Other RELH ECW coaches
Bristol Greyhound 866UAE - Southampton Coach Station
The white and magenta livery was an idea from the NBC South West region, which gave a regional style. It was short lived, and the application of the waistband at the front was not sympathetic to the lines of the vehicle. It was, however, slightly better than the livery that came subsequently.
Bristol Greyhound 870UAE - Foys Corner, Southampton
This would appear to have been operating a short working of the service to South Wales.
Bristol Greyhound NHW313F - Foys Corner, Southampton
The NBC South West area livery of white and magenta did at least allow the retention of the Greyhound name, but the application of the livery at the front was unsympathetic to the lines of the vehicle.
Bristol NHW308F - Southampton Coach Station
Bristol specified the polished metal trim that had been applied to "express" vehicles in the Series 1 RELH production, so that the waistband was slightly deeper than normal. This allowed a small "National" fleetname to be positioned on the waistband. The advent of NBC white brought the end of the well known "Greyhound" name, and the greyhound image below the destination window has been replaced by grey perspex. Not exactly smart or impressive, and it is little wonder that some people said that "NBC" stood for "nobody cares".
Bristol Omnibus 865UAE Southampton Coach Station
By the time NBC liveries were introduced, this batch of Greyhound coaches were almost 10 years old, and they received local coach livery. However, shortly afterwards the complete batch was sold to Western National, who applied National white livery and used the majority of them on trunk services to London.
Bristol Omnibus NHW304F Southampton Coach Station
BOC purchased 12 RELH6L/ECW coaches in 1968, of which 6 were Greyhound coaches, while the others were treated as dual purpose vehicles in green/cream livery. This is one of the latter group, by now repainted in NBC local coach livery, but used on an express service.
Crosville 5457FM Manchester
This fairly elderly early RELH coach was seen in Manchester, just outside Chorlton Street coach station, in late 1978. The fact that vehicles of that age were still considered to be worthy of National express livery is a tribute to the quality of the construction of both chassis and body.
Crosville AFM106G Sinsheim Germany
Sinsheim, Germany. Bus rallies of the type now well known in Britain are rare in Germany. On this occasion, a rally was held at the Technical Museum at Sinsheim in south west Germany.
Crosville HFM573D Southampton Hants & Dorset depot
Ah, the temptation of cheap film - a momentary decision, regretted for years afterwards! This film came from a supplier in Brighton if I recall correctly, and I think only one roll went through the camera. Not such a disaster with a plain white coach, and the more recent development of Photoshop et al, but Crosville vehicles were very rare visitors to Southampton in the early 70's. But not as rare as they are now, I guess! This vehicle happily survives in preservation, now restored to the much more attractive cream and black livery - so perhaps we might yet see Crosville vehicles in Southampton again!
Crosville TFM261K Western Welsh HQ Ely Cardiff
Crosville and Western Welsh jointly operated the Cardiff - Liverpool service, which became route 871 in the National Express numbering scheme. The first five vehicles of this batch (including this one) were delivered in the much more attractive cream and black livery that Crosville continued to use up to the introduction of the NBC corporate scheme. Cream and black was, in fact, a BTC corporate scheme in the 1950s, but a recommendation rather than a command. A few other companies used it for a while, but Crosville was the only one by the 1970s.
Crosville TFM262K - London, Victoria Coach station
The first 5 vehicles of this batch were delivered in the cream and black livery. The photo is unfortunately rather grainy and "noisy", but I rarely saw Crosville vehicles.
Crosville TFM265K Park Lane London
Another of the TFM-K batch is seen on Park Lane in London.
Dack LJB422E Kings Lynn Bus Station
South Midland's LJB422E was typical of the 'express' version of the ECW RELH coach body built on series 1 chassis - full depth destination box, folding doors and the reduced amount of external polished aluminium trim. Several operators had such vehicles, including United Counties, Eastern National and West Yorkshire. There are a couple of connections to Red & White with this smartly-presented vehicle - South Midland was an R&W subsidiary at the time of the sale of the companies to the BTC; while Dack (of Terrington St Clement) operated four RELH/ECW coaches over a period of about ten years, including two of the R&W GWO-D batch.
Eastern Counties GNG92C - Southampton Coach Station
A summer Saturdays Norwich - Bournemouth ran for a couple of seasons in the early 1970s, and this brought Eastern Counties vehicles to Southampton, otherwise very rare visitors. Equally rare were RELH coaches with C-suffix registrations - there were just three, since ECW did not build any coaches in the 1964/5 winter season.
Hants & Dorset - AEL6B - Villiers Road, Southampton
The small gold fleetname on the green waistband was not very prominent.
Hants & Dorset AEL6B Montacute House near Yeovil Somerset 1970
Bristol RELH/ECW coach AEL6B seen here at Montacute House, near Yeovil, on a rather dull day in 1970. Well, the day was certainly brightened up for me with the opportunity to travel from Southampton to Montacute and back in such a fine machine! Don't remember much about the house though!
Hants & Dorset AEL6B Southampton H&D depot
By now repainted in NBC local coach livery, and renumbered 1051. The livery application is not quite compliant - compare the MW adjacent. These two vehicles were the only other vehicles that combined the full depth destination box with the two narrow windows - presumably built with the intention of conversion to full depth windows when the coach was to be adapted for bus use. Thanks to the 1976 fire in Bournemouth Bus Station, that never happened.
Hants & Dorset AEL6B Southampton H&D depot
Another view of AEL6B in the H&D depot at Grosvenor Square in Southampton.
Hants & Dorset AEL6B Villiers Road Southampton
Seen here outside the chassis repair and overhaul shop in Villiers Road, Shirley, Southampton.
Hants & Dorset AEL7B Southampton H&D depot
The second of H&D's RELH/ECW coaches is seen here while still in the cream and green livery, but with an NBC style cream fleetname. H&D continued to paint the narrow strip of green at the bottom of the skirt panels, but no longer picked out the grille surround on the front dash.
Oxford - South Midland LJB423E Shirley Road Southampton
Seen in Shirley Road, Southampton, working a journey to Cheltenham. The journey was usually operated by Black & White, so this was either a duplicate or a substitution.
Oxford RBW88M Bournemouth rear of Holdenhurst Road coach station
A Bristol RELH with the second type of ECW coach body, seen here in Bournemouth. These vehicles were generally used for Oxford South Midland's own short distance express services, although here it seems to be operating a National Express service. Note that the 'South Midland' suffix to the fleetname has been omitted.
Ribble PTF708L Carlisle bus station
This Bristol RELH6L with ECW's second type of coach body for the RE chassis range, had been downgraded to dual purpose status, having previously carried white National coach livery. Several of the batch of 10 were later transferred to Crosville, joining 19 similar vehicles.
Royal Blue 841SUO - Southampton Coach Station
This was one of the first batch of RELH coaches delivered to Royal Blue.
Royal Blue 842SUO Southampton Bedford Place coach station
I seem to recall that the repairs to the wall, which separated the coach station from the H&D depot behind, took several months to complete. 842SUO was one of RB's first batch of RELH/ECW coaches.
Royal Blue HDV624E
HDV624E is seen here at a rally in the 1980s or '90s, now restored to the original Royal Blue livery.
Royal Blue HDV624E Southampton Bedford Place coach station
The slide seems to have suffered damage, although there is evidence of some damage to the skirt panel of the vehicle just ahead of the rear wheel. Perhaps some work in the photo editor might improve the patch on the slide. HDV624E happily survives, now restored to the 'proper' Royal Blue livery of mainly blue and cream.
Royal Blue HDV645E Southampton Bedford Place coach station
HDV645E was Royal Blue's last Series 1 RELH coach.
Royal Blue HDV645E Southampton Bedford Place coach station
This rather grainy Instamatic shot shows the nearside of HDV645E.
Royal Blue HDV645E Southampton Bedford Place coach station
An end of film shot, that also seems to have been slightly mangled by the processing machine.
Royal Blue OTA633G Southampton H&D depot
Southampton Hants & Dorset depot, Grosvenor Square
Royal Blue OTA636G Southampton Coach Station
Leaving Southampton Coach Station for London
Royal Blue OTA641G - Southampton Coach Station
The journey from Southampton to London took the best part of four hours in the early 1970s, but I used it on one occasion to visit the Commercial Motor Show - and this vehicle provided the forward journey. Regrettably, it was another victim of the fire at Bournemouth Bus Station in 1976.
Royal Blue OTA644G Southampton Bedford Place coach station
Royal Blue used (briefly) a white livery with a single (royal) blue waistband. The depth of the waistband was variable, to suit the design of the vehicle. The style was standardised for NBC's coaching operations in the south west, with individual operators using their own colours for the relief. White tends to give a rather bland appearance, but this was considerably better than the overall white that was to come shortly after. OTA644G is leaving Southampton Coach Station, bound for Northampton - and passing Red & White's SAX8G.
Royal Blue RDV420H Salisbury Coach Station
The RDV-H registered batch were Royal Blue's last RELH-ECW coaches purchased new, and also the last vehicles delivered in the traditional blue and cream livery. The Duple bodied LHs that followed in the same registration series came with the NBC South West region white/blue livery. The location is Salisbury Coach Station, in the early 1970s.
Royal Blue RDV430H Southampton Coach Station
Royal Blue vehicles must have been repainted more frequently than those of other operators, as this vehicle managed to get one repaint before the introduction of the overall white livery in 1972.
South Wales Transport KCY211E Cardiff, Victoria Park
Later in its life, KCY211E was downgraded to dual purpose status, and on this occasion worked the limited stop Llanelli-Cardiff service 252, derived from the former Neath and Cardiff direct service.
South Wales Transport KCY211E Southampton Coach Station
SWT inherited four RELH/ECW coaches from United Welsh as a result of the NBC reorganisation of services in south west Wales. UW had not participated in Associated Motorways, so these vehicles were principally used on tours and hires. Here it has been hired to National Express, for a Fishguard-Portsmouth working, which I don't recall as a regular operation. However, the combinations of legs across interchanges, in this case at Aust by the (original) Severn Bridge, were sometimes changed.
Southern Vectis XDL122L Sandown Bus Station
SV's only RELH is seen here at the small bus station at the north end of Sandown. SV tended to buy more lightweight coaches, as they rarely ventured off the island, and most of the work was private hire or tours.
Tillings GVW981H Southampton, Bedford Place Coach Station
A Saturdays-only service from Southend brought Tillings or Eastern National vehicles to Southampton. The combination of bus type full depth destination box and single piece coach door was fairly rare - Crosville purchased this type on Series 1 chassis, but as far as I am aware, only EN had them on Series 2 chassis.
Tillings VHK178L Southampton H&D depot
Southampton, Hants & Dorset depot, Grosvenor Square. The paper sticker in the windscreen suggests that this vehicle had worked a journey on the London - Southampton service, rather than the occasional service from Southend.
Trent PCH270L London, Victoria Coach Station
Trent purchased several RELHs with this second style ECW coach body. Some had single piece doors, but this one has the two-piece doors, that presumably enabled it to qualify for the Bus Grant.
Trent YCH893M Loughborough Bus Station
Loughborough Bus Station - late 1978, or early - mid 1979.
Trent YCH897M Loughborough Bus Station
Loughborough Bus Station, 1978 or 1979
United BHN582H Southampton Coach Station
A very rare visitor to Southampton coach station - I don't recall seeing United RELHs on any other occasion. The cream and olive green livery was distinctive, but I have to say that the customisations to the trim don't work for me. The standard layout, with the waistband, grille surround and a narrow strip at the bottom of the skirt panels would (to my mind) have worked better. The Plaxton bodied REMHs that followed this batch had the standard trim, and still looked good in this livery.
United BHN582H Southampton Coach Station
Southampton Coach Station
United Counties ABD252B Southampton Coach Station
Southampton Coach Station. An early repaint into NBC local coach livery, albeit a "non-compliant" version with the waistband in white. ABD252B has now been in preservation for almost 40 years!
United Counties BBD254B Southampton, Bedford Place Coach Station
This is the typical 'express' verson of the ECW coach body on a Series 1 RELH chassis. The fairings for the foglamps, are, however, a United Counties modification, which was nonetheless probably more secure than the conventional brackets. The seating on these vehicles tended to vary - UCOC specified rather basic seats, which were really conventional bus seats with a head/neck rest.
United Counties KRP264E Southampton Coach Station
Later United Counties RELH coaches had more polished metal trim, more akin to the "coach" version, but wioth somew features unique to UC. However, the seats were still fairly basic. From memory, I think the X21 was a Saturday service from Stevenage to Weymouth.
United Counties KRP266E - Southampton Coach Station
United Counties coaches were regular visitors to Southampton on summer Saturdays, but the sun was not in a convenient position!
United Counties ORP276F - Southampton Coach Station
This grainy shot shows the layout of the colours when UC were still using Tilling green and cream, although I am not sure if the layout was completely original. I suspect that the squared off end to the waistband may have been an economy measure when UC repainted the vehicle.
West Yorkshire CWY501H Southampton, Hants & Dorset depot, Grosvenor Square
This was almost the last ECW Series 1 RELH coach body built - WY had just two more after it. This version was basically the same as the Royal Blue specification externally, albeit with the modified trim to accommodate the fleetname, and a nearside emergency exit. Internally it was a more conventional 47 seater (RB had only 45), and mechanically it had a Leyland engine.
West Yorkshire LWT369D London, Victoria Coach Station
By the time of this photo, LWT369D had been repainted into NBC local coach livery. Well, a version of local coach livery, that was definitely not compliant with the rules - see the curved end to the red paint on the waistband. As this was a Saturday, perhaps nobody from NBC top brass saw it on that occasion!
West Yorkshire RCC LWT369D Southampton H&D Depot
Southampton, Hants & Dorset depot, Grosvenor Square. These two West Yorkshire Road Car coaches paid a very rare visit to Southampton in around 1970. Unfortunately, that was before I had a camera of any real quality!