Hants & Dorset Motor Services
1968
Bristol RELH6G
Duple Commander III C48F

This photo taken in the early seventies at Bournemouth Square bus station shows Hants & Dorset No 918 one of a batch of five similar coaches delivered in June 1968 No’s 916-920 registrations MRU 124-128F these being Bristol RELH6Gs fitted with Duple Commander III bodies those on 916/917 being C40F whilst 918-920 were C48F, the Bristol/Duple combination was somewhat unusual. The RE was a vehicle I was undecided about but as my recent posting on the East Kent coaches shows I am a fan of the Duple Commander bodies especially the Mk III and Mk IV of which this is an excellent example in it’s restrained but elegant livery, note the full set of top sliding windows and the quarter lights a classic of it’s day.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Diesel Dave

13/03/14 – 07:48

Nice, Dave! Looks a lot better than the later livery of poppy and white . . .

Pete Davies

13/03/14 – 07:49

After the ZF Reliance, the RELH was easily the best coach of the ’60s and early ’70s. The ECW body was also superb but these Duple coaches came as welcome relief to the almost unrelieved Lowestoft fare. Only in the early ’70s did Plaxton get a look in – for about two years they provided NBC with only RELH coaches.

David Oldfield

13/03/14 – 17:02

To my eye, the Duple bodies of this period are marred by the truly dreadful Detroit ‘inspired’ front end treatment. One supposes that the perpetrator believed this to be in line with the public tastes of the time. Not in my case!

Roger Cox

14/03/14 – 05:45

Question for you Duple experts – is this a Commander III or IV? Looks like a IV to me comparing with the ones at PMT (3 x G and 2 x H Reg on AEC 691 chassis). The low mounted headlamps look like the IV or are these because of the front mounted Bristol RE radiator? The III version (to my mind) had a horrible front grille.

Ian Wild

14/03/14 – 16:27

Problem is, Ian. People don’t seem to agree. This is an earlier Commander – at a time when Viceroys had the earlier grille. I think the IV "came along" when the Viceroy also got this grille – about a year later. The IV’s lower dash and light units, was slightly different with lights in a perspex fairing and there was a Viceroyesque ribbed metal strip all along the side at between wheel arches level. This was the last hurrah for the Commander as the Commander V emerged as a Viceroy – the only Viceroy variant on heavy chassis. By this time, I think only AECs and Leylands carried the Viceroy.

David Oldfield

14/03/14 – 16:27

Hello Ian
This is definitely a Commander III. The ‘horrible’ front grill was on the Commander II, and the early Viceroy, which also had those bulging twin headlights. The only awkward thing about the Mk III for me is the kink in the lower body line, just behind the front wheels. The Commander IV was the stylish design by Carl Olsen that also appeared on the later Viceroy. The headlights were recessed behind a glass panel and lined up with a ribbed aluminium band which continued unbroken along the lower body side. I don’t think the quarter lights and sliding windows were so common on these later marks.

Mike Morton

14/03/14 – 17:45

The awkward kink in the lower body line is in fact the easy way to distinguish the Mark III from the Mark IV plus the ribbed aluminium band mentioned by Mike which was matched by a similar band above the window line. Overall the changes were small but a hugely significant improvement to the design.

Diesel Dave

East Ham Borough Council
1951
Bedford OB
Duple B29F

Here is a view of EHV 65. This Bedford OB was new in 1951 to the Education Department of East Ham Borough Council. She has Duple B29F and is seen here in Hants & Sussex livery during the King Alfred Running Day in Winchester on 1 January 1996. So far as I can gather, she was never a PSV and never operated for Hants & Sussex, but others may know something I’m missing!

Photograph and Copy contributed by Pete Davies

30/01/14 – 06:35

But whatever the history, she looks rather splendid in your photo, Pete.

David Oldfield

30/01/14 – 06:35

Hants and Sussex in all its many company guises certainly operated a great many 29 seat Duple bodied Bedford OBs, but this was not one of them. As I recall, the front wings and rear mudguards should be maroon to be an accurate representation of the Hants and Sussex livery, unless my high mileage memory is (yet again) playing tricks.

Roger Cox

30/01/14 – 15:40

Thanks, gents!

Pete Davies

02/02/14 – 15:59

EHV 65 was as you say new to East Ham BC, and when bought for preservation by Cliff Burgess and Clive Wilkin the decision was taken to present it as a Hants & Sussex bus as none survived from the original H & S fleet. It is kept at the City of Portsmouth Preserved Transport Depot, either at Portchester or East Meon.

Mr Anon

Dan Air (Londen)
1960
Bedford SB8
Duple C41F

Here is a view of YXA 372, to complement HDA 554E posted a while ago. YXA is another relegated to "staff bus" duties with Dan Air, and seen at Lasham. The layout of the indicators suggests very strongly that she started life with Grey Green or an associated company. She was photographed in January 1976. I apologise for the fact that a van is blocking, but I couldn’t get a better angle.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Pete Davies

02/01/14 – 08:29

This Bedford was new to Fallowfield and Britten in 1960 and seated 41 in a front entrance body.

Chris Hough

02/01/14 – 08:30

Despite appearances, the paint on coach and van is green! It’s a "dud" slide from that point of view. I don’t recall the make.

Pete Davies

02/01/14 – 09:31

Pete. I don’t think it’s so much a dud slide as a dull green – almost mat – and you probably couldn’t have made much more of it anyway. It would be interesting to know exactly how many Leyland/Bedfords there were? It seems that, for what they were, the Leyland powered Bedfords were well thought of. Were they, in the main, big groups like Grey-Green?
PS: SB8 Leyland 330 [same size as SB5 Bedford 330]
SB13 Leyland 370 [same size as Albion Victor VK21L]
VAL14 & VAM 14 Leyland 400 [Tiger Cub and Bristol LH]

David Oldfield

02/01/14 – 11:32

The shade of green on the slide isn’t that far removed from the shade of mud green employed by Dan Air Engineering for their vehicles.

Phil Blinkhorn

02/01/14 – 17:34

I know that many Bedford TK lorries had Leyland engines.

Jim Hepburn

03/01/14 – 08:15

Apparently those in the know could distinguish the SB8 from the SB1 by inspecting the headlamps, as it had 24-volt electrics rather than 12. So it’s possible that there were other differences, making the Leyland-engined model into more of a premium product.

Peter Williamson

03/01/14 – 12:10

I never personally came across an SB1; it must have been a slug with its Bedford 300 diesel. The SB3 was far more common with its smooth and quiet petrol version of the Bedford 300. It was the smooth, quiet and fairly lively running of the petrol OB which endeared it to so many people. The SB3 was (almost) the last gasp of this "technology" and was very popular with small independent operators. There was a VAM3 – but I’m only aware that Salopia operated any of them. Petrol was becoming passe and very expensive compared with diesel operation even though – big AECs and Leylands apart – they were slow, noisy and smelly.

David Oldfield

06/03/15 – 16:14

To David Oldfield, I am 99% certain that the Bedford SB8 had a Leyland 350 engine, not a 330. The Bedford SB featured in most operators fleets at some time. I have always liked them.

Stemax1960