The Classic British Isles Buses Websited

Dundee Corporation - the double deckers to 1945 (by Dick Gilbert)

Last updated 23 August 2024

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Photo collection Pre-war double deckers Post-war double deckers Single deckers Miscellaneous pictures

This page is a profile of the Dundee Corporation double deck buses, up to the end of the war (click here to go to the post-war double deckers). All the pictures on this page were kindly supplied by George Bett, most having been taken by him, although he obtained some from other sources, including Dundee Corporation official pictures. I'm very grateful to George for sending them to me, and I hope you will enjoy the fine quality of his submissions.

If you spot any mistakes, please let me know and I'll try and put them right. A special tribute must be paid to Iain Drummond who kindly supplied much background material to help me get the facts straight, but who sadly passed away in Australia in September 2004.

A selection of withdrawn Daimlers from around 1939-40 at Market Street, Dundee in the late 1950s awaiting disposal.

William Coupar writes: "Rare pictures are the ones taken in the yard at Market Street where scrap buses were stored. This was actually the municipal cattle market and slaughter house. It was also less than 200 yards from where the present Dock Street depot was built. I knew that buses were parked all over the town centre between services, such as by the docks, but did not realise the slaughterhouse yard was also used.

David Craig writes: "The photo shows redundant buses in the E.Dock St./ Market St. yard. This was not the site of the present East Dock St. garage and was not the cattle market and slaughterhouse either. The cattle market was on the eastern side of Market St.")

Dundee Corporation Transport Department (DCT) traced its origins to a horse tramcar service in 1877, with steam trams following in 1887, and electrification shortly afterwards. After an experimental period of trolleybus operation from 1912 to 1914 (Scotland's first trolleybuses), motorbuses appeared in 1921 with four Thornycroft single deckers. Double deckers first appeared in 1931, and from 1935 the Corporation standardised on vehicles of AEC and Daimler manufacture only. This included the acquisition in 1955-56 of forty ex London Transport STLs and RTs, which were to replace the last trams in 1956. In 1961 Dundee became the first municipality to order significant deliveries of 36-foot single deckers (AEC Reliances). Dundee Corporation Transport was absorbed into the control of the new Scottish regions in 1975, and became Tayside Regional Transport, changing their livery from the familiar green to a striking blue and white.

Renumbering of vehicles took place on several occasions, and this has frequently led me into confusion. So the batches listed below are in date order of delivery, rather than in fleet number sequence.

My thanks again to George Bett for letting me use a unique collection of pictures.

LEYLAND TITAN TD1   -   35-46 (Total 12)

Built: 1931

Chassis: Leyland Titan TD1, Leyland T-type 6.8 litre petrol engine.

Body: Leyland H24/24R

Notes: Acquired to replace the Dundee to Monifieth trams. Five were loaned to London Transport in 1940/41, and the last ones were withdrawn in 1949.

LEYLAND TITAN TD1   -   47-48 (Total 2)

Built: 1930, on hire from April 1931, bought in February 1932

Chassis: Leyland Titan TD1, Leyland T-type 6.8 litre petrol engine.

Body: Leyland H48R

Notes; Originally on trial as demonstrators from Leyland, but subsequently purchased.

THORNYCROFT DARING DD   -   49-53 (Total 5)

The first of the batch, No.49, seen in an official publicity photo.

Built: 1932

Chassis: Thornycroft Daring DD

Body: Metro-Cammell H24/24R (contract no. 17)

AEC REGENT   -   54-61 (Total 8)

An unusual photo of No.60 (TS 9862) dangling alarmingly on what would appear to be a tilt test for the vehicle when new.

Built: 1931-33, delivered 1932-33.

Chassis: AEC Regent 661

Body: Three by MCCW (H24/24R), two by Reid of Dundee (H24/24R), and three by Park Royal. In 1949 nos. 54-56 with MCCW bodies were sent to Brockhouse, Glasgow for the bodies fitted to new chassis as nos. 147-149, but this scheme was abandoned.

Notes: Nos. 59-61 were originally built as demonstrator chassis for AEC (No. 61 being the only one actually registered by them), but demand for urgent deliveries of new buses by Dundee led to them being given various Park Royal bodies and delivered to DCT in early 1932.

DAIMLER CH6   -   62-63 (Total 2)

Built: 1930, on hire from May 1931 to Jan 1933, then purchased.

Chassis: Daimler CH6

Body: Park Royal H26/26R.

Notes: Originally on trial as demonstrators from Daimler, but subsequently purchased.

DAIMLER COG6   -   64-66 (Total 3) - Later renumbered 112-114 and then 158-160

In its retirement, No.65 (YJ 2792) became a combined driver trainer and tree-lopper, seen here in East Dock Street in the 1950s. For a later photo of this vehicle, taken by Iain Farquhar in 1965, click here.

Built: 1936

Chassis: Daimler COG6

Body: Metro-Cammell H27/26R (contract no. 110).

AEC REGENT   -   67-69 (total 3) - later renumbered 115-117, then 135-137

Built: 1936

Chassis: AEC Regent

Body: English Electric H26/26R

DAIMLER COG6   -   70-80 (Total 11) - four renumbered 154-157

No. 70 (YJ 4115) in the 1930s.

In service: Nov-Dec 1936

Chassis: Daimler COG6

Body: Cowieson (of Glasgow) H27/26R.

AEC REGENT   -   47, 48, 62, 63 (Total 4)   -  Later renumbered 65-68

No. 63 (YJ 5890) renumbered as No 68, and in use as a driver trainer in Dundee around 1956.

Peter Marshall says: "No. 63 was photographed on Riverside Approach, next to the Tay railway bridge, always good to test hill starts. The Riverside Drive excursions from Shore Terrace always seemed to be with the oldest double- deckers, especially if a circus was being held there, when a regular service was put on (route 30, I think)."

Built; August 1938

Chassis: AEC Regent O661, with A180 8.8 litre engine.

Body: Weymann H26/26R

DAIMLER COG6   -   96-103 (Total 8)

No. 103 (YJ 7054) at Dock Street bus park around 1956.

In service: Oct 1939 to May 1940

Chassis: Daimler COG6

Body: Dickson (of Strathmartin Road, Dundee) H25/26R (100-102 originally H26/26R).

DAIMLER COG6   -   104-111 (Total 8)

In service: Sept-Oct 1939

Chassis: Daimler COG6

Body: Weymann H26/26R.

AEC REGENT   -   112 (Total 1)   -   Later renumbered 69

No. 112 (YJ 7586), renumbered 69, is in the middle of this group of withdrawn buses at Market Street, Dundee, probably in 1957.

Built: 1939, but entered service in May 1940

Chassis: AEC Regent O661, A182 8.8 litre engine.

Body: Weymann H30/26R

Notes: This bus was a one-off, and may have been intended as a 1939 show exhibit. An official AEC photo of it when new shows it wearing the registration number YJ 7337. Why it then entered service as YJ 7586 is not clear.

DAIMLER CWA6   -   28-31 (Total 4)   -   Later renumbered 93, 94, 95, 80

No. 28 (YJ 7954), renumbered as no. 94 and with its rebuilt body, in Dock Street, Dundee.

David Craig says: "This photograph was taken during the 1950s. The stance for route 2 is clearly visible on the south island stances, the stances nearest the bus. The south island stances were given over to private tour operators on 11.1.1959 indicating this view was taken before then."

Built: 1943

Chassis: Daimler CWA6

Body: Massey H30/26R, later rebuilt.

DAIMLER CWA6   -   32-34 (Total 3)   -   Later renumbered 151-153, then 81-83

Daimler No.34, renumbered as No.83 and seen in Dock Street, Dundee. David Craig says: "This view would have been taken during the early 1960s, as the vehicle pictured is in the post 1961 livery."

In service: Feb-Mar 1944

Chassis: Daimler CWA6

Body: Northern Counties H30/26R.

DAIMLER CWA6   -   21-23 (Total 3)   -   Later renumbered 86-88

1944 Daimler No.23, renumbered as No.88 and seen at Maryfield depot in 1957. Maryfield has now been purchased by the Dundee Museum of Transport

In service: June-July 1944

Chassis: Daimler CWA6

Body: Northern Counties H30/26R.

DAIMLER CWA6   -   24-25 (Total 2)   -   Later renumbered 89-90

No. 24 (YJ 7980) renumbered as no. 89, in Dock Street, Dundee in the late 1950s.

In service: Oct 1944

Chassis: Daimler CWA6

Body: Duple H30/26R.

DAIMLER CWA6   -   26-27 (Total 2)   -   Later renumbered 91-92

Daimler YJ 7983 renumbered as No. 92, parked on recently redundant tramlines in the High Street in the late 1950s. Photo by kind permission of the Dundee buses past and present Flickr collection.

In service: June 1944

Chassis: Daimler CWA6

Body: Northern Counties H30/26R.

DAIMLER CWA6   -   19-20 (Total 2)   -   Later renumbered 84-85

Daimler YJ 8008 renumbered as No. 85 at Maryfield depot. Maryfield has now been purchased by the Dundee Museum of Transport. Photo by kind permission of the Dundee buses past and present Flickr collection.

Built: Feb 1945

Chassis: Daimler CWA6

Body: Brush H30/26R.

Total 83 (with no survivors)

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