2011 – Issue 1 of 4

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In Sept. 1939 when DAX 999 was reached, Monmouthshire Council saw fit to leave out DWO and jump straight to EAX 1. Similarly in May 1962 when the reversed 999 DAX was issued it was followed by 1 EAX. Even with the year suffix plates (issued locally as ‘B’ from Feb. 1964) poor old DWO was again omitted. In 1974, local authorities that issued vehicle registrations were replaced by Local Vehicle Licensing Offices (LVLO’s). Initially, there were 81 LVLO’s but these have since been reduced to 39, and now called DVLA Local Offices. The former Glamorgan, Cardiff, Monmouth, Newport and Merthyr index marks were then issued from a new office at Cardiff. Following the introduction of prefix registrations in August 1983, again DWO escaped. Then suddenly, I think was about 1997, Voila! DWO was issued at last (I think with an ‘R’ prefix). This prompted me to write to the Cardiff VRO at the time to ask why this particular combination of letters had not been used before. They replied that they were aware that DWO had not been used before, but had no idea why. So does anyone know why? Or who cares? Of course the three letter combinations issued from Sept 2001 are random and have no significance. Another facet of motoring history had disappeared. (V. C.) ---------------------------------------- DECEMBER MEETING; Our annual quiz night, once again hosted by Chris Taylor, was enjoyable and well attended. The room was split into four teams, which included two guests from Somerset. Obviously most of the questions were about buses, their operators and manufacturers, but a variety of transport related subjects were touched upon. For instance, did you know that the Chinook helicopter was named after a wind that crosses the Canadian Prairies? There was no cheating of course, just a bit of gentle earwigging. During the break, mince pies and sausage rolls were handed around – lovely! Chris was assisted by Nicky Reason who asked us to identify pictures of old road traffic signs. Well, some of us don’t even understand the current signs! Modesty prevents me from naming the leader of the winning team, but I’m sure they will be out to get me at the next quiz night. ------------------------------------------ 10
Oxford Bus Museum Mini-Running Day, 21st March 2010 by Berwyn Prys Jones Colourful full-page adverts in the March edition of Buses magazine and the April edition of Bus and Coach Preservation highlighted several attractions of the Oxford Bus Museum’s March mini-running day: the unusual if not unique City of Oxford livery on two AEC Regents and the launch of two books including one in Presbus’s ‘Return Journey’ series on the City of Oxford fleet itself. A visit to the museum at Long Hanborough some years ago had made me promise to myself that I’d return for a running day at some point and this seemed as good a time as any. An early start from Cardiff should have made it an easy journey but finding Long Hanborough wasn’t as simple at it looked on the map. Arrival at Long Hanborough was a little later than the official ten o’clock start, but I needn’t have worried. Though a small group of people had already parked their cars in the car park the gates weren’t yet open. The advert had said 10.00am but no-one inside the museum yard seemed keen to open the gates and the stallholders were still unloading their merchandise. It was 10.30 by the time the gates opened and a small crowd of us swarmed into the museum shop to pay our entrance fees. Any delay was swiftly forgotten for in the yard stood the magnificent lowbridge Weymann-bodied AEC Regent III PWL 413 with its livery sparkling. It was something of a disappointment, though, to find out that it wouldn’t be loading up and leaving straight away: there’d be an hour’s wait before departure. An hour, though, provided plenty of opportunity to photograph PWL and the other buses on show before too many other people arrived and made photography difficult. In the first shed on the left were the East Lancs-bodied Dennis Loline 304 KFC and exposed-radiator AEC Regent V 956 AJO along with 14 LFC, the Wadham-bodied one-and-a-half decker coach of the Morris Motors Band, which by comparison with the ex-City of Oxford buses was in a rather drab livery of dark blue and cream. Still it reminded visitors that the bus museum site also houses a small but intriguing Morris motor museum filled with all kinds of Morris memorabilia, including a bull-nosed Morris 11
Page 1 and 2: FREE TO MEMBERS £1 TO NON MEMBERS
Page 3 and 4: CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE; A Happy New Y
Page 5 and 6: The N/S corner has had the higher p
Page 7 and 8: of the body, riveted to the door an
Page 9: DWO 123 AUTONUMEROLOGY; This was th
Page 13 and 14: parents owned many years ago and fe
Page 15 and 16: depart and PWL stood invitingly in
Page 17 and 18: Any disappointments? Yes inevitably
Page 19 and 20: LONDON TO CARDIFF IN 1931; (1) (5)
Page 21 and 22: HONG KONG PHOOEY On one of the cold
Page 23 and 24: It was nearly 40 years ago that Car

2011 – Issue 1 of 4

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