I think it was two pairs - all four ended up with Berrys of Taunton with a couple seeing service with First
UVT49X and PFA50W were new to Stevos for the Burton to Birmingham service (I think) and so had high backed seats. After passing to Midland Fox, they did indeed move within Drawlane to Crosville Wales at Aber; I remember seeing one at Machynlleth outbase c.1995, and yes, they were the only ones in Crosville to have the EVG designation.
There was a fourth height variation. Convertible open-top VRs were 13ft 10 with the roof on.
They were buying fleetlines from 1963 until 1970 - i.e. up to early NBC days. After that, they had a couple more years of Leopards and then Nationals until Olympians except a batch of Atlanteans ordered but diverted to London Country and two Fleetlines ordered by Harpers.
If I recall Crewe and Macclesfield had no VRs when split as Midland Red North
Southdown also had many dual-door, centre staircase VRs
A Y reg Fleetline? I'm pretty sure the last ones were on an X suffix?
Crewe had three VRs - DVG471/478/484 that had been there for several years
They bought numbers of Marshall bodied Leopards for bus work in the late 60s/early 70s and into the National era. They continued to buy them with a bus shell but high backed seats until moving to coach shells for DP work in 1975.
Wilts and Dorset didn't receive any VRs new
Not the last registered. Cleveland Transit had a number of chassis stored and bodied later as YAJ154-157Y.
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Plus some at Northern General.
Not too many - just the five of which one was an early MkIII example and they were Gardner engined too. Northern then bought about 100 new that were single door and Leyland 501 engined including a batch that was diverted on delivery from Trent.
Blimey! Never come across those before!!!
No, it was/is Southern Vectis - a separate NBC company but now under common ownership with Wilts & Dorset as part of the Go Ahead group.
Separate company - Southern Vectis
Out of the original 'Big 3' rear-engined double-deck chassis designs, only the Atlantean got beyond A-reg outside of major rebodying efforts like those Ensign DMS Fleetlines. One Merseyside example (B296 KWM/1070), one Fylde example (B75 URN/75) and two Blackpool examples (B363-364 UBV/363-364), all 4 being registered in September/October 1984. The Fylde example was the last Atlantean to be registered in the UK from new (barring any rebodies) as far as I can tell. But these weren't the last UK 'Attys' by chassis number, as that honour went to two Lancaster examples (A214 MCK/214 & A223 MCK/223) registered that July.In addition, the weird Ensign DMS rebuilds from the early 1980s somehow ended up getting A-reg and B-reg plates, meaning technically Fleetlines got further than VRs on the numberplate system (despite the chassis being from the early 1970s!).
A741TTW
One of the ex LT DMS's rebuilt to coaches by Ensign and operated by The Londoners - originally Park Royal bodied MLK 590L.
There's a picture or two in a Buses Annual... I seem to remember them in green and yellow maybe with Northern Counties bodies.Blimey! Never come across those before!!!
That is impressive pedantry
Sorry - double deck buses, though the Lodekkas weren't in passenger service.All four bus operating Midland Red firms operated VRs at various times but obviously, none from new.
They were indeed bodied by Northern Counties
I'm fairly certain that some of those will have operated VRs - Ribble (Ulverston), National Welsh (Abergavenny and Brecon), Crosville at Newcastle Emlyn, and West Yorkshire at Wetherby, whilst South Wales had quite a few delivered new to Haverfordwest carrying the Cleddau local name.
Did they have VRs?
Yes, definitely some at Haverfordwest. Remembered this on a 1983 timetable:
Yes.
Most of the bus fleet was VRs in the early/mid 1980s with a few Olympians and a relatively small single deck fleet of Nationals and LHSs.
Three of the Southern Vectis VRs were sold to Lowland in 1990-91 - 650/5/6 (MDL650R, NDL655/6R). The last one is preserved as Lowland 856 and still has its Southern Vectis fleetnumber at the foot of the stairs, which its owners have retained as a nod to its past.
