This latest photograph of the Cars Workshop KMB Daimler E shows a rear-nearside view of the model. Unfortunately, I am unable to confirm it's registration/fleet number.

As promised yesterday, more photographs of KMB's new Volvo B9TL with Volgren bodywork, have been added to the Xtra pages of the site.

Pictured above is the next release from Cars Workshop. Further details, and another photograph, will appear tomorrow.

Photograph courtesy  of GK8945@TM-Focus

I have just received photographs of a new KMB Volgren bodied Volvo B9TL, one of which is shown above. Further photos will appear on the Xtra pages of the site tomorrow. My thanks to Thomas Tang and his Yahoo Group for providing this information. 

Photograph courtesy of Jotus.com

Released in Hong Kong today is this caricature bus from Jotus.com, featuring Citybus Alexander bodied Dennis Trident No. 2101 in 'Cityflyer' livery. More photos will appear shortly.

Pictured above is KMB Mercedes-Benz ME20, which has been acquired for preservation. It was originally intended that ME29 would be the subject for preservation, but owing to serious damage to it's air suspension system, ME20 has been acquired instead. I hope to be able to give regular updates about this project.

I have just received Issue Nos. 40 and 41 of Bus Focus, the bi-monthly magazine from Bus Fan World, both of which feature an article on DM17, the ex New World First Bus Dennis Condor, now in preservation in the UK.

Each of the two issues consists of 38 pages of high quality paper, the cover pages (1 ,2, 37 & 38) being in full colour as are the centre pages (17, 18, 19 & 20). 

Whilst the magazine is written entirely in Chinese, the gist of most articles can be picked up from the large number of photographs that accompany the text.

Apart from the article on DM17 being made ready in Hong Kong prior to shipping to the Uk, Issue 40, as the cover photograph suggests, features an article on Wrightbus. Model releases from November 2002 to February 2003 are featured, along with books published over the same period.

Issue 41 again features an article on DM17, this time in full colour in the centre page spread, along with one on the Driver Training buses of KMB. DM8 is also featured in its new guise as a Mobile Eye Clinic.

I am very grateful to Bus Fan World for providing these excellent magazines.

As announced on this site last Sunday, the second model release of the week, and released today in Hong Kong, is AsianBus MCW-Scania Metropolitan (AS1003).

Due for release in Hong Kong tomorrow is the Cars Workshop 12-metre KMB Leyland Olympian (38801) featuring 3BL39 on route number 38 to Kwai Shing.

I am reliably informed that two new models are due for release this week. The first is AsianBus CMB Metropolitan-Scania (AS1003) whilst the second is believed to be a KMB release.

A new page has been created, rather belatedly I am afraid, for the BSI book "The Fleet Directory of Hong Kong Buses - Kowloon Motor Bus", published in May/June. 

The likelihood of of a model of KMB's 3-axle Wrights Gemini has increased greatly with the announcement made yesterday on the diecastbusesinteractive Newsboard that Wrights have agreed for the production of the Eclipse Gemini models to be handled by Corgi. Follow the link for further information. 

I also offer my congratulations to diecastbusesinteractive, and especially to Gerry Brown, on reaching the 10,000th message mark.

A KMB double deck bus carrying children and commuters collided with a truck and plunged off a Hong Kong expressway bridge today, killing 21 people in the territory's worst traffic accident in recent memory. The bus driver was among the dead. Twenty passengers were injured, one of them a nine-year-old girl. Assistant Commissioner of Police Bonnie Smith Yee-lo told a news conference that the truck driver had been arrested and would be charged with dangerous driving. After the collision, which took place shortly after dawn, the bus crashed through a bridge safety barricade on the busy Tuen Mun Road in the New Territories and tumbled 50 metres (160 ft) down a cliff. 

Chan Cho Chak, managing director of bus company Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings, ruled out any problems with the vehicle. He said it was relatively new and had been serviced just a few days ago. The bus is believed to be AP69, a Neoplan Centroliner.

Above report courtesy of Reuters

Photograph courtesy of Jotus.com

Not quite on topic, but an interesting new release from Creative Master Northcord is this 1:87 scale (HO) mass rapid transit train in SBS Transit colours, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of SBS Transit.

I believe the train to be one of the first to operate on the North East Line, the world's first heavy metro driverless mass rapid transit train, which opened on 21st June 2003. The NEL is a fully automated mass rapid transit system. A 20km totally underground line, it consists of 16 stations covering Harbour Front to Punggol.

Only 250 pieces have been released in Hong Kong.