Photograph by ‘unknown’ if you took this photo please go to the copyright page.

Halifax Corporation Transport and Joint Omnibus Committee
1954
AEC Reliance MU3RV
Park Royal C41C

As it is Sunday again it is another coach, this time an Halifax Corporation AEC Reliance, this coach was bought from Holloway Coaches of Scunthorpe in 1965. But it was delivered new to Bourne & Balmer of Croydon in 1954 I presume they were the only two owners before Halifax. When this coach entered service it was numbered 260 but at the time of this photo it was fleet number 200 so the date of this shot is late 1966 or early 1967 as it was renumbered 256 and rebodied by Plaxton to a C41F in 1967.
The double decker next to this coach by the way is a 1948 Leyland Titan PD2/1 with a Leyland H30/26R body.

The PD2 alongside became Oldham 467 in 1965.

Keith Jackson

The following is from the August 1965 edition of ‘Buses Illustrated’.

AEC Reliance MBY 347 was originally owned by Bourne & Balmer Croydon later used by Timpsons the owners of Bourne & Balmer and latterly owned by Holloway Coaches of Scunthorpe.

Trevor

It was actually bought to provide seats for a duel purpose conversion project, I think it cost £300. Having been in an accident on Standedge or somewhere equally difficult it returned to the body shop at Halifax and was evaluated and they decided it could be reinstated. Surely one of the best bargains EVER, it ran years on contracts, tours, private hires and was rebodied later, good bus, I travelled many miles on it.

Christopher

Photograph by ‘unknown’ if you took this photo please go to the copyright page.

Felix Motors Ltd (Hatfield) 
1953
AEC Regent III
Roe H31/25R

Felix motors was started in 1921 the company was named after “Felix the Cat” a cartoon character of the time, for some time the cartoon image was used as an emblem on the side of the vehicles. I have seen a photograph on the web somewhere of one of there vehicles showing the Felix logo if I find it again I will update with a link to it.

A full list of Regent III codes can be seen here.

The other Felix company in Derbyshire also used Felix as a logo but were recently threatened with legal action by the film company which owns the rights so it has now been dropped Both Felix companies used similar liveries but the Derby one has as far as I know always used saloons

Chris Hough

Absolutely right Chris – you will find a Willebrew ticket from Felix (N Frost) of Stanley Derbyshire, on the tickets side of the website.

Stephen Ford

06/12/11 – 06:47

I wrote a book about the ‘other’ Felix a few years ago and it would appear that both of company histories shared a similar beginning. ‘My’ Felix started in 1921 and was named after a popular song of the day – Felix kept on walking. The first vehicle R 7831 which carried a cartoon cat emblem over the front window was sold to the above Felix in 1926 (it was suggested that this was why the Hatfield based company was named Felix but I never found any proof of this).
Sadly it has just been reported that Felix (Stanley, Derbyshire) is to cease on 29th January 2012 after being taken over by TrentBarton – the local large bus company. Hope this is of interest.

Paul D Chambers

30/10/12 – 05:57

Felix in Stanley Derbyshire are now showing ‘Black Cat’ on the side, but are run by Trent/Barton.

John Swan

07/10/13 – 17:38

I recall seeing Felix buses in Doncaster but had no idea of the origin of the name. I suppose I assumed it was the proprietor’s name or else the Latin for "happy"!
Early on Felix ran some Leyland Tigers but no others from the Leyland "zoo", being mainly an AEC operator.

Geoff Kerr

08/10/13 – 07:39

Geoff – somewhere, in an article long ago, there appears a magnificent lady driver in WW2 just climbing elegantly into the cab of a prewar Felix Regent in Doncaster. She is dressed in a long white smock and sports a very chic 1930s hat and, if I remember rightly, a long skirt in lieu of the usual slacks.

Chris Youhill

08/10/13 – 12:51

She was clearly ‘doing her bit, don’t ya know! A change from driving the Rolls, what with the fuel rationing!"

Chris Hebbron

08/10/13 – 17:55

Nay Lad, not in them parts….
Actually, if you read Peter Gould’s potted history, its all there. www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/felix.htm  
Notice, too, how buses from them parts seem to have two fog lamps…

Joe

Photo by ‘unknown’ if you took this photo please go to the copyright page.

West Yorkshire Road Car Company 
1951
Bristol LL5G
ECW B39R

The LL was just a longer version of the L with a body width of 7’ 6” the LW that had a body width of 8’ 0” and the LWL was the longer 8ft wide version. This bus went into service at West Yorkshires Harrogate depot in 1951 with a fleet number of 418, it was in 1954 when the new different fleet numbering system came into being and 418 became SGW 1.

A full list of Bristol abbreviations can be seen here

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By looking closely at the wheels of SGW1, it can be seen that they are inboard of the mudguards by quite a distance. This is due to it having an 8ft wide ECW body on a 7ft 6ins wide Bristol LL5G chassis. Quite a few of the ‘Tilling’ fleets operated such vehicles, as it was a way of utilising supplies of the outgoing narrower chassis, whilst taking advantage of the increase in overall vehicle width then recently introduced. The 8ft wide version of this body could be identified by its split rear window – which had a pillar down the centre – as opposed to the single piece version on the narrower body. Still a handsome looking bus though isn’t it?

Brendan Smith

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As I’ve written elsewhere Brendan, in my opinion this design of body, in all its versions, was the finest looking and most practical of any in the "front engined" era – and constructed to the usual high ECW quality as well.

Chris Youhill