2012 – Issue 1 of 4

FREE TO MEMBERS
£1 TO NON MEMBERS
ISSUE No.36 January 2012
Continuing the restoration on the Caerphilly No. 32. Derek Perry gives the
details in this issue. Also inside, the final part of The Cardiff VRT Story.
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Two CCT buses some 30 years ago when in running order. Thankfully both the AEC
Regent 408 and the Crossley 46 are still in preservation, the former at Barry Depot.
In the late 1980’s the 87 route did go to Cyncoed from Penarth seafront. Here we see
Cardiff Olympian 566 on 26 th June 1987. (A. Wiltshire)
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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE;
Welcome to the first CTPG newsletter of 2012. I think that we should congratulate Viv,
our editor, on the continuing quality of the newsletters over the last year, please help to
support him through your articles and photos. Thanks also to our printers, Barry
Advertiser, for the excellent photo reproduction.
During the last couple of months Caerphilly 32 has received a lot of attention and now
looks almost finished with the majority of the top coat of paint completed and the
Caerphilly destination blinds in place. We hope that following a pump and injector
overhaul the Swift may return to the road in 2012 along with Caerphilly 32.
We were recently saddened to learn of the untimely death of our member, Michael
Lowrie of Barry.
As we begin another year I would like to thank all those who keep making the CTPG and
the Depot a success, I look forward to working with you again this year and hope that
more of the membership will join us.
On behalf of myself and the CTPG Committee I would like to wish all members and
readers best wishes for 2012 and good fortunes in whatever you do.
2012 Events - Barry Festival of Transport & Depot Open Day Sunday 10 th June & Bus &
Coach Wales Sunday 9 th September at Rhydycar Leisure Centre, Merthyr Tydfil. Both
our events will be supported by the local Councils again in 2012, it is likely that we will
also run buses during the Tall Ships event in Barry the week before our Merthyr event.
See you at the AGM, remember this will take place at Penarth Conservative Club on
Wednesday 18 th January.
Mike
Tel: 01443 753227
Email : mikeystrad73@btinternet.com
Also keep up to date on our Facebook page
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DEREK’S LOG – CAERPHILLY 32, GNY 732C;
November 2010;
Bob Sparks joined the team. His first job was to refit the headlamp onto the front wing
that gave us so much trouble. The hole through which the headlamp shaft fits was out of
line with the underneath clamp, so when a little cutting had taken place, the headlamp
slid into the clamp and the bolts tightened. He then fitted the domed headed bolts to the
top of the wing.
Our attention now turned to the lower saloon. The first job was to clear out the last of
the items that were put in at Bonvilston for transport to the Depot. These included two
boxes in connection to the Jones bus, and the worst thing to move, a large leaf spring
(very heavy). After Christopher Hiat took the first sweep through, we could see that
the floor covering was cracking badly in places. A large off-cut of lino has been obtained,
and the worst sections cut out, and patches stuck in place.
The interior, which was brown, would have to be painted green, and with this in mind
the decision was taken to remove all the seat frames. The back rests have been
removed from the frames, the material on the back of these had been painted brown,
but a rub down and two coats of green fixed that. Cleaning and painting of the frames
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then took place. The brown paint flaked off easily with a wire brush, finishing with sand
paper to prepare for two coats of green.
The job of refitting the backrests has been carried out and we found a safe storage place
for them until we are ready to refit them. Thank you for a fine job Paul Gilbertson, and
Richard Evans.
Following the completion of the Ponty bus, Richard Fitzjohn joined us with the Caerphilly
bus repairs. With the floor clear, it was noticed that a piece of checker plate has been
riveted to the floor between the rear seats that gave way when walked on. Removal of
this plate revealed no timber flooring underneath. A new timber panel was made and
the plate refitted.
The removal of the seats gave access to more floor surface that needed patching, also
the side wall covering material, the removal of which revealed more rust holes to be
patched. Spraying with under-seal helped to hide the joins and gave it a dimpled look to
like the original material. We followed this up with two coats of green. Rubbing down
and painting the downstairs area was completed, including four battery boxes, two
heaters, front and rear seat frames, plus the platform partitions.
Rubbing down the upper outside of the body was carried out by Alan. A dent along the
length of the N/S upper panels (damn those trees) was filled in and rubbed down. In
some places the top coat of paint was not bonding to the paint underneath and a lot of it
had to be chipped and scrapped off, a long and laborious job. With the scaffolding tower
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in place, I took a look at the roof and where I could reach, new screws were fitted and
the paintwork rubbed down. The removed vent panel has also been refitted.
We are limited by floor space where we can use the tower, so the rest of the roof had
to wait until the bus was moved.
The upstairs interior, of course is also brown; all seat frames have been unbolted, slid
down the stair-well and out of the door. (Any doubts we had that this could happen,
because of their size, was quickly put at ease) The upholstery is in a very poor state, a
problem for the future. Rubbing down and painting will keep us busy for a while; also a
few patches to the floor covering have been done.
The platform area has been rubbed down and painted including under the stairs. The
signs were masked over while this was being done. With the top floor seats out and on
the bench with the backrests removed, further rubbing down and painting has taken
place. Having a good team around certainly pushed the jobs on.
The outer body work had primer/undercoat applied. This did two things: It made it
look like a big leap forward and also showed up small marks and steps in the paintwork.
Application of fine stopper and more rubbing down then took place. When the bus was
moved off the pit, the scaffolding was put in place to access the rest of the roof. Fifty
new screws were fitted to replace those broken and missing from the roof panels.
Wire-brushing and sanding down was done, a vacuum over and a wash down with white
spirit, then a touch up of the bare metal with primer.
With the 2011 Barry Rally and Open Day coming up, bus repairs were put on hold and
we repainted water damaged walls and floors to tidy up the depot. Further repairs and
painting to the stores’ doors took place, plus the moving and cleaning of the buses.
August 2011;
The front O/S headlamp removal brought the usual rusted bolt problem, one removed,
and one snapped off, entailing the drilling out of the stub, luckily we could get at the back
so a bolt and nut could be fitted. The body plate behind the lamp had rusted, so a patch
has been made and fitted. The O/S side lamp was then removed and the front panel
filled, rubbed down and primed. The front area around the windscreen, destination
board, driver’s door and areas over the bonnet have been rubbed down and primed;
likewise the curving panel up to the roof has been treated.
We decided to remove the bonnet and place on the bench as the underside was coated
with a layer of oily dust. A hot water pressure washer would have made short work of
this, but as we do not have one, we made do with a wire brush, washed down with
white spirit. Peter Smith gave it a final rub done with sand paper and applied aluminium
paint, the result has given it a lovely new look. Flaking paint on the outside of the bonnet
made us decide to remove all the paint back to bare metal, followed by grey primer.
Back upstairs the hand rail that is fitted along both sides has been removed and cleaned.
The panels between the windows, upstairs and down, have had two coats of light green,
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to match the Formica around the emergency doors. The upstairs side panels have been
rubbed down and painted green. As all the window rubbers are past their sell by date
and gone hard as rock, we realised they will not keep out water, so have removed all the
glass. Mike has obtained a supply of new rubbers, so when we are ready they will all be
refitted. With them all out we can clean down and paint the body edges that the new
rubbers will fit onto.
The bus has now been coated in primer and a rub down with wet and dry has started.
Alan Poole has worked hard on this, but it will take some time to complete.
We experienced problems with the synthetic paint drying too quickly and not flowing to
a smooth finish, the hot weather not helping. A lot of time was been wasted trying to
make it work, a decision was taken to obtain different paint, namely enamel.
The enamel has been applied to the roof, down to window level. Mr Alan Jones has
joined us, his painting skills were immediately put to good use on the offside top window
frames (cream), and then lower panels (green). The cream (synthetic) was again
problematic and meant more time wasted on rubbing down. (Sorry, we have to have
enamel.)
Upstairs, cleaning the flooring strips took up a lot of time, removing dirt and excess
paint. It was worth the effort as they look so much better and are now ready for the
floor painting. Well done to Paul Gilbertson & Richard Evans. Bob Sharp prepared and
painted between the windows inside downstairs, and also the roof and surround
alongside the cab. After applications of stopper to fill in the dents etc, plus further grey
7

primer, Alan Poole had further rubbing down to do. With the arrival of the mid
Brunswick green enamel, Alan Jones and I have started the first coat. We used a roller
and the result on the lower panels is very good, and will only need a fine rub down
before applying the second coat. The upper panels did not turn out as well, the filling
and rubbing down of the damaged areas showed up badly and further coats of undercoat
and rubbing down were needed.
I applied a coat of aluminium paint upstairs to the front panel and the side of the
walkway. Brian Williams arrived to work, so he started on further filling in and rubbing
down.
We have been working on this bus since November 2006, but don’t think we don’t get a
break. As mentioned earlier, preparations for the “Open Day” gave us change of job.
One of those jobs was to rescue our spare chairs from a damp storage area, give them a
good scrub. After the day, a drier storage position was found and now covered with a
plastic sheet, should make things easier next time.
A grand sort out of our stock of nuts & bolts, and placing them all together in one store
room was an overdue job. Numbering and sorting the bench cupboards and draws, and a
list of contents hung on a wall nearby will save time in the future.
We have obtained a sink unit and fitted it to the wall over a drain by the workbench, so
we will be able wash dirty parts away from the kitchen.
Derek Perry; October 2011
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OCTOBER MEETING;
Around 25 attended the meeting on 19 th October. This was the last to be held at
County Hall, which has been our ‘home’ for over a decade.
Mac Winfield, formerly of Cardiff Bus, gave a power-point presentation that explained
the variations on the bodywork of the batch of AEC Regent 111’s that were delivered to
CCT in 1950. These had East Lancs frames, five of which were completed at Bridlington,
with the rest completed at the Cardiff factory of Bruce Coachworks.
After the break, Mac moved on to railways and his favourite early DMU’s. Staying on
rails we were shown photos of some of the forgotten railway tracks in the south Wales
valleys. Also fascinating, were the views of the disused tunnels, many of which Mac has
trudged through and photographed.
NOVEMBER MEETING:
The first of our meetings at Penarth Conservative Club attracted about 25 members.
Andrew Wiltshire presented colour slides taken between 1960 and 1977 by his father
John, who although now in his 80s still retains his CTPG membership.
We were shown shots of paddle steamers, Bristol Channel dredgers and cargo vessels at
Cardiff Docks.
Of the Cardiff buses shown, several were in the various overall advert liveries that were
popular some time ago in the city. Included were shots of the trolleybuses that visited
the city from other areas. Interestingly, John also took ‘before and after’ photos of the
city’s bridges over the River Taff that were replaced around 40 years ago. These views
certainly brought memories.
DECEMBER MEETING;
The annual Quiz Night held on 21 st December at the Penarth Conservative Club was
attended by only 20, including a contingent from the PSV Circle and the South Wales &
West Omnibus Society. Where were all our members? Perhaps it was too close to
Christmas.
Once again our Vice Chairman, Chris Taylor, organised the quiz assisted by his son,
Michael. It must be difficult for Chris to set suitable questions in view of the vast amount
of collective knowledge present in the room.
Certain questions did fox the so-called ‘experts’ and confused most of the room.
Obviously the theme of buses was to the fore, but questions were asked on trams,
railways and cars.
At the break those present enjoyed mince pies and sausage rolls with some obtaining a
drink from the bar downstairs.
At the conclusion of the evening the winning team was judged to be the O.S. with the
individual prize going to our member, Geoff Gould.
9

What a busy scene!
On a lovely bright afternoon in 1963 at King Square, Barry Dock, Western Welsh 902 (a new
Weymann bodied PD2A) comes to its stop in Holton Road. The crew that day were Ron
Braithwaite and Billy ‘Champ’ Ellis. The 101 route from Barry Garden Suburb to Llandough
Church was routed via No. 2 Dock, Bendricks, Sully and Penarth. In the foreground the lady in a
plaid skirt munches something, while in the background on the seats by the Town Hall steps; the
elderly rest their weary bones. Over by the phone boxes an orator draws quite a crowd, but is
ignored by the man reading a newspaper. Over by the ‘Chocolate Box’ in Tynewydd Road an
early Atlantean prepares to overheat its transmission by climbing the steep hill on the 109
service from Robert Street to Merthyr Dyfan.
(Editor’s Collection)
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CARDIFF’S BRISTOL VRT S3’s by Andrew Wiltshire – Part Two
(Part one was published in the October 2011 issue)
Transmission trials;
Cardiff was experiencing excessive brake lining wear with the series 3 VRTs and a
solution was sought. A new gearbox manufactured by Maxwell was now available which
it was hoped would reduce brake wear, as some transmission braking was undertaken by
the gearbox itself. In June 1982 Cardiff decided to fit a Maxwell four speed gearbox to
390. This was a new gearbox developed for the bus industry. A further six were
ordered, three being fitted to 391/3/5 in 1983/4. In 1985 No’s 357, 363/5-7/9,
371/2/5/7/8, 381/7, 392/4/6/7 were similarly fitted. 21 buses were now featured the
Maxwell gearbox. The years 1986/87 saw No’s 355/6/8-62/4/8, 370/3/4/6/9, and 383-6/9
fitted as well. It has been established however that No’s 380/2/8 were never converted
to Maxwell. The first two converted (390/391) made a very distinctive screech or
squawk as top gear engaged. This was for some reason less noticeable on the other
conversions.
In service the gearbox did its job but was not particularly reliable. Also it was claimed
that maintenance could be carried out on the gearbox whilst it was still in situ on the
vehicle. This was never practiced by Cardiff who would simply exchange a faulty unit for
a serviceable one and carry out any repairs on the bench at a later date. It is thought that
many of the buses converted actually reverted to Leyland G2 gearboxes at some stage.
Out on the road;
Talking with some members who drove these buses it is possible to include some
interesting points. The cab heaters on No’s 301-326 were a welcome addition in cold
weather but were not initially able to be turned off when not required. This proved to
be an issue with drivers in the summer of 1978. Cabs were well laid out for one person
operation but those on the Alexander models were to a higher standard. Power steering
was good and consistent at all speeds, unlike say a Leyland National.
One problem with the 5 speed gearbox was that if you left the bus in gear it would move
forward, not just creep. This was worse on some buses than others. It was thought to be
a combination of the automatic transmission and the torque from the Gardner engine.
Apparently semi-auto or Leyland 510 engine VRTs did not do this. The 5 speed
transmission was frustrating as you generally could not induce a change down when you
required one. You had to wait until the bus was labouring in gear before a change was
made. This made for very slow hill climbing. However you could cause up changes if you
used the gear hold position to take the bus to full speed in any gear. Then by putting the
selector into neutral and immediately re-selecting gear hold, you would always get an up
change. Another annoying point with the 5 speed boxes was if you selected the gear hold
position from the drive position to prevent an up-change, you had to pass through
neutral. This caused a pause in transmission which resulted in a dead spot before the
same gear was re-engaged and a loss of road speed when it was needed. Much better
control was possible with the Maxwell gearbox as you didn’t pass through neutral to
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hold any gear; just a sideways movement of the lever was all that was required. In
comparison the 5 speeds gave the best ride quality with smoother braking as the gearbox
had no braking effect. The 5 speed gearboxes were later reset so that they would drop
down through the gears as the vehicle slowed down, instead of at the next use of the
accelerator pedal. This spoilt the ride quality.
In conclusion the downside to an automatic VRT was that it had to be driven at full
throttle to effect gear changes. A semi-automatic Fleetline on the other hand could be
changed up or down whenever the driver liked. Perhaps it is no surprise that some
subsequent operators of these Cardiff VRTs converted them to semi-automatic.
350 in an all over advert for Welsh Bitter at Llandaff North In Aug 1989. (A. Wiltshire)
Coats of many colours;
Being such a large batch of buses it was inevitable that over the years many would carry
advertisement and other special liveries. All 97 buses were delivered in standard orange
and white and the first variation was 325 which received some advertising to do with
driver recruitment campaign titled ‘Drive Me’ in the spring of 1978.
The first overall advertising livery was Willowbrook bodied 311 which received a
basically yellow livery in September 1979. This was to the order of associated car dealers
Nash of Cardiff and Carmo Citroen. By coincidence these car dealerships were located
opposite the Sloper Road bus garage! It carried this until November 1982. From the
same batch 305 received a dark blue overall advert for Phoenix Insurance in May 1980
which it carried for just over 3 years. 317 then received a basically white and red livery
for Alders department store. In July 1980 343 was painted in the old Cardiff tramway
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livery of maroon and cream with a grey roof and gold lining, to celebrate 75 years of
Cardiff being a City and 25 years as a Capital. It regained orange in March 1983 shortly
after both the convertible open-toppers received a similar colour scheme, but with
maroon roof areas. Other overall adverts applied over the years were as follows:
327 Debenhams blue 1981
340 Jockey Shorts white/black 1984
329 “Bildapowa Hire Centres” 1985 until 1987.
340 Ken Thorne Cars white/red 1985 until 1988
339 Randall Cox photographic dealers 1985 until 1987.
391 Debenhams blue 1987 until 1989
387 Asda white
The following buses carried full height orange fronts with a white band with their overall
advert livery, perhaps to avoid confusing potential passengers.
361 Thomsons Directories 1988
347 Workforce Employment Agency 1988
367 Clive Ranger Jewellers 1988 until 1990
363 Senator Windows 1989 until 1990
350 Welsh Bitter 1989
364 .. 1989
355 Queenswest Shopping Centre 1989 until 1992
362 National Museum of Wales 1995
362 Edwards Sports 1997
In addition to overall adverts, two other forms of advertising were used on many of
these buses. The most numerous form was the “rear end advert” which occupied the full
height of the bus. Vehicles often received these for a short time only. Buses so treated
started with No. 304 for Wildings Security in 1983 and 305 for Howard’s Vision in 1984.
A further 14 series 3 VRs received rear end adverts in the 1980s and early1990s
307,324,327,331,334,340,343,354,364,371,380,384(2 versions), 387,392
The other type of advert livery was the “broadside advert” which was basically
advertising between decks all around the bus. Examples of this included No.304 (Dan
Air) and 320 (Gold,Gold,Gold jewellers) followed by 355 to the order of Pontypridd
markets in 1984. No. 325 carried two different liveries (one being Anglia Windows in
1987), and 328 (Leekes of Llantrisant from 1987 to 1990). In June 1992 the two
convertible open toppers (359/60) were given a revised livery incorporating large areas
of white, not unlike the colours previously carried by open top Guy Arabs No’s 424 and
434.
The rundown begins;
In October 1986, which coincided with the deregulation of the bus industry, five of the
Willowbrook bodied batch (301-3,308,312) were put into store. They were back in
13

service two months later however! The first permanent casualty was that of No. 320. In
February 1988 it was mistakenly driven down Virgil Street in Grangetown and collided
with the notorious 13ft 6in low bridge. Damage was extensive and the bus was
withdrawn the following month and cannibalised for spares. Its remains were sold for
scrap in the November. Incidentally the only other series 3 VRT to receive substantial
accident damage was No. 356 (date unknown). It is thought to have been rebuilt using
parts from 378? Also the roof of No. 359 was struck by different buses on two occasions
while suspended in the garage!! It too was repaired.
328 approaches Dumfries Place stop, with advert for ‘Leekes’ in Aug. 1990. (A. Wiltshire)
1989 saw the first routine withdrawals of the Willowbrook bodied batch. No’s 321-326
were withdrawn in April and sold as runners to North’s of Sherburn, Yorkshire in the
June. No’s 324 and 325 were snapped up by Smith of Alcester later that year. However
No. 325 was burnt out within a few months. No. 323 went to the Leicestershire
Employment Department at Loughborough as a NPSV, while No’s 321 and 322 remained
unsold eventually ending up in the breaking fields of Barnsley. No. 326 was never traced
any further. No. 324 later saw further service with Roy’s of Morley until 1997. These
were the only vehicles from this batch to be sold as runners. No’s 301 to 319 were
gradually withdrawn and cannibalised before being sold for scrap. No’s 308,311-316 were
taken out of service in February 1990 followed by 301/4/6 in the July. By the end of 1990
only No’s 310,318 and 319 survived. Most were sold to either T. Wigley or PVS of
Carlton and promptly broken up.
The last vehicle in the batch to survive in Cardiff service was No. 319. It was withdrawn
from service at the end of November 1991 and put to use as Central Bus Station
14

office/rest room. Enquiries were made with a view to saving it for preservation. These
efforts were dashed when its engine was removed at short notice and the remains
offered for sale as scrap. No. 323 was probably the last survivor of the entire batch,
being sold for scrap by Leicestershire Education Department in 1998.
November 1991 saw Alexander bodied examples (356-8/63/64, 372/8/9/81,382/3) placed
in to store. Withdrawal of further VRTs would take place over a long period of time and
age did not necessarily determine a vehicle’s demise. No. 357 was taken out of service in
1992 and became a rest room at Caerphilly with fleet number 50. Those cannibalised and
sold for scrap early on included No’s 327/9,343,357/8,366, 371/2/8,383. Meanwhile No’s
364,379,385,387,390 and 397 all found new homes in 1994. 385 passed to Valley, Combe
Down and 397 to Boomerang, Tewkesbury. The other four went to Heyfordian, Upper
Heyford where they were re-registered. No’s 364/79, 387/90 (became 9197WF,
7034KW, 3762EX, 9945NE) in September 1994.
No’s 328,330-42/4-7,352,363/6,375 were all withdrawn by the end of 1996 but 337-42/4-
7 were reinstated in September 1996 to cover school contracts obtained from Cardiff
Bluebird that month. 1998 was the last year that Cardiff Bus operated any open top bus
tours. No’s 359 and 360 were duly withdrawn in January 1999 and sold. No. 359 passed
to Vintage Yellow Buses, Bournemouth in the March and 360 passed to the Bath Bus Co.
for use on Bath Sightseeing tours for a number of years.
Their numbers dwindled and so by May 1999 only nine VRTs remained in service in the
Capital. These were No’s 384/6/8,391-6. The last to go 392-5 were withdrawn by the
end of June, and so the Bristol VRT era was drawn to a close without ceremony.
Looking back, quite a few of the Alexander bodied examples saw further service with
operators all over the UK. Some of these were in the role of non-PSVs, such as
playbuses or rest-rooms for film companies. Many did however end up in minor fleets in
South Wales and were used mainly for school contracts. By 2010 most of these had
been scrapped, having been replaced by newer vehicles. Changes in the provision of
school transport favours newer specially adapted vehicles, and so the future of any
remaining survivors has to be bleak.
The pair of convertible open toppers still continued to see use as well. No. 359 passed
to Hoare of Chepstow by November 2002 and often attended events like The Derby
and was frequently stored at Winkleigh in North Devon. It usually regained its roof. By
late 2010 it had been withdrawn and stored. No. 360 later passed to Solent Blueline
(902), who used it for a Special service in the New Forest along with an ex NBC VRT. It
was then deployed on the Southampton Docks sightseeing tour and was later spotted on
the Isle of Wight carrying fleet number 992. Its roof was known to have been scrapped
by June 2007. By 2008 it had been sold to Classic Bus of Blackpool for use on a new
open-top service at Bournemouth and was partially refurbished. This only project only
lasted the 2008 season and the bus returned to store in Lancashire.
15

In 1998 Cardiff bought 8 Ailsa deckers from Fife Scottish. By coincidence two years later,
Fife Scottish became the owner of Cardiff VRT 380, having acquired it with the business
of Philp, Dunfermline in April 2000!! A late sale for further use took place in October
2007 when Clynnog & Trefor sold WTG 367T to Woolley of Llanedwen, Anglesey for
use on schools contracts. It has since been sold on.
Into Preservation;
The first series 3 VRT to be saved was No. 348 from the Wilkins of Cymmer fleet in the
Afan valley. It was chosen as it was reputed to be the best examples from those they still
had in stock. It had been converted to semi-automatic which was probably a good thing.
No. 348 was acquired in April 2005 by the Cardiff Bus Preservation Group members,
Trevor Jones and Kevin Edwards. It later passed to the Cardiff Transport Preservation
Group. Local enthusiasts Matt Carroll and Ian Barlow, bought No. 375 from Llynfi,
Maesteg in November 2005 and this remains in storage.
348 and 349 with Wilkins of Cymmer in Oct. 1999. (A. Wiltshire)
So far only No. 348 has made its foray onto the rally circuit. It will be interesting to see if
either 359 or 360 are eventual subjects of preservation.
I would like to thank Peter Smith, Mike Taylor, Mac Winfield, Nicky Reason, Trevor
Jones, John Jones, Dave Thomas and the PSV Circle for their assistance with this and my
previous article.
Andrew Wiltshire 2011
16

NOTES FROM WEST WALES; by our Deputy Chairman, Chris Taylor.
Since I purchased a caravan at Penbryn near Tresaith in Ceredigion, I have come into
contact with the Aberaeron Historical Society. Every year they hold an exhibition of
photographs and books etc. on various aspects of the town’s most interesting history.
This year they held an exhibition on transport that was based on the fact that it was 100
years since the railway reached this west Wales port. The CTPG loaned some uniforms,
ticket machines and other memorabilia for this show. The attendance was very good
with last year’s visitor numbers exceeded in the first 2 weeks. A road train ran on part
of the old railway track as an attraction to visitors on the day of the railway centenary.
Newcastle Emlyn;
Situated in the centre of the town is a museum at the Old Town Hall. I have been able
to exchange transport photographs with them. One of the members worked for
Western Welsh, whose garage in the town still stands.
The photos and history of the town is well researched and displayed. Newcastle Emlyn
was very early with road transport, including a steam bus (of which we are finding
difficulty in identifying).
Fishguard;
I had an interesting visit to the home of former Western Welsh Inspector Glyn Griffiths.
He donated boxes of WWOC Bulletins, timetables and memorabilia that are now in the
care of CTPG. Many thanks to Glyn!
New Book;
The Aberaeron society has produced an excellent book of photographs, including some
real finds of buses and coaches of GWR, Jones Bros., Aberystwyth and Crosville, who
still have a depot in the town. There was a launch of the book in the local sports club
and sales have been very good. For those interested, a copy is available for perusal at
Cardiff Library.
Other books you may have missed;
Pantyscallog Village (Pant);
Published 2002 by Merthyr Historical Society 230 pages £9.95.
This area is to the north of Dowlais and at one time had extensive railway and street
tram systems. This book is very well researched, including the railway and motorbus
details. One of the most interesting companies was Dowlais Motor Transport.
Images of Wales, Treforest, Glyntaff & Rhydyfelin;
Published 2005 by Tempus Publishing, Stroud. 128 pages, £12.99
This edition is well supplied with photos of transport, particularly electric trams.
17

It seems odd to me that Treforest Trading Estate was so named, being at least 3 miles
from its namesake. Why not Nantgarw?
150 Years of Road Transport in the Cynon Valley;
by Elfed Davies, self published 2010. 206 pages, £9.95.
This book tells the story of the horse buses, trams, trolleybuses and motorbuses that ran
in the Cynon Valley. However, it is in the photographs that this book excels, with many
previously unpublished. To the author this must have been like finding gold in the
garden. This book and a reprint quickly sold out, but no doubt can be found in the
Cynon Valley Libraries. What gave me great pleasure was that the help of other authors
and historians was fully credited. Many thanks Mr. Davies, my only wish is that the
younger generation of writers were as grateful.
-----------------------------------------
This c.1960 advert featured in E. Davies’ Book on the Cynon Valley.
18

CHEPSTOW HOSTS A RED & WHITE DAY;
A group of Red and White vintage bus enthusiasts clocked up the miles for a reunion at
Chepstow. Seven vehicles and their devoted owners, who have spent hours restoring
the buses to their former glory, met up at The Old Ferry Inn, Beachley, to tell the public
about their history.
Red & White Services Ltd., as part of Red & White United Transport Ltd. from 1937,
expanded rapidly from new headquarters in Chepstow and was operating a fleet of over
400 buses and coaches in the south Wales area and further a-field.
Tiger HWO 323 from Barry depot parked alongside the Morgan’s Arab HWO 342 (V.C.)
Some of the 300 visitors to the reunion on Saturday 1 st October stepped back in time
for a ride on two of the buses, one of them a Red and White Guy Arab, 1949, owned by
Ken and Shirley Morgan, who worked as a driver and bus conductress respectively for
the company. Now with a vintage bus in their possession, they take it to various events
throughout the country.
The event was organised by CTPG member, Robert Edworthy. The recently retired
enthusiast is such an avid Red and White fan, that his Rogiet home is stuffed full of
90,000 negatives of vintage buses he has photographed across the country.
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Robert met other local enthusiasts through worldwide group the PSV Circle and with
friends Nicky Reason and Jim Lynch is currently dusting down EU 9722, an ex-Red and
White 1949 Leyland Tiger which had stagnated on a Chepstow drive for 30 years.
It is the second time Robert has owned the bus as back as1976 he bought it, along with
John Jones and Andrew Mann, from the Multiple Sclerosis Society in the Rhondda for
£100, as they were selling it for a more modern vehicle.
Nicknamed ‘Mabel’, some thirty years ago it completed a 1000 mile trip to vintage shows
the length and breadth of Britain, from Southend to Carlisle and back. Whilst
mechanically good it needed a complete body overhaul which was then beyond their
means.
Former Red & White S14.49 Leyland PS1at Porth c. 1976 (Robert Edworthy)
A Mr. Cumper of Chepstow, who wanted to run it as a preserved vehicle, bought it for
£600 a few years later, but the plan never materialised and it was left to rust.
Robert told the press "It didn't move a wheel for 30 years and it was just rotting to
pieces, so we are now attacking it to restore it to how it used to be."
Not currently roadworthy, the bus did not make it to this event, but the friends are
hoping their restoration work will pay dividends and that they will see it back on the
road once again. The bus is currently based in a secure yard at Lydney.
(This article was edited and amended from an article in the MONMOUTHSHIRE FREE
PRESS of 4 th October 2011. Ed.)
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SWANSEA EVENT; SUNDAY 26 th FEBRUARY 2012;
South Wales Transport had a long affiliation with AEC which ended on February 27 th
1982 when the final AEC Regent Vs were withdrawn during a special event organised by
James Freeman, now CEO of Reading Transport. Although most Regent Vs had been
withdrawn in 1980, six 27’ versions had been retained to service the number 14 route to
Pennard, which involved a tight corner in the village of Murton. These Regent Vs were
replaced by 5 Bedford YMQS single deckers.
The Swansea Bus Museum are holding a 30 th Anniversary commemorative event, called
“Regent 30” on Sunday February 26 th 2012, during which they aim to run as many
surviving AEC Regents as possible on routes around Swansea. To this end, they would
welcome any contribution you can make to the success of the day by bringing along
vehicles, either for use on the routes or display at Swansea Bus Museum.
In particular they would love to see Taff Ely No 8 at the event. Nick Larkin has indicated
that he would like to bring No 7 along, especially so if No 8 is there as well.
They are currently preparing their fleet of vehicles for the day, including the last-ever
Regent V to run on that day in 1982, GWN 867E (SWT 639/839/889). After many
years off the road and seeing use as a mobile grandstand, it is currently undergoing a
repaint into its early 1970s pre-NBC livery and is hoped to be ready for the road again in
time.
SWT Regent 154 FCY at Bus & Coach Wales September 2011. (V.C.)
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About the CTPG
The CTPG lease the former Western Welsh Depot on Broad Street, Barry from the Vale of
Glamorgan Council. The CTPG organises two vehicle rallies each year and holds a monthly
meeting on the third Wednesday of each month. Members receive a quarterly newsletter and if
they wish they can help to restore the Group’s buses, ride on them and travel to rallies.
The Group aims to preserve representative samples of the buses that ran in South East Wales and
the Valleys, as well as memorabilia and records of the operating companies.
Annual membership of the Group is £17, which runs from the date of joining. Joint membership is
also available for £25.
CTPG Committee
Chairman
Deputy Chairman
Secretary
Mike Taylor, 10 Ger Nant Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed CF82 7FE
Phone: 01443 753227
email: mikeystrad73@btinternet.com
Chris Taylor, 31 Heol Wen, Rhiwbina Cardiff CF14 6EG
Phone: 02920 693734
Gayle Alder, 16 Carter Place, Fairwater, Cardiff CF5 3NP
Treasurer Paul Hamley email: squash33@btinternet.com
Membership Secretary
Derek Perry, 11 Countess Place, Penarth CF64 3UJ
Other Non Committee Post Holders
Editor Viv Corbin email: viv.corbin@ntlworld.com
Webmaster CTPG Mac Winfield email: postmaster@ctpg.co.uk
Publicity Officer Tudor Thomas email: tudoralt@cf14.freeserve.co.uk
www.ctpg.co.uk
Published by the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group
(Registered as a Charity No. 1063157)
The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Group, its
Committee or the Editor. Every effort is made to give due credit for all photographs and material
used in this newsletter. Should there be any unintended breach of copyright; the Editor must be
informed to enable a correcting acknowledgement to be made.
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Bristols at last years’ Bus & Coach Wales at Merthyr Tydfil and our Red & White Tiger at
the Cardiff Model Railway show at Llandaff College. (Paul Hamley / Tudor Thomas)
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The earlier days of two vehicles now preserved at Barry Depot; Bustler No.1 seen at Holton
Road, Barry in 1986 and HR818 in Wood Street, Cardiff some 3 years later. (Anon)
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