Classic Bus Histories Episode 10 : Bristol RE.

[@patricksmodels]

I travelled by Bristol RE only once, on the Isle of Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde. West Coast Motors operated the line between the ferry jetty and Millport. The RE was a classic late ECW version, with BET screens and a Leyland engine, I remember the deep throaty roar, akin to that of a Leopard. It went like the clappers and it left the other West Coast bus, a Leyland National, lagging behind.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@patricksmodels They're amazingly quick buses Patrick. I've seen a National left standing by an Irish RE many years ago.

[@chrisrichmond403]

The RE was very much a bus of my childhood till my early teens in full revenue service . I am a Bristol Area Born & Bred person so naturally Badgerline & Wells Depot became those buses last stand , The sound of one climbing up through the narrow street in Axbridge while on the Wells - Weston Super Mare 126 route due to the exhaust shape became something that would last long in someone’s memory . lots of the old Badgerline RE’S went to Northern Bus including the DP Coaches as well . Yes i am a fan of that make of bus from my home area.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@chrisrichmond403 Can't beat that sound of the exhaust - especially when it bounces off the buildings as you drive past. I remember that noise well myself with the Southern Vectis Shanklin's Pony.

[@chrisrichmond403]

@@JakeSCOC Yes Axbridge Village in Somerset is the same for the RE’S as well , Great Times & Great Sounds .

[@kristinajendesen7111]

We had bus wars with Badgerline when they invaded Poole in the mid 80s and their REs. 😁 There was also Charlie's Cars, weird green & white mini buses and white buses encroaching owned by Yellow Buses. Sad that we no longer have yellow buses in Bournemouth after 120 years.

[@chrisrichmond403]

@@kristinajendesen7111 Ahh yes Badger Vectis , Then in the last 10 years the Bournemouth / Poole area became home to a small fleet of ex Isle Of Man buses ( Isle Of Man is my home now) , In the area you had Dekka Bus with their very nice refurbished ex IOM Dennis Tridents : Daf Lowlanders , Then with the now finished Bournemouth buses a batch of ex IOM Volvo B9 Gemini 2’s .

[@JakeSCOC]

@@kristinajendesen7111 everyone with a bus was out in the 1980's wasn't they? Somewhere tucked away I have a Badger Vectis blind from that era...

[@melrice2]

On the Western National, Plymouth depot we had the RELL on longer distance routes 72 to Looe, the 83/84 to Tavistock, 132 to Bideford and 128 to Torquay. They were semi automatic versions and good to drive. Occasionally I got to drive the RE Royal Blue coaches on summer relief duties and they were superb, with air suspension and again the semi gearbox and excellent comfortable seats for the passengers. Eventually, the company replaced the RELLs with Bristol VRs on many routes. The plus point was we got 25% extra rather than 17.5% for driving them in one person operation (OMO/OPO)... Still had the manual Setright ticket machine though!

[@JakeSCOC]

@@melrice2 What a choice to have though, RE or VR! Superb

[@dizzy2020]

The photo of the prototype in United livery on the 358 to Newcastle has me fascinated - my Dad travelled that route from the mid 60s into the late 70s but I'm blowed if I can figure-out where the picture was taken - and now I have a mission to find out where it is! Many years later, my bus to workplace training was one of the last REs in service here - it was a local town service only - this would have been 1983/4 and United became Northumbria not long thereafter (and I don't remember any REs making it into their colours!?)

[@JakeSCOC]

@@dizzy2020 Good luck Dizzy, I'll be interested to hear if you found out where it was taken.

[@dizzy2020]

@@JakeSCOC The Pinterest page said Seaton Deleval but someone suggested Shiremoor and they're right - the bus-stop is still there, the '2 different bricks' wall is still there too! The bridge in the background has changed as that's now Shiremoor Metro Station but it's definately there - thanks for the trip back in time again Jake!

[@JakeSCOC]

@dizzy2020 Not a problem 👍🏻

[@garrymartin6474]

As a youngster I thought open topped RE's were common place, I never realised i was seeing the same two over and over again 🤣, Well you learn something new every day.

[@paulbowler2760]

I was raised in Oulton Broad/Lowestoft, about a mile or so from the Eastern Coachworks site. Most days, Bristol chassis would drive past eastwards, and brand new buses - single- and double deckers - would drive past westwards, on their way to all parts of the UK! Our local bus route was operated by Eastern Counties, a big customer of ECW, Ironically, Lowestoft Corporation buses were never sourced from ECW - yet their depot was just across the street (Denmark Road) from ECW! Nowadays the ECW site is a business park or some such, whilst the old Corporation Bus Depot still stands! Those were the days!!

[@yoddytoddy]

My favourite of them all

[@geoffcorker6882]

Mine too. My local operator City Of Oxford despite having many AECs in the fleet at the time purchased two batches of ECW bodied DP RELHs in 1973/74 for use on the London express services, later used on stage services. Solid, robust & reliable [and British] in my opinium the best single deck buses that COMS ever had😊

[@steventhompson9755]

I love these old buses I live in Hartlepool and remember hoping on the Bristol RE to school every day it's a shame not to see them anymore whizzing around the town and I also loved the santa bus at Christmas we had happy days.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@steventhompson9755 It must have been brilliant growing up with those REs.

[@loverhood2016]

Catch 22 bus (now Transpora) ran this type as seafront 12 service in Clevelys,my late friend drove it for many years.😮😮😮😮

[@JakeSCOC]

@@loverhood2016 I remember seeing a picture of one a while ago. NBC red Ribble livery if I recall?

[@robertp.wainman4094]

Wow - you really know your stuff, I learnt a lot, thank you! As a kid I'd travel to London on United Automobile's magnificent olive and cream Bristol/ECW RELH6G's.....and to this day I can't think of another vehicle I'd prefer to spend the hours in as the miles roll by - just the ultimate in 'smooth' - from it's sumptuous seats, air suspended ride, ultra reliable Gardner power - to it's beautifully relaxed transmission whine as the perfectly operated SCG semi-auto clicked into 5th - where it would stay for mile after glorious mile......with the occasional contented exhalation of compressed air! I'd dream of going to school on an RE - instead of the harsh reality of Bedford/Plaxton mobile 'juke boxes'! To me the RELH was a 'serious' long distance motorway coach - not something for seaside trips and mystery tours - and ECW's masterpiece bodywork was the perfect match.....restrained elegance, yet with a 'face' exuding friendly reassuring power. I've long tried to find if it's design can be attributed to one person at ECW - or was a joint effort? I could never understand why ECW didn't have a coach body available for a few years.....I had a tear in my eye on realising United had ordered Plaxton's!

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks, glad you liked the video.

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

Excellent video! Really enjoyed the story of the best bus I ever drove in service!

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it Wolfie. Lucky you getting to drive them in service. I missed out on this.

[@pauljcampbell2997]

I'd love an episode on the Leyland Panther! My city, Brisbane, in Australia, ordered over 300 in the mid 1960's in preparation for closure of the tram network. Some remained in service well into the 1990's. Very cool bus!

[@JakeSCOC]

@@pauljcampbell2997 I have a lot of love for the Swift and the Panther. Maybe it's because they're always seen as the underdog over here in the UK? Yes I think it needs putting on the list of future episodes.

[@NextSound170]

The way you present these vehicles I look forward to more, I wonder if you know what became of the blind manufacturing equipment that was at Aldenham for London Transport?

[@JakeSCOC]

@@NextSound170 Thanks. Glad you're enjoying the series. Unfortunately I don't know what happened to the equipment. Sounds interesting. Hope it was saved. Useful bits.

[@kristinajendesen7111]

Lovely to drive apart from the accelerator pedal was a bit offset to the right which could cause a bit of discomfort. We had a similar thing on the Class 159 train with the driver's DSD treadle offset which led to the same sort of discomfort (no it's not me, I haven't got odd shaped legs 😄) LHs were absolute flyers but no auto box or PAS. Passengers couldn't understand why you'd be hauling a lightly loaded LH around but steering a fully loaded VR with ease. Only reason I had to upgrade my licence to a manual was for the Poole Quay LH shuttles.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@kristinajendesen7111 Bristol REs are probably my favourite single deck too. I always joke that AEC Swift VJG187J is an AEC Bristol RE 🤣 Never really gelled with the LH.

[@highpath4776]

For underfloor and similar designs the Bristol SU and MW series are a soft spot for me.

[@nigelscales2319]

Hi Jake - Great vid, well done! I can add just a little info regarding the three experimental RE's that you mentioned. This relates to the third one REX003 which as you mentioned was fitted with a Bristol BVW engine. Around 1966/7, its Bristol engine was swapped out with the standard Gardiner 6HLX unit. It was then sent back to ECW to have its coach body (which was just a shell) built to full West Yorkshire Road Car specification including the illuminated side panels. The only way you could distinguish it from the other West Yorkshire examples that were delivered in 1967 was that it had a green interior, whereas the West Yorkshire spec had now changed to red interiors. On completion, it was given an 'E' reg suffix as it was never registered at the time of original manufacture and then operated by West Yorkshire. As far as I recall, it had the same service life as any of the other West Yorkshire examples. Sadly though, this was the period that Lincolnshire Road Car had set up its cannibalisation centre at Bracebridge Heath (Lincoln) called Amalgamated Passenger Transport (APT) and REX003 was unceremoniously dispatched to Bracebridge Heath to disappear without any further trace.

[@craigryan3069]

OWT776M was built as an RELL6L, but never ran in service like that. It was re-engined as an RELL6G & then entered service.

[@mikejessop3921]

I have nice RE

[@JakeSCOC]

@@mikejessop3921 You're a lucky man Mike.

[@martinhudson2552]

Another great video. Lovely to see some of these are being restored and kept running.

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks Martin.

[@ViatronTumpington]

Hi i'm viatron from Sheffield once again, I still remember in Brighton when I spent the week via travelling on a flat fronted windscreen e.c.w. bodied Bristol RELL6G dual door rear engined single deck bus painted in Brighton & Hove District Traction though to various areas of Brighton & how did they sounded including the Bristol/Wilson 4-speed semi-automatic gearbox together with the noisy CLATTERING sound of the Gardner 6LX 6-cylinder horizontal diesel engine. Well the very strange mounting of both the engine & gearbox were actually very unusual & means the main drive shaft coming from the engine & into the gearbox in a forward position via the second drive shaft comes out from the gearbox & to the rear drive axle in a very strange way? or putting it this way it's forward & reverse shafts plus when it in 4th gear it's sound like a Daimler Daimatic version what you find on a Daimler Fleetline CRG6LX. Thanks for your co-operation on this new Bristol RE discovery from myself David viatron at Crookes in Sheffield & stay turned for some more of Classic Bus Histories for another installment.

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks David 👍🏼

[@alanbaker2347]

That was a really Amazing the Bristol RE is a really cool looking bus. I'd love 2 C a video about the Bristol LH I used to go to Durham on LH when I was a kid back in the 80s with my Mam my Nana & my sister's so it would be cool to C a video about this Amazing bus

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it Alan. Bristol LH is definitely on the list to do!

[@alanbaker2347]

@@JakeSCOC I enjoyed it very much thank U & I can't wait 2 C the video about the Bristol LH

[@marksinthehouse1968]

LT was trying to update its greenline operations didn’t have much luck with the RC wonder if they looked at the RE as you know they purchased LHs for some RF routes which couldn’t take the national ,great video ,I liked the later ECW coach body All the best Mark 😊😊

[@JakeSCOC]

Hi Mark. Funny you should say this as today I was looking at a picture of a Bristol LS in Greenline livery. Not quite an RE I know, but close.

[@highpath4776]

The ECW Coach Body was a little unusual, but a couple of the fastest Nat Ex coach runs I was on was a "bus style" body that was on one coach, and another a London Nottingham of United Counties (think it was an RE, might have been a MW - 1975 being the year )

[@thedaddie]

Been waiting for the next instalment great video

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

[@trainrover]

I miss those long slogs up tall, steep hills 🍸👍

[@JakeSCOC]

The sounds effects... 😁

[@marccarter1350]

All my buses were Bristol Made living in Bristol. They drove out of winterstoke bus depo in Aston

[@halesworth01]

Thanks for this excellent film!

[@mandoprince1]

Wonder if I ever saw that first prototype🤔 As a kid in Northumberland, I certainly saw plenty of United REs, including a lot with that body style!

[@DELTIC55007]

Another fantastic video, well done. I'm really looking forward to the Metropolitan one 😊😉😉

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks very much. I'm still trying to sweep up the remains of a Metropolitan to make a complete episode 😉

[@DELTIC55007]

@@JakeSCOC 😅😅😅

[@PaddyWV]

Good stuff! 👍 Pretty sure Maidstone and District still had one knocking around in the early 90's in Tunbridge Wells.

[@a11csc]

nice one Jake

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks.

[@russb2286]

Ribble had a lot of RE's. Dual door and single door version's.

[@JakeSCOC]

Plug doors too. Very posh!

[@maestromanification]

Hi Jake, excellent video. Wasn't there some late mk1s with semi auto boxes? Cheers Russ

[@trainrover]

growing up, I was mightily relieved that the rest of the county got lumped these, they weren't easy on the eyes if you will 👀 meanwhile, the New Look fishbowl from the late-Fifties as its substitute would've instead amazed me

[@raymondhunt6109]

.My favourite bus, lucky enough to drive several versions of the RE, Mk.1,Mk.2 RELH ECW and RELH Plaxton. If they had made a Mk.3 with power steering and an air handbrake which I believe was in the pipeline until the National scuppered those plans.

[@JakeSCOC]

I believe they were looking at the Mk 3 too.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

How great - do you have a favourite?

[@JakeSCOC]

@@robertp.wainman4094 always have a soft spot for the ECW REs that Southern Vectis used to run. Was fascinated by the curtain at the back of cab to block out the lights after dark.

[@sameyers2670]

Thank you for another interesting video. What was the difference between the 6HLW and 6HLX engines?

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks Sam. The LX is an bigger more powerful engine than the LW

[@mandoprince1]

I had heard that a major factor in REs continuing to be made for Northern Ireland was a requirement for the bodies to be made by Alexander, thus creating jobs in Belfast. This would not have been possible with the Leyland National, as they were unit construction.

[@markstramtrainbuscapades1729]

I'd heard that Heubeck's exact words to Leyland were; "Bristol REs or Mercedes Benz!"

[@highpath4776]

I remember the Post NBC Western National livery that rather suited the bus body on these. Western Welsh somewhat missed out on the RE until the state owned Red and White was jammed management and engineering with it. To be honest the combined Western Welsh should have ordered as many REs as were avalible as buses and run the entire main single deck operation with them. The Leyland National just was not up to the job. NBC accounting ideas somewhat encouraged no buses over 12/16 years old , which in part was a useful rule of thumb as to take apart for overhaul an existing vehicle compared to buy in a bus granted new vehicle was more expensive, but I recon the reliability of the rear would have saved in NBA situations. Of course this was a type of vehicle London Country / London Transport never had - I dont even think they saw a demonstrator, maybe with Tilling Group orders Bristol couldnt make enough and ECW were busy too (I dont think a willowbrook RE would fill me with confidence

[@JakeSCOC]

A Willowbrook RE would have been an interesting thing to see though. Especially if they used the same or similar design to the double decker bodies on the VRs

[@malcolmgibson6288]

Oops no sound.😮

[@edcranfield861]

The RE SH coaches were Duple bodied not Northern counties. They only built bus bodywork 😊

[@JakeSCOC]

Whoopsy. Yes you are correct. I think my mind corrupted Duple Northern to Northern Counties 😂

[@halesworth01]

ECW bodied are much 'prettier' (I am biased, as all ECW buses look much better than the others!) I remember seeing the chassis' coming up the A12 towards Lowestoft when I was a kid! JUST a chassis....with a bloke looking like Biggles and a bit of plywood in front of him as protection, that would never be allowed today!

[@trainrover]

never saw Hants & Dorset's SH models, of which I'd swear a long wheelbase version sometimes plied our schoolbus route .. fascinating, that this ugly bus had been preceded by smart-looking versions, had no idea whatsoever 👀

[@johno4521]

Never realised the early ones had air suspension....