Copyright Ray Soper

Chiltern Queens of Woodcote
1955
AEC Reliance MU3RV
Duple Midland B44F

This shot is from the Ray Soper gallery contribution titled "Chiltern Queens of Woodcote" click on the title if you would like to view his Gallery and comments.
The shot is shown here for indexing purposes but please feel free to make any comment regarding this vehicle either here or on the gallery.

07/03/13 – 17:33

This photo brings back many memories of school trips between Didcot Station and Wallingford Grammar School 1959 – 61 after which I moved to Wimbledon. From memory LMO 743 ran the best out of the 3 and was often driven by a young driver known as Nelson who had a novel way of changing gear particularly from 1st to 2nd without the customary pause – how he did it I know not but it made for a lively ride. NBW 407 was also used (quite new at the time) and was treated more gently. If we went the Whittenham way, the old Maudslay & Tilling Stevens half cabs were used such as DBW 66 & DUD 401 & NPA 461.

Richard Anscombe

09/10/13 – 08:20

My father drove one of these for Chiltern Queens between 1957-1961, three buses of this model; LMO 743, LMO744 and LMO745 were driven by Nelson Prior, Des Spokes and my father Bill Pearson. I have a photo of my father stood by one on lay over at the old Polish camp at Ipsden heath, Checkendon. The route was polish camp to Checkendon, to Exslade street to Kidmore end (The Fox) to Reforation pub turn to Whitehouse green to Chalkhouse green to Emmergreen to Caversham to Reading station. On his return journey as a kid I would wait at the bus stop at Parkside in Checkendon my father would pick me up and take me to his terminus; Polish camp where he would eat is lunch of which my mother would send with me for him, just think this was approx 54 years ago? seems like y/day.

Len

Huddersfield Corporation 
1963
AEC Reliance 2MU2RA
Roe B44F

Another shot of the very popular AEC Reliance this one has a rather nice C. H. Roe of Leeds body. During researching this bus I found it to be listed as a 2MU2RA and a 2MU3RA but as Huddersfield only had two post war buses with manual gearboxes and they were both Leyland Leopards I went for 2MU2RA. The reason being that 2RA had a epicyclic gearbox and 3RA had a synchromesh gearbox. This bus was taken over by W.Y.P.T.E. in 1974 and became fleet number 4024 in there fleet.
I’m not sure just how many AEC Reliance vehicles were actually built but from my research the last chassis number in 1972 was 8118. If you know a more exact number, let me know, please leave a comment.

10/06/14 – 07:52

1972 was when AEC adopted a single numbering system for all its chassis (including lorries), starting at around 21000 and reaching over 38000 by the time the factory was closed in 1979.
Reliance production continued throughout that period, with at least 1,175 built – taking the total number to at least 9,293.

Des Elmes

11/06/14 – 07:52

Also, the registration of this particular Reliance is of note – Huddersfield was, I believe, the first county borough to adopt the year suffix system, issuing ACX 1A in August 1963 after completing the YCX and YVH series.
And according to Bus Lists on the Web, the number of new buses and coaches in 1963 registered with "A" suffixes was barely a hundred – the vast majority of these being registered in Middlesex, which of course was the very first authority to adopt the system.

Des Elmes

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