Trivia: Last Single Deck, rear entrance Half Cab in normal service

[delt1c]

Complete trivia just wondering what was the was last half cab, rear entrance single deck in normal service in the UK. Not preserved or returned for special service, but the last in normal daily service. The single deck half cab is a bit easier although not going to reveal that as I am sure many others will mention it

 

[upasalmon]

Burnley, Colne and Nelson ran Leyland Tiger PS2s till about 1974, but these may have been front entrance. Kingston-upon-Hull ran some AEC Regal IIIs but these may have been front entrance(1973). Crosville may have been the last with rear entrance Bristol LWL5G/6Bs still around in 1970. So many later half cab s/d s were converted to driver only. Lancaster held on to a Daimler CVG5 which is preserved, and Eastbourne had an AEC Regal III as a heritage vehicle now owned by Stagecoach. Rear entrance half cabs s/d would have been withdrawn earlier due to the economics of running smaller buses with a crew.

 

[philthetube]

I think that all but one of the last batch of these were preserved, something of a record.

 

[Roger1973]

the BCN PS2s certainly ended up forward entrance and OPO (photo here - by j a sanderson on flickr) - not sure if they were built as such or converted. Birmingham's were converted to OPO (although believe they were used crew operated when loaned to Potteries in the early 70s)

Likewise, the Kingston on Hull Regals look like they were (photo here - by regentV207 on flickr) - think K-o-H were among the first large operators to be fully OMO (1972/3?)

Paul Lacey's history of Thames Valley records that the company's last rear entrance Bristol LWL was withdrawn from service at High Wycombe depot in February 1971.

I think North Western kept a small number of Bristol L's after most had been withdrawn - I have a vague recollection (but can't immediately find a reference) about a fairly obscure route somewhere around Buxton where newer / larger buses didn't fit.

Aware (as has been said above) that Crosville had some rear entrance L's in to the 70's but again don't have a date to hand.

 

[randyrippley]

I can remember seeing several times a rear-entrance Bristol parked up in Southern National garage in Yeovil at some time in the late 1960s.
Only ever saw it in use once - on a number 6 Yeovil-South Petherton service. Presumably it was a reserve vehicle. It had disappeared by the time Western National took over.

(As an aside, the Reckleford garage was of historic interest in that it was the original Petter's Nautilus works - birthplace of the Nautilus fire grate and Petter Engines, and ultimately Westland Aircraft)

 

[jp4712]

<snip> I think North Western kept a small number of Bristol L's after most had been withdrawn - I have a vague recollection (but can't immediately find a reference) about a fairly obscure route somewhere around Buxton where newer / larger buses didn't fit.

It was Altrincham, where a route to Warrington passed under the canal at Dunham Massey using a bridge that wasn’t high enough for underfloor engined buses. But they went in 1964, replaced by Bedford VALs with special bodies, so not especially late.

Lancaster 466 must be a strong contender: this Daimler with Northern Counties body was kept on well into the 1970s and used mainly for prisoner transport, so the separation of the driver from the ‘passengers’ and their warders was useful! But that was a special case. Ramsbottom UDC had a couple of rear entrance Leyland PS1s and I think the last one lasted until January 1968 - it’s now preserved, just search for HTB656. But I’m fairly sure there were later examples, the Thames Valley ones mentioned above being strong candidates. I’d guess any BTC operator that bought the Bristol LWL model would have been amongst the last, as BET flipped over to underfloor engines as soon as they could.

 

[Roger1973]

It was Altrincham, where a route to Warrington passed under the canal at Dunham Massey using a bridge that wasn’t high enough for underfloor engined buses. But they went in 1964, replaced by Bedford VALs with special bodies, so not especially late.

I'd not thought about that route - I've found the reference I had been thinking of (in Ray Stenning's book 'the years before National') - although I was a slightly adrift in place and time - it was route 170, Biddulph - Leek via Lask Edge, but that received underfloor engined buses in 1964.

The classic buses website has a fair bit of info about Crosville Bristol Ls - refers to SLB 290 (NFM 46) being Crosville's last half cab single decker, withdrawn in 1970, so looks like Thames Valley may have the edge...

 

[TheSel]

The classic buses website has a fair bit of info about Crosville Bristol Ls - refers to SLB 290 (NFM 46) being Crosville's last half cab single decker, withdrawn in 1970...

That sounds right. Certainly Crosville's own fleetlist dated 'Summer 1971' contains no rear-entrance saloons. Similarly, Martin Jenkins & Charles Roberts' book 'Crosville in Colour 1965-1986' (ISBN 978-0-7110-3644-4) contains a photo (p10) of SLG200. The caption says this vehicle was "...among the last LL-types to be withdrawn in 1970."

 

[Robertj21a]

Didn't Aberdare run some - Guy Arabs ?