Yorkshire Woollen District
1961
AEC Regent V 2D3RA
Northern Counties H39/31F

Yorkshire Woollen was fundamentally a Leyland operator, apart from a few Guy Arabs in the early post war years. The first YWD Regent Vs appeared when ten Metro Cammell H39/31F bodied buses of the LD3RA type were delivered in 1958, to be followed by fifteen more in 1959, but these were of the 2LD3RA variety. The following year saw the arrival of another nine, still with Metro Cammell bodies, but the chassis was now the 2D3RA. Early in 1961 came a further ten, FHD 116 to 125, with the original fleet numbers 842 to 851, but these had the much superior Northern Counties bodywork of similar capacity. By 1966, with fleet numbers approaching 1000, the fleet was renumbered, and the Northern Counties batch became 89 to 98 inclusive. Photographed in August 1970, Yorkshire Woollen Regent V FHD 121, now carrying the number 94 is seen in Bradford in the company of others of its kind operated by Bradford Corporation. By this time, in NBC ownership, this nine years old bus is beginning to look rather shabby at the front end.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Roger Cox

23/06/20 – 06:41

It may be worse for wear at the front but a plus point is that it has reverted to a chrome radiator surround. Previous models of this batch prior to the cream band addition (mid sixties?) had the radiator surround painted red.

John Blackburn

24/06/20 – 06:29

Is this bus unusual in having the original YORKSHIRE signage in pre-NBC style, or was this common to the fleet and unique in NBC?

Chris Hebbron

25/06/20 – 07:16

Taken in August 1970 this picture would predate the corporate identity that didn’t begin to appear on buses until 1972

Ken Aveyard

Colwyn Bay UDC

Colwyn Bay UDC
1960
Bedford J2LZ2
Spurling B21F

The small Colwyn Bay fleet comprised (I think) of 5 Bedfords of this general design running for a couple of miles or so along the seafront between Old Colwyn and Rhos on Sea.
No 5 is pictured at Colwyn Bay pier, a small part of which remains today but derelict and unusable. The photo was taken in September 1967, I think Colwyn Bay continued to run services including the Promenade into the 70s. No bus service runs along the seafront there nowadays although the Arriva 12 does make a brief appearance at Rhos on Sea harbour before disappearing inland again.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ian Wild

14/06/20 – 08:02

Colwyn Bay was – until Local government disorganisation in 1974 – a "Municipal Borough" like Colchester, Darwen, Morecambe & Heysham, Scarborough, not just an "Urban District" like West Bridgford or many of the local operators in South Wales.

Pete Davies

15/06/20 – 07:29

I may be wrong, but I think they had Hawson bodies.

Keith Nixon

15/06/20 – 07:30

Operations ended in September 1986.

Paul Turner

16/06/20 – 07:01

According to BLotW, the bodies on these five Bedfords (three 1954 OLAZ, two 1960 J2LZ2) were by Spurling.

Graham Woods

17/06/20 – 07:13

Despite what BLOTW and other published sources have quoted over the years, the three 1954 vehicles were actually A3LZ and not OLAZ chassis. This is acknowledged now apparently by the PSV Circle. The OLAZ was of the earlier generation of Bedfords introduced in 1939, which included the K, M and O models with the traditional front end, the most familiar to us probably being the OB. The bodies on both the A3LZ and J2LZ2 Colwyn Bay vehicles were Spurling ‘Spermomet’ types. Spurling’s works was fairly close to the Vauxhall headquarters and they produced a large number of vans and quite a few ambulances of a similar to the buses.

John Stringer

17/06/20 – 07:14

Photo taken at the Colwyn Bay Pier terminus. The North Wales Main Line railway runs above the embankment at the left, still quadruple track in 1967. Hidden from view the bus is the old miniature railway that used to run beneath, usually worked by a 4-6-2 locomotive named “Prince Charles”. Pier and miniature railway are both gone now.

Mark Evans

18/06/20 – 06:49

If the radiator grill/cab shape is to be believed, these vehicles were generically TJ models, of which the sub-classes, according to weight/engine size, were J0 to J6.They available from 1958 to 1975. I had an uncle who owned one.

Chris Hebbron

22/06/20 – 06:46

John, the OLAZ was based on the OL lorry chassis with 157 inch wheelbase it did not include the K & M models.
The OLAZ chassis had the diff in the centre of axle as opposed to the longer OB chassis (174 inch wheelbase) which had the offset diff to enable a lower floor. The OLAZ was boded by Duple (MacBraynes had some)with a shorter Vista body, and also the ‘Sportsman’ with exposed wood aka Morris Minor Traveller, it was not a success and I think only one, maybe two were built.

John Wakefield

11/07/20 – 06:21

Colwyn Bay Corporation operated a second route, from the Pier to the Welsh Mountain Zoo, which was in the hills above the town. In the mid sixties, no 2 worked the Zoo service and 4 and 5 worked the Promenade. 1 was the spare vehicle. I never saw 3, but a friend saw it in use as an ice cream van(!) in Eiras Park.

Don McKeown

Eastern National Omnibus Co Ltd
1962
Bristol MW6G
ECW C34F

Whilst on holiday in mid Wales in 1971 this coach parked opposite us whilst its passengers enjoyed an ice cream from the conveniently sited van. The location is the Elan Valley from where the large reservoirs fed water to the Birmingham conurbation.
The Eastern National coach was  along way from home on an extended tour of Devon and the Wye Valley. The 34 seats would have given plenty of legroom.
BLOTW gives the original fleet number as 562 but it shows PL9360 here. Is PL a depot code?
At nine years old the coach looks in good fettle. This style of ECW coach body caused quite a stir when introduced – very different from previous ECW designs- but quite pleasing in retrospect.
And what about the registration number – would be worth a lot of money now!

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ian Wild

01/06/20 – 07:35

The code PL refers to Prittlewell Depot which was located in Southend and was an ex Westcliff-On-Sea garage, there was also another ex Westcliff-On-Sea garage in Southend which used the code SD.

Ian Mason

01/06/20 – 07:36

Contrary to appearances, this was actually Tillings Travel PL9360 when the photo was taken. It started life as Eastern National 562 in May 1962 becoming 360 in the August 1964 renumbering. It passed to Tillings Travel as 9360 in January 1971. PL indicates that it was allocated to the Prittlewell (near Southend) garage of Eastern National which maintained the Tillings coach fleet. 9360 passed to Silcox of Pembroke Dock in late 1973 where it served until 1982.
The saga of vehicle interchanges between Tillings Travel and Eastern National has already been covered on this website but I can’t work out how to link to the appropriate page.

Nigel Turner

01/06/20 – 07:37

Apparently this vehicle was renumbered 360 in Aug 1964 then transferred to Tillings as 9360 in Jan 1971. //www.bristolsu.co.uk/mw/ However the picture clearly shows Eastern National as fleetname.
PL was the garage code for Prittlewell (a former Westcliffe depot) //www.sct61.org.uk/ 

Stephen Clough

01/06/20 – 07:38

The original fleet number, 562, was changed to 360 in 1964, and the 9 was added when it became part of Tilling Travel (NBC) in 1971. PL will be Prittlewell – depot at Southend. Tillings Travel (THC) Ltd had had some similar MWs from new, also with 34 seats. I have an ECW drawing which shows that those had additional interior luggage shelving at the rear of the coach – in the equivalent space to the 5 person back seat as I recall.

Peter Delaney

01/06/20 – 07:39

PL is the garage code of Prittlewell, and the 9xxx denotes this was a Tilling allocated vehicle.
New 5/62 562 (ironic), became 360 in the 1964 fleet renumbering scheme, then transferred to Tillings Travel in January 1971. The two fleets were closely associated until National Travel (South East) Ltd took control of the coaching unit in 1974.

Ron Mesure

03/06/20 – 06:23

Here is a link to a photo whilst in service with Silcox:- https://www.flickr.com/

Keith Hanbury-Chatten