Buses In The South West

Ship-Shape & Bristol Fashion

2008-02-27T21:03:00.007Z

With its 1949 designed Lodekka nearing the end of its shelf life, and being unsuitable for one person operation, Bristol’s VR was designed by the company as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline which were the leaders in the one-man-operated double-decker market. The VR was designed to accept either single or double-deck bodywork. Engine choices were Gardner 6LX or 6LW units or the Leyland O.600 and transmission was a 5 speed semi-automatic unit. Although originally designated the N-type, the chassis became known as the Bristol VR, an abbreviation for Vertical Rear, a reference to the layout of the engine which was positioned longitudinally behind the offside rear wheels, as opposed to transversely, which was the norm. Two lengths were available, 32ft 9in and 36ft, and these were designated VRS and VRL respectively. The chassis itself was broadly based on the FLF Lodekka but to keep the height of the vehicle down a drop-centre rear axle and low frame were utilised . Two prototypes were built in spring 1966, and were shown at the 1966 Commercial Motor Show. The prototypes had 80-seat ECW bodies and both entered into service the following year. One, GGM431D, with Central SMT and the other, GHW933D, with firstly, Mansfield District and subsequently Bristol Omnibus. In July 1967 the company introduced the VRT, with a more conventional transverse-engined layout. At this time the chassis also became exclusively a double-decker and two frame heights were available. The longitudinal mounted version remained, and became known as the VRL. However, the 1968 bus grant, intended to modernize the British bus fleets and speed the introduction of one-man operation, specified a transverse rear-engined vehicle, with the result that few VRLs were produced. The first production VRs entered service with Eastern Scottish in December 1968. Problems were experienced with the transmission and overheating of the engine. Co-incidentally, similar problems had occurred in early versions of both the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline. A large number of the initial production versions entered service with the Scottish Bus Group. Continued reliability issues resulted in 1973 in the exchange of 91 Bristol VRTs from Central SMT, Eastern Scottish and Western SMT for front-engined Bristol Lodekka FLF6Gs from the National Bus Company. An updated version was introduced in 1970, designated Series 2, with changes including the replacement of the one-piece engine compartment door with a 3 piece version with a lift up rear section and swing out sides. Later series 2s were fitted with a wrap around windscreen as opposed to the flat screen of previous vehicles. In 1974 the Series 3 was introduced, with the main changes being to the engine compartment to keep in line with new noise legislation, the most visible change being to move the ventilation grills from alongside the engine to higher up, just below the top deck windows, connected to the engine compartment by trunking, plus the removal of the grilles from the rear engine compartment door. The short, lowheight version, became the standard vehicle for the National Bus Company. The VRT remained in production until 1981, by which time 4531 had been built.
Later versions of the VR proved reliable, and some remain in service with independent bus operators across the U.K whilst many have been exported to other countries. Although the overwhelming majority of VRs built carried ECW bodies, other manufacturers products were by no means uncommon on the chassis. Numerous examples were bodied by Northern Counties, Alexander and East Lancs, and to a lesser extent, Willowbrook. The ECW body featured a distinctive rounded rear upper deck, a throwback to the company’s bodywork on the Lodekka. In the main, buses were generally built in the two heights set out in the bus grant standards, 13ft 8in and 14ft 6in. Other versions were built, including the 13ft 10in convertible open-toppers for companies such as Hants & Dorset, Southdown and of course Devon General‘s “Warships“. In further posts I will review the VRs of Western National & Devon General

The Same But Different!

2007-11-18T19:28:00.003Z

Following on from the 1964 delivery of eight 30 ft long AEC Regent Fives, Devon General ordered a further six examples the following year. Unlike the previous examples their 69 seat bodies were built not by Willowbrook but by Park Royal in Acton. They arrived in May 1965 and were numbered 509-14. These Regents, together with a batch of “Reliance” single deckers, were the first vehicles delivered to DG with the new “suffix” type registration numbers, receiving CTT509-14C. As with the previous delivery they started work on the 50 and 55 services in Torquay but were soon to be seen operating from both Exeter and Newton Abbot. In 1967 No.509 was one of three vehicles fitted with experimental “load-meters”. This system consisted of microswitches fitted within the seats to register the pressure of bums on seats. History does not record the systems effectiveness. In January 1971, with the formation of the NBC, all six passed into the hands of Western National and were repainted poppy red. In May 1975 a complete restructuring of route numbers was undertaken by WN. The No2 route between Exeter and Newton Abbot thus became the 187 and was subsequently almost exclusively worked by buses from this batch.In 1977 No.509 was withdrawn and sold directly to Roselyn’s Coaches of Par in Cornwall, whose fleet comprised a great many second hand Regents sourced from many UK operators. In March 1979 No.512 was also withdrawn and sold to a Gloucestershire dealer.In March 1980 the rear upper deck of No.511 was damaged by fire whilst operating a school contract. It was stored at Newton Rd. depot and did not turn a wheel in anger again. The remaining three examples continued in service up to and during 1980 until their time finally ran out in the Autumn of that year due to the rostering of OMO Bristol VRs on the 187 service. The final example to be withdrawn was No.513 which came off service on October 31st, having run an enthusiasts special from Exeter to Torquay’s Pavilion. So, what’s left? Well, No.513 passed into preservation and has been restored back into Devon General’s maroon livery. After spending some time in South Wales as a driver trainer No.510 was thought to have been scrapped in Barnsley but was seen on a travellers’ site near Exeter in 1999, having been converted to a caravan. In 2006 it was acquired by a preservationist in Shropshire and hopefully restoration is a viable option. No.514 was reported in 1988 as being in use as a catering bus in Surrey but has not been heard of since and is presumed scrapped. An unsuccessful attempt was made to secure No.512 for preservation and it was subsequently converted into a play-bus. Following a low bridge accident it was acquired for spares by Chepstow Classic Buses.

Regency Period

2007-11-17T21:33:00.002Z

The AEC (Associated Equipment Co.) of Southall had commenced production of the “Regent” double decker in 1929. Regents in various forms remained in production until 1968 when AEC ceased production of double-deckers, having no rear-engined model to offer the market. Devon General bought its first examples in 1932 having already been purchasers of the Regent’s single deck equivalent, the “Regal”. The company remained loyal to AEC through the years buying all variants of the type up until 1959 when, requiring a rear engined vehicle, they “defected” to Leyland.Following the well documented shortcomings of Devon General’s first Leyland Atlantean deliveries the company returned to AEC when looking for a reliable, large-capacity double decker. To this end eight heavyweight AEC Regent Fives with 30 foot long front entrance Willowbrook 69 seat bodies were delivered to the company between January and April 1964.

The eight were fitted with the AEC AV590 engine of 9.6 litres, were numbered 501-508 and were registered 501-508RUO.They began their service lives in April 1964 on Torquay circular routes Nos. 50 and 55 but could soon be seen on many Newton Abbot and Exeter services. On 1st Jan 1971, following the NBC takeover, all eight became the property of the Western National Omnibus Co. and were repainted from Devon General maroon livery into NBC poppy red. In January 1973 No.504 was badly damaged in an accident at Tipton St. John following the unfortunate death at the wheel of its driver. It was repaired and returned to service. In March 1976 Nos.507/8 were converted to open-top at Newton Rd. garage. Both were repainted into the same livery as the nine “sea-dog” convertible Atlanteans and given names. No.507 became “Prince Regent” whilst 508 was named “Regency Princess”. The intention had been to use them on the 137 Torquay to Dawlish Warren limited stop service but sea-dogs virtually monopolised the route. Consequently the two converts actually saw little service use and in 1978 they were both withdrawn and sold to London Transport. Withdrawal of the remaining six vehicles commenced at the beginning of 1980. Nos. 502/3/5 were stored at Newton Abbot’s power station site and 501/4/6 at Torquay’s Newton Rd. garage. In March No.504 had its engine removed to provide a replacement for another vehicle and by July No.506 had been cut up on site by Western National staff. So, do any survive? Luckily the answer is yes, three. No.503 is currently undergoing restoration by a member of the Devon General Society and No.507 is still earning a living running for Chepstow Classic Buses of Gwent. Fellow open topper No.508 has moved to the sun and is now operated by Big Red Tours of San Luis, California. One other example, No.505, was initially secured for preservation but was unfortunately sold on to a local farm where it was used as staff transport for fruit pickers. Whilst under this ownership it was regrettably destroyed by arsonists.

Last Of The Many

2007-11-03T20:16:00.001Z

What turned out to be the last new to Devon General Leyland Atlanteans were delivered to the company in 1968. The batch consisted of ten PDR1/1 chassis with 75 seat bodies by Metro-Cammell / Weymann. They were numbered 532-541 and registered NDV532-41G. They were , like the previous batch, powered by Leyland’s 0680 engine.
By the time of their construction Metro-Cammell was part of the Cammell-Laird concern. The ship-building group was also the owner of the former Saunders-Roe factory on the Isle of Anglesey and the bodies were fitted out there due to MCW‘s Elmdon factory being seriously overstretched. The bodies themselves were fitted with the rather attractive “Manchester Front” which featured a moulded panel below the dash.
To facilitate boarding the bodies were equipped with a lower front step than previous deliveries and care had to be taken by drivers to prevent grounding. On arrival four were allocated to Exeter, where objections to the operation of front entrance buses on City services had been withdrawn, with the balance being based at Newton Rd., Torquay. All ten passed into the ownership of the Western National Omnibus Co. on Jan 1st 1971. Between then and 1973 they were converted for one man operation, receiving NBC poppy red livery at the same time. At various times, all bar 538/40 lost their moulded front panels either at overhaul or following collision damage. In May 1971 DG introduced the 3X express service between Exeter and Tiverton. Due to the Atlanteans’ comfortable ride one of Exeter’s allocation would always be rostered for this duty.
In 1980 Western National commenced a policy of repainting vehicles into NBC green livery. All bar Nos.535/9 were so treated that year with these two following suit in ‘81. In June 1981 an unfortunate incident occurred in Old Mill Rd., Torquay when No.541 was decapitated by the Sharon House railway bridge at Chelston. No one was hurt and the vehicle was cleverly repaired by DG engineers at Bideford using the roof from “sea-dog” convertible No.933 , enabling its return to service within a month. In 1982 No.537 suffered terminal engine failure and was withdrawn by Western National. It then, rather unusually, passed directly into preservation meaning that it did not join the remaining nine when they became the property of the new Devon General Ltd. upon deregulation on Jan 1st 1983. By the beginning of 1984, following an influx of second-hand Bristol VRs, all but Nos.535/8, had been withdrawn. These 2 continued to work the Rifford Rd. service in Exeter until the end of January when VRs took over. The following month all 9 were driven to a Barnsley dealer and promptly cut up. As previously mentioned No.537 had passed into preservation in 1982. Fortunately its body retained its moulded front panel meaning that it could be restored to original specification. It has now been in active preservation for over 20 years and looks superb in its original livery.

More Power, Igor!

2007-11-01T21:13:00.000Z

Although Devon General’s initial deliveries of Leyland Atlanteans suffered with more than a few early gremlins, once rectified they went on to become stalwarts of the DG fleet. However, the fact that they were underpowered for some of Torbay’s hillier routes meant that any subsequent batches would require a higher engine power output. To this end the next batch of Atlanteans ordered by the company, this time the PDR1A/1 variant, were fitted with the more powerful 11 litre 0680 engine, producing 150 bhp at 2000rpm. This power output was selected as suitable following tests over the appropriate routes in 1963 using a Daimler Fleetline demonstrator (4559VC) fitted with a 10.5 litre Gardner engine. Gear ratios for these vehicles had been determined during November 1965 following trials over the routes using the 11.1 litre 0680 engined Park Royal bodied Atlantean demonstrator, KTD551C. This vehicle subsequently ran for Woods of Mirfield, Yorkshire, in whose livery it is pictured above The 6 new vehicles were delivered in June 1966 and incorporated all the improvements which had been required to rectify the 3 previous batches. They carried fleet Nos. 526-531 and were registered EOD526-531D. 75 seat bodies were fitted, built by Willowbrook of Loughborough. Their style of bodywork incorporated a rather stylish moulded fibre-glass front panel below the dash. The arrival of these buses enabled the turbochargers to be removed from the 5 earlier Atlanteans.
With the formation of the NBC the 6 became the property of Western National on 1st Jan 1971. All became poppy red with four (526/7/30/1) becoming some of the earliest double deckers in the fleet to be converted to one man operation. Early in their lives Nos.526/7 lost their moulded front panels, presumably following accident damage. Plain flat aluminium panels were substituted, no doubt easier to make and fit and certainly enabling the application of a larger advert!
All 6 operated in the Torbay and Newton Abbot area until 1979 when Nos.526/7 were allocated to Exeter for use on the Rifford Rd. services. In 1981 these 2 only were repainted into NBC green but retained “Devon General” fleet names. At deregulation on 1st Jan 1983 all passed to the newly formed Devon General Ltd. Within a month No.526 was withdrawn due to mechanical failure. The remainder were distributed between Newton Abbot, Exeter and Exmouth. All had been withdrawn from service by January 1984.

Unfortunately they were immediately sold to a scrap metal dealer in Barnsley who dismantled them within a week, providing no opportunity for preservation and meaning that none survive.

Doom & Gloom

2007-10-30T22:04:00.000Z

As previously noted, the grim reaper had arrived during 1980 for the 7 Leyland Atlanteans awaiting rebuild at the rear of Newton Rd. (Nos.895/902/3/10/4/7/22).

The following year he returned for Devon General’s remaining serviceable Atlanteans. That year saw the withdrawal of Nos.873/5-9/83-88 from the first batch, 898-901/5/6/8/11/2/6 from the second batch and 923/4 from the third. The majority were stored awaiting disposal on the site of the former power station at Newton Abbot with others lined up on land adjacent to Exeter Airport. In 1982 Nos.872/4/80/2/3/96/7/904/18/9/21 joined them. This meant that at de-regulation on Jan 1st 1983 there were 6 vehicles still in service, one of which, No.881, was 24 years old and still in poppy red, albeit pretty faded! The others were Nos. 907/9/13/15/20, all in green. All were withdrawn during that year with the exception of No.920, which, after re-registration to ADV435A, continued in service with Red Bus of North Devon until 1986, when it donated its engine to keep sea-dog No.925 on the road. Very few vehicles are known to have given further service to subsequent operators. No.874 saw further service with Juliet’s Coaches of Avonmouth and was broken up at Thorntons of Barnsley in 1990. No.882 was reported to have been seen in France during the mid-eighties whilst under the ownership of a night club. This has yet to be substantiated. No.885 was purchased, along with No.911, by Earnside of Glenfarg in Scotland. Both ran for them between April '81 and Sep' 82. No.885 then passed to Tofthill Farm in Glencarse, Perthshire where it was used for ferrying fruit pickers to and from work. Whilst under that ownership it was re-registered WTS715A and very quickly degenerated into a decrepit state. It was advertised for sale as late as 2002.

And so to preservation. Unfortunately the news is not good. Of the 47 vehicles across 3 batches only one of these Atlanteans is currently in active preservation. It is Roe bodied No.913, one of the second batch dating from 1960 and is currently owned by Terry Bennett. It has been restored into its original livery of red and ivory. No.872, of the 1959 delivery, is currently undergoing restoration. At this time it is in the safe hands of Warwick Hulme, owner and restorer of “sea-dog” No.931. No members of the third batch survive. I understand that an attempt was made to secure No.920 for preservation but it sustained damage during its removal from Red Bus in North Devon and was scrapped. Further batches of Atlanteans were purchased by Devon General in the mid to late 60s and I will be looking at these in future posts.

Nationalisation = Rationalisation

2007-10-29T22:41:00.000Z

Following the passing of Devon General into NBC control much fleet rationalisation occurred. During 1971/2 eight of the first batch of 17 Leyland Atlanteans were converted for one man operation with the rest being so treated between 1977 and ‘80. Outwardly this was apparent by the lowering of the front destination display to allow operation from the driver’s seat. Inwardly, ticket equipment and periscopes were fitted. NBC poppy red paint was applied between 1973 and ‘75 . The Roe bodied vehicles were already undergoing a policy of gradual rebuilding to correct their numerous structural faults, and these were repainted and converted to OMO as they passed through the garage. In the mid seventies more shortcomings with the Roe bodies had become apparent. These problems were caused more by poor standards of materials used in their construction rather than build quality. By the end of 1976 all vehicles that had not been rebuilt were de-licensed and taken off the road. All were driven onto the grassy area at the rear of Newton Rd. garage and left to the elements. During the next few years some of them were rebuilt and re-entered into service by Western National, but by June 1980 this policy was terminated resulting in the scrapping of the unrebuilt remainder. These were Nos. 895, on which work had actually commenced, 902/3/10/4/7/22. During 1978 No.900 was outshopped in the livery of the Great Western Railway to celebrate 75 years of Railway buses. The GWR had operated the first ever service between Helston and The Lizard so No.900 was allocated to Helston garage and operated on the self same service. The following year two of the final batch received a coat of NBC corporate green paintwork, the first Atlanteans so to do. They were Nos. 920/1 and they also were despatched to work in Cornwall where no doubt, so coloured, they did not look out of place. From December that year a WN directive decreed that all buses requiring paintwork were to be outshopped in green regardless of operating area. Other vehicles to appear thus were Nos. 882/3 from the first batch, Nos. 899/907/9/13/15 from the second and No.918 from the third. During their NBC years many Atlanteans received either all-over advertising or the more reserved “uni-bus” advertising, where lettering was applied around all four sides of the waist section only. The Atlanteans were still operating at over 20 years of age. In the following post I will cover the termination of their service lives.

Devon General's First Leyland Atlanteans

2007-10-28T23:14:00.000Z

Devon General’s first 17 Leyland Atlanteans were delivered in June1959. They were numbered DL872-888 and were registered 872-888ATA. The standard 9.8 litre Leyland 0.600 engine was fitted, developing 125bhp. Their bodies, like the prototype vehicle, were by Metro-Cammell and were fitted with 78 seats. Their capacity ensured their suitability for the heavily patronised route 12 on which they were immediately set to work. This enabled the frequency of vehicles on this route to be reduced. Shortly after their introduction each vehicle had a luggage pen fitted beneath the stairs, reducing the seating by 2. The following spring saw the arrival of the second batch, totalling 23 machines. These were numbered DL895-917, registered 895-917DTT. Although utilising the same power plant these buses differed by having 75 seat bodies which, although ordered from Park Royal, were constructed by Chas. Roe of Leeds to Park Royal’s design, due to a lack of capacity at the Acton factory. 1961 saw two further deliveries of the type. In April the nine convertible sea-dogs, described in earlier posts, arrived. The previous month had seen the arrival of another seven closed top examples. Again powered by the 0.600 engine these were numbered DL918-924 and carried the registrations 918-924GTA. Park Royal bodies built by Roe were once again fitted but differed from the previous batch by having interior fluorescent tube lighting and an illuminated advertisement panel on the offside. As with any relatively new design the Atlanteans weren’t without teething trouble. Some problems were generic and occurred not only to DG’s 37 vehicles but to the type as a whole, whilst others were more specific to the Roe body. Problematic areas on the first batches included weak front suspension components, failing prop-shafts and stress fractures of the chassis’ rear frame at the engine mounts. There was also failure of the cooling fan drive-shaft, clutch problems exacerbated by difficult repair access, leaking window surrounds and tyre blow-outs caused by braking heat not dissipating from inside the rear wheel arch. All vehicles were brought up to scratch mechanically by 1962 at Devon General’s expense. The Roe bodied vehicles proved even more troublesome. The 1960 deliveries suffered from water ingress through the body panelling caused by extensive flexing of the floor areas and upper waist rail. Park Royal supplied strengthening kits for both decks in order to try and rectify the problems. This was only partially successful and the worst affected vehicle, No.916, was sent back to Park Royal for a month for in-depth investigation. The vehicles fitted with illuminated advert panels proved susceptible to battery drain if the lighting was left on without the engine running. The set-up was soon dispensed with! The operational areas covered by Atlanteans contained Torbay’s hillier routes including many in Torquay and the Foxhole area of Paignton. A lack of performance whilst heavily laden on these routes saw a handful of vehicles across all batches being fitted with turbochargers in an attempt to increase power output. The units were designed and built by Eberspacher of Germany in conjunction with Simms, and fitted by Devon General. Unfortunately, although the concept is one that increases an engines peak power, any turbo is inefficient at low engine revs, such as pulling away on a hill. In this respect the exercise only realised moderate success and caused excessive wear to many of the engines components. On Jan. 1st 1971 the entire collection of Atlanteans, together with the rest of Devon General’s stock passed to the Western National Omnibus Co. Ltd. The following post will look at their history subsequent to this date.

Preston's Finest

2007-10-26T23:18:00.001+01:00

In the immediate post-war era bus operators across Britain were facing a reduction in the numbers of passengers carried, and manufacturers began looking at ways to economise. Some experimental rear-engined buses had been produced before the war, but none had made it beyond prototype stage. The need to prevent the intrusion of the engine into the passenger area was a priority. This requirement led to several underfloor engined single deck designs. However, such designs raised the height of the vehicle floor, forcing additional steps at the entrance. On double deckers, problems were amplified, causing either an increase in overall height or an inadequate interior headroom.Leyland began experimenting with ideas for a rear engined double decker in 1952. A prototype was built and fitted with a turbocharged version of the Leyland O.350 engine, transversely mounted at the rear of the sub frame. An automatic clutch andgearbox were fitted. The vehicle was designated the PDR1 (R for 'Rear-engined') and registered STF90. It actually spent a few days on trial with Devon General in 1955.In 1956 a second prototype, XTC684 was constructed with an MCW body, and fitted with the more powerful O.600 engine fitted across the frame, with a centrifugal clutch, pneumo-cyclic gearbox and angled drive. Seating capacity was 78 and Leyland christened it the “Lowloader“.Though two prototypes were thoroughly tested, the same problem of a front-engined bus remained; rear entrances meant that the space alongside the driver was wasted. 1956 saw the maximum length for double-deckers increased to 30ft, allowing a wider entrance to be located ahead of the front axle. This was intended to allow the driver to supervise boarding whilst the conductor collected fares, but it soon became apparent that the design would allow for one-person-operation. Leyland took advantage of this to launch the first prototype Atlantean at the 1956 Commercial Motor Show. Though it had a front entrance the high level of engine noise inside the lower saloon prevented it going on the market. The engine was still inside the body, with the compartment being used for bench seating.Mechanically the prototype Atlantean, 281 ATC, was similar to the Lowloader - O.600 transversely mounted engine situated in the rear offside corner providing drive in a straight line from the engine. A drop-centre rear axle allowed the flat floor, only one step up from ground level, to continue for the full length of the bus. The prototype was demonstrated around the country to various operators. It also had an unregistered sister vehicle, which was used as a testbed. Both were subsequently scrapped.By 1958, Leyland had overcome the majority of the problems and moved the engine to a rear-mounted compartment outside the main body, and the first production Atlantean PDR1/1 with a 16ft 3in wheelbase was launched at that year’s Commercial Motor Show. It was simpler mechanically than the prototype, with conventional front and rear axles, leaf springs all round and a channel section frame. The first production examples entered service in December 1958.Devon General had traditionally been an AEC customer, but when they required a rear engined vehicle Southall’s finest had no such design on the table. It would be 1966 before AEC built their one and only such bus, the rear engined Routemaster FRM1. The first production Atlantean went to Wallasey Corporation in December 1958 and has thankfully, as befits a vehicle of its significance, been preserved. Glasgow Corporation's first was purchased the same month. In the following posts I will be looking at Devon General's Atlaneans in more detail.

Look Out Above...

2007-10-20T20:32:00.001+01:00

In addition to the previously described standard height Leyland Atlanteans imported into Cornwall by Western National between 1975 and ‘77 were 8 low height examples. 7 of these buses, like many of their taller cousins, were transferred from Maidstone & District, with the remaining example coming from Potteries Motor Traction. The ex PMT bus was one of 34 delivered to them in August 1959. It had been their fleet No.L9797 and carried registration mark 797EVT. It carried a Weymann 71 seat low height body and Western National renumbered it 1042.
The 7 ex M&D vehicles had been part of a batch delivered to the Kent operator between January and May 1959. These carried identical bodies to the PMT bus and had been M&D’s Nos. 6443/6/50/1/4-6. Their registration marks were 43/6/50/1/4-6DKT and they became WN’s Nos.1043-9.
All 8 vehicles were allocated to Newquay depot as lowbridge vehicles were a necessity for the North Cornwall operating area. They served that area well until withdrawals commenced in 1981, with 3 soldiering on until the end of the following year.
Sadly none of the 8 survive today. Neither do any of Maidstone & District's own examples. Fortunately one of PMT’s machines has been preserved and can be seen HERE.

One Careful Owner...

2007-10-19T23:43:00.003+01:00

The influx of second hand Leyland Atlanteans to Cornwall in order to satisfy Western National‘s requirements for one-man buses took place between 1975 and ‘77. The vehicles fell into two main types, standard height and lowbridge. Here we look at the standard height examples.
This group numbered 30 vehicles, 26 originating with Maidstone & District and the balance with Trent Motor Traction. The ex Trent vehicles had been Trent Nos. 435, 444, 451 and 452. Their registration marks were RRC69/78/85-6 and they became Western National Nos. 1002-5. They carried 78 seat highbridge bodies by Roe and had been new to Trent in February and March 1960.
The Kent buses came together from what had been 4 separate deliveries to M&D between 1959 and ‘61. The first 16 were from a batch of 35 which had been delivered new between May and October 1959. These had 78 seat Metro-Cammell bodies and in the M&D fleet had carried fleet Nos. DH491/3/4/7/8/502-4/6-9/11/5/6/21. They carried registration marks 491/3/4/7/8/502-4/6-9/11/5/6/21DKT and became Western National Nos. 980-992/994-996.
The remaining 10 also carried Metro-Cammell bodies, all having 77 seats. 6 were from a batch newly delivered between April and July 1960. These had been M&D fleet Nos. DH528/32/3/6/8/9. These were registered 528/32/3/6/8/9HKJ and became WN Nos. 976/7/8/97/8/9. Two were from a batch delivered between November 1960 and January 1961. Originally M&D Nos. DH553/567 they were registered 553/567LKP. They became WN Nos.979 and 993. 567LKP was unusual in that it passed to Western National via Hants & Dorset, who had repainted it into their fleet livery of poppy red. It remained in this livery once in WN hands receiving “Devon General” fleet names and operating from Exeter, looking very much at home among DG’s “native” Atlanteans. The final machines of the 26 to arrive from the Garden Of England were originally M&D DH580/1. These had been part of a batch delivered new in November 1961 and were registered 580/2RKJ. These received fleet Nos. 1000/1 from Western National. All but No.993 were allocated to Camborne, Penzance and St. Austell (Snozzle!) depots. They gave sterling service before the sands of time finally caught up with them in 1980 when withdrawal commenced. The by now 21 year old Atlanteans were finally themselves replaced by 38 DMS Fleetlines acquired by WN from London Transport. Unfortunately not one of these nomadic Atlanteans survived into preservation. However, one of M&D’s vehicles did avoid the scrap man and is today in preservation. It is DH558 (558LKP) and can be seen HERE

Pay As You Enter

2007-10-18T21:37:00.002+01:00

In the 1970s OMO was not just a washing powder. The letters stood for One Man Operation, a system of streamlining operations across the country’s bus services. It did this by placing ticket sales and money handling in the hands of the bus driver, negating the need for conductors and rendering many of them redundant. This meant that the driver not only had to drive the bus, but was now a bus company’s customer services operative and money man. One man operation was a concept which began the 1950s with the advent of the full-fronted bus, as it was not able to be put into practice on any route operated by a half-cab vehicle. By the early sixties simple economics provided the drive for blanket OMO and the removal of half cabs from scheduled services. Following the Transport Act of 1968, the formation of the National Bus Company the following year meant that vehicles could be relocated between separate operating areas with minimum fuss to satisfy operational requirements across the UK. By the early 70s Western National’s double decker roster in Cornwall was made up predominantly of Bristol Lodekkas (such as No.1973, pictured above at Camborne in 1980). To speed up OMO in this area front entrance "Pay As You Enter" vehicles were required.
To this end second-hand Leyland Atlanteans were shipped in from other operating areas. Western National's drivers and fitters had plenty of experience with the type as they had taken control of Devon General's fleet of over 60 machines. The fact that the NBC had a corporate livery meant that transference could be achieved with little delay, and the vehicles duly arrived from Trent, PMT and, in the main, Maidstone & District between 1975 and ‘77. The two Maidstone & District Atlanteans pictured above and below are examples of the two types transferred, although these particular vehicles were not among those which headed to the south west. In the following posts I will describe the transferred vehicles in more detail.

DL933 (933GTA) "Sir Walter Raleigh"

2007-10-14T21:38:00.002+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL933 “Sir Walter Raleigh”. It lost its name in 1979 when it received a uni-bus ad’ for Launa Windows
In June 1981 its top was used to re-roof a newer Atlantean, No.541, which had been decapitated by the Sharon House Railway bridge in Torquay.
933 served DG until withdrawal in 1982 when it was sold to London Transport where it ran on sightseeing tours of the capital.
Sadly, it was sold for scrap in 1990 by its last London owner, Cityrama.

DL932 (932GTA) "Earl Howe"

2007-10-14T21:28:00.001+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL932 “Earl Howe” and served with them until passing to Devon General Ltd. upon deregulation.
It lost its name in 1980 when it became one of two Atlanteans to receive uni-bus ad’s for the Rainbow Hotel (the other was DL918).
Withdrawn in 1983, it was sold to East Yorkshire Motor Services and passed directly into preservation in 1989.
It is the only one of the nine to retain its original destination box layout and is currently owned by Bob Folwell.

DL931 (931GTA) "Sir Thomas Howard"

2007-10-14T21:14:00.001+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL931 “Sir Thomas Howard”. It lost its name in 1979 when it received a uni-bus ad’ for Launa Windows.
In February 1981 it was painted NBC green.
Following deregulation on Jan 1st 1983 it became the property of the new Western National Ltd. It served them only briefly and was withdrawn later that year.It was one of three sold to East Yorkshire Motor Services.
It passed directly from them into preservation in 1990 and is owned by Warwick Hulme.

DL930 (930GTA) "Sir John Hawkins"

2007-10-14T21:06:00.002+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL930 “Sir John Hawkins” and served with them until passing to Devon General Ltd. On Jan 1st 1983. It was withdrawn later that year.
According to DG records it was one of four sold for further use to East Yorkshire Motor Services but I have no information regarding subsequent owners. Having seen or heard no evidence of it for some years I presume it has been scrapped.

DL929 (929GTA) "Sir Richard Grenville"

2007-10-14T19:55:00.001+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL929 “Sir Richard Grenville” and served with them until passing to Devon General Ltd. Upon deregulation in Jan 1983.
Withdrawn later that year, it was sold to Lincolnshire Road Car. They allocated it fleet number 2354 and named it “The Sherwood Forester”. They also re-registered it AFE388A (a Lincolnshire mark), its original mark passing to a Leyland Tiger.
It was used for special services in the Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. However, when redundant in this capacity, it found itself allocated to Skegness working alongside sister 2353 (formerly 928). It served LRC until 1987. I have no information regarding it after this time so presume it has been scrapped.

DL928 (928GTA) "Sir Humphrey Gilbert"

2007-10-14T19:49:00.002+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL928 “Sir Humphrey Gilbert” and served with them until, following deregulation, it passed to Devon General Ltd. On Jan 1st 1983. It was withdrawn later that year. It was sold to East Yorkshire Motor Services of Hull and 4 months later was sold again to Lincolnshire Road Car. They numbered it 2353 and named it “The Sealiner”. Whilst with them it was re-registered AFE387A (a Lincolnshire mark) , its original registration mark passing to a Leyland Tiger. Lincolnshire ran it until 1987 when it was acquired by the London Bus Export Company of Chepstow, Gwent.
A year later it was back home in Torbay in the hands of Quaywest beach resort, Goodrington. It passed into preservation in 1991 in Crawley, but the owners lost interest . During this time it regained its original registration mark from Lincolnshire Road Car and in 1993, still in Crawley, was registered to Abacus Travel Services who used it, along with sister 925, on their Leisurelink services at Gatwick Airport and latterly open-top tours of Brighton.
In 1995 it was known to be operating on school contracts for West Kingsdown Coach Hire in the Dartford and Gravesend areas. In 1997 it passed through Ensign bus and coach sales to Vintage Yellow buses of Bournemouth, in whose ownership it remained until 2003 when it moved on to Somerbus in Stanton Wick.
After this marathon tour of the south of England it was finally obtained for preservation by Terry Bennett and restoration commenced in the Eastleigh area.

DL927 (927GTA) "Sir Martin Frobisher"

2007-10-14T19:38:00.005+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL927 “Sir Martin Frobisher“. In 1978, after transfer to Weymouth in Dorset, it was renamed “Admiral Hardy” and continued to serve DG until withdrawal in 1982. It was sold to East Yorkshire Motor Services, being loaned by them to Lincolnshire Road Car for a time in 1983, reuniting it with 928 and 929. It later passed to Ribble, running on tours of Morecambe, and then Stagecoach Cumberland, becoming their No.1927. During this time it lost its original registration mark, receiving ABV669A, a Preston mark.
It was sold by Cumberland in 1992 to Fife Scottish, this time becoming their No.1102 and was used on tours of St. Andrews. Sold to Glasgow Corporation Transport in July 2003 and again to First Glasgow, becoming no. 39989, in March 2004.
It was used on open-top tours of Glasgow by First until 2007 when it returned south of the border, this time to Kinch Coaches of Minety, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire and is the last “sea-dog” in revenue earning service.

DL926 (926GTA) "Sir Francis Drake"

2007-10-14T19:13:00.001+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961as DL926 “Sir Francis Drake” and served with them until withdrawal in 1982. It was sold to East Yorkshire Motor Services and subsequently ran in the Bridlington area. Whilst with E.Y.M.S. its registration mark was transferred to a car owned by one of their employees. I have no knowledge of it after this time so must presume it has been scrapped.

DL925 (925GTA) "Admiral Blake"

2007-10-14T19:00:00.001+01:00

New to Devon General in 1961 as DL925 “Admiral Blake” and served with them until it passed to the new Western National on Jan 1st 1983. Transferred to North Devon Ltd. (t/a Red Bus) and ran for them until 1988, not being withdrawn by them until 1991. Whilst with Red Bus its original registration number was transferred to a Leyland Leopard coach (3513) and it was re-registered ADV299A.
Following disposal it sat out of use at Winkleigh airfield in mid Devon for a time. By 1993 it was operating for Leisurelink of Crawley and was hired out by them to Provincial in 1994, running on Southsea sea-front. Sometime during this period it received the registration mark MSJ499, which it currently carries. It then ran for Metrobus of Orpington until September 1997 when it passed to Bournemouth Transport, Vintage Yellow Buses, where it ran with sister 928.
In 2006 it was returned to Devon by Jonathan Hawkins of Dittisham who intends to restore it. This bus is the only one of the five surviving examples of the nine delivered new to D.G. to retain its convertible roof.

The English Riviera

2007-10-14T15:10:00.002+01:00

In common with many other bus companies whose operating area included locations with attractive scenery, Devon General operated open-top services to take advantage of their picturesque surroundings. The first buses to operate these services had been 6 AEC Regents of 1934 vintage, which had been converted to open-top in 1955 by Longwell Green and painted ivory with two red bands, one above the lower deck windows and one below the upper windows. The disadvantage of these vehicles was that they could only be rostered in the summer months and lay idle in the winter. This problem was obviously borne in mind when considering possible replacements for these venerable machines in the early ’60s and the result was an order for nine Leyland Atlanteans, which were delivered in April 1961. The Atlanteans had the advantage of being of convertible open-top specification. The bodies were built by Metropolitan-Cammell, who had supplied the bodies on the first batch of closed top Atlanteans delivered to DG in 1959. The detachable roofs could be removed or re-fitted inside an hour using a hoist inside Devon General’s Newton Rd. garage at Torre. 20 bolts secured the whole plot with a molex plug at the front supplying power for illumination. Handrails and screens were fitted when running roofless. The nine buses were numbered in a continuation of the series already applied to previous Atlantean deliveries. They were DL925-DL932 and were delivered in a similar livery to their Regent predecessors, this being a reversal of the standard double deck colour scheme. All were fitted with detachable wooden route boards on the lower deck sides and did not carry any advertising. They also received names. In no small part because they would be operating in west country seaside locations each vehicle received the name of a notable seafarer from the region. A framed print of each mariner hung in the lower deck of its eponymous vehicle and the Atlanteans became known as the “Sea-dogs”. In January 1971, along with all other DG stock, the sea-dogs became the property of the Western National Omnibus Co. upon nationalisation. Once in NBC ownership they started travelling further afield and were soon seen away from their previous homes of Torquay and Exmouth, pitching up in Weymouth, Penzance, Camborne and Newquay. By 1973 they had been repainted into a livery of poppy red and white specific to open-top buses, and in 1975 work commenced in converting them to one-man operation. This involved the fitment of ticket machinery and the lowering of the front destination equipment to enable the adjustment of route blinds from the driver’s seat. All but No.932 had been so converted by 1981. 1977 saw the sea-dogs lowered in status with the delivery of the first 9 of an order of 11 convertible ECW bodied Bristol VRs. These were known as “Warships”, all being named after fighting ships of the Royal Navy. Thus the ships of the fleet all but saw off their commanders, the sea-dogs being demoted, in the main, to more run of the mill services, rarely being seen topless after this time. Withdrawal of the sea-dogs commenced in 1982 but the existence of a demand for open top vehicles across the country, allied with Devon General’s reputation for superior vehicle husbandry, meant that there were enough interested parties to ensure that these fine vehicles could continue to provide sterling service in other parts of the UK. The result of this interest was that from the eighties onwards tourists and holidaymakers in such places as London, the south coast, the north-west, the north-east, and parts of Scotland could appreciate the fine views afforded to them from the upper deck of a sea-dog. So, what about today? Well, the interest in open top buses among both enthusiasts and the general public means that a disproportionate number of these buses tend to survive when compared to their closed top brethren. Fortunately the sea-dogs are no exception to this phenomenon and five of the nine are known to survive. Two have been fully restored in Devon General liveries, two are currently undergoing restoration and one is still earning a living, a fantastic achievement for a 46 year old bus! The fact that only two of the sea-dogs’ 47 contemporary closed top stable-mates survived into preservation shows the regard in which Devon General‘s best known buses are held. Looks like they’ll be delighting enthusiasts for some time to come. In the following posts we review the histories of each of the nine sea dogs.

Where It All Began

2007-10-13T23:00:00.001+01:00

This was the first photograph of a bus that I ever took. Devon General AEC Regent V / Willowbrook No.504 approaches Newton Abbot from Kingsteignton in June 1979 on the 187 service from Exeter. This bus was one of a batch of 8 delivered to Devon General in 1964. Numbered 501 - 508 (501-8RUO) they were ordered following teething trouble with the company's first Leyland Atlanteans. All were withdrawn by 1980.