Classic Buses News and Mail (Page 1)

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with many other road, rail and air transport items.

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Peter Davies kindly sent me this interesting information about his Albion Victor (YFO 127, originally Guernsey 8226 in 1958, Victor FT39 KAN / Reading B35F), and others he has known!

"Guernsey fleet number 77 is one of a string of Albions supplied to Guernsey Motors and Guernsey Railway. Designed externally to look like coaches they are in fact buses, licensed to carry 35 seated passengers and 7 standing. Being 27ft long and with a width limit of just 7ft, passengers were in 'close contact' with their fellow travellers!"

"The four cylinder Albion diesel engine proved reliable, powerful for its size and economical (15 to17mpg). The chassis has the benefit of being a straight ladder section design and as a result it was simple and strong. The five speed constant mesh crash gear box is a delight, the gearstick is light to move, close at hand, precise and has a relatively short travel. The Victors were not fitted with overdrives and depending on rear axle ratios the top speed varies from 34 to 48 mph. 77 was originally fitted with a low ratio axle, 34mph, however during Brian Catchpole's ownership in the 1980s and 90s an ex Harrods van mid-range axle was installed. 40mph! Magic!"

"Red and White of Chepstow took over the Guernsey Railway in 1949 and Guernsey Motors in 1951. Red & White were associated with the Albion agents "Watts of Lydney" and henceforth Albion was the preferred supplier. A total of 39 Victors were added to the fleet up to 1958. The body was designed specifically by Mr. J.A. Davies, the Guernsey Railway Co. Managing Director, and who had come from the Newbury & District Bus Company, itself owned by Red & White."

"Guernsey operated school, private hire, service, and island tour schedules and wished to imply to its travellers, tourists in particular that it operated a fleet of luxury coaches. With this in mind the Guernsey body followed the Duple Vista outline, but with bus seats. This reduced the number of vehicles required and significantly improved the flexibility of the fleet. The dual purpose Heaver body's appearance hardly changed from 1950 to 1958. In 1956 Heavers stopped supplying the wooden framed composites bodies and changed to an all aluminium frame. There were many minor changes but the most obvious was the loss of the inset windows and flared lower panels, resulting in a completely flat side. In late 1957 Heavers ceased trading and "Reading and Company" of Hilsea near, Portsmouth started manufacturing the same design bodies for Guernsey."

"I purchased six Albion Victors from the company at the St Peter Port auction in 1980, five for friends and number 77 for myself. Three friends came with me and enough batteries for one bus. The buses came back in threes, three by the roll-on roll-off Channel Islands Ferry, and three as freight on the Commodore Clipper, where they were stowed below decks and craned off in Portsmouth. 77 came on the roll-on roll-off service with the only set of batteries, the other two buses being "tow start only". Our arrival at Portsmouth in the dark involved driving 77 out of the ship, turning round and returning on ship to tow start the other two buses in reverse (we could only tow from the front of the buses, i.e. nose to nose), not a popular move with Chanel Island Ferries. I had also purchased all the Albion spares from the company, in 25 Johnny Walker boxes."

"In 1981 I realised that owning three Victors (JMT 10 and NKO 953 of Fuggles) and only having garage space for two was a disaster in the making, and 77 was sold to Brian Catchpole. Later, finding empty space in my the garage enabled me to buy back 77 and use it for another five years, including using it to transfer the wedding guests to and from the church when I got married. The arrival of a 1944 6x6 GMC truck put space at a premium and something had to go, so the Albion passed on to Martin Willetts. In 2009, I had regained a bus space in the garage and coincidently Martin wanted to sell the Albion! You've guessed it, I purchased the bus for the third time. A new ceiling and the completion of a rewire has just been completed. A repaint is due before Christmas."

"The Guernsey Albion's are a preservationist's delight, with virtually no wood to go rotten, only two steel panels to go rusty and, booking in at 4 tons ULW, it's relatively easy to work on. One person can easily take the cylinder off and change the engine if need be. It will do 18-19 mpg on long runs and 15 mpg on locals. Being only 7ft wide but still carrying 35 passengers, with half-drop windows, an art décor interior and almost pre-war body, adds up to a very period bus with a unique appearance."

"I could of course be biased having owned at one time or another 1559 (ex The Grays, Guernsey), KCD 697 (ex St Dunstans and Hovis), 6436 (Guernsey 36), NKO 953 (ex Fuggles), 6442 (Guernsey 52), 804 (ex Jersey Motor Transport) and 8227 (Guernsey 77). I was also fortunate in being able to "rescue" another six Guernsey Victors by purchasing and importing the buses on behalf of friends. I would be pleased to hear from any Victor owners to share "experiences" and information."

Thanks Peter for the information and photo. If you'd like to contact him, email me and I'll pass messages on.

This picture was taken by Clive Holt in July 2008 at Toddington (that's the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway Toddington - not the one on the M1), and was forwarded to me by regular contributor David Beardmore. It caught my eye because you don't often see this coach (I've never seen it), it's a bit unusual, and I have a question to ask about it.

DUX 655 is a 1948 Daimler CVD6SD with a Metalcraft body fitted in 1950. It was new to Smith's Eagle Coachways (T.G.Smith) of Trench, Shropshire, went into preservation in 1974 and is currently owned (and beautifully kept) by a group in Hereford - led, I believe, by the same person that saved it all those years ago.

My question is this; What was the body fitted to this coach when new? Because if it originally had a halfcab body from 1947 to 1950, then it ought to be listed on my Surviving Halfcab Single Deckers page, which it currently isn't. I suspect it did, because about 3/4 the way down this page http://www.countrybus.co.uk/soa.htm is a picture of what would appear to be sister vehicle DUX 654 in its original form. Can anyone can throw some light on the matter? Please email me if you have any clues. Meanwhile thanks again to Clive and David for the photo.

David Hurley kindly sent the following; "These two Daimlers had an involved history (extracted from PSV/OS pub 2PD5, Sept. 1971).

Both were delivered in 1947 with ACB bodies - 654 C33F, 655 C35F. 654 was rebodied in 1957 with a second hand ACB C35F body from UJ 1441 which had originally been new on 655. 655 was rebodied in 1948 with the Metalcraft C33F body it still carries.

BUT according to Circle records the original body was not placed on UJ 1441 until 5/50! Either the Metalcraft rebody date should be 1950, OR the swap onto UJ 1441 was earlier. I can't see them not using a virtually new body for two years when there was a general vehicle shortage. So the photo of 654 probably shows what 655 looked like originally !!"

Thanks David. I think the body swap date was actually 1950, and the mention of 1948 was an error on someone's part. Anyway I that's evidence enough for me to add DUX 655 to my list of preserved halfcab single deckers, because it was once!

The cream on the cake was when I received this email from Des Lewis in July 2010; "Just surfing the web and came across the Classic Buses News & Mail. Just to make myself known, I am the owner and the person keeping the 1948 Daimler CVD6 DUX 655 on the road since purchase on April Fools Day 1974". Good to hear from you Des, and congratulations on keeping a fine vehicle in such good shape for so long.

Peter Skerry has sent me more information about the ongoing restoration of 1947 AEC Regal KUM 386. (Just to recap, with chassis number O6625309 it was new to Wallace Arnold Tours with a Duple "A" style C35F body. It was sold to Hardwicks in 1952, and then served with Wimpey, contractors, as a staff bus from 1955 to 1959. It is believed to have arrived in Malta around 1964).

Having been in a field for several decades, it is hard to believe that the rejuvenated chassis shown above is the same vehicle. Remarkably, the engine started up when it was first recovered! Since then the chassis has been shotblasted and straightened as necessary, then painted and reassembled.

A suitable Duple body has been kindly donated by Terry Partridge. The body is from derelict Western National 1303, a 1951 Bristol LL6B which has been stored at Winkleigh, Devon for some years. Terry bought it because he wanted the chassis for spare parts. It should have arrived in Malta by October 2009. Peter says "It is a 30 foot model on a Bristol chassis with top corner windows, which of course will be reconstructed as a 27'6" body without those windows. It has been broken down into various sub-units for shipment and whereas some body panels, glass, stairwell and possibly firewall will be re-used, the bulk will be largely for the purposes of templates for a new structure. As such, a fair amount will be scrapped, but we have no choice but to bring them here without Duple drawings."

The work continues, and Peter asks that anyone who can provide any information or assistance in the restoration, or has pictures of the original vehicle, contact him via this website. Meanwhile here is a photo of the body at Winkleigh before dismantling. We will keep you informed of progress.....

Jonathan at the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society drew my attention to great discovery. It's a 1927 Leyland PLSC1 Lion.

TY 3673 (chassis number 46035) was new in September 1927 to Amos Proud of Choppington, Northumberland, with a Leyland B31F body. It was acquired by United Automobile in 1928 as No.B282, and then to Lincolnshire Road Car in 1931, for whom it worked out of Boston, Lincs as No.132.

Exported in the 1950s it became a caravan, and (and here's the snag for any UK-based potential preservationists) it is now in Tasmania! But if anyone wants to restore it, it's looking for a good home. Thanks to Jonathan and the LVVS for the info, and see here for more information.

Here's an interesting picture you won't have seen before ! Recently rediscovered by Peter Caunt, it shows a Manchester Corporation Leyland Titan TD1 in 1953.

New in 1930, No.246 (VR 5768) was one of Manchester's first and only delivery of Titan TD1s, numbered 209 to 248, and acquired to replace single-deck trams on the 53 route between Cheetham Hill Road and Trafford Park. The forty buses were a mixed bunch - although all had lowbridge 'piano fronts' - bodied by Short Bros, Strachans and Brush, with this particular example being a Strachans product. The upper deck had a sunken gangway on each side, and seven rows of triple seats in the middle.

In 1935-36 a major rebodying programme was undertaken, and 246 received a new Crossley 52-seat lowbridge body, with a sunken gangway on the offside only. Many Manchester buses were hired to London Transport (and later to Crosville) due to wartime shortages from 1940 onwards, and 246 may well have been one of those. In 1945-46 the fleet was renumbered, and all Leylands had 3000 added to their fleet numbers, so No.246 became 3246. The very last of the TD1s were withdrawn in 1950, including this one.

Peter took the picture in 1953 when the bus was in use as a store on a farm at Slattocks Bridge, between Manchester and Rochdale. He says that the body was quite complete, and the pneumatic bell push would press, although it didn't ring the bell! You will not be surprised to learn that there are no surviving Manchester TD1s. If only....

This was previously in my "Star Picture" spot, but it seemed worth storing in the 'archives'. Mike Butler contacted me some time ago because his father used to drive for Regent Motorways of Redditch, Worcestershire, and he wanted to know more about the firm. Later he came across a treasure trove of colour slides taken by his father in 1965-67 - all with dates and locations. Here's one of them;

This splendid collection of 1960s coaching products was recorded at Regent Motorways' Studley depot in 1967, and shows (from left to right);

?unknown? - ?Bedford? / ?Plaxton Embassy?
RNP 722 - AEC Reliance / Duple Elizabethan, new in 1956
276 HLC - AEC Reliance / Duple (Northern), new in April 1964 to Global, London W1
SWP 722 - AEC Reliance / Harrington Wayfarer IV, new in 1957
GNP 722C - AEC Reliance / Harrington Grenadier, new in June 1965

The Grenadier on the right apparently won a prize at the Brighton Coach Rally in 1967, and Mike's father drove other Regent coaches at the rally on several other years. The number 722, by the way, was apparently considered lucky by their 1960s managing director John Jakeman. Regent Motorways had a large and varied fleet which, over the years, included Harrington 'fin' bodies, Seddon Pennines, and several Bedford VALs.

A great picture, and my thanks to Mike for sending it (and several others!).

Mike Lloyd wrote in with the following additional note; "Great pic of Regent Motorways' vehicles. I have a fleet list dated 1.68 (PSV Circle) and the only vehicle which fits the description of the unknown possible Bedford is 186 CUY, Bedford SB1 Plaxton Embassy new in 1961 and acquired by Regent 2/67 from Luxor Coaches, Abbots Langley, Herts (where I spotted it!). It had been new to Supreme, Stourbridge. Hope this is of some help."

Allan Haynes wrote "Re the picture of the Regent Motorways lineup at Studley, Redditch - my wife's old stamping ground - I drove for Spring's Coaches of Ashton under Hill, Evesham in 1976-77. As the "new boy" I of course got the oldest coach, an SB1 Plaxton, by then old and tired and pretty decrepit. I almost recognise the number and I have a feeling it was red and grey, not red and cream like the rest of the fleet - so does anyone know where 186 CUY went after Regent? I can't imagine there were a lot of Plaxton SBs about in Worcestershire by 1976 so I guess this could be a picture of my bus. If I had stayed long enough I might have graduated to the Ford R192 Viceroy, but I moved my (part-time) allegiance to the Midland Red and learned proper bus work. Daimler 'deckers, horrible Ford saloons, and the lovely Leopards, still my favourite chassis of all time. Also a couple of weeks on a D9 when one of the Daimlers died. Definitely the weirdest vehicle ever."

Later Mike Lloyd found out where 186 CUY went - "After a short life with Regent, it was apparently sold on to Fogarty, Broadway in 6/68 and then moved to Castleways at Winchcombe, date uncertain, but they withdrew it in 3/76. All this is from my records, based on PSVC publications. I imagine it did not live long after withdrawal by Castleways, but you never know - certainly I have no further details."

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Douglas MacDonald sent me this picture, which was originally in my "Mystery Picture" slot. It's a showman's Leyland Tiger TS8 with a Burlingham body, and the registration JNW 376. I guessed it might have originated with Wallace Arnold.

Robert Preston from Sheffield had all the answers. He said "You are right about the mystery Leyland Tiger fairground vehicle JNW 376 being originally operated by Wallace Arnold. Here are the details and history from the PSV Circle Fleet History of Wallace Arnold, Part 1:-"

"1940 Leyland Tiger TS8 / Duple C32F motorcoach, JNW 376. Chassis No.306797. Body No.9423 Series 2."

"Re-engined with a Leyland 7.4-Litre diesel engine in October 1947, and the body rebuilt by Wilkes And Meade in 1949. In December 1952 it was re-bodied with the 1949 Burlingham C33F body (No.3610) from MUB 435, a Wallace Arnold 1949 AEC Regal III, which received a new Plaxton FC35F body in 1953. It is believed that the fleet number of the Leyland, for at least some period, was 66. JNW 376 was withdrawn from service in 1954, then to N. O'Hara, Spennymoor in October 1954, on loan to Wilkinson, Darlington, 1955, and to a showman by 1959, withdrawn October 1960. Its last owner was F.C.Lester, Farnley, Leeds."

"From my collection of record cards I can positively identify JNW 376 as being a Leyland TS8 with chassis number 301697 or 306797 (there is a little confusion in the record I have!) which carried a (post war?) Burlingham C33F (re)body. My records show that it was acquired by N O'Hara of Low Spennymoor (later of Bishops Auckland) from Shaw Bros of Byers Green (date not recorded), who in turn had acquired it from Wallace Arnold (also date not recorded). It passed to 'Fairs' in June 1957. The registration dates from 1940."

Every now and again Alan Kenny calls me from South Africa and sends some little photographic nuggets, either from his travels or his archive. Here are a few of his recent contributions;

In 2008 Alan visited the James Hall Museum of Transport in Johannesburg and spotted a couple of interesting vehicles. Above is RT2634 (LYF 359), built in 1951 and exported to South Africa in 1964 after retirement from London Transport central area service. It appeared to be in good condition, and was carrying a 2008 road licence. Below is another exhibit at the Museum, an AEC Regent V that was No.839 in the Johannesburg fleet, one of fifty delivered in 1959 and bodied locally by Busaf.

I'm sure Alan would agree that the sight of an open door to a bus garage is too tempting to an enthusiast - you've just got to look inside to find out what's there. Sadly, these days the answer is probably 'not much', but it was not always so; sometimes you could discover Aladdin's cave. The picture below was taken by Alan of Southdown's Elm Grove garage on Hayling Island, while he was on holiday there around 1959. While Beadle-bodied Tiger Cub 1036 (OUF 136) pokes its nose out into the sunshine (has it just had a wash?), one's attention is drawn to the wonderful aged deckers in the background. Must just jot down which ones they are, for the record.....

In May 2008, Alan returned to the scene of the crime and found the depot still standing, although it is now a hardware store. Thanks very much to Alan for his pictures, which are always welcome.

The picture above arrived courtesy of Chris Taylor, who says he took it in the mid 1950s at Longwell Green Coachworks in Bristol, where the buses were apparently being rebuilt. They are two of the three Bristol K6Gs with Massey H56R bodies supplied to Merthyr Tydfil in 1947. On the left is No.9 (HB 6265) and on the right is No.8 (HB 6264). This was an unusual batch, in that the K6G was not common, and nor was a Bristol K with a Massey body.

Alan George has pictures on his website of the bodywork as rebuilt, on his interesting webpage here, and differences include a new maroon & cream livery, a smaller destination box, and new windows. They were withdrawn in 1968 and 1967 respectively. Here is another of Chris's pictures;

Also at Longwell Green's facility is Devon General Guy Arab II GTT 423. A little older than the Merthyr Bristol Ks, this was delivered as fleet number DG323 in November 1945, with a Park Royal body barely distinguishable from a wartime 'utility'. So it's not surprising that the bus was in for a facelift in April 1956 when Chris photographed it; and the work was more than cosmetic apparently, as records show that DG320 to 325 had "Longwell Green" bodies after 1955-56, so perhaps all the Park Royal material was dumped.

Despite the rebuild, the five Guys were put into store during the winter of 1958-59, their duties being taken over by Leyland Atlanteans during the summer of 1959, ending the career of all Guy Arabs in the Devon General fleet. Like several of its compatriots, DG323 was still in store at Torquay in 1960 awaiting a buyer. Was it ever sold? I suspect not, and probably all that effort by Longwell Green ended in the scrapyard after only two summers.

Regular contributor Chris Stanley kindly sent me the above photo from his collection (photographer unknown). He says "I came across the attached pic recently as I was sorting out old photos, and thought you might like it, given your taste for Regals. I've been advised that DMO 320 was AEC Regal O662.4583 / Duple 45107 B35F, new in 1947 to Newbury & District as No.131. In 1950 it moved on to Thames Valley as No.131. The location is Castle Square, Caernarvon, and the operator is probably Hughes of Rhostryfan (all info courtesy of Peter Relf)."

That's all pretty comprehensive. The only comments I would add are that DMO 320 was originally the first of ten similar buses (131-140, DMO 320-329) delivered to Newbury & District, all of which had the pleasing Duple "D" type body. No.131 remained in service (in Thames Valley livery, but using the original fleet number) until 1960 when the last Regals in the fleet were replaced by MW6G buses, and by which time the Newbury & District name had disappeared completely. A surprising number of these Regals were sold to small Welsh operators.