.
29 сен 2023
