Classic Buses News and Mail (Page 1)

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Why not share a story or a nice picture here ? To send contributions You can Email me here.

Actually this "scrapbook" of contributions has grown so big that I've opened a second page here for archived material.

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."

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.

But the really good news is that 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.....

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.

John Sumner very kindly sent this picture he took of lowbridge Bristol K6A JFM 90, delivered new to Crosville in 1949 as MB337, becoming DKA337 in the later renumbering process. As soon as it had been delivered, it was whisked off with 29 others to serve with London Transport, in order to fill a shortage of buses in the capital during 1949-50. Allotted initially to West Green garage (working routes 144 Ilford - Turnpike Lane, and 144a Enfield - Muswell Hill), it was later moved to Dalston and operated 'south of the river'. So JFM 90 (probably unknown to its present owners) can genuinely claim to be a "London Bus" !

It returned to Crosville in 1950, but early in 1966 it was withdrawn from service and began another adventure. Along with sister buses DKA319 and DKA 327 (JFM 72 and 80), both of which had also worked in London, JFM 90 was exported to Canada. There have been no reports (as far as I know) of JFM 80 since a sighting in Detroit in 1969. Meanwhile JFM 72 was last seen in a British Columbia scrapyard in 1997. So it's likely that JFM 90 may be the only surviving Crosville K6 in the world (there are none in UK, although there are some KSWs) - unless you know better.....

John came across it in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, where it has a clearly popular function as the "Bus Stop Refreshments" fast food outlet. Thanks very much to John for the interesting photo.

I've moved this across from the ** STAR PICTURE ** spot on the homepage, because I liked it so much. Never before published, and copyrighted as part of the Nick Webster collection, here seen in Salisbury in June 1952 is Wilts & Dorset MW 6291, a 1930 Leyland (Lion LT2?) which originally carried a Harrington body, but was rebodied C30R by Eastern Coachworks in 1943. Nick mentions a fleet number of W130 but it appears to be wearing the number 83. Can anyone provide more details of this bus?

By the way, the vehicle alongside would appear to be Wilts & Dorset lowbridge Bristol K5G No.267 (DMR 839), from a batch of five bought in 1946.

Many thanks to Nick Webster for sending me the fine picture.

Dave Mant kindly wrote "I've just spotted the excellent 'Star Picture' on the Classic Buses website. I just happen to have a copy of the PSV Circle / Omnibus Society history of W&D published in 1963. This quotes MW 6291 as fleet No.83, Leyland LT2 with Harrington bodywork - REBUILT by ECW in 5/43. It was sold to a company in Southampton (scrap?) in 1/53. Its Company Body Number was 130."

"I'm afraid I'm not quite old enough to remember these vehicles, being born in 1947. However, I well remember the Bristol K type from my time spent in the bus station in Salisbury from the late '50s onwards!" Thanks Dave. That answers all the questions, I think.

Chris Taylor adds "Your photograph (a very nice picture, I might add) of 83 MW 6291, was one of four Leyland LT2s with Harrington C32R bodies (81-84, MW 6289-92), complete with Walman sliding heads, all entering service in May 1930. Nick Webster's reference to W130 for 83 refers to the body number, and may have been W&D's body number .

A few years after delivery the original Leyland 4-cyl 5.1 litre petrol engines (28.9 hp) were exchanged with the Leyland 6-cyl 6.8 litre petrol units (38.4 hp) from Leyland TD1s 74, 75, 87 and 95. All four carried Salisbury Police Plate numbers 9-12 (81-84) in sequence. All four were rebuilt by ECW as C30R in 1943. The original Walman sliding heads were removed and the apertures panelled over. Folding doors replaced the original outward-opening type. 'Cov-Rad' conversion radiators were fitted several years later but, unlike certain other coach rebuilds, maroon flashes were not added.

81-83 were sold to Whitehouse Metal Ltd. (metal merchants), Northam, Southampton 1/53 and then to A.E. Gash & Co. Ltd. (haulage contractor), Millbrook Road, Southampton. 84 went to B. Hanslip, Redbridge, Southampton 3/52; Sparshatts Ltd., Redbridge, Southampton 4/52; a showman by 7/52. Information is from PSVC P.H.2 - Wilts & Dorset, March 1963."

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Peter Caunt, from faraway New South Wales, Australia kindly sent me this picture. RU 8678 is an all-Leyland Lion PLSC3 that started out as Hants & Dorset No.268 in January 1929. It was more than 40 years later that Peter photographed it.

Peter writes "I attach a photograph of it when owned by The Complete Automobilist, who sold vintage car spares and used it as a mobile shop. It was taken at a VSCC (Vintage Sports Car Club) meeting at a Cheshire pub in early 1970. The firm was based in Baston, Lincolnshire."

The bus has survived - almost. Now heading for 80 years old, the body has proved to be beyond saving, but the chassis has been acquired by Dougie and Ross Scoular, who are in the process of attaching a "spare" ex-Ribble Leyland body to it at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum. We hope to see it out and about again in the next few years. Many thanks to Peter for the picture.

Another picture from Malta kindly sent by Peter Skerry shows JVV 266G hiding away in storage. Ex Northampton No.266 (now open-top), this Daimler CVG6 dates from 1968, and Peter explains why it's in Malta;

"I thought you would like the attached which has been here in store for nearly 14 years through lack of operating approval. There are 5 other open tops here, all Leyland Fleetline 1977/8 vintage. Three will be employed soon by the operator who has a contract from the ADT (Public Transport Authority) and I am aware that he is purchasing 3 more and a spare from the UK to meet this new requirement."

"The Daimler and the other two Fleetlines belong to an operator who failed to get the contract. However, it now seems highly unlikely that the bid winner will be buying the open tops from the bid loser. There has been some speculation that someone in the UK may buy the Daimler for preservation, or in part exchange for a later coach."

Tony Griffin has a picture of this bus in service on this page; http://tony3972.mysnaps.org.uk/p15750848.html. Meanwhile, sister bus No.267 is in UK, preserved in original condition by the 154 Preservation Society in Northampton.

A superb example of a 1947 Commer Commando Crew Bus used by the Royal Air Force on Yorkshire airfields has been secured from The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, as the latest addition to the Yorkshire Air Museum's historic vehicle collection. It is the oldest surviving RAF Commer Commando one and a half decker bus and, in 1999, was one of only 5 remaining examples - there are probably fewer now. Under the care of the Panton brothers in Lincolnshire the bus raised substantial funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund after repaying the investment made by the General Engineering Flight at RAF Cottesmore, who undertook the complete restoration of the vehicle.

XAT 368 was delivered to the RAF in April 1947 and served at various Yorkshire airfields, before being sold at Ruddington in October 1957. New owners Hull Cricket Club found it slow, causing the team to frequently arrive late for matches, although it was good for holding kit! However, a new gearbox cured this problem, but after two years, it was sold on to Newall Engineering, as a staff bus. It then passed to two commercial operators, Primrose Valley Garage & Coaches and W & H Lamb. Possibly due to the fact that it only had 21 seats, it proved uneconomical as a coach and was only in such service for seven months. It seems to have been mothballed before being sold to the British Auto Racing Club in June 1962 for use as a race control vehicle. This saw the removal of many of the seats and reconfiguration as a mobile office, with desks and tables. Sadly the bus fell into disrepair and was last driven at Silverstone in 1972, laying in decay until being bought by David Hardcastle in 1978. Despite David's intentions to restore the vehicle, it remained in this state until he donated it to the RAFBF and the team at RAF Cottesmore in October 1993.

It is now fully running, with the engine described as being 'as sweet as a nut'. Some cosmetic work and electricals need attention on the dashboard but, apart from that, it is pristine, having been totally stripped, reskinned, repainted, re-upholstered to original specification and brought back to serviceability. Since it arrived, the Commando has generated a lot of excitement and enthusiasm amongst staff and visitors. It is sure to become a major attraction in its own right.

Dave Walton from Crewe sent me the following additional information in Jan 2009;

"I was a founder member of North Kent Vehicle Preservation Group to whom David Hardcastle belonged when he acquired this vehicle, and we used my ex Cornwall County Fire Services Austin fire appliance to effect the recovery from Yorkshire. If anyone knows David's whereabouts I would very much like to get in touch with him again.

The recovery is still very fresh in my mind even after 30 years and was done with the aid of two other friends from Gravesend, namely Jim Price & Tony Rich. David took the fire engine to Yorkshire during the week, leaving his Mazda323 for me to drive to Leeds with Jim & Tony on Friday evening after we had all finished work for the week. On Saturday morning we all drove to the hill climb site where the bus had been used as a commentry box, hitched up and started trundling down the M1. A panic moment ensued upon being followed into a service area by a police patrol car with deliberate intent, whose occupants merely wanted to know whether we knew of anyone who may want a Zephyr Zodiac that one of them had for sale!! We spent the night at David's home at Markyate, continuing down to Kent via Central London on the Sunday.

It is really lovely to know that our small efforts over that far distant weekend have helped a rare vehicle to survive & eventually be restored to her former glory and that David's purchase and generosity have also borne fruit - I really must try to see her. Also, a big thank you to all those involved at Cottesmore - she looks a credit to you all."

Progress continues with the restoration of London Transport Leyland Tiger PS1 TD89. Ewen Pring and the team at Timebus acquired TD89 in 2003, and have been beavering away to restore it, with a view to adding it to their classic hire fleet of RM, RLH and RF vehicles.

Ewen says "Most of the wood framework, between ceiling and floor, has had to be carefully replaced. Attached photo, taken about a month ago, shows the situation. Hopefully progress on fitting window pans and panels will proceed more easily and therefore quickly, allowing a 2007 finish."

Since the only TD we see these days is Cobham's TD95, it will be a most welcome addition to the preservation scene. I last saw it working out of Edgware in 1962 (its last year of service), and I sure didn't expect to see it again - let alone after 44 years !

My thanks to Ewen for the picture and the information, and we look forward eagerly to seeing this wonderful machine back on the road.

Keith Scudamore kindly sent me this photograph of a Maudslay Marathon III operated by WEMS Coaches of Weston-super-Mare. His father, Percy Scudamore, was the first driver, and it attracted much attention. As a boy, Keith often went on trips if there was spare seat. It is parked at The Marine Parade, Weston-super-Mare outside the WEMS Garage, formerly Burnells. Keith thinks the livery was a soft grey with maroon stripe, and looked great !

Percy Scudamore worked for Flossie Burnell who owned Burnells Coaches of Weston-super-Mare from 1945 to 1950. Keith remembers that in those days all the coaches lined the prom with the drivers touting for customers to take them on afternoon trips, the highlight often being an afternoon mystery tour taking in Cheddar, Axbridge, and often Mrs.Tilley's for afternoon tea (2 boiled eggs for the driver!). When Flossie died, the company was taken over by WEMS.

This observation coach body style was built by James Whitson & Co., of West Drayton, from the late 1940s onwards. The WEMS example (DFR 395) was one of the first, and was used by the company until 1960. Some, such as this one, were built for front-engined coaches, and a later version was made for underfloor-engined chassis such as the Regal IV, the Leyland Royal Tiger and - most commonly - Fodens. I believe the total built was only about 25, of which the largest customer was, surprisingly, the United States Air Force who bought ten for use in the UK to move crews and officers about. Sadly no examples of the design survive today. Incidentally, perhaps Whitson's greatest claim to fame was that they built the bodywork on the famous Green Goddess fire engines.

WEMS Coaches were eventually taken over by Bakers Coaches of Weston-super-Mare in 1981. They subsequently acquired Dolphin Travel and became "Bakers Dolphin", still operating today.

My thanks to Keith for a fine photograph and the interesting background information.

In February 2008 Philip Kirkman-Page wrote; "As a small boy in Weston-super-Mare in the 1950s / 60s, one of the things I did in the summer was to collect the names of coach companies bringing tourists to the seaside - don't ask me why I did this, I have no idea. WEMS were my "favourite" company, unlike the bigger (blue & grey) Bakers company, and I can assure you that WEMS were grey with green striping and detailing, not maroon, as all my Dinky Toy coaches were very carefully repainted. I recall this actual coach and had a Dinky model in the same configuration."

Steve White emailed in Sept 2009 to say "The legal entity of WEMS was Burnell Motorways (1947) Ltd, trading as WEMS, and this legal lettering was on the coaches right up until the merger/sale to/with Bakers in 1981. I'm not exactly certain whether it was a takeover or merger, as reports in the local papers weren't very clear at the time. WEMS also had a garage at Clevedon up until the late 1970s which had been Dorothy's Coaches, owned by Binding & Payne. They later took over a number of companies including Cutler's of Nailsea, Gratton's of Burnham on Sea, and Burnell's of Weston super Mare, and formed WEMS Western Engineering and Motor Services."

Neil Gratton added "I was very interested to read the pieces on WEMS and pleased to see the name given in full as Western Engineering and Motor Services (actually with a Ltd on the end). Steve White is not quite correct, as Gratton Bros were not taken over, as I understand it, but were involved in the big merger. This strangely included an engineering company in Clevedon which eventually became Cam Gears. My grandfather Tom Gratton was the founding managing director. Sadly we do not have much information from that time so if anyone does know more I would love to hear from them."

Timothy McAbee in Birmingham, Alabama, USA has recently purchased a 1949 lowbridge Bristol K6B, chassis number 76067, delivered new to Hants and Dorset as fleet No.1230 (JEL 249). It was one of a batch of 32 delivered during 1949-50, numbered 1225 to 1256 (JEL 244 to JEL 275). They were a mixed bunch with Bristol AVW, AEC and Gardner engines, but this particular example had an AVW. Timothy wrote "Unfortunately, sometime after the bus was imported to the States, the original engine and transmission was removed and replaced with an American made V-8 gasoline engine and automatic transmission: the drive shaft was modified and air brakes were installed."

Since Timothy wants to return it to its original condition he was seeking a replacement Bristol AVW engine, which is not an easy thing to find. But he has been successful in locating one ! He says "The exterior bodywork is in great shape for the most part. A few years back the previous owner had the exterior skin removed, wood framing repaired, the skin reinstalled and the bus painted. The interior was spruced up at the same time and is in relatively good condition. The chassis appears to be in good condition over all. There are only a few spots of rust in the front fenders, which can be easily repaired."

"My true passion has been restoring English automobiles, primarily sportscars. I have a collection of vintage vehicles, including nine Jaguars produced between 1951 and 1967, six Triumphs produced between 1949 and 1979, and a 1960 Austin Healey 3000. I am a stickler about my restoration work. All my restorations involve complete teardowns and rebuilds of all components. I try my best to restore the vehicles to the way they looked and operated when they rolled out of the factory. My goal is to restore the Bristol to as close to original as I can get it."

This particular bus had not been reported for about 30 years, so it was a surprise when it turned up in Alabama. Only two from that batch still exist, one in UK (No.1238, JEL 257, which is a K5G) and this one. There was another one in Ontario, Canada (1228, JEL 247, a K6A) but it was scrapped in 1995. The one in the UK was found in a wood by a collector in 1999 and, although it has been rescued for future restoration, I believe work has not yet commenced.

Many thanks to Timothy for the details and the picture. We wish him good luck with the restoration.

Chris Stanley has been kind enough to send me some fascinating photos taken by his cousin, Peter Esposito, in the late 1960s. To start with, the picture above was taken in Crystal Palace railway yard on 13 October 1968. It shows STL2692 (HGC 225) which was to become the only survivor of the 1946 Weymann-bodied green STLs. When retired in the mid-1950s, some went to Dundee (see my Dundee page here for details), some went to Widnes, and this was one of six bought by Grimsby. Having served in Grimsby for more years than it did with London Transport, STL2692 was finally withdrawn in 1968 and bought for preservation, and it was at this point that Peter took the picture at Crystal Palace. It has now been restored to its former glory and can be seen periodically at rallies in the south east.

Utility Guy Arab G351 (HGC 130), destined to be another survivor, entered service with London Transport at the beginning of 1946, being based mostly at Upton Park depot, where it was common practice to paint the fleet number on the rear roof dome (visible in the photo), so that the staff in the offices above could identify each bus. The Guy served in the east of London as a red Central Area bus for even fewer years than the STL shown above, passing to Burton-on-Trent in 1953 as their No.70.

It was thankfully acquired for preservation on retirement in 1967 by Rev.John Lines, who rallied it occasionally, but passed it to the London Bus Preservation Trust in 1970. However a total rebuild eventually became necessary, and this was finally completed in 2005, when the bus emerged as the only complete survivor of the breed. Rumours of perhaps another four examples in various conditions have never been substantiated.

John Lines was most interested to see these pictures, and told me "the single decker (on the left) was ex Devon General HTT 487 if I remember correctly. It was swapped by Devon General with Leicester Corporation for a double decker, if my memory also serves me right! It is now fully restored with a member of the Devon General Society". That would be Ron Greet's fine 1946 AEC Regal, now based near Torbay. My thanks to John for the information.

Finally we have another Peter Esposito photograph of a vehicle with a varied history.

Eagle-eyed enthusiasts will immediately recognise the rear roof box, and possibly also the sloping lower line of the cab window, indicating a "pre-war" RT. This was RT106 (FXT 281), new in 1940, although it didn't enter service until the following year. Retired from Central Area work in 1955, it became an LT service vehicle, one of only two 'pre-war' RTs to do so (the other being RT19, whose chassis was used for instruction purposes, and the body mated with RT1420 to become 1037J, a mobile instruction unit). And so RT106 became 1036TV, a unique machine used to demonstrate techniques for righting overturned buses.

It was based at Stonebridge Park for this duty, and that's where Peter photographed it on 11 February 1968, when it was clearly coming to the end of its useful life. Not surprisingly, when the London Bus Preservation Trust eventually bought it in 1971, it was only as a supply of spare parts.

Thanks very much to Peter Esposito for taking the photos and allowing me to use them, and to Chris Stanley for passing them on.

This "scrapbook" of contributions has grown so big that I've opened a second page here for archived material.