RAY CUFF
Michael Wadman recalls the
thirty years service to the people of North Dorset, and the end of an
era
Of two eras, actually. At Yeovil bus station on Saturday 31st August
2002 at a little after the booked 17:30, GCL 349N duly departed
for Sturminster Newton on Ray Cuff's last journey as an operator,
marking the end of thirty years' service to the people of north Dorset
and bits of Somerset, and also the end of regular use of the Bristol RE
on bus services in the south-west.
Ray’s operations had their
origins in a service operated by Somervale
Coaches from Glastonbury to
Blandford Forum which was introduced on 7/3/66 as a replacement for the
Somerset & Dorset Railway and withdrawn on 5/2/72 when the subsidy
from the British Railways Board was discontinued. Ray drove on this
service and upon its withdrawal he purchased two of the Tiger Cubs used
on it (KDB696 and JBO124) and commenced his own operation which was oriented towards
providing shopping links for communities in the area rather than as a
replacement for the trains.
Services commenced on 7th February 1972 as follows:
4
STURMINSTER NEWTON - Stalbridge - Henstridge - Templecombe - Wincanton
- Bruton - Milton Clevedon (Tu)
/ Southwood (TuF) -
Evercreech -
Shepton Mallet - (some journeys via North Wootton) - GLASTONBURY
TuF
5 STURMINSTER NEWTON - Stalbridge - Henstridge -
TEMPLECOMBE M
6
STURMINSTER NEWTON - Stalbridge - Henstridge - Buckhorn Weston -
Kington Magna - West Stour - East Stour - GILLINGHAM W
7
LYDLINCH - Sturminster Newton - Fifehead Neville - Kingston - Hazelbury
Bryan - Kings Stag - Pulham - Holwell - Stourton Caundle - Bishops
Caundle - Sherborne - YEOVIL S
13
GILLINGHAM - East Stour - West Stour - Fifehead Magdalan - Stalbridge -
Stourton Caundle - Bishops Caundle - Sherborne - YEOVIL S
From early 1973 Ray’s services were marketed as part of the Chris
Knubley’s Brutonian
network, using a common route numbering system. A connection at
Gillingham with Brutonian service 12 provided a facility to Shaftesbury
off service 6, and a similar connection provided a facility from
Shaftesbury and Motcombe into service 13. On Tuesdays, service 4
provided a connection at Evercreech (outward) or Bruton (return) into
Service 8 to Salisbury.
3/73 Service 7 withdrawn between Lydlinch and
Sturminster Newton.
3/7/73 Service 4 diversion via North Wootton
withdrawn.
11/74
Service 13 diverted away from Fifehead Magdalen via Lower Marsh. In
addition the two main journeys diverted between West Stour and Lower
Marsh via Kington Magna.
?/76 Service 7 double run to Fifehead Neville
withdrawn.
5/78 Service 4 Tu
diversion via Milton Clevedon withdrawn. All journeys now via Southwood.
4/4/81 The arrangement with Brutonian having been
discontinued, the following changes were made:
New
service 1 OKEFORD FITZPAINE - Shillingstone - Child
Okeford - Manston - Rixon - Sturminster Newton - Lydlinch - Stourton
Caundle - Bishops Caundle - Sherborne - YEOVIL F; also one Yeovil
- Sturminster Newton journey at 12:00 S
Service 4 withdrawn. Section between Bruton and Glastonbury passed
to Smiths of Pylle.
Service 5 renumbered 4.
Service 7 extended from Sturminster Newton to Rixon, increased to TuS, and renumbered 3.
Service 13 renumbered 2.
2/83 Service 1 withdrawn between Okeford Fitzpaine
and Shillingstone.
22/10/86
Ray had initially registered all his services for D-Day, but the
registration for the 6 was withdrawn, apparently because Tony Tucker (Air Camelot) registered a service from Buckhorn
Weston and Kington Magna to Wincanton, and so this service ceased at
D-Day.
22/12/86
New Service 6 GILLINGHAM - East Stour - Todber - Marnhull -
Hinton St Mary - STURMINSTER NEWTON M NSD replacing a Bere Regis & District service (BR&D
continued to operate on schooldays).
11/11/87
Service 4 (previously service 5): The “live” journeys to & from
Sturminster Newton diverted between Stalbridge and Sturminster Newton
via Stourton Caundle on M SDO
only. Also a W SDO service
introduced STURMINSTER NEWTON - Stourton Caundle - STALBRIDGE.
4/88
Dorset County Council for the first time showed their internal route
numbers allocated to independents’ services in a public timetable book,
and Ray immediately adopted their numbers:
Service 1 Friday service renumbered 241.
Service 2 (previously service 13) renumbered 242.
Service 3 (previously service 7) and the S journey on service 1 renumbered
243.
Service 4 (previously service 5) renumbered 244.
Service 6 renumbered 245.
21/12/88 Service 244 (previously 4, originally 5) W SDO journeys withdrawn.
13/2/89
Service 245 (previously 6) withdrawn between Gillingham and Todber. One
journey from Sturminster Newton diverted from Marnhull via Stalbridge
to HENSTRIDGE. (Note that the last day of the Gillingham section was
actually 24/10/88 as there were no operational Mondays during the
Christmas school holidays.)
23/10/89 Service 245 (previously service 6) Henstridge journey
withdrawn.
19/2/90 Service 244 (previously 4, originally 5) diversion via
Stourton Caundle increased from M SDO
to M.
23/7/90
Service 245 (previously service 6) increased from M NSD to M replacing
Bere Regis & District 117 on schooldays.
20/8/90 Service 245 (previously service 6) withdrawn.
23/11/98 Service 244 (previously 4, originally 5) withdrawn, and
replaced by Cudlipp Coaches.
31/8/02 All services withdrawn. Passed to Cudlipp Coaches
(Linco Travel).
FLEET HISTORY
With
a peak vehicle requirement of 1 and (usually) a total fleet strength of
1, short-term hirings were not uncommon, and these have not been
included. Three relatively long-term loans have been included.
KDB 696 Leyland PSUC1/1T
575806 Weymann
M7861 B44F
New 1957 to North West Road Car.
Ex-Somervale, Midsomer Norton 2/72.
Withdrawn
9/76. Sold by 7/77
JBO 124 Leyland PSUC1/1
543552 Weymann
M6544 B44F
New 1954 to Western Welsh.
Ex-Somervale, Midsomer Norton 2/72. Acquired for spares only.
Passed
to Brutonian as immobile store 10/73
AOR 379C Bedford VAL14
1639 Plaxton
652517 C52F
New 1965 to Glider & Blue,
Bishops Waltham
Ex-James, Sherston 1/76. Withdrawn 12/80
URO 928F Bedford VAL70
7862123 Plaxton
688544 C52F
New 1968 to Alexandra, Enfield .
On loan ex-Barrys, Weymouth 12/80
- 2/81
NUF 438G Bristol RELL6G
3-598 Marshall
B4186 B53F
New 1969 to Southdown.
Acquired 2/81. Sold 4/87
NCN 813L Bristol RELH6G
4-576 Plaxton
733879 C47F
New 1973 to Northern General .
Acquired 11/83
To C49F by 5/87. Sold 2/90
SJB 113M Bristol RELH6G
4-677 Plaxton
7411BXR513 C49F
New 1974 to Alder Valley .
Ex-Barrys, Weymouth 2/90.
Withdrawn
by 6/96. Remains gone by 11/97
GCL 349N Bristol RELH6L (6LX)
4-750 ECW
21426 DP49F
New 1974 to Eastern Counties .
Ex-Coombs, Weston-Super-Mare by 4/96
Withdrawn 6/97. Reinstated 9/00.
Withdrawn 8/02. Sold for
preservation 5/03.
GCL 348N Bristol RELH6L (6LX)
4-747 ECW
21423 DP49F
New 1974 to Eastern Counties .
Ex-Village Tours, Garston 6/97.
Withdrawn
11/98. Sold to Styles Farm (shed) by 8/99.
SAH 851M Bristol RELH6G
4-724 Plaxton
7411BXR510 C53F
New 1974 to Eastern Counties .
Ex-Hembry, Hazelbury Bryan 11/98
withdrawn 3/00. Sold for
preservation 6/01.
YDC 24Y Dennis Falcon
SDA409/132 Wadham
Stringer 9487/83 B50F
New 1983 to Hartlepool.
Ex-Eaglen, Morton 1/00.
Withdrawn
by 9/00. Sold to Styles Farm (shed).
LHT 171L Bristol RELL6L
RELL-3-1911 ECW
20146 B50F
New 1973 to Bristol OC . On loan
ex-Simon Jennings 5/00 - by 8/00.
YAZ 6393 AEC Reliance
6U2R38768
Plaxton 8011AC006/S C53F
New 1980 to Traject,
Huddersfield (FCX 576W)
On loan ex-Shaftesbury &
District 9/01 - 11/01
The
two former Eastern Counties RELHs were built with Leyland engines but
were fitted with Gardner 6LXs by Eastern Counties. The Dennis Falcon
was purchased mainly because it had a Gardner engine but despite
considerable effort and expense it could never be persuaded to run
properly – the climb out of Yeovil on the A30 was painfully slow – and
eventually was given up on. Fortunately the sale of GCL 349N had
fallen through and it was still available, so it was reinstated for
further use and lasted to the end of services in August 2002.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
At
first little obvious change was apparent to the unknowing passenger.
Ray continued to drive “his” services, but as an employee of Linco
Travel and using Linco vehicles. The double run from Bishops Caundle to
Stourton Caundle was withdrawn from the Saturday 243, and TuF journeys
into Yeovil extended to the ASDA store on request. Ray did his best to
discourage such requests.
Mr Cudlipp gradually reduced his
operations over the next few years – the 244 which had had taken over
from Ray in November 1998 was withdrawn in December 2003 – and retired
in March 2004. He sold what was left of his business to Mr Cargill t/a
Frontera Travel, although by then the only bus services that he
operated were the 241, 242, and 243. Frontera continued to operate
these until the middle of August when they suddenly ceased without
notice; for which Frontera subsequently lost their operating licence.
Dorset
County Council arranged replacement services, but they didn’t start
until November. Shaftesbury & District ran service 42 which
followed the route of the 242 but confusingly on Tuesdays instead of
Saturdays. Damory Coaches ran the 241 temporarily for a month to assess
demand, and then diverted their existing 190 Blandford – Yeovil Friday
service over the route of the 241 instead of the main roads it had used
previously. South West Coaches took over the 42 from Shaftesbury &
District in April 2008.
An aside - with Ray
himself most often the driver, holidays could present a problem
- Geoff Toomer of
Stanbridge and Crichel
remembers driving
the routes in the summer of 1985 to cover Ray's week on
holiday!
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Leyland KDB696 in striking
livery. Ray Cuff's first bus at Shepton Mallet in 1973.
(photo courtesy of Michael
Wadman) |
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Bedford VAL 52-seater AOR
379C passes through Bruton in 1976.
(photo courtesy of Michael
Wadman) |
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Bristol RE SJB113M pauses
in Sherborne on Friday 13th August 1993.
(photo courtesy of Michael
Wadman) |
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Another Bristol
RE, 53-seater SAH851M in Yeovil bus station on Friday 19th February
1999; with a Wakes vehicle to left awaiting departure for
Gillingham (a destination served by Cuff from Yeovil on Saturday).
(photo courtesy of Michael
Wadman) |
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Bristol RE GCL349N at Gillingham Station in October 2000.
Owned by Ray Cuff from 1996
till 2003, and earlier with the
Blandford Bus Company (John Cumming)
from 1994 to 1996.
(photo courtesy of
Steve Oxbrow)
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And a rear view of 349N on Ray's last day 31st August 2002
(photo courtesy of Steve Oxbrow)
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An earlier picture from 1992 shows Ray Cuff with SJB 113M
at Yeovil, another Bristol RELH6 with Plaxton body
(photo courtesy of R S Oxbrow)
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The original timetable 1972 (apologies for
poor reproduction, no other copy available) |
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1974 times for the route to Glastonbury.
now advertised under the Brutonian name |
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1974 times for the Yeovil route, now
expanded to operate both morning and afternoon |
Paul
Welling (a former Brutonian employee 1980-82) has researched the Ray
Cuff vehicles and created a set of pictures and links to several of the
vehicles on Flickr.
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