Bus nostalgia

[splott]

Well Byron what can you tell me about this beauty....................................................

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[Seth]

Seen at Cardiff Central Bus Station, here's one of 18 AEC Reliances delivered for the 1958 season.
They had fleetnumbers 101-118 and were registered OUH 101 etc.

These were Western Welsh's first new Reliances - Harrington's 'Wayfarer IV' body being the choice here.
The AH470 engine and 5-speed gearbox gave a sparkling performance out on the open road. 


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101-106 were 34 seaters, and named 'Ambassador Class', whilst 107-118 were the 39-seat 'Capital Class'.
All had sumptuous individual seats upholstered in WW 'daffodil' style moquette.

106 was class runner-up at the 1958 Brighton Coach Rally, and all 18 coaches remained in service until 1966.

Western Welsh's fleet strength totalled 696 omnibuses as at December 1958.



Maidstone & District had outwardly-similar coaches to these, so our Lizzie may well wish to comment here ........... 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Yes I did see a few of those SM in my time   Very common in the early 60s

Never rode on one though

8-) 8-)

[Seth]

I'm pretty sure that only Maidstone & Distict and Western Welsh had this style of Harrington body.

At this time, you couldn't go wrong with a Harrington-bodied AEC Reliance.
The interior badging said: 'Thomas Harrington Ltd; Sackville Works, Old Shoreham Road, Hove, Sussex, England'.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Yes I did see a few of those SM in my time   Very common in the early 60s

Never rode on one though

8-) 8-)

I think I lie!!

I have just remembered going on a coach of this type in 1959/60 with my great aunts from Tunbridge Wells to Hastings.  The only thing bothering me is that I remember  orange tinted windows along the sides of the roof, like the ones MUD 975 has over just the front windscreen



8-) 8-)

[Seth]

No doubt about it Lizzie .......
Features such as cantrail windows were often 'operator-specific'.

[splott]

Come on then Sethsmate, enlarge on this one.......................................



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[splott]

Here is a nice one from the Chiltern Queens...........................................

Orange front windows but none on the side Lizzie



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[Seth]

Western Welsh's next coaches arrived in 1963, in the shape of four elegant 36ft Leyland Leopards, with Duple 'Alpine Continental' bodies, as seen below.

Fleetnumbers were 140-143; registrations being 140 DBO etc; and entered service in an all-over Royal Ivory livery.


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These Leopards were of the less-common PSU3/3RT variant, and featured the 9.8-litre Leyland 0.600 engine, 4-speed synchromesh 'box, and Eaton 2-speed rear axle.

143 is pictured here in Rawtenstall working an express service to Wakefield, whilst on hire to fellow BET subsidiary Ribble Motor Services.

All four were withdrawn in 1971, and passed to Black & White Motorways of Cheltenham.

WW's coach orders for the next few years reverted to shorter-length AEC Reliance-based vehicles.

[Seth]

Here is a nice one from Chiltern Queens

Orange front windows but none on the side Lizzie


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Took a bit of research did this one .........

'Tis a 1958 AEC Reliance with Plaxton 'Consort' centre-entrance body.
2MU3RV model - so AH470 engine, 5-speed synchro 'box and vacuum brakes.

'Twas new to Batty Holt of Blackburn.

[Sixstring]

Byron/lizzie/splott  what can you tell me about my wadham-stringer bodied Leyland Swift then.......had mine for 3 years now, and having trouble getting parts for it now. Has a 6ltr cummins TD and Allison autobox, used to have 32 seats, but now sleeps 4 and seats only 8 in the lounge area. Could do with a few parts, have fabricated most of them so far.

Cheers.

Mike. oh, and the reg is F33 TMP

[splott]

Byron/lizzie/splott  what can you tell me about my wadham-stringer bodied Leyland Swift then.......had mine for 3 years now, and having trouble getting parts for it now. Has a 6ltr cummins TD and Allison autobox, used to have 32 seats, but now sleeps 4 and seats only 8 in the lounge area. Could do with a few parts, have fabricated most of them so far.

Cheers.

Mike. oh, and the reg is F33 TMP

The best I can do at the moment Mike is.............
Leyland Swift Bus F31 TMP--- sold at auction lot 802
http://www.brightwells.com/Portals/13/July%20Catalogue%20for%20Internet%202008.pdf

Leyland Swift, Reeve Burgess body--- F26 TMP previously owned by Formby Coaches, Merseyside
http://dartslf.com/fleetlists/lists/raddoneurfleet.asp

Did your bus originate from a London Bus Company as *MP is an old London registration?

[Sixstring]

Apologies...mine has a Reeve Burgess body on it!!
Bought mine from Scotland, was previously in Northern Ireland, and before that in Jersey, and before THAT, I believe in Newcastle.
Found some NI currency in it when I stripped it out, and also have the original plate requesting equipment to be stowed etc. for the Jersey Bus company.
Know nothing really about it, but appears to have had a chequered past. Was it based on a Leyland Roadrunner lorry chassis ans running gear?? certainly looks like it!

[splott]

Apologies...mine has a Reeve Burgess body on it!!
Bought mine from Scotland, was previously in Northern Ireland, and before that in Jersey, and before THAT, I believe in Newcastle.
Found some NI currency in it when I stripped it out, and also have the original plate requesting equipment to be stowed etc. for the Jersey Bus company.
Know nothing really about it, but appears to have had a chequered past. Was it based on a Leyland Roadrunner lorry chassis ans running gear?? certainly looks like it!

Could do with the Jersey No as I have found dozens exported to Jersey

[Sixstring]

F31 TMP was a Bristol city council disabled bus, I used to drive it!!! that was the entire reason that I bought a swifty in the first place......
F33 TMP was first used by a company in NI, but bought from a london company that found it was too small for its needs, all the 30-41 TMP's were made and sold at the same time as a batch to this company, who sold them off to smaller operators after fitting out for purpose. "My" council bus had only 8 seats, but carried 6 wheelchairs and had a tail-lift, and my own bus had 32 seats and a tail-lift, but with double rear access doors all the other "TMP's" had boots and small rear windows with a side access door at the rear, mine has a side access door a bit further forward of the rear. Most swifts had double opening front air doors, mine has a single WIDE disabled access air door.
thats about all I can tell you, except mine is a one-off build according to the bloke from Reeve Burgess I spoke to years ago, they only did ONE with the configuration I've got (auto, wide door, double rears, side door, and flat floor, not stepped with vicon clamp rails.)

Oh, and incidentally, when i bought it, it had 20 seats and tables, configured north-south seats with tables inbetween them.

Mike.