SCOTLAND IRELAND & WALES
Dublin - 1966
One of a then large fleet of locally bodied Leyland PD2s operated by CIE Coras Iompair Eirann. This one was in the fast disappearing old two tone green livery.
I that thought this deserved a page to itself, not that I have a very comprehensive record of transport for any of the three, however I will build a reasonably interesting selection here over time.
Scottish coverage will be in and around Glasgow and Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Inverness and one or two other places whilst my Welsh record is limited to a couple of municipals and others in the south. Irish subject matter will be what could be found plying in Belfast and Dublin over the Easter weekend of 1966. This was my only visit . Thankfully I got my chance in the days before the north wasted over three decades becoming a decidedly less safe and pleasant place to go.
A LOOK AT GLASGOW 1965 AND 1966
(views of Glasgow's trolleybuses can be found on the Municipal Trolleybuses page)
Lucky shot this! caught on camera in 1966 - LA2 The first of Glasgow's production Leyland Atlanteans was the start of a batch of 150 with Alexander bodywork delivered during 1962. Eventually it would take many more. Rather appropriately it is operating on Route 2!
In 1966 D18 was a careworn old Daimler with a Northern Coachbuilders body. This time it was a CVD6. It is seen putting a potential recruit through his paces.
Engineering Department AEC lorry, converted from bus No. 613 I think. This was a Regent I of 1938 originally fitted with a Cowieson 56 seater body. It was appropriately registered BUS 179.
D226 was a a Daimler CVG6 of 1957 fitted with Alexander bodywork.
D90 was another, older CVG6 model dating from 1955. Weymann 60-seat bodywork was fitted. Note the different tin-front treatment to D226 above.
Under a veritable cats cradle of trolleybus overhead in 1966.
A later Atlantean delivery is seen emerging from the famous 'Highlandman's Umbrella' - the bridge over the road carrying railway tracks into Central Station.
EDINBURGH - 1966
AYRSHIRE INDEPENDENTS IN VIEW -1966-67
A1 SERVICE
The various partners in the A1 Service enterprise acquired a good many surplus London Transport vehicles in the fifties and sixties including several of the early withdrawn Cravens bodied examples, one of which, ex RT1491 shorn of its roofbox as so many of them were, is seen here. They were hard worked and were generally quite scruffy by 1966 so the survival of RT1431 (JXC194) with Kerr & Linney in almost unchanged condition was a lucky break for the London Omnibus Traction Society who acquired it in the January. It survives today in fine fettle with the EnsignBus organisation.
This fine looking Daimler CD6 of Hunter of Dreghorn also survives today though sadly cut down as an open-topper which has rather spoilt it.
Former London Transport RTL44.
Even in these pre-Bus Grant days new vehicles were acquired like this Daimler Fleetline.
If you are sharp-eyed you will see that JXC192 should be an RT in the Cravens bodied series (RT1429) but here sports a normal RT8 type body so it must have undergone a swap, something that subsequent owners of these buses were not often equipped to do.
This was an interesting area for the enthusiast to visit in the sixties. Clyde Coast Services (see below) operated the very first former LT RTL and Kerr & Linney of A1 had the very first and lowest numbered post-war RT - RT152 (HLW139). In this poor shot passing its garage and taken against the sun it can still be seen that it had by then seen a lot of better days.
CLYDE COAST SERVICES
An all Leyland PD1, possibly ex-Ribble.
An all-Crossley double-decker ex Barrow in Fureness Corporation. Sorry about the Chimney pot!
The prototype London RTL was numbered RTL501 and had an RT3 roofbox body with route stencil holder on the pillar beside the front lower deck window - it can clearly be seen here that the roofbox has been removed. It was sold quite quickly and ended its days with Clyde Coast Services.
ALEXANDER MIDLAND (The Blue One)
I had been wanting to deal with this page for some time. The original scans for these view were commercially done and of very poor quality. This also applies to other shots on this page which I will likewise deal with I due course.
If you saw these views before I hope you will agree that they are now much improved. All were taken in 1966 in a fairly short space of time, (it didn't do to be out too long in that weather!) somewhere in Glasgow. I'm not at all sure of the location now or the bus station and garage that is in view on some shots so if anyone can enlighten me I'll change the caption to include the information. There's a lot of derelict land around there then being used for bus parking which could well now be a busy dual-carriageway roundabout or even a shopping centre!! I have to re-locate my Scottish Company Operators ABC to complete the captions, hopefully before not too long.
After 48 years I suppose it's safe to admit that we mucked about with those tempting exterior destination blind controls. There was certainly no such route to Oban or anywhere!
EASTERN SCOTTISH
Classic AEC Regal III - I think this had Burlingham bodywork
When I first looked at these I was taken aback by what I thought were 'utility AEC Regents! The rather square lines of the BB class were certainly indicative of this but it was just the early post-war design of Alexander bodywork
Later members of the class had these attractive Burlingham bodies and were known as 'heavy BB's
and over the Irish Sea
BELFAST CITY TRANSPORT - 1966
Views of Belfast trolleybuses can be found on the municipal trolleybuses page
Like Southend, Belfast saw the potential value in the sturdy chassis of London Transport's unwanted utility D class Daimler CWA6s in the early 1950s and acquired quite a number to have rebodied by the local firm of Harkness. Given away by its mainland London registration, GYL 271 (ex Brush bodied D106) was an example, with a locally registered one of similar type behind.
The more modern aspects of the fleet then are represented here by this Daimler Fleetline.
Classic Guy Arab
A closer look at one of their own Daimlers. This and the Guy above also have the attractive standard Harkness body of the time.
ULSTER TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
A small record in Belfast before it was re-branded as ULSTERBUS. The lighter coloured vehicles here are in a wishy-washy aqua blue colour but memory fails me as to what the older colours seen on most vehicles at the time were - was it mainly dark blue?
IN DUBLIN FAIR CITY - 1966
The vast majority of CIE double-deckers seen at this time were in the newer blue/cream livery much akin to that of Birmingham although some of the older Leylands still sported the attractive two-tone green. One of each is seen here.
Our visit was at the Easter weekend of 1966 which was the fiftieth anniversary of the so called 'Easter Rising' against British rule. Some time before, republican dissidents had blown up and destroyed the Nelson monument in O'Connell Street, but buses continued to show this destination on their blinds.
None of the newer Leylands were seen in the green livery. There were seemingly frequent buses to and from Kilmainham jail and all double deckers seen at this time carried a symbolic sword motif on their radiators with the dates 1916 - 1966. Blissfully ignorant then of this unfortunate aspect of British history I can well recall, not understanding, the apparent hostility towards us by some of the local populace.
WELSH SELECTION STARTER
Braving my usual bus photography weather I spotted this ex Bristol Tramways Bristol SC4LK in 1969 in Caernaervon. It was by then working in the two-tone blue scheme of Silver Star Services .
CARDIFF CITY
I went here first in 1970 a short while before the end of trolleybuses and only managed to get a few usable shots of its buses..........
...........and went back about seven years later, actually as a product of my wish to ride on the 'British Rail wonder of the age, the High Speed Train (HST). In the intervening years Welsh nationalism had grown in importance and buses then sported dual language signage together with a new livery......
Here is shown the new livery (1977/8) and the name City of Cardiff in Welsh
Another interesting feature of the time. Cardiff obviously was affected by the nationwide fleet maintenance difficulties and after London had used them some Southend Corporation PD3s went on to the Welsh capital for a service stint.
NEWPORT CORPORATION
An April 1967 brief drop in saw a fleet of some variety
