Eastbourne Corporation
1961
AEC Regent V 2D3RV
East Lancashire H32/28R

Having been a satisfied user of the AEC Regent III in its 9613A crash gearbox form, in 1956 Eastbourne Corporation turned to the Regent V D3RV with the dry liner A218 9.6 litre engine, synchromesh gearbox and vacuum brakes. DHC 649-655 had H30/26R bodies from the Corporation’s long favoured supplier, East Lancashire Coachbuilders, but these bodies were equipped with Auster window ventilation throughout. The next Eastbourne Regent V deliveries were of the 30 ft 2D3RV version, now with the wet liner AV590 engine. HJK 156-160 were fitted with East Lancs H32/28R bodies, and again had Auster window vents. The first of this batch, HJK 156, fleet number 56, is seen at the entrance to Eastbourne pier, and the impeccable standard of presentation of the bus ten years after its 1961 delivery is of great credit to the Corporation. This batch of five Regent Vs was withdrawn between 1978 and 1981, No.56 surviving to the end after some twenty years of service.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Roger Cox

28/03/21 – 17:25

Are you sure it was 30′ long? I had thought that all of Eastbourne’s Regent Vs were of the shorter variety; and the seating capacity would tend to support that assumption. Southampton also had short Regent Vs with East Lancs bodies (numbered 343-372), and these seated 66; so the Eastbourne vehicles would have provided very generous leg room if they were 30′ long!

Is the location correct – Bournemouth Pier? The adjacent vehicle also appears to have an Eastbourne registration.

Nigel Frampton

29/03/21 – 07:39

The Eastbourne Regent V’s were all 27ft long. The ‘2’ in the designation means a later model of the D3RV not necessarily 30ft long.

Philip Halstead

30/03/21 – 05:26

My mistake. I stand corrected; thank you gentlemen.

Roger Cox

30/03/21 – 05:27

I can certainly confirm that the setting of the photo is Eastbourne Pier which was the starting point of the Town Tour.
As Philip says all Eastbourne’s Regent V’s were 27ft long as for the designation the number 3 indicates that they were synchromesh manual gearboxes, if the designation had a 2 in that position they would have been the semi automatic Monocontrol gearbox. The 2 in the 2D3RV indicates the later AV590 engine and other changes to update the model, the R indicates right hand drive and the V vacuum brakes.

David Lennard

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

Upminster & District
1961
AEC Regent V 2D2RA
Park Royal H38/31F

In 1961, London Transport bought a Regent V on behalf of BEA to test the practicality of using double deckers on the service between Cromwell Road Air Terminal and Heathrow. The vehicle had a Park Royal H38/17F body, the restricted seating figure arising from the adaptation of the rear section of the lower deck to serve as a large luggage carrying compartment. The 2D2RA chassis had a 9.6 litre AV590 engine coupled with a Monocontrol gearbox. Proving that the double decker concept was feasible, it wore several liveries as it served with BEA for a number of years alongside RMF1254 and then the RMA fleet with their luggage trailers. It was sold in 1968 to Super Coaches (Upminster) Ltd., one of whose trading names was Upminster & District, and the new owner converted it back into standard bus configuration with windows and 31 seats on the lower deck. It is seen here on the HCVC Brighton Run in 1971, where it seemed to be functioning as a support vehicle rather than as an entrant itself.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Roger Cox

09/04/19 – 09:13

Surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be any references to this vehicle after 1971. Super / Upminster & District were rather fond of AECs and ex London vehicles, probably due to their traffic manager, a young man called Peter Newman. In 2019, as chairman of Ensign Bus, his fleet suggests that he is still very fond of AECs and ex London vehicles.

Nigel Turner

11/04/19 – 06:16

I’m pretty sure that this Regent V was destroyed not long after this picture was taken. I cant recall now if it was a fire or an accident that put paid to it, but think it was the former. I’m sure someone with better knowledge will confirm my thoughts

Malcolm Pelling

13/04/19 – 06:00

I don’t believe that this was taken on the 1971 rally, since by then it had been sold from Super Coaches to City Coaches and on to Ementon, Cranfield.
It’s history is:-
B.E.A, Ruislip 6501 12/61
P.V.S. (London) Limited (dealer), Upminster 5/67
Super Coaches, (Upminster) Limited, Upminster 1/68 re-seated to H37/31F as no 681
City Coach Lines (Upminster), Limited, Upminster No, 506 2/69
S.M. Ementon, Cranfield 10/70
Withdrawn 6/72 after an accident and to Paul Sykes Organisation (dealer), Barnsley 12/72 for scrap. I photographed it with the identical destination setting, including the paper insert, on the 1968 rally as seen in this link.

John Kaye

14/04/19 – 06:11

You are right, John. As you suggest, it was the previous year. My mistake.

Roger Cox

21/04/19 – 07:18

I am not really a bus person (more into coaches) but to me the rather square Park Royal body on 220 CXK looks very similar to the bodies supplied to East Kent also on Regent V chassis, perhaps 220 CXK was tagged onto an EK batch?. I like the coach style wheel discs, Delaine used to have them on their Atlantean d/ds.

Andrew Spriggs

22/08/19 – 10:45

Does anyone know the colours when it was with BEA with BEA Titles? as only B&W pics seem to be available.

Stef

23/08/19 – 06:19

A quick Google found this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/

Geoff Pullin

28/08/19 – 07:04

Thanks. I did find that after further searching.

Stef