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[Martin_1962]

http://www.kingharrycoaches.com/wedding%20fleet.html

[Lizzie_Zoom]

http://www.kingharrycoaches.com/wedding%20fleet.html

A lovely collection there Martin 8-) 8-) 8-)

I must get married again just to hire one of those!

[Seth]

Aahhh ..........

'Tis an AEC Reliance with Harrington 'Grenadier' body.
New to Greenslades of Exeter, and built to a width of 7'6" for use on Dartmoor, as opposed to the (then) normal width of 8'.

The chassis would have been identical to Lizzie's former coach, though I'm sure that these Greenslades coaches featured the robust AEC 6-speed constant-mesh 'box.

Several of these former Greenslades Reliance/Harringtons survive in preservation.

[Seth]

Replies to my recent thread: http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1274465625/0
plus the current lovely weather, got me thinking about the happy childhood days spent at Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot.

Although the resort was obviously well-served by several bus companies, (including Western Welsh), the principal operator was fellow BET subsidiary Thomas Bros (Port Talbot) Ltd.
Their buses carried a blue-green livery, whilst their coach fleet and the trio of ancient open-toppers wore a cream/blue scheme as seen here.
All these were also named, and the blue was called 'Danube Blue'.
Apart from this trio, the fleet was entirely single-decked, due to low railway bridges in the area. 

[/img]

Here's a shot of all three inside the garage at Acacia Avenue, on the fringe of the vast Sandfields Estate, which was itself ripe bus-operating territory.

The open-toppers were used to duplicate the existing high-frequency routes which connected the suburbs of the steel town via Aberavon Beach to the Sandfields Estate during the Summer months.

On the left is CAP 205, "The Afan Belle" which was a former Brighton Hove & District 1940 Bristol K5G, which came in 1960.
Centre-stage is GHT 127 of 1941 and from the same source, which arrived in 1965. This was named "The Sandfields Belle" and is also a Bristol K5G.
On the right is 1934 AEC Regent Mk 2 OD 7497, which came from Devon General in 1961, and was named "The Margam Belle".

The photo would have been taken circa 1966.

I'll dig into the archives and see if I can come up with more shots taken at Aberavon Beach.
Stand by Mr Splott!  

[Seth]

A no-nonsense, rugged and straightforward 30ft Leyland Titan PD3, from the splendid Southdown fleet.
Bodywork by Wigan-based Northern Counties, built to 'full-front' guise, and known as 'Queen Mary(s)'.
The livery being 'Southdown Apple Green/Cream'.




Southdown had dozens of these, and they were the 'company-standard' double-decker throughout the early to mid '60s era.
I'm pretty sure that the open-toppers as seen here were built with detachable roof sections from new, so that they could be used in service all year round.

Wouldn't have fancied changing head gaskets on that enclosed Leyland 0.600 engine though!

That said, a second-hand Southdown bus was always a good buy, and a goodly number of these survive in preservation!

[splott]

Young Byron asked me to post this summery picture for him. Don't know anything about it but I'm sure Sethsmate will keep us informed...........................................
Nice Zephyr in the back ground
[/img]

[Peachy]

I have been looking for MUD 975 (Lizzie Zoom's Coach) and have been sending emails out left right and centre, well, I got another reply today which reads as follows.......

MUD 975 to J Graham, Fleet 6/80; he was connected with the Mid Hants Railway, the London Midland Society and the Fowler 3F Society. It was last seen 9/84 at Ropley on the MHR. There is an unconfirmed suggestion it became a shed in a garden in Thornton Heath c1987.
Hope this helps
John Wakefield
I am sure this is not what Miss Zoom wanted to hear, and for digging I am sorry if I upset her.
I have spent a few hours today looking on Google Earth to see if it is indeed still in a garden somewhere in Thornton Heath, alas, all to no avail.
I am wondering if anyone knows this area and the people mentioned in the e-mail? Prehaps the bus is still there, waiting to be re-born. Prehaps someone knows that it is still in a garden, or a local scrap dealers in a corner somewhere, please any ideas would be most appreciated by myself and especially Lizzie.
Over to you kind OOFers.
D.

[Peachy]

Young Byron asked me to post this summery picture for him. Don't know anything about it but I'm sure Sethsmate will keep us informed...........................................
Nice Zephyr in the back ground
[/img]

I was in Aberavon beach area only a few days ago.
Small World.

[Sixstring]

Young Byron asked me to post this summery picture for him. Don't know anything about it but I'm sure Sethsmate will keep us informed...........................................
Nice Zephyr in the back ground
[/img]

I could be wrong, but I'll stick my neck out and ask  "isn't that actually a ZODIAC" didn't Zephyrs only have two headlights, and the Zodiac's have four?? if I'm wrong, I apologise. My Dads Zephyr only had two lights, one each side.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

I have been looking for MUD 975 (Lizzie Zoom's Coach) and have been sending emails out left right and centre, well, I got another reply today which reads as follows.......

MUD 975 to J Graham, Fleet 6/80; he was connected with the Mid Hants Railway, the London Midland Society and the Fowler 3F Society. It was last seen 9/84 at Ropley on the MHR. There is an unconfirmed suggestion it became a shed in a garden in Thornton Heath c1987.
Hope this helps
John Wakefield
I am sure this is not what Miss Zoom wanted to hear, and for digging I am sorry if I upset her.
I have spent a few hours today looking on Google Earth to see if it is indeed still in a garden somewhere in Thornton Heath, alas, all to no avail.
I am wondering if anyone knows this area and the people mentioned in the e-mail? Prehaps the bus is still there, waiting to be re-born. Prehaps someone knows that it is still in a garden, or a local scrap dealers in a corner somewhere, please any ideas would be most appreciated by myself and especially Lizzie.
Over to you kind OOFers.
D.

Thanks Di for your splendid detective work! 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

John Graham was known by my husband at the time, so you are definately on the right track!

I knew Thornton Heath when my father in law lived there, so it would be a small world if MUD was there still.  It will be interesting to see if we have any reports back.

Thanks again

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Young Byron asked me to post this summery picture for him. Don't know anything about it but I'm sure Sethsmate will keep us informed...........................................
Nice Zephyr in the back ground
[/img]

That open top bus is just lovely   I want to go for a ride on the top deck!

As for the Zephyr, definitely a lovely sight and could well be a police "Z car" with some imagination

[Peachy]

Z Car(s) Now that brings back memories.
James Ellis Stratford John, Frank Windsor and Brian Blessed (without the beard) et al.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWflrCrwUSw

NOSTALGIA.
Did you spot a very young Dame Judi Dench in that clip.
Oh The Memories. oopps hijacking again, sorry Sethsmate.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Z Car(s) Now that brings back memories.
James Ellis Stratford John, Frank Windsor et al.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWflrCrwUSw

NOSTALGIA.
Did you spot a very young Dame Judi Dench in that clip.
Oh The Memories. oopps hijacking again, sorry Sethsmate.

Indeed Di! 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)  My childhood TV watching always allowed me to see Z Cars, then later Softly Softly, to be further adapted into Softly, Softly Taskforce.  Classics

[Dishevelled Den]

Hadn't taken the time to read through this very enjoyable thread before this.

Although I haven't been on a bus since childhood many of the photographs used brought back memories when the following were commonplace; (as it's an historical film there's a bit more on it at the start than buses but it may be of interest to some)


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V05t_cCGWs[/media]


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0vf48G-2_k&feature=related[/media]


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivADmySB4ik&feature=related[/media]


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXh9S8rH8DQ&feature=related[/media]

[Seth]

Here's Thomas Bros (Port Talbot) Ltd's ex-Devon General OD 7497, in action outside The Four Winds public house on Aberavon seafront, and heading for the terminus at Miami Beach Pleasure Park.
It's resplendent in a livery of cream with Danube Blue relief.

A 1934 AEC Regent Mk2 with Short Bros body, it was converted to open-top guise by it's previous owners.
Named "The Margam Belle", it was already an amazing 27 years old when it arrived in Port Talbot in 1961!!!!!!

[/img]

The open-topper is overtaking 1247 (310 ECY), one of fellow BET subsidiary South Wales Transport's AEC Renowns with 71-seat highbridge Park Royal bodies.

1247 was one of 14 similar machines delivered to Swansea-based 'SWT' in 1963, and has worked the long 7 route via Morriston, Bowen's Arms, Skewen and Neath. This bus would therefore have been based at Swansea (Brunswick Street), and wore a livery of all-over BET Crimson with black mudguards and wheels.
The legal lettering on the nearside skirt panels extolled: "The South Wales Transport Co Ltd; Russell Street, Swansea" and a cast emblem on the nearside bonnet bulkhead displayed the legend "AEC Diesel".

A further five Renowns arrived in 1963, though these had Willowbrook bodies.


Oh, and the overtaking car - it's gotta be a Ford Zodiac.