I was very pleased to see those of you who who visited the Jotus stall at Showbus on Sunday, although I did keep leaving my 'post' to see what was going on elsewhere, so I may have missed you! My thanks, as always, to Joe from Jotus for inviting me along.

On the subject of Jotus, continued maintenance on their website has meant that they are currently unable to accept credit card payments, although this is expected to be resolved very shortly. If you are experiencing problems, please be patient! As soon as the situation is rectified, I will advise accordingly. 

 Photograph courtesy of Dennis Law

The above photograph shows New World First Bus VA27 now in the Citybus non-franchised fleet. Sister Olympians VA4, 19, 26, 27 and 30 have also been transferred to the Citybus non-franchised bus fleet on a temporary basis. While Citybus logos have been applied, no Citybus fleet numbers have been allocated. Their livery have remains in NWFB's corporate style. 

 Photograph courtesy of Jacky Ho

Pictured above is an unusual variation of Corgi's 1/64th scale Metrobus. It carries a special livery and was, I believe, issued in 1995 to celebrate the 120th anniversary of St. Joseph's College (1875-1995). It is understood that the model was issued to students who received a good report. The registration no. is AD1995, on route 7 to Kennedy Road. 

independent transport videos, who produce a wide selection of Hong Kong bus videos, have launched a new website, and to mark this occasion, as well as their 50th title, they are offering a free CD (while stocks last) with each order placed. The CD is 'The Citybus Story' produced by Citybus of Hong Kong in 2000. It is an interactive CD-Rom full of information about the fleet. Just follow the link and take a look.

Two recently published magazines feature articles on Hong Kong buses.

The October edition of Buses features a two-page article entitled 'Hot, Humid and Humming' in which John Aldridge describes the current problems and future plans ahead of Hong Kong's second and third largest bus operators.

The November edition of Model Collector features a three-page article entitled 'Here Be Dragons' in which Alan Walters describes the Long Dragon of China Motor Bus, both in real-life and model forms.

 Photograph courtesy of Chan Ming Tak

A new page has been created for the Best Choose CMB Olympian released in Hong Kong yesterday (04062).

Jotus.com are carrying out maintenance work on their website and for a short period they will be unable to accept credit card payments. You can still, of course, place your orders with them in the interim. As soon as normal service is resumed, I will advise.

 Photograph of BL3 in later life 
 courtesy of Dennis Law

Announced today in the September 2004 edition of 'KMB Today' is news that Cars Workshop is also to release an ECW bodied Leyland Olympian, this being a 10.3 metre version which KMB trialled three (BL1-3). The photograph in 'KMB Today' shows the vehicle in the predominantly red livery with cream skirt and roof. The model will be limited to 2,500 pieces. 

 Photograph  courtesy of Dennis Law

I have also been informed that Heritage Workshop are planning to issue a set of four different generations of tramcar models. One of these will feature the 'post-war' version, of which one is still in service today. It is expected that this model set will be ready for sale before the end of this year. A photo showing the one and only 'post-war' tram, 120, seen in Causeway Bay on 31 July is shown above.

Both feature the Hino S'elega R FD coach, the first being in the colours of Airport Limousine (JB2004) whilst the second is in the livery of Chuo Bus (JB2005).
 

 JB2004 (top) - Airport Limousine
JB2005 (bottom) - Chuo Bus
Photographs courtesy of
 Porte Publishing

I have just been advised that the set-up progress for a tram enthusiast group in HK is now under way. Further details will follow, when known.

Bus Fan World has just issued their 45th issue of Bus Focus magazine. Major contents include:

- Special routes for HK Coliseum's Activities
- Bus Services in Discovery Bay
- Volvo B9TL
- NLB's ex-Citybus MAN NL262s
- Ex-CMB DLs in the UK
- The Expansion of Megabus.com's services
- The Demise of Transbus
- CTB's 105 after its retirement
- The School Bus Fleet in Chinese University, HK
- MAN RTT2s in River Trade Terminal
- SMRT, Singapore
- Buses in Nan Chang, China

An English summary for this issue was also included, which is a nice touch for those of us unable to read Chinese.