Copyright Ray Soper

Harper Bros
19??
Guy Arab LUF
Willowbrook Viking C??F

This shot is from the Ray Soper gallery contribution titled ‘Harper Brothers of Heath Hayes’ click on the title if you would like to view his Gallery and comments to it.
The shot is shown here for indexing purposes but please feel free to make any comment regarding this vehicle either here or on the gallery.

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Northern General had a batch of Willowbrook Vikings but I cant remember if they were AEC’s or Tiger Cub’s, but they suffered the indignity of having the fronts chopped off, and bus fronts being fitted, the older Fanfare’s were left in tacked

Ronnie Hoye

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27/09/11 – 06:47

I believe this would have been a unique combination, of course Black & White Motorways had Guy Arab LUF’s with the earlier style of Willowbrook coach body and although the Viking was never particularly numerous, I cant think of any others on Guy apart from Harpers.

Chris Barker

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12/01/13 – 06:19

I understand the pair of Guy Arabs with Willowbrook bodywork are for sale in Ireland, at a very reasonable price. If I had a few grand to buy, bring and restore this pair of coaches, I’d have a very attractive fleet. Hope someone has the cash and the knowledge.

Graeme Fisher

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18/01/13 – 06:13

Hi Graeme, they are for sale in Ireland for £1500 each + shipping costs + Low Loaders but both are in very poor condition, they would cost a small fortune to restore, here is a couple of links if you would like to see how they have been treated. www.flickr.com/photos/one and ww.flickr.com/photos/two
not a bit like when I had the pleasure of driving them.

Phil Burton

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18/01/13 – 08:16

Very sad.

Chris Hebbron

13/08/14 – 10:50

The good news is the two Guy Arab Luf’s have been rescued from Ireland and are now at Aston Manor to hopefully be restored & returned to their former glory

Phil Burton

13/08/14 – 18:20

Let’s hope a better price was negotiated than the inflated one above. Good luck to Aston Manor Museum.

Chris Hebbron

29/12/15 – 06:44

I think that at end 2015 one of these two was being worked on by volunteers at Aston Manor decision being to make one good from two. Suspect however as always work is concentrated on one or two individuals so progress is understandably slow

Roger Burdett

30/12/15 – 06:29

I recall, at a visit a couple of years ago, that Aston Manor already had a restored Guy Arab LUF with SARO body. To have two, or possibly three, would be amazing! See here: www.bus-and-coach-photos.com/

Chris Hebbron

30/12/15 – 06:30

On the flickr page linked to by Phil B it isn’t immediately obvious that the ‘Ashbourne’ referred to is in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, not Derbyshire.

David Call

Copyright Ray Soper

Harper Bros
1949
Crossley SD42
Silcox rebodied by Harpers in 1959 B37F

This shot is from the Ray Soper gallery contribution titled ‘Harper Brothers of Heath Hayes’ click on the title if you would like to view his Gallery and comments to it.
The shot is shown here for indexing purposes but please feel free to make any comment regarding this vehicle either here or on the gallery.

21/02/13 – 06:18

LDE 340 was a 1949 Crossley SD42/7 with a Silcox C35F Body. It was part of Silcox of Pembroke Dock Fleet and was No8. It was purchased by Harpers in June 1953 and was re bodied by them in 1959 to B37F and fitted with a 8.6 litre Leyland engine. Here is the link to it’s Silcox sister vehicle LDE 630 Fleet No 9" a Leyland PS1 with same body except for the modified door. www.flickr.com/

Phil Burton

02/03/13 – 16:10

Here is a link to LDE 340 No 14 with it’s C35F Silcox Body as when in Service with Harpers prior to re body in 1959 www.flickr.com/photos/

Phil Burton

18/07/13 – 16:21

The closing of Harpers had quite an effect on us, my mother worked at the Four Wynds Cafe directly opposite the depot in Heath Hayes and knew most of the drivers and conductors, I don’t think it will get anyone into trouble if I say that we rarely, if ever, paid fares on a Harpers bus but had to once they became Midland Red! My uncle also worked for them, though I knew him very little, his name was Brian Roberts.

Jacq

19/07/13 – 08:39

First licensed 30/05/1949 as a 35 seater.

Les Dickinson

15/10/13 – 07:16

Just found this site I worked at Harper Brothers from May 1962 to when they closed in 1974, then I worked for Midland Red until 1977. I initially worked at the booking office in High Green,Cannock. Then after 8 months I moved to the main office in Hednesford Road, Heath Hayes.
I worked with Mary Harper, Ernie Eccleshall, Ron Gilbey, Brian Harper. Ray Wilce and Len Beeston. There were 4 of us girls working in the office.
We organised the day trips, inclusive holidays, school trips and theatre trips. I was in charge of the private hire accounts also. I have been assisting Mr Bryan Yates with the book he is writing on Harpers. Putting names to drivers and staff faces for him. I obviously did not know a lot about the fleet of buses.
It was a great job, poor wages, but sometimes hilarious things happened. Wonderful times.
I kept in touch with Miss Mary Harper until her death.

Pam Harris

06/03/15 – 06:33

Does anyone remember George S Brown who lived at 25 Chapel St, Heath Hayes? Jim and George Brown brothers (not related to the one from Chapel St) usually worked out of Cannock. I think the Jack mentioned as a conductor might have been Jack Handy before he became a driver. I remember Dad driving a Royal Tiger with a Burlingham Seagull body, possibly 1032 E certainly number 21 in the fleet

Ray Brown

09/03/15 – 08:55

The above picture shows No.14 in its dying days – out of service and with many of its panels removed. The Harper’s mechanic is in the process of removing the Crossley badge which one of my two colleagues in the picture had asked for. Despite the fitting of the tin front and a Leyland engine, the original Crossley radiator was still in place. The location is the Cannock depot on High Green/Stafford Road, the date 29 October 1966."

Alan Murray-Rust

09/03/15 – 14:35

Were the panels removed as a reserve for body damage on other vehicles, Alan?
I’ve just looked at the link to the Silcox body. Interesting that the original body was a coach one, rather than a bus one.

Chris Hebbron

11/03/15 – 05:31

As far as I can make out, this was the period when Harpers rebuilt some of their Seagulls with OPO fronts, so the panels might have been used for that, rather than damage replacement.

Alan Murray-Rust

21/03/15 – 06:57

The three centre door seagulls converted was 1032E Fleet No21 to mechanical Front Door in 1966. XRE 725 No50 to Electric driver operated front door Sept 1967 and 1031E No28 re numbered 22 and front electric driver operated door in Feb 1968. Neither 22 or 50 were converted to OMO Until 1973. No21 was never used OMO.
I worked with G S Brown.

Phil Burton