Following on from the previous set of photos of French machinery operating in Tula, here are some more. Thanks again to Nikolai Markov for providing them.
Tula no. 303
(AM 140 71)
The only Mercedes O305 / Heuliez in Tula (in its
original form, anyway), is this example. The white and turquoise livery traces
it back to the town of Aix-en-Provence, who were one of the last major operators
of the type in France.
Tula no. 303
(AM 140 71)
The Mercedes O305 / Heuliez again, looking quite
tidy.
Tula no. 855
However, Tula do have a few more Heuliez-bodied Mercedes. There are three of
these rare GX44s. They are all the rarer as they were
among the small number of these rebodies which were not operated by the Nantes
fleet. These came from the small town of Cholet and still bear their red and
white colours. 855 was photographed outside the Moscow railway station.
Tula no. 891
(B 616 TB 71)
891 is another of the ex-Cholet GX44s, still bearing its 'Je Roule à
l'Aquazole' slogans (Aquazole is a cleaner form of diesel which includes water
for lower emissions, and is much used in buses in France). Apparently the GX44s
are particularly well-regarded in Russia.
Tula no. 872
(B 463 XP 71)
There are large numbers of PR100-family buses in Tula, including mk. I PR100MIs.
This one was bought from another Russian town (Rostov-na-Donu) however still
bears the insignia of its French operator (TICE, Evry).
Tula no. 818 (A 034 OE 71)
Another refugee from the Parisien banlieue is no. 818, still carrying the
insignia of Transports Val d'Oise of Argenteuil. Like 872 above it is a PR100MI.
Tula no. 867
I was particularly pleased to receive this shot of a working PR100MI, as
it's a bus I'd seen when it was in service in France. Tula 867 was new in 1983,
spent its first two years in the Renault training school and then passed to CTB,
Bourges when still quite young as their number 93. I saw it when it was still in
use in Bourges in 2000, but here it is four years on, still in Bourges colours
in Tula.