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My love-hate relationship with Beeline's London Link service started with the 06:37 departure from Bracknell on Monday 16th October 1998.
Just to make life interesting it was worked by Scania Berkhof No.798 in Rail Air colours complete with route branding for
"South Wales, Cotswolds, West of England" across the top front windscreen. |
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For reasons which may become clear later the route sets off west from Bracknell, the exact oposite direction from London.
Passing through a great sweep of Stagecoach Hants & Surrey teritory, meeting a few interesting independants such as Tillingbourne on the way,
X7 touches the domain of Arriva's Guildford & West Surrey at Bagshot before joining the M3 for a short dash into
London United's red bus stronghold. |
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Being one of the first passengers aboard in the morning I'm usualy in the front seat and it's almost impossible to avoid talking to the driver about buses.
From these little chats I've got the bare bones of the history of X7 with some approximate dates.
It started out as Aldershot & District's Victoria to Aldershot service via Camberly etc..
At that time Beeline had their own LondonLink service from Bracknell numbered X6.
When Stagecoach didn't want the service it was cut back to Yateley in 1992 and passed complete with vehicles to Bracknell.
In 1994 the dead mileage into base from Yateley was converted to service to give the present route.
After a spell at Slough working Greenline services 701 London commuter and 702 Windsor & Legoland
the original Aldershot Volvo Jonckheeres transfered with the London Link service returned to work revised and extended to Bracknell
Greenline services from March 1999. The story of their return is told on its own page
and there is a gallery of archive photographs covering past London Link and Green Line vehicles. |
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The London Link Fleet |
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London Link Scania Berkhof No.745 at Victoria Colonnades photographed February 1999 |
Rail Air Scania Berkhof No.795 in the yard at Bracknell photographed February 1999 |
Greenline Volvo Jonckheere No.790 at Hammersmith Bus Station photographed February 1999 |
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