For anyone that may have been following my other topic on RMweb about producing a model of a HST, they may have noticed that activity of late has gone relatively quiet.
Well, the reason for that is Crossways, my model bus fleet based in Gloucester which operates in 1:76th scale. Most of my modelling activities go into vehicles for the fleet, and (I shall wait for the torrents of noooooo) therefore railway modelling often goes on the backburner.
So, my excuses over, I thought I may as well introduce the fleet to people on here. If there is enough interest I may post updates hon here from the fleet, but I accept that this being a model railway forum it may be the wrong place for the fleet.
The fleet started back in 2012 with a coach and a minibus. The coach was used on a Shearings contract and the minibus as a feeder vehicle. The fleet grew rapidly within the next couple of years, and in 2014 a fleet livery was introduced, as can be seen in the second picture. However, a simplified livery had to be used on smaller vehicles, as the normal livery was too impractical to apply to these smaller vehicles (picture 3).
Vehicles for the fleet come from a variety of sources. I try and do one scratchbuild a year for the fleet, but vehicles also come from kits and repainted diecasts.
March of this year saw the fleet (fictionally) take on the contact to operate the Cheltenham Race Shuttles, we needed in excess of 80 vehicles, so buses were hired in from a number of fellow model bus fleets to make up the number.
If you would like to find out more about the fleet and the race shuttles, there is a website at www.crosswaysbus.webs.com, and a flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/crosswaysbus/
Below are some photo's of fleet members.
An early view of the fleet, before fleet livery was introduced.
The current fleet flagship is GL65 RTZ, a Scania Irizar Pb, seen wearing fleet livery. This is a repainted Oxford Diecast.
BX63 YTR is a Mercedes Sprinter Minicoach, which is wearing the simplified livery for smaller vehicles. This is a conversion and repaint of a Siku diecast.
GL15 EBF is an Optare Solo SR slimline, which is used on route 66H (Gloucester to Stroud via Haresfield), and wears fleet livery. This is scratchbuilt.
