The Classic British Isles Buses Website

Rally reports page 1 (by Shane Conway and Dick Gilbert)

Last updated 29 October 2024

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This page lists personal views of some local bus rallies and transport shows at which buses were present. Some are large, some are small, but most reports are biased and way out of date! I have also put together a diary of rallies, events, open days and running days where buses may be featured, and it can be found on the events diary page. This colour scheme is a tribute to United Counties.

Sydney Heritage Transport Expo - Monday 7 October 2024 (by Shane Conway)

As part of my first ever Australian holiday, I spent a weekend in Sydney. Each October bank holiday weekend, New South Wales Heritage stages a three day expo showcasing a variety of classic transport vehicles, with rail, road and water based transport all featuring. I was able to attend it on the final day, and spent the morning on a 1970s train taking me across the harbour bridge, followed by a steam boat cruise around the harbour and going under the same bridge. To get from Sydney Central to the port, Sydney Bus Museum provided two classic single deckers from the 1970s on route 222. The outbound journey was on a 1978 Mercedes 0305, with a Pressed Metal Corporation dual door body. On this journey I was joined by Greg Travers from the SBM, who filled me in on the museum and the buses running on the day. There were 200 in this batch of Mercedes 0305s in the Sydney fleet.

Having completed the boat trip, a bus was waiting to take us back to Sydney Central. This time it was a Smithfield bodied Leyland Leopard dating from 1976, again a dual door bus and it had a full load on board. Its withdrawal in 1989 marked the end of Leyland bus operation on the streets of Sydney. The rest of the afternoon was taken up with sampling some of the double deck buses on the 417 route around the central business district. I managed to travel on two Leyland OPD2s, one manual and one pre-selector, and also on ex London Transport AEC Routemaster RM1708. Also running on that route was an AEC Regent III and two Atlanteans, while another Leopard, a Tiger towbus and a single deck Regent III were parked up on display.

Sydney 2878 is a 1954 built 31 seat body on a 1951 AEC Regent III. Built by Commonwealth Engineering, the dual door body seats 31 with 23 standing passengers. It was one of eighteen Regents built to this configuration and the batch was always driver only operated. 2878 was withdrawn on 31/08/1979 and sold for preservation.

Leopard 1765 was new in 1976 with a Smithfield dual door body. It was withdrawn in 1989, marking the end of Sydney's fleet of 1,741 Leylands, or which 745 were Leopards, one of the biggest fleets worldwide. Here it is seen at Pyrmont Wharf waiting for passengers from the steam boat cruise.

This is one of 30 Leyland OPS4 Tigers built for Melbourne in 1949, all of which were withdrawn in 1956 after the Olympic Games of that year. Seven went to a Melbourne independent in 1957, the rest going to Perth in 1958. This example (originally Melbourne 336) was one of five altererd to towbuses and later found its way to Sydney Bus Museum. A full fleet history of the batch can be seen here.

Atlantean 1224, new in 1973, was the last of 224 Atlanteans to enter service in Sydney. It has a Pressed Metal Corporation H39/27D body. New in 1973, it was withdrawn in 1979 and sold to a private operator, from where it was acquired for preservation in 1992. Note the similar styling with Leopard 1765 alongside it.

Routemaster RM1708 was new in October 1963 to London Transport. It was exported to Perth, Australia in August 1988, where it saw ten years service, moving to Sydney in 1998 and being restored to original condition. While it operated in Perth, sister vehicles were in use in the Scottish city of the same name.

RM1708 is also seen in the background of this photo of two of Sydney's Leyland OPD2s. 2186 on the right of the photo is a manual box bus, while 2761 in the centre is one of 50 examples with pre-selector gearchanges. 2186 is preserved as a rear platform bus, while 2761 is dual door. All these buses were recorded as OPD2/1, despite the use of different transmission and braking systems.

2643 is one of 50 AEC Regent IIIs bodied by Clyde Engineering to the standard Sydney design in 1953. It has an open rear platform and an air operated front doorway. During the 1970s it was one of four half cab deckers to receive the then new blue and white livery. All 359 AECs had pre-selector boxes.

Devon General Society running day - Sunday 1 September 2024 (by Paul Jenkins)

Ten vintage buses brought nostalgic travel to the roads in and around Tiverton on Sunday, September 1st as the Devon General Society recreated local bus routes of the 1960s. Free bus services ran from the bus station around the town, and out to Bampton, Thorverton and Tiverton Parkway, whilst an open-top bus provided a local tour. Altogether, 1,855 passenger trips were made during the day.

Paul Jenkins, Secretary of the Devon General Society, said "We were delighted with the turnout for our event, with many buses departing with full loads. We would like to thank everyone who travelled on our buses, the bus owners, and our great team of volunteers who made it all happen. We also appreciate the support we received from Tiverton Town Council, Mid Devon District Council, and Stagecoach South West. We hope everyone had an enjoyable day experiencing bus travel as it used to be." The Devon General Society was formed in 1982 to perpetuate interest in the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company and its successors; it has around two hundred members.

ETT 995 is a pre-war AEC Regent, new in 1937 as DTT 47 with a Weymann body. In 1953 it received a then new lightweight Saunders-Roe body, and the registration number of a 1938 AEC Regal. It formed the first departure, and is seen being waved off from Tiverton bus station by the Mayor of Tiverton, Councillor Neal Davey.

Passengers boarding to travel to Bampton on Grey Cars 1 RDV. It is a 1964 Harrington bodied AEC Reliance which was new in May of that year.

ROUTEMASTER 70th anniversary - Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2024 (by Gary Manahan)

The Routemaster Association staged its Routemaster 70 event in Chiswick, West London which was dominated by the former London Transport Chiswick Works for many years. The massive site housed the tilt test machine for testing the stability of double deck buses and the Driving School Skid Pan, where drivers learned the techniques of avoiding skidding in dangerous circumstances. The site, which fronts on to the High Street in Chiswick, has no indication of its former importance in the life of London Transport. The historic buildings and connection to the Routemaster development are gone forever, being replaced by typical plate glass offices of modern design.

Three earlier even-decade celebrations 40, 50 and 60 years were held in Finsbury Park. The 70 years event was on the 20th and 21st July 2024 on the site where the Routemaster was developed. There was a very long line up of Routemasters, mostly in the standard red livery. Two came from overseas to be present. From Ireland came RM406 registered ZV 8691 originally WLT 406 and from Sweden came RM223 registered R2MS23 originally VLT 223.

SLT 57 is one of the first four Routemaster prototypes, dating from 1954. Originally they all had this style of more bulbous front, which was later changed to the more familiar style on production buses. In preservation they were changed back.

JJD 456D was one of 100 green (country area) open platform buses, new in 1965 and 1966. A small number of them have been restored back to that colour scheme.

Enthusiasts could avail of being passengers on the finely restored former BEA bus with its fast differential all the way to Heathrow Airport, allied with a few local short journeys too. The attention to detail in the restoration on the inside is amazing.

This heavily altered and shortened vehicle was on display, originally RM 997.

Finally, the most expensive and indeed extremely heavy scale model Routemaster was for sale at £750 and indeed was worth every penny as it is probably one of the few completed by enthusiasts who received components regularly to assemble the model.

KING ALFRED Running Day - Monday 6 May 2024 (by Shane Conway)

The May bank holiday saw the annual Friends of King Alfred running day, operating from the Broadway in Winchester. Having been to the 2023 event and being very impressed with it, I decided to make a return visit for 2024, and found again that the quality of the vehicle restorations and the amount of organising of the various departures during the day was seriously impressive, and going by the day's programme and timetable, there were 95 departures from Broadway, 55 from the Guildhall, 55 from St. Catherine's park and ride facility, plus a further 35 round trips betwen the park and ride and Broadway. All except one of the FoKAB fleet was evident, along with around three dozen visiting vehicles.

In 2023 I travelled exclusively on former King Alfred buses, so this time I decided to sample some of the others instead, plus getting to the park and ride site which I didn't manage in 2023. My trips for the day included Leyland Lion RU 8678, Atlantean HOR 592E, AEC Renown 595 LCG and Panther UOU 419H (all new to King Alfred), plus UMP 227 (prototype AEC Regal IV), LOU 48 (Aldershot and District Dennis Lance), BFX 666T (Hants and Dorset Bristol VRT) and 23 ACD (Brighton Corporation Leyland PD2), which was Britain's first driver only double decker.

Sadly the Leyland Olympic was absent after the fire last December, but the stunningly restored 1950 Leyland PD2 in King Alfred livery was on display and looked like new, a fantastic job having been carried out on it.

OU 9286 was the second of a pair of Dennis 18 seaters bought new in August 1931, and it lasted in service until until 1947 when it was sold to a school. It joined the FoKAB collection in 1993.

AAA 756 is a 1935 Albion Victor, one of a pair bought that year. It has been in preservation since 1959 and owned by FoKAB since 2013.

WKJ 787, new in November 1955 as a Beadle demonstrater, was the only Commer and the only centre entrance postwar coach which was on display in the Winchester event.

488 KOT belonged to a batch of 22 Dennis Lolines new in late 1964 to Aldershot and District. Most of the batch, including 488 entered service in December of that year. Bodywork is Weymann H39/29F.

1013 MW was one of four Leyland Atlanteans new to Silver Star of Porton Down from 1959 to 1962. The sole survivor was the final one to enter service, only a few months before the company ceased operating and sold out to Wilts and Dorset.

This is a 1950 Leyland PD2 which was making its first appearance after a very lengthy restoration. Although new to Isle of Man Road Services, it has now been finished off as a replica of five similar buses bought by the Chisnells from 1949 to 1951.

NPJ 472R was one of a fleet of Leyland Nationals bought by Alder Valley in 1976, passing to Alder Valley South in 1986 and getting the green and yellow livery it wears in preservation. It was one of three Nationals seen on the day.

JAM 145E represents a batch of three Daimler CVG6 buses new to Swindon Corporation in June 1967. Later passing to Thamesdown Transport, 145 is owned by Go South Coast as the only survivor of the trio.

PWS 492S is one of a pair of Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopards new to Bristol Omnibus in 1977, with Supreme bodies. 492 was burnt out in 1983 and then rebodied as a Plaxton Paramount. It is preserved in Badgerline livery and has appeared in this event several times.

UMP 227, although preserved in London Transport green livery, was never owned by them, being new as an AEC demonstrater in 1949 and as the prototype AEC Regal IV. It has been in preservation since 1971.

23 ACD is a 1963 Leyland PD2 new to Brighton Corporation and later converted to be Britain's first driver only double deck bus, in which guise it is preserved.

VDV 122S is one sixteen Bristol VRTs which entered service with Western National in 1978. It is now preserved in a later green and cream livery and carries Southern National fleetnames.

In March and April 1990 London United bought 27 of these Duple B28F bodied Dennis Darts, registered G501 - 527 VYE. Almost 3,500 Darts were produced in its original step entrance form from 1989 to 1998, with a variety of different body designs.

THU 354G is an ECW 43 seater bodied Bristol RESL6G new to Bristol Omnibus in 1969, along with fourteen others. It has the older style flat glass windscreens.

Irish Transport Heritage classic bus rally Saturday April 27 2024 (by Shane Conway)

After a gap of seven years, I. T. H. held their annual event, the 46th such rally. Admittedly in between the 45th and the 46th they had two other events, one to mark 50 years of the last Belfast Corporation trolleybuses in 2018 and another to mark 50 years since the start of Citybus, which was held in 2023. The 2024 event was held at a new venue, Galwally House in Drumkeen in South Belfast, and had a new format. The former timed road run concept was not used, instead a timetabled shuttle bus service was provided linking the site with the village of Holywood in County Down, on a 30 minute frequency. This gave the chance for visitors to travel on many of the entered vehicles. Additionally a shuttle bus was provided from Belfast City Centre in the morning with a return working in the evening after the event.

For me, the day started by boarding the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise train, arriving at Belfast around 09:50. The morning shuttle service featured two former Ulsterbus machines, 1969/78 Leyland Leopard SOI 3591 and a 2007 Plaxton Primo 28 seater midibus. Most of the waiting crowd clambered aboard the older of the two buses, originally new in 1969 as AOI 1347, it was rebodied in 1978 and given a new identity. The Primo is the only preserved example of the 186 which were made.

The first departure for Holywood was at 11.15, which was operated by Leyland Tiger DXI 3343 and Bristol RELL6G BXI 2584. This gave folk the chance to travel out on one bus and swap over at Holywood. Our decision was to get some lunch in Hollywood and wait for the next arrival, which were Leopards ROI 129 and WOI 2235. 129 was our vehicle of choice this time. On the way back we were passed by the Primo and a Leyland PS1 (newest and oldest entries) heading out.

Next up to be sampled was the only double decker entered. ALJ 340B was a 1964 MH Cars bodied Daimler Fleetline, one of two built to Belfast spec for demonstration to C. I. E., a plan which was quickly thwarted by Leyland Motors when they got wind of it. So the pair was packed off to Bournemouth instead who at the time were short of buses. After several years of preservation in England, it returned to Belfast and was restored to original condition. A beautiful restoration and a fine machine to travel in. Waiting for the next departure brought a total contrast, this time an Alexander (Belfast) bodied Leyland Viking school bus from 1977. Suffice it to say that the contrast in internal sound levels was quite noticeable, the Fleetline being almost silent in comparison to the Viking!! Our final trip of the day was the first of the two journeys back to the city centre, on board a Wrights bodied Volvo B10BLE, which was new in September 1999 to Citybus.

SOI 3591 was one of two Ulsterbus Leopards which were burnt out in the early 1970s, and rebodied with new identities. All other rebodied Leopards kept their original registrations and fleet numbers. It was acquired for preservation in 1989.

JGZ 6258 was both the smallest and the newest bus entered. Its a Plaxton Primo B28F, new to Princess of Southampton as MX 07 BBJ in April 2007, it was one of two later bought by Ulsterbus for a service at the Giants Causeway. It is now believed to be the sole example in preservation out of the 186 produced.

87 D 3202 dates from late 1986, and was the final example of this design to enter service with C. I. E. It quickly passed to Dublin Bus, before going to Bus Eireann for school transport. It was acquired for preservation in 2005 and restored to original C. I. E. livery.

TOI 2306, new in May 1979 was the first of a batch of fifteen 50 seater Bristol RE/Alexander bought by Citybus. It later served with Ulsterbus from 1996 to 2002, and has been in preservation since 2004.

DXI 3343 was part of the first batch of 40 Alexander bodied Leyland Tigers, entering service in February 1984. Spending its entire working life in Enniskillen, it has been in preservation since April 2007.

ROI 129 is one of several Ulsterbus Leyland Leopards in preservation. Over 700 buses of this design were produced between 1968 and 1983, and were used on a variety of service and express routes by the company over the years.

Ex Bournemouth ALJ 340B was the sole double decker and only Daimler to attend the event. Resident in Ulster since 2018, it has been restored to how it looked when new. It was my first time to see this vehicle, and a very impressive bus all round.

DJI 3195 is one several dozen Alexander bodied Albion or Leyland Vikings used for school transport in Ulster. New in November 1977, it was withdrawn from service in November 2005 and sold for restoration in October 2006.

The oldest buse entered was GZ 6106, which is a 1947 NIRTB bodied Leyland PS1. Now owned by Ulsterbus, the bus has been in preservation for over 50 years and was a regular entrant in previous I T H rallies.

Two of the many Leyland Tigers bought by both Ulsterbus and Citybus from 1984 onwards, this pair were later shortened and used as towing buses, being later sold into preservation. PXI 1304 was the sole Volvo engined example to be converted, all others having Leyland TL11 units.

BCZ 2784 was new as Citybus 2784 in September 1999 and remained in service until 2014. Six years of npsv use preceeded its sale for preservation in 2022, and it is back in original livery.

Howth Transport Museum open day Saturday September 30 2023 (by Shane Conway)

The Howth transport museum had an open day at their premises in Dublin at the end of September 2023. A display of museum vehicles and some privately owned ones were on view on the museum forecourt during the day, and the event attracted a good turnout of visitors. Below are some photos taken by Gary Manahan on the day.

Recently restored into its original C. I. E. two tone green livery, RA105 is one of six survivors of the 152 strong RA class. New in 1961, it joined the museum collection in 1978 as it retained many of its original internal fittings. Until the recent restoration, it was in the later blue and cream livery. The class had three different reg. number series, two survive from each batch, and one of each pair is green, the other blue and cream.

ZH 3937 is the only surviving Great Northern Railway AEC Regent, out of a total of 39 bought between 1937 and 1953. Withdrawn from C. I. E. service in 1967, the 1948 bus was restored to G. N. R. livery and has been in the museum ever since.

ZO 6857 is one of three survivors of the 71 Leyland PS2/14s bought new in 1953, all with C. I. E. B39R bodywork. It joined the museum collection in 1980 and has appeared in many feature films since then.

EZL 1 was the first of 800 Bedford school buses bought by C. I. E. from 1967 to 1977, 150 on VAS chassis, and the rest on SB5 underframes. A small number survive.

GSI 353 was one of three Bombardier/G. A. C. buses that took part in the official farewell trip back in 2001. New in 1983, this bus joined the museum collection after that event and has now been longer in preservation than it was in service.

Two preserved deckers, C. I. E. Leyland PD2 R389 alongside G. N. R. AEC Regent III 438, both with ZH registrations. Both were the second last of their respective batches to enter service, 438 entering preservation in January 1968, and R389 in April 1971.

Three different generations of C. I. E. double deckers. On the left is 1975 Leyland AN68 D694 in Dublin Bus livery, RA105 in the centre, and 1972 Leyland PDR1 DF415 which was recently restored again in the C. I. E. blue and cream livery. This combination of buses and liveries could never have been seen together during their service days, as the last old green livery went in 1968, while the Dublin Bus green only appeared in 1987.

LONDON route 65 and 71 Running Day - Sunday 11 June 2023 (by Shane Conway)

The London bus museum ran a free heritage service on 65 (Ealing Argyle Road to Kingston Brook Street) and 71 (Kingston station to Chessington world of adventure) with some 71s extended to Leatherhead. Both routes overlapped between Kingston station and Kingston Brook Street. This is our first ever report of a London based/themed event, amazingly, so Kevin Horgan kindly attended it and sent some wonderful photos of some buses seen on the day.

273 AUF was new in March 1963 as Southdown 673, one of a batch of 25 similar buses. All of them later passed to East Kent, including this one which has been restored to traditional East Kent livery, seen here at Ealing Broadway station. It was driven in the event by co-owner Phil Drake, who started as a young conductor with L. T. in 1979 at Kingston garage, and later moved to Maidstone and District as a driver in 1982 at Hawkhurst.

OJD 88R is one of 95 Bristol LH/ECW B39F buses bought by London Transport in 1976 and 1977, and is preserved in the red and white livery, as seen here

EGO 426 is an AEC Regent with London Passenger Transport Board bodywork, dating from November 1937. Kevin managed to get a shot of it on each route on the day, a fine old machine.

Over 700 of these AEC Regal IVs were bought by London Transport, in both red and green liveries, between 1951 and 1953. The first 25 were shorter examples for sightseeing and private hire, and there was also fifteen wider versions bodied by ECW in 1951. Here we see red RF354 on route 71.

Between 1978 and 1986 London Transport/London Buses placed 1,440 MCW Metrobuses in service. M394 seen here dates from September 1980.

JXC 432 was the final red painted RT class bus to work in regular service on a London bus route, on 7th April in 1979 on route 62. It is now preserved as it appeared on that day.

YPL 449T is one of over 500 Leyland Nationals bought by London Country Bus Services between 1973 and 1979, with lengths and seating capacities varying between batches. Later production of these buses didn't feature the roof pod at the rear, as seen here.

KYY 622 was new in June 1950 as RT1784. Of the 100 buses with KYY 6-- reg numbers, 83 were RT type, the rest being Leyland based RTL types.

Finally, the youngest half-cab bus photographed on the day, RM5 was the first production bus of its type in 1959. Its of note that all of the first ten Routemasters built still survive to this day.

KING ALFRED Running Day - Monday 1 May 2023 (by Shane Conway)

The May bank holiday saw the annual Friends of King Alfred running day, operating from the Broadway in Winchester. As I happened to be in the area, I went along for a look. Alongside the thirteen buses from the FoKAB collection, a further 23 other classic buses were in use on the day.

The opportunity to travel on some of these fine machines was too good to be missed, and so I managed to board no less than seven throughout the day running to various points on the former King Alfred Motor Services network. Among them I made my first ever trips on a 1929 Leyland Lion, 1950 Leyland Olympic, 1964 AEC Renown, 1967 low-height Leyland Atlantean and a 1970 Leyland Panther. The quality of the vehicle restorations and the amount of organising of the various departures during the day was seriously impressive. Going by the day's programme and timetable, there were 102 departures from Broadway, 50 from the Guildhall, 50 from St. Catherine's park and ride facility, plus a further 33 round trips betwen the park and ride and Broadway.

Thankfully the weather stayed fine for most of the day, giving the opportunity for plenty of photographs both in the city centre and at the outlying termini. All in all a fantastic event and one which I would certainly like to visit again. So here goes with a selection of views of preserved King Alfred vehicles seen on the day.

RU 8678 is a replica of the the two K A Lions from 1929, and a lovely machine to travel in. Originally a Hants and Dorset bus, it is to be returned to original livery for its centenary in 2029.

HOR 592E was the last double deck bus bought by King Alfred, in 1967 and seen at the route 13 terminus in Weeke Estate. Converted to opentop in 1979, it was later restored to original spec, using parts from sister bus HOR 591E.

POU 494 is one of a pair of 1956 East Lancs lowbridge bodied Leyland PD2s. Exported to the U S in 1974, it was repatriated to Hampshire in 1993 and restored over a five year period.

Another exported bus, JAA 708 was in Ireland from 1966 to 1992. It was the first underfloor engined bus to enter service in Hampshire in 1950, and is one of only two examples of the 40 seat Olympic in preservation.

CCG 704C entered service around the same time as JAA 708 was withdrawn. Acquired by FoKAB as a cut down car transporter, its restoration involved rebodying using a donor vehicle.

HOR 590E was another of the opentop conversions in 1980, and has been restored in that format. Seen here at the Broadway with some ominous looking clouds apparoaching......

.......eleven minutes later, WCG 104 (the sole survivor of the nine Leyland Tiger Cubs once owned by King Alfred) was snapped from the top deck of an AEC Renown in a sudden downpour.

595 LCG was the first of a pair of 1964 AEC Renowns bought by K A. Both had semi-automatic gearboxes, a rare feature on this type of bus. Its conductor told me that only five Renowns were so fitted.

Sister vehicle to 595 LCG, 596 LCG has been repainted into NBC Hants and Dorset livery, as it wore after 1973. It was also bought back from an American owner and restored initially in green and cream.

UOU 419H was the last of a trio of 1970 Plaxton bodied Leyland Panthers, of which two survive. The other survivor, 417, was absent due to extensive body repairs being carried out.

The smallest bus in the FoKAB collection is this 1965 Bedford CA 8 seater, one of the few secondhand buses bought by King Alfred.

326 CAA was the second of a trio of 1961 Bedford SBs with rare Harrington Crusader 41 seater coach bodies.

NORTH WESTERN ROAD CAR CENTENARY - Saturday/Sunday 22/23 April 2023 (by Shane Conway)

Ken Jones kindly sent a couple of photos of half cab single deckers which were in use and carrying folk at the above event. First up is JA 5515, a 1936 Leyland Tiger TS7, which originally carried (briefly) a Harrington C32R body, being replaced by an Eastern Counties one later that year. In 1939 it reverted back to a Harrington body, and in 1950 got its fourth (Windover) body, which it still has. Also seen was BJA 425, a 1946 Bristol L5G which started out with a Brush B35R body, this being replaced in 1958 by a second-hand Willowbrook unit which had been removed from an older L5G (AJA 122), also from the North Western fleet.

HUNTON STEAM GATHERING - Saturday 10 September 2022 (by Shane Conway)

2022 saw the 35th year of this two-day event, in Lower Wensleydale. A small number of buses were present on the day I visited, a very damp Saturday. Just how damp it was in the field was underlined by a steam powered traction engine having to be rescued by a modern diesel tractor....

This much altered 1985 Leyland Olympian, new to Tyne and Wear PTE, has also served with Stagecoach in Swindon and then McKindless of Wishaw, before being converted to a mobile office and store unit, and getting the dull green livery it carries now.

Technically not a bus, but built as a bus recovery vehicle for Salford Corporation, clearly using bus body components. As new, it was an Artillery gun tractor and saw use during WWII in Norway. Salford acquired the chassis in the late 50s and recycled it. Later it served with South Yorkshire PTE, before restoration to Salford green.

SS 7376 is a 1949 Bedford OB/Duple, new to McKinlay, Prestonpans in November of that year. From 1963 to 1981 it operated on the Shetland Islands, before going through a series of owners in England and the Isle of Man. For 21 years up to 2019 it was in the East Yorkshire fleet, before passing to Proctor of Leeming Bar.

Possibly the oldest surviving Bedford SB anywhere, this August 1951 Duple C33F, new to Stainsby of Heacham is a fantastic looking machine. I last saw it 34 years earlier, also on a wet day (Showbus in 1988).

Sporting a large flag on the front, marking a sad day for Britain, JJD 474D was new in May 1966 to London Transport as RML 2474.

Dating from March 1947, this Plaxton bodied Leyland PS1 was new to Smith, Thirsk, who owned it up to 2019, when it passed to Proctor of Leeming Bar.

WUG 127S was one of four 7 foot 6 inch wide Leyland Leopard PSU4s with Duple Dominant bodies, new to Wallace Arnold in 1977. Ten years later all four were rebodied with Plaxton Paramount bodies, for use in Devon.

Between April 1981 and March 1985 a total of 231 Bova Europa coaches entered service with UK fleets, with seating capacities ranging from 46 to 53. GEX 790Y was new in May 1983 to Bird, Hunstanton, his sole example, and is believed to be the only intact example left.

This smart looking Roe bodied Daimler CCG6D was the first of a batch of eighteen buses supplied new to South Shields Corporation in 1964 and is now the sole survivor.

JRV 500F is a tidy looking Duple Commander bodied AEC Reliance, part of a mixed batch of five coaches new in early 1968 to Byng of Portsmouth, and was entered in this event by Proctor, Leeming Bar.

A final Proctors entry in the event was this 1934 Renault TN6C which originally operated in Paris.

PEAK PARK PRESERVED BUS GATHERING - Sunday 19 June 2022 (by Shane Conway)

The 16th annual Peak Park Preserved Bus Gathering, organised jointly by Transpire and the Chesterfield 123 Preservation Group has become a popular annual event, located at the Peak Rail Rowsley South station (between Bakewell and Matlock), with a display of static vehicles and transport related sales stalls at Rowsley South and free vintage bus services to Matlock, Darley Dale and Bakewell.

The oldest rear-engined double deck to appear was this stylish example from Delaine of Bourne, nicely restored in their classic livery. New in 1966 with a Willowbrook body, it is part of Delaine Buses heritage fleet.

One of three Bristol Lodekkas entered, 4227 FM was new to Crosville in 1964.

The oldest rear-engined single deck to appear was this Northern Counties bodied Leyland Panther from Chesterfield Corporation, part of a batch of ten new in September 1969.

LJX 198 was the first of a batch of four Weymann-bodied AEC Regent Vs new to Hebble in November 1959. A similar looking batch of eight buses, also with LJX reg plates, were built for neighbouring Halifax Corporation in February 1960.

CDB 224 was part of a batch of 28 Leyland-bodied Leyland PD2s supplied to North Western and dating from 1948. Alongside it is a 1968 Bristol Lodekka new to Midland General and in the background a Daimler CVG of the Grimsby- Cleethorpes fleet dating from July 1962.

From July 1965, CYD 724C represents the Hutchings and Cornelius fleet from South Petherton. Its coachwork is a 41-seater Harrington body.

Mid-way in a batch of five Roe-bodied Leyland Tiger Cubs, 433 MDT was new to Doncaster Corporation in October 1963. Behind it is a 1977 Bristol LH and a 1971 Bristol RELL, both with Eastern Coachworks bodywork.

SFJ 904 is a 1956 Duple bodied Bedford SB, new to Greenslades of Exeter in May 1956, but now preserved in the colours of Vallances Coaches. KPC 204P is a Plaxton-bodied Bedford YRQ, new in October 1975.

225 LRB is the first of a batch of ten Weymann-bodied Leyland PD2s. It was new in January 1960 and is preserved in Chesterfield Corporation livery.

Citybus, Belfast 2565 is a 1983 Bristol RELL6G with Alexander (Belfast) bodywork, one of 600 purchased for both Ulsterbus and Citybus between 1975 and 1984. Quite a few are now preserved in England.

C253 FRJ is one of 32 Leyland Olympians with coach seat fitted Northern Counties bodies bought by Greater Manchester PTE in the mid 1980s (this one still has the coach seats downstairs). Following withdrawal it was painted into a retro version of Wigan Corporation livery. Photo taken on one of the free services to Bakewell.

Sadly, Simon Lang, who kindly supplied the above photos, died on June 30th 2024, following a long illness. His obituary can be seen here.