Whitefriars Coaches (Wembley)
1966
Ford R226
Plaxton Panorama 1 C52F

Seen at the 1967 Brighton Coach rally this particular coach is not all that it appears to be.
Built to the specification of Don Janes the owner of Whitefriars Coaches of Wembley it started life as a normal 1966 Ford R226 chassis. But was then rebuilt to Mr Janes specification which consisted of a Cummins Vale 7.7 litre V8 diesel producing, (I think) 185 bhp at 3300 RPM coupled to an Allison 6 speed fully automatic gearbox with built in hydraulic retarder. There was also a radiator from a Guy lorry and the front axle was from a Dodge K 900 lorry with power assisted steering and an electric retarder. It was then fitted with a 1967 Plaxton Panorama 1 C52F coach body, Mr Janes then drove it to become Coach Driver of the Year, the Cummins badge can be seen on the front grill.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Diesel Dave

15/09/15 – 06:52

Seems strange that someone should go to all that trouble, and no doubt considerable expense, to hang all that hardware on what is normally considered a lightweight chassis. I would imagine the frame needed some extra stiffening to take the added weight.

Philip Halstead

15/09/15 – 12:27

As I understand it Mr Janes had access to a former Texaco Dodge K-series that had been written off, whence the engine front axle and gearbox, the power steering was integral with the axle as was the retarder with the gearbox.
The standard ford 360 normally aspirated was claimed to produce 110bhp eventually but even then that left the R226 with more weight to power than any other 11m coach. Mr Janes and Plaxton managed to fit the Cummins engine rather more neatly than the original Ford engine, here’s a link to a picture on flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/

Stephen Allcroft

30/06/20 – 06:48

I was looking for something entirely different when I came across this photo. My contribution is not so much about the vehicle but regarding a fond memory I have of Whitefriars.
Sixty years ago this year (April 20th) I was among an excited large party of Willesden area schoolchildren about to embark on a ten day continental educational holiday (cost £22.10s). I remember particularly that our two Whitefriars coaches were I think almost brand new – they were 40/41 UMF. i’m not sure now whether they were Bedfords or Fords but I think the bodies may have been Duple. I can, strangely, remember that Whitefriars supplied only one driver who I think was George Hands. The other coach was driven by one of our senior masters Mr H Butler
Apologies if this is not the right place for this comment

Mike Beamish

01/07/20 – 07:07

No apologies needed, Mike. This forum encourages memories like yours, and your knowledge of the good days of the bus industry (long gone, I fear) is comprehensive. I’m sure that you have much more to contribute in the future. Welcome to OBP.

Roger Cox

Hutchison of Overtown
1966
Ford R192
Duple C45F

FVA 462D a Ford R192 with Duple C45F body, it was new to Hutchison of Overtown in 1966. She’s seen at the Wisley Rally on 5 April 2009, but I’ve never (knowingly) seen a vehicle in Hutchison livery. Is this the original livery of Hutchisons?

Photograph and Copy contributed by Pete Davies.

25/03/15 – 08:49

Hutchison’s livery was a rather striking two-tone blue (without any cream/white relief). Could the "Uckfield" destination blind give a clue to a later operator? I can remember this vehicle being advertised for sale in B&CP about ten years ago, wearing the same livery as in this photo’, so it’s been painted like this for quite a while.

Neville Mercer

25/03/15 – 16:22

Thank you, Neville. I had an idea it wasn’t Hutchison’s livery. I’ll continue to list the operator as "Unknown" in my database unless or until someone can identify the livery . . .

Pete Davies

28/03/15 – 09:44

I’ve been trawling through old copies of B&CP, and the ad appeared in several issues in 2010 (so not ten years ago!). At that time the vehicle was owned by Bob Hunt of Halesowen in the West Midlands.

Neville Mercer

28/03/15 – 14:38

Thanks for these latest thoughts, Neville. She appears to reside in the vicinity of Sheffield Park (not Sheffield as the PSVC 2012 listing has her!) the home of the National Trust gardens and the Bluebell Railway.
The vehicle is totally anonymous in respect of fleet name and legal lettering, though I have found a reference to Hutchison amid the notes on Wishaw, which says the firm, with its blue and cream buses, sold out to FIRST some years ago. It suggests, then, that this might in fact be the original livery.
Any more suggestions, anyone?

Pete Davies

29/03/15 – 17:26

To clarify my comments on Hutchison’s livery, at the time that this vehicle was delivered their coach colour scheme was two-tone blue. Some vehicles did have cream window surrounds, but the dark and pale blue were the predominant colours. The plainer pale blue/cream livery came in after the time of this particular machine unless they kept it for much longer than was their usual practice. Does anybody have a shot of it when in service with Hutchison?

Neville Mercer

29/03/15 – 18:48

FVA 462D is owned by Nick White of Sheffield (the Yorkshire town NOT Sheffield Park) as a preserved vehicle. There are numerous pics of it on Flickr including some recent ones of it with White’s fleet names, a personal livery applied by Mr White.

John Wakefield

30/03/15 – 07:59

How very interesting, John! So, what’s the UCKFIELD connection?

Pete Davies

30/03/15 – 09:29

A previous preservation owner Terry Smith lived at Uckfield, he sold it back to Bob Hunt 9/09 & it passed on again to White 8/10.

John Wakefield

30/03/15 – 12:38

Thanks, John

Pete Davies

17/09/18 – 06:32

Here’s a shot of FVA462D apparently in its original colours. www.whitesnostalgiccoaches.co.uk

David Call

17/09/18 – 09:00

The site appears to be down but the coach appears on another: https://sites.google.com/site/ It seems to be their only coach and possibly they run other wedding transport too.

Joe

18/09/18 – 07:18

The point of the link I posted yesterday (but which won’t now come up) was that it showed the vehicle in what I presume was Hutchison colours – this was in response to Neville Mercer’s request for a shot of it when in service with Hutchison. Actually I think the shot showed it when it was Baird of Dunoon, but I’m pretty sure that it retained Hutchison livery.
The same shot is here, but I can’t isolate it. https://www.google.co.uk/:

David Call

22/09/18 – 06:51

Re Hutchinsons Ford R192 FVA 462D. This is to my knowledge the only Ford R192 survivor with a Duple ‘Empress’ body.
This is the same as a Bella Venture body as fitted on a Bedford VAM5 of which currently two roadworthy examples survive.
Strange that ‘White Nostalgic Coaches’ web site is now no longer live. Strangely I can find no bus/coach company of that name registered in the Sheffield area on the Vehicle Operator/Licencing Service web site.
Looks like it maybe being operated under another coach companies licence!

John Wakefield

22/07/19 – 05:23

Now resident with the South Yorkshire Transport Trust and not currently taxed.

Peter Williamson

25/07/19 – 07:05

Still owned by Nick White according to SYTT web site.

John Wakefield

East Kent Road Car Co Ltd
1960
Ford Thames 570E
Harrington Crusader Mk1 C41F

East Kent Road Car Co Ltd. bought this smart unique vehicle into the fleet at the start of the 1960’s, this was a common sight with the coach touring fleets around the country but for East Kent, this was a one off. A Ford Thames Trader 570E #510E34629 with Harrington #2147 C41F body was new in January 1960 to supplement and update its excursion fleet (1xBedford OB; OKE 470 & 2x Bedford SB; GFN 600/1) on the Isle of Thanet, but this work began to wain and TJG 440 found itself regularly working the express runs to London. This vehicle was an elegant looking coach and stood out against the regular "boxlike" London express vehicles of the TFN & WFN batches which East Kent used at the time. This view taken in the works section at the back of Westwood depot, in pristine condition and ready for another excursion around the countryside depicted in "The Darling Buds of May", the Garden of England.
What other rare, unusual or odd looking pictures of PSV’s do you have out there, I look forward to seeing some more very special photos.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ron Mesure

26/01/15 – 06:31

This is certainly an interesting variation, Ron, of the ‘normal’ Cavalier body. I’ve never seen one like this, with a gentle slope forward of the emergency door.

Chris Hebbron

03/09/15 – 07:09

Thanks, lovely to see another old picture of my bus!

Steve

05/09/15 – 07:08

I’ve looked back at my records and have found that I saw this coach at Walton on the Naze on August 28th 1975 while it was with Viceroy but sadly I didn’t take a photo. Please don’t tell me that was forty years ago because that would make me feel very old.

Nigel Turner

01/12/19 – 07:39

I am really pleased to find out that this fine old bus still exists! She features in several East Kent books I have. What is her current state of preservation, and will she be back on the road in the future? I’m just an East Kent bus fan, and old vehicle enthusiast.

Robbie Robson