The 2024 early May Bank Holiday yet again brought out the King Alfred buses onto the streets of Winchester for another enjoyable Running Day organised by the ‘Friends of King Alfred Buses’ (FoKAB).  As in recent years the independent transport videos cameras were on hand, bright and early, to record the action of the day for you to enjoy! 
 
Our filming begins at the St. Catherine’s Park & Ride site where a number of buses were parked on display or awaiting their turn to run in service.  Our cameras take an early ride into the city on board the recently refurbished by Go South Coast, Bristol VRT/SL3/6LX with ECW bodywork, 4413 (BFX 666T), built in 1979.  On arrival at the Broadway there is plenty of action to enjoy.  All twelve of the King Alfred services operated from the bus stops on Broadway.  One of the main events of the day was the launch of ‘The Titan’.  This all-Leyland Titan PD2/1 is a combination of two former Isle of Man Road Services Ltd vehicles to form one bus to represent a type that King Alfred operated.  The project has taken almost 35 years to complete.  With just a few finishing touches to be made, and a re-registration to HOR 811 the bus will enter service at future events.  James Freeman, chair of FoKAB launched the bus with Richard Chisnell, FoKAB President and grandson of the founder, Richard Chisnell along with his sister Jenny Brockett.  Apart from the King Alfred buses in service a good variety of buses and coaches were also attending the event.  Chassis types included AEC, Bedford, Bristol, Dennis, Daimler, Guy and Leyland. 
 
A good variety of operators were also represented, including Aldershot & District, Hants & Dorset, Wilts & Dorset, Mervyn’s Coaches, Southdown, Brighton Hove & District, Brighton and Portsmouth Corporations and Silver Star to name but a few!  Our cameras take rides on King Alfred’s RU 8678 the superbly restored 1929 Leyland Lion PLSC3 with Short B33F bodywork.  We take two rides, to and from St. Catherine’s Park & Ride site on Daimler CVG6-30/Northern Counties H70F, 145 (JAM 145E) new in 1967 to Swindon Corporation and now owned by Go South Coast.  Our final ride is on board the AEC demonstrator, UMP 227, a 1949 AEC Regal IV with a thirty-six seat Park Royal body in the green livery of London Transport.  With some amendments this type of bus went onto form the massive fleet of RF buses and coaches for London Transport. 
 
There is plenty of action for you to enjoy.  Most of the filming takes place in the Broadway and on Eastgate Street.  Unfortunately heavy rain came in by mid-day, but this did not deter our cameraman with plenty of atmospheric shots to enjoy!  The final filming of the day is at St. Catherine's Park & Ride where we see buses and coaches arriving and departing in service and with some leaving for home. A big thank you to the organisers and drivers and we hope that you enjoy this great reminder of the day.