2012 – Issue 2 of 4

THE SWANSEA MUSEUM AEC RUNNING DAY 26 th February 2012
The CTPG were invited to send two of their AEC Regent V’s to the above event, the
Rhondda and Pontypridd versions KNY495D and UTG313G. Swansea was reached
using the route A48 as far as Pyle then the M4 and finally the A483 to Swansea.
The weather for the
event was perfect and the
museum even on our
arrival at 10.30 was
bursting with enthusiasts.
Three routes were
selected by the organisers
to convey the visitors
around Swansea and the
Gower, 00 to Swansea
Bus Station, 14 to
Pennard and 77 to the
Mumbles & Bracelet Bay
and were well patronised
throughout.
KNY 495D leaving Bracelet Bay on the Gower. (T.Thomas);
The routes were covered mainly by S.W.T. Regents supplemented by London
Transport Routemasters, an ex-Barton of Nottingham full front Regent as well as our
two Regents. A warning notice for passengers was that a fine of £2 would be levied on
anybody caught defacing the interior of the bus (a sign of the times). The museum was a
haven of vintage buses, coaches and commercial vehicles many awaiting restoration as
well as the usual traders stalls. It is a few years since the group last visited the museum
and progress on restoration has been rapid.
The most noticeable progress has been in repainting of some of the museum vehicles.
I thought the quality of the workmanship was astounding. A selection of the vehicles
which have been repainted include 3 Regents, a Bristol VRT and the sole ex London
Transport Routemaster breakdown recovery bus RM66, now in the guise of a single
decker. Vehicles also of note in the museum were the sole survivor Regent V single
decker of S.W.T. 282DWN, one of a batch of 8 with bodywork by Chas Roe of Leeds
used under a 9 foot bridge on a Llanelly service. Another interesting vehicle is a
former Swan Motor Co. of Swansea Daimler double decker with a Bruce of Cardiff body
on an East Lancs. Frame, new in April 1950 and subsequently owned by United Welsh.
The day finally ended at 17.30 when group members made the return trip to Barry which
was rather prolonged because of an electrical fault on the Rhondda bus and a fuel supply
problem on the Pontypridd bus, but thankfully the expertise of some of the members
enabled the buses to return to the Barry Depot by 20.30 hours. (Paul Gilbertson)
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