Photo of the Week - Week 38 - "Happy Halloween":


Summerhill's DF450 is seen at Lord Edward Street operating the Ghost Bus Tour on the 1st November 2013.

It's a Halloween Special this week in celebration of DF450's appearance on the city streets. Only once a year does the Ghost Bus Tour schedule warrant 2 buses. This year the weekend departures were 1900, 2000 and 2130, with DF450 doing the 2000 on Fridays and Saturdays, while also making an appearance on Halloween night (Thursday 31st November). DF450 is by far the longest continuous serving bus ever in the Dublin Bus fleet, approaching its 42nd year in service. DublinBusStuff provided a brief history of DF450's time in Dublin Bus for Week 9 of this year's photo of the week series (see here). A bus of such age has a character all to itself, affectionately known as "Molly" to staff and enthusiasts alike.


A rear shot of DF450 outside the College of Physicians on Kildare Street on the 1st November 2013.


DF450, on its last scheduled night in service, is seen loading outside HQ on O'Connell Street on the 2nd November 2013.

Mally won't see out 42 years. This Halloween will be its last, with one of AV63/AV64 due imminently to replace it. Over recent years the bus has become somewhat battered and bruised, however for some reason the flaking paint and the dents only added to the image of what a Ghost Bus should look like. One wonders how an ultra-modern low floor bus will compare to the Ghostly sounds of the DAF-engined Atlantean chugging its way through the night. Though not officially withdrawn, Saturday 2nd November saw the last scheduled departure of DF450. It is still the Ghost Tour spare, and RH31 may yet have technical trouble to cause DF450 to have one last reprise, but it is unlikely. RH31 is itself on borrowed time, becoming spare upon the arrival of the first AV and withdrawn upon the arrival of the second. So its worth finishing with it, two Leylands fading into the night.


The stormy red night sky of Saturday 2nd November hangs over RH31 as it loads for its 1900 Ghost Tour departure on O'Connell Street. A new GT sits behind, the Irish Flag fully outstretched over the GPO in blustery conditions.

N.B. This website is not affiliated with Dublin Bus. The information contained herein is intended for enthusiast reference. For all current timetable and route information please refer to the official Dublin Bus Website.