Heritage Collection of Hants & Dorset and Wilts & Dorset

Background

The Bristol LH with its ECW bodywork was destined for a seven year life with Hants & Dorset and its other National Bus Company cousins. The early H, J and K reg examples delivered to the then separate Hants & Dorset and Wilts & Dorset fleets started to be withdrawn in late 1976 and then proceeded at a pace with only a handful lasting into the 1980′s. The NBC Hants & Dorset deliveries numbered in the 3500 series commenced delivery in early 1973 with final deliveries in 1975. They were withdrawn between 1980 and 1982 after a life in which most moved around the Company territory with frequent re-allocation, only a few remained in their original area. After long periods of storage most at Barton Park, Eastleigh the majority were disposed of to dealer Ensignbus in Purfleet, Essex some being part of the “deal” that saw former London DMS’s coming into the fleet. Other replacements were newer LH’s transferred from Bristol Omnibus late in 1981. Seven of the disposals became noteworthy as they, and a number of other similar vehicles from other operators, were exported by Ensignbus to Malta for further service. All were upseated from B43F to B45F with the luggage pen removed from the nearside front presumably by Ensignbus.

Vehicles in Question

3515 NLJ 515M - Chassis LH837 - Body 20374/2 - New 10-73 with incorrect registration NLG 515M. Operated from Bournemouth, Swanage and Poole. Withdrawn 10-80 and to Ensignbus 1-83. Exported to Malta 7-84. Registered Y-0542, then Y-1243 and finally EBY 542. Stripped for spares circa 9-04 with registration transferred to a BMC Falcon.

3523 NLJ 523M - Chassis LH882 - Body 20382/2 - New 1-74. Operated from Fareham with a short spell at Southampton in latter months. Withdrawn 1-81 and to Ensignbus 1-83. Sold to Robson’s Walsingham and presumably re-acquired by Ensignbus for export to Malta 2-86. Registered Y-0442 and then DBY 422. Current owner Josephine Cortis, Naxar.

3547 GLJ 479N - Chassis LH981 - Body 21339/2 - New 12-74. Operated from Winchester throughout its life. Withdrawn 10-81 and to Ensignbus 3-83. Exported to Malta 11-84. Registered Y-0524 and then EBY 524. Current owner Mario and Marisa Baldacchino, Ghaxaq.

3550 GLJ 482N - Chassis LH984 - Body 21342/2 - New 12-74. Operated from Southampton and Fareham. Withdrawn 12-81 and to Ensignbus 9-83. Exported to Malta 11-84. Operating on the neighbouring island of Gozo by 9-85. Registered Y-0811 and then FBY 035. Current owner Godfrey Borg, Gharb.

3553 GLJ 485N - Chassis LH987 - Body 21345/2 - New 1-75. Operated from Andover, Blandford and Winchester. Withdrawn 12-81 and to Ensignbus 3-83. Exported to Malta 9-84. Registered Y-1415, then Y-0714 and finally FBY 714. Current owner Stephen Attard, Paola.

3555 GLJ 487N - Chassis LH1000 - Body 21347/2 - New 1-75. Operated from Southampton and Fareham including a spell at Provincial as no. 50 just prior to withdrawal. Withdrawn  12-81. Mobile exhibition unit for HMS Invincible in blue livery by 8-83 residing in Kirkstall Road Southsea. Wealden Nettlestead 2-88. Exported to Malta by 3-90 assumed by Ensignbus? Registered Y-0476 then EBY 476. Current owner Carmel Abela, Zejtun. 

3557 GLJ 489N - Chassis LH1002 - Body 21349/2 - New1-75. operated from Bournemouth and Blandford. Withdrawn 12-81 and to Ensignbus 9-83. Exported to Malta 7-84. Registered Y-1224, then Y-0523 and finally EBY 523. Current owner Carmel Borg, Zebbug.

Up until the mid 1990′s a green based livery was standard being replaced by the current yellow scheme.

Aside from 3515 the other six vehicles remain in daily use as this page is compiled at the end of 2010. However, all is to change as public transport in Malta undergoes a radical upheaval currently planned for 3rd July 2011 when Arriva will take over operations from ATP (Assocjazzjoni Trasport Pubbliku) with the owner driver’s surrendering their vehicles and registrations to the government for a figure reputed to be 103,000 Euros.

Our Visit October 2010

Three members of H&DW&D, Chris Mills, Steve Hursthouse and Peter Cook together with Graham Thorogood visited Malta during late October 2010 with the primary objective of locating the former Hants & Dorset LH’s together with the similar LH’s originating with Southern / Western National and Crosville. We also set ourselves the target of finding coaches that had originated with local operators Tourist Coaches, Kingston Coaches, Bells Coaches and Marchwood Motorways these operators today being part of Go-Ahead’s south coast operations together with todays Wilts & Dorset - strange how coinscidence plays a regular part in one’s interest! On arrival we sampled the aftermath of the worst storms the island had seen in twenty years with flooded and damaged roads very apparent. We purchased our seven day runabout ticket, tremendous value at 13.98 Euros, and set about riding the island. Vehicle objectives were largely achieved with the exception of 3555 which eluded us even with our inside knowledge of where and when it should have operated – the owner driver apparently doing a deal with a mate to undertake his duties. Our trip to the island of Gozo on the Friday nearly proved fruitless as 3550 was nowhere to be seen. We tracked down the owner in the bus station who told us that it wasn’t out that day and was locked away in his garage with no chance of a viewing. Somewhat (no make that considerably) disappointed we jumped on a coach back to the ferry when only a few hundred yards down the road a cursery glance into a side road revealed our quest parked up. We quickly alighted to view the vehicle exchanging our individual opinions of the owner in the process! Having left Graham at the bus station to ride on the former Thamesdown Fleetlines we now had to track him down to give him the good news. Fortunately the tour he was on passed back through the bus station and we managed to extract him much to the amusement of other passengers and local onlookers. The other vehicles were far more straightforward with 3523 being ridden on within a few hours of arrival on the Monday. A lengthy journey on 3547 was made on the Tuesday morning with 3553 being found and ridden on Tuesday afternoon and several times thereafter. 3557 was sampled on the Thursday. It may seemed biased but genuinely the Hants & Dorset examples were in superior condition to the other LH’s sampled – we managed site or ride of all the other examples. Many original features remain visible on these vehicles including ECW and Hants & Dorset notices together with depot telephone numbers in the cab. The photographs below serve to demonstrate the condition of the vehicles and also serve as a testiment to the care and engineering skills applied over some twenty five years to keep these vehicles on the road – running gear may not be original but has been carefully and individually thought through and applied. One hopes that the scrapyard does not beckon for these vehicles during 2011 but sadly and realistically it probably will. 

 3523 Please click on an image to enlarge

  

 

 

 

3547 Please click on an image to enlarge

3550 Please click on an image to enlarge

3553 Please click on an image to enlarge

3557 Please click on an image to enlarge

All photos above are Copyright H&DW&D Peter Cook

For interest the other Bristol LH’s still operating are:

DBY 303 ex Crosville OCA 630P

DBY 304 ex Western National PTT 606M

DBY 352 ex Davies HBX 948N

DBY 360 ex Western National NFJ 596M

DBY 469 ex Southern National GDV 464N

DBY 470 ex Western National GDV 458N

EBY 520 ex Crosville OCA 626P

EBY 544 ex Western National GDV 460N

EBY 592 ex Crosville OCA 635P

EBY 611 ex Williams RDE 298S Plaxton Coach

FBY 048 ex Boon WJN 22S Plaxton Coach on Gozo

Other vehicles of our local origin still operating are:

DBY 306 ex Southdown MUF 650 Leyland Royal Tiger

EBY 490 ex Tedd Winterslow (Kingston) DRW 908T Ford R1014

EBY 594 ex Tourist Figheldean SMR 662N Bedford YRQ

EBY 620 ex Bournemouth NLJ 270 Leyland Royal Tiger rebodied

FBY 643 ex Bells Winterslow MPX 7R Bedford YRQ

FBY 689 ex Marchwood Motorways YAA 260R Bedford YRQ

FBY 724 ex Marchwood Motorways LHO 418T Ford R1014

FBY 757 ex Marchwood Motorways YAA 261R Bedford YRQ

JCY 954 ex Excelsior H650 KLJ Volvo B10M

Five ex Thamesdown Leyland Fleetline / ECW converted to open top also operate:

COY 001 ex UMR 192T, COY 002 ex UMR 191T, COY 003 ex UMR 193T, COY 013 ex OHR 189R and COY 014 ex OHR 188R. The T registration examples feature on Gozo but do swap islands.

A Malta section will be added to the Fotopic site: petercook9024.fotopic.net in the near future as and when time allows to record the many photographs of all the interesting vehicles operating on the island. Fotopic is currently unavailable.

H&DW&D entered into dialogue with the owner of former 3553 GLJ 485N with a view to purchasing the vehicle for return to the UK. This followed various attempts to communicate with the Maltese authorities to ascertain their intended disposal plans for vehicles purchased from their individual owners. Sadly no response was ever forthcoming. Unfortunately H&DW&D could not match the owners valuation,a value which was justified from his point of view respecting the work undertaken and care lavished on the vehicle over the years.  However, all is not lost as the vehicle passed to the Malta Vehicle Heritage Trust on 4th July 2011 albeit minus its number plates and front panel which has been replaced by a plain single headlight panel with no fog lights or bottom moulding. No doubt the original panel is retained by Stephen Attard.