The toy box expands...another vehicle joins the group fold 23/11/14

After assisting Gary most of the day before moving his Duple Dominant III-bodied Leyland Leopard EXI6301 - which he previously operated under the 'Transit Express' banner around Nottingham during the late 90's/early 2000's and originally new to Excelsior of Dinnington as KWG131W - from Hearsons Coaches at Nuthall to its new home at the farm with 2599, your blogmaster's alarm began to blink at some unholy hour of Sunday 23 November, and under the cover of darkness, the next chapter of the group's history began to take shape.

Behind the scenes our purveyor of fine omnibuses, Mr Mike Nash himself, had informed us of a significant vehicle in his collection that was potentially for sale. After a group visit to Surrey to view the vehicle in question earlier in the year, plans were put into place to join the group fold, and this is where our story begins.

With daybreak several hours away and darkness still blanketing the East Midlands, we set off in 'Starship Kuga' to pick up the newest toy in the collection. Picking Gary up from middle of the tramworks hell that is Chilwell, and grabbing Calum from Clifton, we put the power down and aside from a quick stop to water the porcelain and consume coffee (we've said before, bus enthusiasts are mostly powered by coffee, or beer), we arrived at 'Nash HQ' near Dorking not long after daylight had risen over the Surrey where we set eyes upon the group's newest member...

Introducing 1321, a 1990 Ulsterbus Leyland Tiger donning the prototype Alexander Q-type body, and registered RXI3321, this was Calum's new toy, and would now join fellow Ulsterbus 2599 in preservation in Nottingham as a second group vehicle. With our friend Mr Nash unfortunately absent with a serious hand injury, the necessary walk-round checks were performed, trade plates affixed, and customary photographs taken before we set off for the long journey back to Nottinghamshire. Our first stop on the return leg was to be the local Esso petroleum-dispensing establishment in Dorking to fill up with the necessary propulsion fluids (diesel for 1321, and more coffee for the move party!)

We pressed on, stopping at Cobham services to water the porcelain once more, take on more fluids and for Paul to be relieved of driving duties for a while, at which point Calum took the wheel of his pride and joy for the first time for a spirited run along the M25/M40/M42 to our next stop at Warwick Services. During this leg of the journey, some general housekeeping was undertaken with the excess seat bases stowed in the overhead luggage racks moved to occupy the rear seat after Gary was nearly decapitated by one such item. At this point, your blogmaster decided to retire to the rear of the vehicle and lie down across two of the seats for some much needed sleep, suffering somewhat from the after-effects of sleep deprivation due to visiting some of Derby's finest drinking establishments the night before.

At Warwick Services, more photographs were taken and another driver change performed, with Gary now taking the hot seat. We pressed on again along the M42/M1 to Leicester Forest East, where Paul relieved Gary of duty with 1321, and set off with Calum for the yard of Silverdale Coaches in Nottingham, Gary and I following in 'Starship Kuga'. Safely at Nottingham, another of our mechanical experts Nik had a quick look at 1321 before we came to undertake the final leg of our journey to the farm. It was at this point that disaster struck...not with our newest group member, but with 'Starship Kuga' in a twist of irony!

As Paul and I came to start the car, it appeared to no longer wish to start, and after much persuasion and little success a phone call was made for the AA to attend the scene. Paul duly dispatched us with 1321 to Hearsons Coaches for Gary to pick up his minibus to act as our replacement support vehicle for the short journey from there to the farm. With Calum driving 1321, and Gary following in the minibus, we made the final leg of the journey to the farm with little incident, where she was parked in her new home across the front of the caravan overlooking 2599. We'd done it - the Tiger had landed, and aside from an air leak blowing away on the doors had performed well.

It was this point that Paul joined us, with a wounded 'Starship Kuga' to inform us that I, bizarrely, was the cause of the mechanical malfunction that had affected our support car! It appears, somehow, after leaving Leicester Forest East, I had managed to sever a wire in the footwell that had interfered with the computer systems and central locking to cause the whole car's electrical system to throw a tantrum! Oops (sorry leader!)

Technical malfunctions aside, Calum's new toy had joined the fold as the latest Ulsterbus 2599 Group member, and a new chapter in the group's history had begun...