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Thursday 16th May 2013

Western Greyhound
259 - JWV259W
As has been widely reported this week, this company suffered a huge fire at their Summercourt depot in the early hours of Monday 13th May 2013. The heritage fleet is normally elsewhere so was not affected though one of the two VRs is normally in the main depot for use in the normal fleet, as such JWV259W was also lost.

Good luck to the company in recovering its operations.

JWV259W was a popular vehicle, being Western Greyhound's only closed top VR for many years. As such it has been well photographed and been to many events, delving in to the archives here is a study of images submitted to the VR South West News website;

As per copyright laws please note that none of these images shown below are for re-distribution by other people on the internet (yes, that includes Facebook and Flickr), please note that these are photographs sent to this website for use here only. Please respect the original photographers of these images.

A photo of the bus with Brighton & Hove. photo copyright of Richard Field

Newquay, 07/07/06. photo copyright of Shaun C.

Newquay, 07/08/06. photo copyright of Steve Simister

The bus took part in the First Devon & Cornwall VR Farewell event on 9th December 2006. It ventured to Penzance in the morning and it is seen above at St Ives when it duplicated a late afternoon run that used LFJ873W to St Ives, from where 259 headed home empty to Summercourt. photo copyright of Shaun C.

At Foxhole on 25th April 2007 with an afternoon only 521 working from St Austell to Newquay. photo copyright of Simon C.

27/05/07. photo copyright of Simon C.

Newquay, 23/06/07. photo copyright of Simon Coaates

Newquay, 02/08/07. photo copyright of Glenn Knight

Truro, 13/08/07. photo copyright of Mark Skinner

Foxhole, 19/02/08. photo copyright of Simon C.

JWV259W and WG's other VR at the time until it was sold at the end of the 2008 summer season, open top DSU107 (CJH119V). photo copyright of Mark Skinner

259 was painted in to the new Western Greyhound livery in time for the Plymouth Hoe rally of 27th July 2008. photo copyright of Shaun C.

A running day on 2nd May 2009 saw JWV259W operating during the morning - seen arriving at Newquay bus station alongside ex Nottingham Olympian S455ATV. Whilst unfortunately WG lost eight of these Olympians in the fire, this one has survived.
photo copyright of Glyn Williams

Newquay, 02/05/09. photo copyright of Glyn Williams

Newquay, 02/05/09. photo copyright of Glyn Williams

Porth Beach, 0906 St Eval to Newquay working, 02/05/09. photo copyright of Simon C.

St Mawgan, 1105 Newquay to Padstow. photo copyright of Simon C.

Seen at Portreath on the long distance 547 route on 25th June 2011, heading here from Newquay to St Ives. photo copyright of Simon C.

At the 2012 Penzance VR Revival and bus running day, photographed in Marazion on 15th April 2012. Whilst it was present at the 2013 event (the last event it attended) it remained unused as vehicles with a more Western region theme were used. photo copyright of Shaun C.