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Wednesday 18th August 2021 Arle Court, Cheltenham, GL51 6SY

A grand day out in Gloucestershire with superbly restored Cheltenham-liveried half-cab Bristol KSW

Join us in Gloucestershire at the height of Summer for a day in and around the Cheltenham area using a beautifully restored and repainted Bristol KSW double-decker in Cheltenham District red and cream livery

£55.00

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Only 12 tickets left

About this event

Join us for a grand day out in the Cheltenham area with the superbly restored and beautifully repainted Bristol KSW double-decker UHY 374 in Cheltenham District Traction Company livery. This vehicle has undergone an incredible three-year restoration schedule and we are delighted to have been offered a photo charter day out in the area in which UHY 374 worked formerly until the early 1970s.

We are delighted to be able to offer you a full day of photography in the Cheltenham area using the recently-restored Bristol ‘KSW6G’ 90, UHY 374, as it returns to the area in which it spent most of its working life. The 1950s double-decker has been restored in the attractive deep red and cream livery of the Cheltenham District Traction Company which was a subsidiary of the well-known Red and White United Transport which in turn became part of the British Transport Commission in February 1950. Later the same year, the vehicles and the other assets of that company were transferred to Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company but were operated as a separate entity within Bristol Tramways and therefore the vehicles retained their own red and cream livery.

UHY 374 was delivered to its new owners, the Cheltenham District Traction Company, on 24th September 1955 and entered service the following month. The vehicle had an Eastern Coachworks body and carried the attractive Cheltenham livery in which it has recently been restored. It operated throughout the 1950s and 1960s and became one of only two KSWs retained beyond 1973, as the industrial unrest of the early 1970s made spares difficult to obtain for newer vehicles and the working life of UHY 374 (renumbered from 90 to 8561 in May 1966) was prolonged. Both surviving vehicles lasted to be painted into National Bus Company livery and ‘374’ also went on hire to for work in Coventry. After withdrawal in 1975 the bus went to the Cotswolds Gliding Club for use as a control tower at their Aston Down base. This ensured the vehicle’s survival to be purchased in 1990 by Peter Bailey, be sold to William Staniforth in 2015 and then to pass to Mike Walker of the Bristol Omnibus Collection in December 2015. Restoration started in the Midlands in April 2016 and this was to include a full engine rebuild and a brand new exhaust system plus rewiring and extensive bodywork repairs - not to mention a full repaint!

Our day will start with a meeting at the park and ride facility at Arle Court, GL51 6SY, which is near Junction 11 of the M5 motorway. Parking is available here all day, now at a charge of £6.00 per vehicle. We will then head off for our day of photography, meeting at 09.30 for an 09.45 departure and returning to our cars by 18.00 latest. 

We aim to have a break at lunchtime and our team will be conducting selfless and extensive research to find suitable hostelries. It will be too busy in terms of traffic to do a full day in Cheltenham itself, but we will do our best to find authentic or authentic-looking locations in town as well as in the countryside around it.

Although not definitely confirmed, yet, we are hopeful of at least one additional vehicle in the form of a Bristol Greyhound single-decker coach, as these vehicles were a familiar sight in and around Cheltenham, heading into or out of town en route to or from Cheltenham Interchange. Please note that this will not be confirmed until much nearer the date of the event so please treat this as being an extra bonus should it occur and not something that is definitely part of the charter at this stage. Of course, Cheltenham 90 is well worth the trip in its own right, and the photogenic livery and vintage outline of this half-cab vehicle should look great in and around regency Cheltenham.

As ever, we are aiming for an enjoyable day out with excellent photographic opportunities, so why not join us for a Summer day out around the Cheltenham area of Gloucestershire.

Currently all of our events will run in line with our Covid-19 policy that follows government guidelines. You can find our Covid-19 policy information page here.

Images by Michael Walker.


Event requirements

Equipment

  • Spare batteries
  • Camera
  • Lenses
  • Camera protection - rain covers etc

Other things you should bring

  • Snacks
  • Bottled water

Knowledge

  • All levels welcome

Fitness

  • Low

Other essentials

  • Wet weather gear

Event location

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