tonyj105:
Froggy55:
What could be the make of this Malta bus? Could “AEC 505” refer to an AEC chassis fitted with an AV 505 engine?0
Original reg was 2003 before they changed the reg plates, , Babara bodied AEC my book says, so quite possible an AEC chassis.
Tony
Thanks! I was told all the typical Malta buses were recently replaced by Chinese-built low-cost crap.
Froggy55:
What could be the make of this Malta bus? Could “AEC 505” refer to an AEC chassis fitted with an AV 505 engine?
This looks similar but it’s on a Bedford chassis but from a different angle. Did the use AEC engines at any time?
from what i’ve seen when io used to go there , if they could fit an engine , they’d fit it , didn’t matter what the chassis was , this one’s a leyland ,and yours truly (many years ago mind)
Spent a few days in Malta a couple of years ago.
All new buses, timetables etc. multi-day all routes passes etc. I found it a well-run and pretty slick operation.
Quite a lot of Turkish built buses.
An Arriva DAF painted in Ribble Motor Services livery, to celebrate 100 years
since Ribble commenced in 1919 in the Preston area. I have seen it several
times locally when it has done bus routes to and from Wigan Bus Station.
I wish that it would have had the earlier fleetname rather this, the later one.
Ray.
The Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court, London, in 1968. The exhibition stand of
Northern Counties from Wigan. The buses from left to right are, a Leyland Atlantean
of Wigan Corporation, a Daimler of City of Oxford, and a Leyland Atlantean of
Nottingham City Transport. My wife and I spent a day at this Motor Show. The picture
is from" Northern Counties " book by Eric Ogden.
Ray.
Ray Smyth:
The Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court, London, in 1968. The exhibition stand of
Northern Counties from Wigan. The buses from left to right are, a Leyland Atlantean
of Wigan Corporation, a Daimler of City of Oxford, and a Leyland Atlantean of
Nottingham City Transport. My wife and I spent a day at this Motor Show. The picture
is from" Northern Counties " book by Eric Ogden.Ray.
Did Northern Counties use Alexander frames for their bodies? They look very similar to the Alexander bodies of that era, especially the roof dome.
Dennis Javelin:
Ray Smyth:
The Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court, London, in 1968. The exhibition stand of
Northern Counties from Wigan. The buses from left to right are, a Leyland Atlantean
of Wigan Corporation, a Daimler of City of Oxford, and a Leyland Atlantean of
Nottingham City Transport. My wife and I spent a day at this Motor Show. The picture
is from" Northern Counties " book by Eric Ogden.Ray.
Did Northern Counties use Alexander frames for their bodies? They look very similar to the Alexander bodies of that era, especially the roof dome.
Yes Dennis, The Northern Counties upper front frame is similar to the Alexander bodywork. I am in the middle of
reading the Northern Counties book by Eric Ogden, so I will look particularly for a possible Falkirk connection.
Cheers, Ray.
I spotted this Volvo coach on the industrial estate at Worthington Way, Wigan this morning.
It has a P registration number plate, so it is at least 25 years old.
Because of where it is parked, it gives an appearance that it has been there a while.
Ray.
> Ray Smyth:
> I spotted this Volvo coach on the industrial estate at Worthington Way, Wigan this morning.
> It has a P registration number plate, so it is at least 25 years old.
> Because of where it is parked, it gives an appearance that it has been there a while.Ray.
Looks like someone living in it
Chinese built Chilean bus and interesting with canvas top, elaborate tyre pressure control and claiming connections to Paris and London.
Oily
I found this picture of a Guy double decker from 1927 with bodywork by Massey Bros of Wigan.
I imagine that it operated from one of ■■■■■■■■■■■ larger depots like Carlisle or Workington
The picture is from Barrie, whose father was a coachbuilder with Massey Bros.
Ray.
Ray This was a Guy FCX with Massey 52 seat lowbridge body new to ■■■■■■■■■■ Motor Services in August 1927 as its No 74 RM 4364.
I remember seeing this bus in the Vicarage Field camping site just over the wall from the coast road as you entered Allonby from Maryport, it was owned by a family called Byers who had a believe a a drapers shop in Maryport. It remained there from the late 1940s until the early 1960s I was always intrigued by fitting of curved quarter lights at the front and rear of the top deck. Probably based at Whitehaven depot.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Leyland600:
Ray This was a Guy FCX with Massey 52 seat lowbridge body new to ■■■■■■■■■■ Motor Services in August 1927 as its No 74 RM 4364.
I remember seeing this bus in the Vicarage Field camping site just over the wall from the coast road as you entered Allonby from Maryport, it was owned by a family called Byers who had a believe a a drapers shop in Maryport. It remained there from the late 1940s until the early 1960s I was always intrigued by fitting of curved quarter lights at the front and rear of the top deck. Probably based at Whitehaven depot.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Thank you for the info regarding this ■■■■■■■■■■ bus. As soon as I found it, I was fairly sure that you would be aware of its history,
even though it would have been in service quite a while before our time… Me and thee…we are youngsters. 
Cheers, Ray.
Apparently after WW2 ceased and Malta was re establishing in bus fleets many of the operators were invited to AEC’s at Southall where they were trained to operate and maintain AEC engines thus when they returned home their preference for adapting engines to fit all makes of chassis they managed to acquire at the time of severe vehicle shortage thus many Maltese buses sported the legend “AEC 505” in their destination apertures despite being perhaps a Bedford with Leyland axles and an Albion gearbox. There was a number of ex British Road Services AEC Mercury lorry chassis acquired whereby local Maltese coachbuilders fitted bodies constructed often using obsolete Plaxton, Duple or Harrington body mouldings etc. The Maltese authorities would not allow complete buses/ coaches to be imported but local coachbuilders could acquire body parts from the UK.
Cheers, Leyland 600
