A Long, Long Way from Inchicore To There
Forget traffic changes on the quays and Guinness lorries having trouble passing down from Heuston Station, it seems the bus to Dublin 8 has just taken a detour via…London?! Patrick Ryan tracks down the facts, and the fiction.
Homesick Dubs could be forgiven for choking on their Lyons tea and Tayto sandwiches this summer as another taste of childhood, the 123 to Inchicore, passed puzzled pedestrians in Westminster, taking in sights likeBig Ben, the statue to Winston Churchill, and the Houses of Parliament as well as towns and villages in Surrey and Kent.
Posters on social media sites like Reddit were just as confused by the photos as this Volvo B6BLE proudly displayed its Dublin Bus livery, route details and 01 D licence plates on a trip where it mixed with oligarch’s Ferrari’s and London’s distinctive double deckers, sparking gags aplenty here about wrong turns, traffic jams at the Red Cow Inn, and changes to timetables.
The mystery of the 123’s 1,000-mile July journey is now solved.
Although the bus looks identical to others amongst the capital’s fleet, unfortunately you can’t blame it’s non-appearance for keeping you that wee bit late visting mammy in St James’s Hospital – unless you’re Daniel O’Donnell.
Before the long trip through the north and midlands of England down to Surrey to participate in the Low-ish Floor Running Day, organised by bus enthusiasts in Godstone, close to Catheram this Wright Crusader II most recently carried fares around the roads and boreens near Buncrana rather than along the streets of Baile Átha Cliath. You can put away that Leap pass and park your Oyster card however because while it still takes passengers these days it is by invitation only.
WV52, as the bus is named formerly served in City Imp’s distinctive red and yellow livery here, before being bought by the family-run McGonagle Bus & Coach Hire in Donegal, and eventually returning home. Restoration on old vehicles is never as easy as 1-2-3 unfortunately and starting in November 2023 many long days went into the overhaul in time for it to make a triumphant return, including a run through Inchicore, a week before Christmas.
Now proudly operated and preserved by the SB² group seven years on from taking the final fare in our Faire City, the WV52 is fondly remembered by drivers and mechanics from the era.
It boasts a sturdy 5.5-litre engine, and kneeling suspension, set on a low-entry midibus chassis that rolled off the assembly lines from 1999 to 2001.
In all 52 of the 267 produced were bound for Dublin Bus with another 10 going to Bus Eireann and the model proved a loyal servant in Ireland. It revolutionized the Dublin Bus fleet and interestingly served as a shuttle to Team GB and other competitors during the 2003 Special Olympics when famous names including Nelson Mandela, Bono, and Muhammad Ali turned out to lend their support for a concert in Croke Park.
The WV-class as its categorized was a mid-model, a link between the cramped City Imp Mercedes minibuses which arrived in 1992 and huge double-deckers like the Volvo B7TLs a decade later, serving for no less than 17 years here, with some lasting even longer on school runs.
Much time and expense went into restoring the former McGonagle workhorse. It needed to be stripped down to receive a thorough mechanical overhaul before eventually being finished in that beautiful, vibrant yellow and blue colour scheme, with the decals and insignia prettymuch indistinguishable to those trundling out of Broadstone, Clontarf, Donnybrook and other garages across the capital.
Like its cousins citywide this route number can be adjusted as required of course, and to celebrate the trip to leafy Surrey the display was changed to “Godstone Green 22” temporarily as shown in our pic, from their Instagram account. This Dublin Bus certainly turned heads in the UK capital and far further afield en route in July, and raised interest at home thanks to comments, videos and photos posted to social media platforms such as Reddit, Instagram and YouTube.
Nearly 25 years after these vehicles first served this city it’s great to see this WV52 finished to 2006 specs going strong, at home and abroad, thanks to the dedication of enthusiasts intent on keeping our transport history alive and kicking.
Bualadh bos – or perhaps bualadh bus? – and a jolly well done, chaps from Dublin 8 (and SW1), to all involved.
Go n-éirí an bóthar libh, lads.
