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Sureline Coaches, Lurgan

Last updated on 13 August 2024

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As part of the restructuring of Northern Ireland's bus services in the mid 1960s, two groups of unremunerative routes were transferred to newly established private operators. Coastal Bus Services in Portrush was one of the pair; the other, which is the subject of this page, being Sureline Coaches of Lurgan. The onset of the civil unrest in 1969 took its toll on bus services across the province, with Coastal ceasing to trade in 1974 and selling out to Ulsterbus. Sureline however stayed in business until 1987, when its founder retired and sold his business to Ulsterbus. A few years earlier Sureline had acquired a number of Alexander bodied Bristol LHs and Leyland Leopards from its larger neighbour, and most of these thus returned to where they had come from.

Early purchases (1966 to 1969) comprised AEC Regal IVs (5), AEC Reliances (9) and Leyland Tiger Cubs (15). From time to time Sureline bought unusual one off vehicles, the first being a Mulliner bodied Guy Arab in 1967, the only examples of either manufacturer's output owned. From 1968 onwards fleet policy switched to Ford, and eventually a total of 35 were bought, both new and used examples. Among them were two with operator built body frames which were finished off by Wrights in Ballymena. Other vehicles acquired in the 70s saw a return to used AEC Reliances (3) and Leyland Tiger Cubs (10), and keeping the penchant for unusual vehicles saw the purchase of a Dennis Loline in late 1970. As it was withdrawn in early 1972, four Bedfords arrived, the first examples of that manufacturer owned. Three more Bedfords followed much later, including one with a Caetano body. 1979 saw yet another fleet change when five Leyland Leopards arrived from Trent, these seeing four to five years service.

From 1983 onwards, fleet policy changed again when ex Ulsterbus vehicles began to arrive, all with Alexander Belfast bus bodies. First arrivals were four Bristol LHs in 1983, followed by nine more the following year. 1985 saw ten ex Ulsterbus Leopards arrive, with five more in 1987. In the midst of all this, the last Ford and Bedford arrived, as well as the only DAF and Mercedes ever owned. June 1987 saw the end of Sureline with all routes and 31 surviving vehicles being sold to Ulsterbus. While a few of the newer vehicles were repainted blue and white, most saw out their days still in Sureline colours. The original livery was red and off white, later giving way to an orange and brown livery. At some stage in the later years some of the fleet had white added to the livery, with some being orange, white and brown, others being orange and white. The sale of the business ended 21 years of a very interesting operator and its mixed fleet.

1966

The first bus bought by Sureline was the first of London Transport's RF class, later followed by RF17 and RF262. The last of the trio remained in service until 1972.

FCH 24 was the first of fifteen Leyland Tiger Cubs bought from 1966 to 1969, collectively having four different body styles, by Weymann, Alexander and Plaxton.

One of two Tiger Cubs in the fleet with this style of Weymann body, both remained in service until the early 1970s.

RYT 31 was the first of twelve AEC Reliances owned by Sureline. The first pair had this style of Weymann body, the rest being bodied by Alexander, Willowbrook or Duple.

DCN 891 was one of seven Tiger Cubs in the fleet new to Northern General in 1954. The last remained in service until June 1973.

JBO 53 was one of a pair of ex Western Welsh Tiger Cubs, again with the Weymann bus body. The last of the pair remained in service until 1975, bringing the company's Tiger Cub era to an end.

1967

1968

DJP 685 was the only exampe of this style of Plaxton body ever owned by Sureline. It was withdrawn within two years of its purchase date due to a road crash and sold for scrap.

1969

Having established the company and its routes with used AECs and Leylands, Sureline then turned to buying Ford buses and coaches, both new and used. The trio seen here represent Duple, Plaxton and Willowbrook as body makers.

1970

4446 XZ was Sureline's first 11 metre coach, bought new in September 1970, and it completed fifteen years service before being sold to a church in Belfast.

8760 AZ was Sureline's only Dennis, only half cab and only double decker ever owned. New in 1961 to Belfast Corporation, it saw just fourteen months use in Lurgan.

1971

1972

870 HAL was one of four ex Barton Bedford SBs bought in 1972. These were the only SBs in the fleet. Thirteen years later a further ex Barton coach was bought, Bedford YMT ARB 522T.

1973

1974

1975

1977

CIB 5936 was one of two new coaches bought in April 1977, the other one having a body built by the operator. It passed to Ulsterbus in June 1987 as number 692.

1979

1981

1982

1983

1984

FOI 1621 was the seventh example of an ex Ulsterbus Bristol LH bought by Sureline, out of a total of thirteen, of which eight returned to Ulsterbus in June 1987. It was one of a pair to pass on to Whartons along with NKK 920P.

FOI 1648 was another ex Ulsterbus LH, and passed back to them in 1987. It later served with two other independent operators in Ulster before being scrapped in 1992.

WNR 118X, acquired in 1984, was the only DAF and the only Plaxton Viewmaster ever owned. AS Ulsterbus 697, it was the final ex Sureline coach to be withdrawn from service, over twelve years after the company ceased trading.

1985

1987

4003 WZ, new in 1969, was the oldest vehicle to be taken over by Ulsterbus, and is seen here after June 1987. It remained in Sureline livery until withdrawal in February 1988.

Finally, this was photographed on the occasion of the only time I ever visited the Sureline depot in Lurgan, a very cold and snowy Saturday in January 1985. The visit had been organised by the Irish Transport Trust using a new Ulsterbus Leyland Tiger from Belfast, transferring to FOI 1621 in Banbridge and heading to Lurgan. CIB 5936 was later used to bring the group to Lurgan railway station where I boarded one of the famous NIR 80 class DEMU trains to head south.

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