Ex Arriva NW Palatine II's

[mathias]

RE: Ex Arriva NW Palatine II's
Bad news I'm afraid.
Another big, beautiful Olympian/Palatine has bitten the dust.
Yep, 3273 is no more.
Pictured in Barnsley, March 2014.....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61188429@N06/13238909835/
(Photo Credit; STAN-BUTLER).

By the way, does anyone know what's happened to 3283? DVLA records show its tax ran-out January '13.
So where is it now??
In Queen Square (when nearly-new) in 1996....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27108685@N03/8030674935/
(Photo Credit; haley111)

In Birkenhead, July 2004......
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fwc439h/4490183012/
(Photo Credit; Steven Hughes)

In Southport (when based at Skelmersdale), April 2011.....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28011506@N04/5622110553/
(Photo Credit; Alan Sansbury)

And last seen in Derby depot at the end of 2011....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcw1987/6575543331/
(Photo Credit; MCW 1987)

3283 is notable for two reasons; firstly, it was one of only two luxury Palatines to be registered in 1995, -the other being 3726 (both new 15-12-1995). All of the other 3271-3308 Palatines were registered in 1996.
And secondly, Arriva selected it to be the bus for a UK-wide bus painting competition called 'Artbus'.

It went down to ArrivaMIDLANDS but was eventually rejected in favour of a DLA decker, probably because 3283 was not low floor.
ArrivaMIDS 4788 (S214 JUA) became the Artbus, so 3283 was -effectively- doomed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrivanorth...002251097/
(Photo Credit; LJ51DDA Photography)

Still, it's nice to know Arriva's official Artbus page exists, even if the bus (probably) doesn't...
http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/artbus/