2013 – Issue 1 of 4

£2.50
00
NEWSLETTER 40 – JANUARY 2013
1
(Paul Hamley)
The Western Welsh coach OUH 107 (above) returned to Barry Depot on the 2 nd
December after 45 years. Featured in this issue is an update on the restoration
and maintenance of the CTPG heritage vehicles and of the time when locos and
trolleybuses resided at Barry Depot, also the final part of Andrew Wiltshire’s
article on the Cardiff Olympians.
1 1

10 th October 2012; Two Cardiff VRTs meet again! 348 & 359. The latter is a convertible open
top that would be useful to the group. Its condition is currently under review.
Below; 397, the last of the batch, was donated to the group during 2012 but was in very poor
condition. Useful parts were removed and the remains sold for scrap. (Paul Hamley)
2

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE:
Welcome to the first CTPG newsletter of 2013. I think that we should congratulate Viv
on the continuing quality of the newsletters this year, please help to support him through
your articles and photos.
Work has progressed on the fleet with a number of winter jobs being completed
positively. TAX 235, our Red and White Lodekka, now has a good vacuum for the
brakes which has been a long standing issue with the bus and we have now sourced a
replacement steering box, which was the other issue. Hopefully we can now return
L358 to the road. The Jones Cub has definitely blown another head gasket. This really
makes the engine block the issue as the head was skimmed after the last problem. We
are considering an engine swap using the spare Leyland 401 engine that we have in store,
this would give the bus a bit more power and resolve the overheating problem.
Early in December, OUH 107 finally arrived back at Barry Depot after an gap of 45
years, It was allocated at Barry for the latter part of its service life and then 40 years
with its last owner Adkins of Upper Boddington (see page 4).
At almost the same time, we were donated Western Welsh 13, TUH 13 the Albion
Nimbus, which has been a resident since the Depot first opened (see page 5). This
brings our Western Welsh collection to six (7 actually at the Depot with 1370) and with
the hope that 177 and 856 will be on the road this year. We also hope that PAX will be
back in blue and ivory by the time that you read this. Other painting jobs to be done this
year include the completion of Cardiff 497 and the tidying of 434. We always need more
helpers, so please come down on Fridays or Saturdays to volunteer.
I hope that you all observed our buses in the enthusiast press over the last few months
both the Swift and Caerphilly 32 have had either cover or centre spread.
I have recently received confirmation that the relevant Councils will again support our
events. However this year’s Barry rally will not be at Hood Road but will be on Barry
Island, the current thinking being that buses and commercials will park in the old Butlins
site and cars will park on the promenade, make a date in your diaries as we will need
your help;
Barry Festival of Transport at Barry Island, on Sunday 9th June
Ebbw Vale Classic Bus Day on Saturday 20th July
Bus & Coach Wales at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre on Sunday 8th September
On behalf of myself and the CTPG Committee I would like to wish all members and
readers best wishes for 2013 and good fortunes in whatever you do.
Mike
Tel: 07733 302242
Email : mikeystrad73@btinternet.com
Also keep up to date on our Facebook page
3

THE RETURN OF 107:
Late on a dark, cold, wet, December Sunday afternoon a long low-loader drew up beside
The Bus Depot in Barry, with a very special vehicle on board. To passers-by it looked
slightly motley, mould covered and paint decayed.
However, the members of the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group who volunteer in
heritage bus restoration saw it as a dream coming true. A genuine former Western
Welsh luxury touring coach of the late 1950s is back home at Barry after 45 years.
Mr. Adkins bids farewell to his old coach.
The coach was new in March 1958,
a AEC Reliance with a Harrington
Wayfarer body built in Hove,
Sussex with 39 seats. It was one of
a small fleet bought by Western
Welsh for their extended coach
tours. The first coach of the
“Capital Class”, it was first
allocated to the Western Welsh
bus depot in Pontypool but it
moved to the Penarth Rd. depot for
private hire and extended tours.
It was moved to Barry depot in
1963, where it continued on private
hire and day tours work until it was
withdrawn in the autumn of 1967.
In November 1967 it passed to North’s, a dealer in Yorkshire and was bought by
almost immediately by TW Holling of Askern in Doncaster. Four years later it was sold
to JR Buxton, of Primethorpe, Leicestershire, but it only stayed six months and went to
DH and DE Adkins of Upper
Boddington, Northamptonshire
in January 1972. At Adkins it
saw operation for nearly four
years and was withdrawn in
December 1975.
Luckily, 107 was stored under
cover and it remained out of use
for 37 years. Mike Taylor, the
Group’s chairman took a look at
it and in 2012 sealed a deal to
bring it back to its home area at
Barry in south Wales. The body
appears very solid for its age. In
due course we will learn of its
mechanical condition.
Safely back at Barry Depot after 45 years.
(further photos on p.27)
4

5

DEREK’S LOG; by Derek Perry.
Titan LNY 903 PD2/12
This bus being our next project we started with the removal of the rear N/S lamp
modification, followed by the rear two panels, the corner panels then the O/S panels
along to the cab.
The timber frame under the rear panel has rotted. With the rusted lower eight inches
of the inner steel panel cut off a new steel patch was cut and fitted. The timber frame
repaired or replaced, then refitted and painted. A new lower corner timber was cut
from two pieces of hard wood then glued and screwed together and fitted. The next
panel was also rusted at the bottom; a new section of steel was cut and fitted. The two
smaller next sections had the same treatment, and the bottom timber has also been
replaced. All exposed rear and side panels have been wire brushed and painted.
To fit bolts to the rear and side panels, access was mainly under the stair case, but to get
at the forward two sections we had to remove the side seat swab and that was when we
found the floor panel had been previously repaired with aluminium which had
subsequently corroded, removal was as simple as stepping on it. Further cleaning and
replacing with steel has taken place, followed by the usual paint job.
The cast aluminium step to reach drivers cab has been located in the box of parts that
came with the bus, but the wooden support has been badly damaged so a new frame has
been made and fitted by Richard Fitzjohn. The panel on the lower rear corner has been
cut and fitted, but the one above that has been damaged and has a hole in it, so this has
been removed ready for replacing with new metal.
Removal of the rest of the off-side panels has taken place, as far as the cab. Cleaning
and painting has been carried out. Two new panels have been cut for the rear, the off
side one has been cut to fit in the number plate recessed panel and temporary fitting has
taken place, as the rear lamps have to be obtained before cutting the panels can take
place. The lower corner panel has been cut, shaped, and fitted. The next panel also has
been cut and fitted, one of the panels that have been taken off is dented but with its paint
removed, and the dented area cut out to fit the wheel arch we are able to re-use it.
A new panel has been cut to size and shaped to fit the front half of the wheel arch, the
next two panels are not in too bad a condition so have been paint stripped and refitted.
Peter Smith has started cleaning the ceiling on the top deck. Paul Gilbertson and
Richard Evans have joined him and they have succeeded in rescuing the surface so that
we will not have to paint it
Looking through the boxes of old parts that came with the vehicle, the cable clamp was
rescued cleaned and refitted to hold the heavy cables as they go through the floor.
A floor panel from the same box has been cleaned and re-bolted into place, the
remaining gap has to be filled with a combined wheel arch and wing panel, this is also
available but in a very poor condition, The fitting of this panel to the body has entailed
the removal of a flat strip from part of the curve and a length of angle iron curved to the
shape of the wheel arch, this is proving tricky but we will get there.
6

A new front panel which has been fitted by the previous owner has had to be removed
to get at the fitting holes for the front wing. These holes are through the next body
panel which does not line up so work is done to rectify this, plus a small patch made and
fitted within the headlamp hole. Alan Poole and I have done most of the work on this
vehicle at the moment.
Measurements have been taken and a new panel cut to replace the rear of the wing
panel, the inner edge of which has been bent over a wire to make a stiff edge as per the
original. Offering this panel up to mark where holes have to be drilled, removing and
drilling, fitting up with bolts in some of these holes and further marking has been tricky.
Undercoat and gloss has been applied to the parts that we will not be able to get at
when fitted.
7
Bolting up has now
been done, and cutting
from the outer edge in
and shaping the curve,
wiring the outer edge as
we did with the inner
edge and welding on
small strips to cover the
gaps where the shaping
opened up the cuts.
The old front O/S wing
has been cut in half and
the front half has been
fitted to the vehicle. It
has repair patches
welded on but body
filler will smooth it out. The shaping matches up with the new back end we made,
although four inch short, a new section of metal has joined them together OK. A
coating of filler applied, rubbed down, followed by further layers plus rubbing down until
the final shaping is obtained. A final timber has been shaped and fitted to support the
lower rear of the wing.
Our two new members Daniel Taylor and Gareth Davies, have joined us with this job
and have removed the N/S body panels, cleaned and painted the serviceable inner panels,
we can now see where a few new patches will have to go to finish repairing before the
outer panels can be refitted. Mike Duxbury another new member has started removing
the seats on the top deck, all the beading from the floor, and finally removing the
linoleum floor covering.
We have been looking at the rear panel underneath the emergency door, a patch has
been riveted on centrally looking as if covering a destination board, but nothing shows
on the inside to match, to satisfy every-ones curiosity Daniel and Gareth drilled out the
rivets and removed the patch: low and behold a large tear in the panel, evidently the easy
way out was taken sometime in the past with a patch fitted over the damage.

8

Peter Smith has taken on the job of the removal and renewal of the complete panel,
this was not easy as this panel tucks under the other panels, plus the emergency door
hinges are bolted through the top edge. When the panel was removed the timber
framing underneath was found to be in good order, apart from the bottom strip being
loose. New screws were fitted and two coats of aluminium applied. With the emergency
door off, cleaning and paint removing has been carried out, uncovering a door that is in
very good order. Steel patches have been made and the rear painted before bolting and
riveting on to the N/S inner panels sealer and paint has been applied. On checking the
panels taken from the N/S, only one is in a suitable condition to be refitted.
New aluminium sheets have been purchased, the first of these sheets have been cut to
fit the last O/S front panel, the one up to the door. This panel is fitted temporarily as it
will have to be removed later to cut the hole for the drivers step. Two panels have been
cut and fitted to the N/S, starting from the front. Due to the lack of room on that side it
has been decided to delay fitting any more until the bus is moved. The two upper deck
front windows have been removed before they fall out as the rubbers were badly rotted.
Mike Duxbury has been
busy on the top deck,
removing the seats and
beadings into storage. On
removal of the floor covering
it was found that the adhesive
was still tacky so a couple of
old carpets were but down
to stop us sticking to it. The
O/S join of the upper deck to
the lower is by a length of
angle iron bolted to top and
bottom, covered with a
timber trim, the timber fell
off uncovering the rusted
angle iron, most of which is
serviceable but some of it will
have to be replaced, wire brushing and painting has been done to the serviceable section.
The N/S however is totally different having four triangular brackets riveted to the
upper deck and bolted through the floor to the lower deck. The bottoms of all these
brackets have rusted away, so new brackets have been fabricated and welded into place.
As our welding equipment was too big and heavy to be manoeuvre up stairs, we had to
improvise; we loaded the welder into the café of the fork-lift and lifted it to take the
hoses etc. through the emergency door opening at the rear. The N/S floor also have
curved sections of aluminium to support the floor covering into shape up to the side
panels, they also have a shaped top edge to hold the covering, these have been removed
to clean and paint the panels underneath.
9

Alan Poole and I did not want to spend two days standing around on the open day for
the tall ship weekend, so we placed the driver’s door onto the bench and started to
repair same. If visitors looked in we stopped and chatted, if not we carried on working.
After removing the sliding window and frame, we then cut out rusted sections and
replaced them with new metal, welding or screwing as needed. We removed the skin
from the bottom of the door, this will have to be replaced with new aluminium and with
this off we were able to repair the bottom edge of the frame. Replacing the sliding
window was tricky but has been completed with new wood sections each end. A couple
of days well spent.
A door strap had been fitted badly sometime in the past, a block of wood has now been
fitted inside as this will support the strap better when refitted. A new piece of
aluminium has been cut and fitted to the lower section and a hole cut to take the outer
door handle, body filler has been applied to tidy up followed by rubbing down and the
first coat of undercoat.
We welcome Richard
Fitzjohn back to the fold his
hip operation has laid him up
for some time and still has to
take things steady. As some
of the window frames will
have to be rebuilt he has
made up a wooden jig to
make certain the sizes are
right and the repairs are kept
in shape when we start
welding. The side panels of
the upper walk way have
been found to be loose and
removal of the wood trim
revealed the panels have
rusted away on the lower edges and will have to be renewed. After a little work on the
on the wood frame they should take the new panels ok. Mike Duxbury turned his
attention to the front panel covering the destination board, and finding it loose and
wobbly he removed it completely and took it down to the bench where he proceeded
to put it back together with new brackets and screws.
Paul Gilbertson got busy on the lower deck as many of the parts that came with the
bus were stacked inside. The first job was to remove all the body strips, straighten
them a bit, removing all nails and screws and stacking them against the back wall of the
garage. Paul removed all hardwood pieces to the wood store. Spare sliding window
frames were removed to number two store, radiator and grill removed to the rear wall,
leaving a clear working area. Buckets of water, cloths and hard work have removed the
first layers of dirt from the seats. A spray/extraction upholstery cleaner has removed
another layer of dirt and dog hairs.
10
Derek Perry Oct. 2012.

OCTOBER MEETING;
Colin Scott gave us a presentation he called “Wonderful Western Welsh” with
anecdotes from his own recollections and some from his recent book “Red, Cream and
a touch of Gray”
With the online publicity given to this event we expected to see more members than
the 25 or so that attended. The Western Welsh company holds many memories for all
those aged over 40 and Colin certainly gave his audience many more to ponder over.
NOVEMBER MEETING;
------------------------------------
On this evening we welcomed back our member, Robert Edworthy, who agreed at short
notice to give the group a presentation. His subject, Red & White Services Ltd., is one
close to his heart as he is a font of knowledge on this company. Robert is also co-author
of a new Red & White history which is eagerly awaited by all enthusiasts.
We were told how John Watts started in business with his brother at Lydney and that
after having been involved in several bus firms in the 1920s, his enterprise developed into
Red & White Services Ltd. in 1930. Robert related to us the history of the concern up
to 1950, the year that it was sold to the British Transport Commission. Robert
illustrated his comments with period photographs, many of which had not been shown
before.
Thank you Robert, we look forward to you continuing the Red & White story for us in
due course.
DECEMBER MEETING;
The annual Quiz Night was held on 19 th December at the Penarth Conservative Club.
Hosted once more by our Vice Chairman, Chris Taylor, the evening was attended by
about 25, including visitors from the PSV Circle and the South Wales & West Omnibus
Society.
Questions followed the pattern of previous years with all forms of transport covered.
New this year was a “Brain of Britain” section that many found quite difficult.
When asked “What is the length of the Queen Elizabeth?” One wag answered “Sixty
years!” As you can imagine, the quiz was not taken too seriously.
Perhaps too many questions were posed this time as our allotted time soon ran out.
Many thanks again to Chris for his efforts, to Nicky Reason for his motoring questions
and to Mike who acted as scorer. Who won? Well it was close with the PSV Circle just
defeating the O.S. team.
11

THE SPANNER AND HAMMER BRIGADE;
by Robert Sparks
This year the spanner and hammer brigade have been trying to sort out some of the
mechanical gremlins which have plagued some of our vehicles, here is a brief outline of
what we have been doing.
Ponty No 8; On an outing to Swansea it started having fuel problems on the way back.
1. Fuel lift pump clogged with dirt. Pump cleaned, fuel tank removed and
cleaned out and replaced, new fuel line fitted, new filter and fresh fuel put in and
road tested ok.
Bob gets to grips with Ponty No. 8 (Mac Winfield)
AEC Swift; Ongoing fuel problem.
1. Fuel system totally overhauled. DPA fuel pump removed and checked.
Injectors overhauled. New lift pump fitted with new fuel filters. Some
pipework and connectors renewed and a water trap fitted as original has been
by-passed. Fuel tank drained and fresh fuel put in. Engine valve timing and
tappets checked, fuel injection timing checked and road tested ok.
The next job to do is the engine radiator fan right angle drive unit seal leaking.
Red& White Lodekka; Brake problem and heavy steering.
1. This vehicle has vacuum brakes and when checked it was not producing any
vacuum. We checked the exhauster and found it serviceable, so checked
pipework and connections back to storage tank. The tank was found to have
corroded, so this was removed awaiting a replacement or repair. The steering
seems to be a draglink joint done up to tight.
12

Jones Tiger Cub; Engine cooling problem.
1. Checked engine cooling system and found that expansion tank was blocked.
Unit cleaned out and re-fitted. Thermostat missing, so new one sourced and
fitted. Engine run up but found that it was still blowing water out from tank and
between exhaust manifold joint. Difficult to restart engine as bores seem to be
filling with water. Suspect engine block has some damage to it causing head
gasket not to seal properly. Replacement engine to be fitted when funds
permit.
Down the pit inspecting the cooling system on the Jones Cub.
(V.C.)
Newport Atlantean; Front suspension problem, Front doors u/s and low power.
1. On examination both front road springs clips done up far too tight, these
were slacked off but two had to be made as they broke whilst trying to free
them. Both dampers removed and checked ok. All front shackle pins readjusted
and greased, springs lubricated with mixture of old oil and diesel.
(The magic mix – takes me back to my apprentice days! Ed.) Fuel system water
trap filter clogged up, this was cleaned and refitted. New fuel filters fitted.
2. Front doors chain link had parted, new pin fitted and lubricated. Road tested
vehicle much improved performance.
Nearly all of the running fleet have had their engine oil and filters changed, and various
jobs have been done on other vehicles, we have a list of work to do which we hope to
get done over the coming months.
Robert Sparks Dec. 2012
13

TROLLEYS AND LOCOS AT BARRY DEPOT;
At noon on Friday 7 th August 1992 redundancy notices were handed out to nearly 80
employees at Barry Depot and the last outpost of National Welsh closed at 6pm.
Over the following two weeks the remaining vehicles and equipment were taken away by
staff of Rhondda Buses Ltd. and the depot was boarded up. The receivers for the
company quickly put the site on the market with Henry Butcher & Co.
An application by Hypervalue Holdings to use the main building for storage or retail use
was refused by the Vale Council in March 1993. The following month the site was
purchased by the Council for a reported £250,000, although it seems they were unsure
what they were going to do with a building of 19,000 sq. ft. and offices of 2750 sq. ft. on
ground with certain restrictions and leased from the British Railways Board.
Over the following 15 years the exact uses of the depot are unclear. You would think
that as former Honorary Historian to National Welsh your editor would have kept tabs
on it, but unfortunately not -- mind you I did have a new job and a new wife to occupy
my time! However, with the help of Keith Walker and Paul Hulyer of Cardiff & South
Wales Trolleybus Project (C&SWTP) and Frank Learner’s Railway Heritage Centre
Booklet (1998), certain aspects of this period have become clearer.
In 1993, the Butetown Historic Railway Society was informed they would have to
relocate due to the impending multi-million pound development of Cardiff Bay.
Fortuitously, the Vale of Glamorgan Council offered a site at Barry Island to the Society
to create a working railway heritage centre. In 1994, the Society by then renamed the
Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company Ltd., began the relocation plans to Barry, the first
part being the transfer of their locomotives to temporary storage at the former Bus
Depot pending the completion of the Barry Island site. These locos had been purchased
from Woodham’s Scrapyard in the late 1980’s for £85,000 with assistance from the
National Heritage Memorial Fund and were later known as the “Barry Ten.”
These were – No’s 2861, 4115, 5227,5539,7927,6686,48518,44901,80150 & 92245.
Also stored were some carriages, a footbridge and various other items.
The Company’s working saddle tank “Sir Gomer” was moved directly to the Barry Island
site in 1997.
In 1995, the C&SWTP were given permission to store trolleybuses alongside the locos
at the old Barry Bus Depot. The first to arrive was the Bradford Karrier 704 followed
later by Cardiff BUTs 243 & 262. The trolleybus group were able to perform limited
restoration at the depot. Also about this time the Vale Council were in talks with local
heritage groups (including CTPG) to promote the ambitious Welsh Transport
Experience, however with the loss of European grants this scheme soon faded and so did
the access for trolleybus restoration.
Then in1998, it was decided by the Vale Council that the locos should be removed
from the depot. The locos were temporarily moved to Atlantic Trading Estate until the
Barry Island site was ready. The trolleys however, had to be moved to get the locos out
so they were towed out and left on the outside wall of the depot.
14

Taken in March ‘98 from the old footbridge, the three trolleys wedged along with railway items.
The three trolleybuses consigned to a five weeks stay along the wall of Barry Depot. Sept.’98.
15

Members of C&SWTP kept an evening watch on their vehicles while contractors
moved the locos. This position lasted for five weeks before the trolleybuses were back
inside, towed by courtesy of Nigel Martlew of Hawthorn Coaches and their Leyland tow
truck, although access for restoration was again denied. The two double decks were
positioned over the pits and 243 on the eastern wall near the oil tank.
The trolleybuses were joined by preserved Cardiff double deck buses owned by the
Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum, namely Crossley 46, Guy open-topper 434, and
Trolleybus 215. This was to be a temporary home for these due to the senseless
demolition of the WIMM building at Bute Street. Also stored at the depot was Cardiff
Fleetline 532, owned by the CTPG.
The furniture refurbishing charity Track 2000 later used the building for storage.
Unfortunately, during this time a break-in at the rear of the building caused some severe
vandalism particularly to the WIMM vehicles. In 1999, came an application from
Hawthorn Coaches to use Barry Depot for their coach business. This was rejected,
partly due to local opposition claiming a likely return of undue noise and pollution.
The vehicles owned by the Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum along with other
heritage items were eventually moved to storage at Nantgarw and the Cardiff Fleetline
532 was the last bus to leave in 2002 for storage at Wenvoe. The C&SWTP managed to
secure rent on a large barn at Wentloog and in December 2001 trolleybus 243 was
towed there by Cardiff Bus Engineer, Dave Whalley, with the Cardiff Bus ERF recovery
truck while 262 & 704 followed on with the assistance of Celtic Recovery.
By the middle of the decade the depot was empty (apart from a family of pigeons) and
after a long legal journey the lease of the depot was granted by the Vale Council to the
CTPG in 2008.
(Thanks are due to Paul Hulyer for the photographs and to Keith Walker and others who have
supplied information on this grey area of the depot history. Please inform the editor if any of the
above is incorrect so an amendment can be made in a future issue. Ed.)
16

CARDIFF BUSES:
LEYLAND OLYMPIANS Part Two; by Andrew Wiltshire.
(The first part of this article was published in the October 2012 Issue.)
Surplus to requirements
In 1986 it was decided that around six of the low-height Olympians were actually
surplus to current requirements, and rather than sell these buses which were only just
over a year old, they would be sent on loan to Southend Transport. At Southend they
would be deployed on the Limited Stop Express service running into London (X1). The
buses chosen to travel to Essex were 553-5/7-9 and the first to be collected was 559
which left Cardiff on 22 September 1986. These were followed by 555 on 10 December,
553/4/7 in January 1987 and 558 on 1 February.
At Southend they were painted in a smart yellow and blue livery and received fleetnumbers
363-5/7-9. They also rather surprisingly acquired extra embellishments such as
chrome wheel trims! At off-peak times some of them would remain in the capital and
were used for sightseeing purposes, being put to work on the service 614. Their stay in
East Anglia was for just over 12 months and they returned to Cardiff between March and
May 1988. All six were repainted into a revised dual purpose livery commencing in May,
before re-entering service in Cardiff. This scheme featured slightly less white and all
initially retained their chrome wheel trims from their days at Southend Transport.
Livery variety
The standard fleet livery of orange with a narrow white band prevailed throughout the
1980s and well into the 1990s, and many of the normal height Olympians from the group
501 to 519 never carried any other scheme. However a number of variations to this
occurred and 501 had the distinction of never actually carrying the standard fleet livery!
Taking 501 to start with, it entered service in orange, black and white until 1984 when
upon repaint it lost the black portions which became orange. However the white band
was to remain narrow, which meant the fleet-name had to be placed between the wheelarches
once again. Shortly after this 501 gained a broadside advert (between decks) for
Minstrel Furniture in December 1984 which was followed by a similar style mainly black
advert for Marlborough Carpets by May 1986, and a red one for the Cardiff Post
newspaper in April 1987. Upon losing these broadside adverts 501 returned to its
unique variation on the standard fleet livery, which it carried for the remainder of its
days in the Cardiff fleet.
As mentioned earlier, 502/4/7/10 lost their experimental black relief in 1984 gaining
normal fleet colours. The next change came in November 1985 when 512 received a
broadside advert for Rockwool cavity-wall insulation, which it carried until December
1987. 567 the first of the final batch of Olympians to be delivered, had an overall advert
for Caines Furnishers applied when it entered service in February 1986. It carried this
mainly white livery until June 1988, when it gained the dual purpose livery to the same
style as the six B-registration buses which had returned from Southend that year.
17

The second Olympian to gain an overall advert livery was 502 which received a livery
for the retail group Woolworths PLC (B&Q, Comet, Woolworths) in May 1986, which
was basically white with large red triangle on each side. This changed in the October to
an attractive, mainly red livery for B&Q Autocentres. Another broadside advert
appeared on an Olympian in June 1986. It was for locally based oil distributor Curran
Oils and carried by 511, and was identical to the one applied a short while earlier to
Cardiff Ailsa 433. De-regulation was due to take place in October 1986 and in
preparation for this a number of buses had their livery updated. The first Olympian to
receive the revised livery embellishments was 513. New fleet names “Cardiff Bus”
“Bysiau Caerdydd” were applied and no Council crests were carried. Other Olympians
in fleet livery gradually received this modification.
RBO 502Y emerging from New Road in May 1987 with an all-over advert for B&Q Autocentre.
In November 1986 both 506 and 566 gained broadside adverts to the order of
Renoflex Ltd. No further livery changes of significance occurred until June 1988 when
512 was turned out in full dual-purpose low-height livery, admittedly by mistake. Once
spotted, this curious error was rectified later the same month with a return to standard
orange with a narrow white band. By August 1988 advert vehicles 501, 506, 511 and 566
had returned to fleet livery, but the following month 502 gained a revised overall advert
for B&Q DIY Supercentres which it wore until October 1990.
No further livery changes of note occurred until 1997 when a refurbishment scheme
started to get under way. In conclusion, eight of the normal height Olympians
(503/5/8/4/5/7/8/9) carried the standard fleet livery during their entire life with Cardiff,
while of the low-height vehicles 551/2/6,560-5 did not carry any advert, special or varied
liveries.
18

Downgrading of the low-height buses
The low-height vehicles with their coach style seats were not really ideal buses to use
on normal city services and also had a lower passenger capacity than the original
nineteen Olympians, 501 to 519. There was little requirement for a fleet of seventeen
double-deckers with coach seats, and private hire work was well covered by the six
coaches. Between April and July 1989, and starting with 551 to 554, all the B- registration
buses received moquette covered bus seats on their top deck. From April 1989 the
delivery of four dual-purpose layout Leyland Lynx saloons (237 to 240) would render
further Olympians surplus in their existing dual-purpose form. The second batch (560 to
567) was similarly dealt with between March and June 1991.
The final stage of the downgrading occurred in 1991, when 551 to 559 lost their lowerdeck
coach seats in favour of moquette covered bus seats. This took place between June
and October and the final seating layout of this batch was thus H43/31F. As far as is
known, none of 560 to 567 ever received bus seats on their lower deck whilst with
Cardiff.
C567 GWO featuring Caines Furniture advertising at Newport in Jan. 1987
To refurbish or not?
In 1997 Cardiff Bus embarked on a refurbishment programme for its Volvo Ailsas and
Leyland Olympians. One of each type was selected for a complete refurbishment. The
initial Olympian selected was to be 512 whilst 402 was the Ailsa chosen. The
refurbishment included the replacement of much panelling, re-trimming of upholstery
and the fitting of an electronic dot-matrix destination display. The buses would be
turned out in the revised livery as carried by Ailsas 437 to 448.
19

The refurbishment of 512 was completed in May 1997 and the bus appeared at the
Barry Bus rally later that month. The next Olympian to be treated was low-height 559,
which of course by now had bus seats throughout. This was completed in the September
and out-shopped in a variation of 512’s livery but with more white added, presumably to
differentiate it from a normal-height bus. Two further normal-height Olympians were
refurbished, 509 completed in December followed by 516 in February 1998.
However, in February 1998 Cardiff Bus decided to cut its losses. The refurbishment
programme for the Ailsas was deemed a success, but due to extensive body corrosion,
the work being carried out on the Olympians was proving to be far too costly. It was
decided to abandon any further work and dispose of all 36 vehicles instead. Initially 502
to 505 were duly advertised for sale in February 1998 and were out of use by March.
Withdrawals and disposals
Once their demise had been announced the disposal of the un-refurbished buses in the
501 to 519 batch took place over a twelve month period. Dispersal was far and wide,
and subsequent disposals for the first 19 buses, was interesting to say the least.
502 and 503 were sold to McConn (Dualway) of Rathcoole, Eire by April 1998 and
received a white and maroon livery initially having gained registrations 83-D-4124 and
83-D-4124 respectively. Shortly after this, both buses were converted to open-top for
use on sightseeing work in Dublin. In October 2006, both were sold to Mc Gowan of
Belfast. They later passed to Lavelle and Johnston of Belfast, but were seized by HM
Customs in January 2010 and it is believed that they were scrapped by March 2010.
Also sold in early 1998 were 504 and 505 which passed to Appleby’s of Conisholme,
Lincs. Their stay here was fairly brief with 504 going for scrap in May 2001 followed by
505 in January 2002. Thus 504 and 505 were the first Cardiff Olympians to be broken up.
Meanwhile 501/6-8/11/13 were withdrawn in August 1998 and all six passed to Munden
of Bristol in September, who acted as a dealer. 511 was sold to well respected
Leicestershire fleet Williams (Confidence) of Oadby the same month where it gained
fleet number 38. 501 passed to Guide Friday in December for conversion to open top
while 506 and 508 passed to A Bus of Bristol for local service bus work. 507 and 513
also remained in the Bristol area, passing to Eurotaxis of Harry Stoke by March 1999.
The next batch that was to be withdrawn was 510/14/15/17-19 in January 1999, which
left only the refurbished examples 509/12 and 516 in service. 510 subsequently followed
511 to Confidence fleet the following month, while 514, 515 and 517 followed 501 to
Guide Friday for conversion to open-top configuration. This just left 518 and 519 which
found a new home with Wirral-based operator Cullinan of Birkenhead who traded as
Happy Als.
The last full-height Olympians in service 509,512/6 were taken out of service in June
1999 but were reinstated the following September to cover the Rugby World Cup held
in Cardiff at that Autumn. By November 509 and 512 had been converted to permanent
driver training buses while 516 had been sold to the Boomerang Bus Company
(Warners) of Tewkesbury.
20

Most of the low-height examples comprising 551-563/6 were also withdrawn in June
1999 with many being sold and finding new homes immediately. 556 and 559 turned up
with Leon Motor Services of Finningley near Doncaster, where they gained fleet numbers
155 and 156, while six buses, 551/2/4/5/7/8 passed to Cherry of Bootle on Merseyside.
RBO 504Y with Applebys of Conisholme at work in Newark during 1999
Back in Cardiff, 553, 561/6 became training buses while 560/2/3 were also reinstated to
cover for the Rugby World Cup. By November 564 and 567 had been withdrawn and
sold together with 560/2/3/5 to Cullinan (Happy Als) of Birkenhead being joined there in
February 2000 by 553/561. 566 joined 509 and 512 in Cardiff’s training school, and were
therefore the last Olympians in the Cardiff fleet.
This continued until May 2002 when all three passed to Longs of Abercraf in the Upper
Swansea Valley for schools work. Longs later purchased 552 from the Merseyside area.
The four Guide Friday open-toppers were ironically allocated to Cardiff for the City
Tour from the 2000 season, and remained here for two seasons whereupon they were
moved to Edinburgh for the 2002 season. Here they worked for Mac Tours (Edinburgh
Tours) with fleet numbers 49 and 41-43 (LBO501X, A514/5/7/VKG). 514 and 515 were
later sold passing to Pringle, Glasgow in 2003 for further sightseeing work. 515 (fleetnumber
LO515) was then sold to Dunshill of Larkhall for scrap in July 2006. 501 and 517
on the other hand continued to ply the streets of Edinburgh until sold to Top Line of
York in January 2005.
Back on Merseyside, Cullinan of Birkenhead had scrapped 518 by November 2002
followed by 519. It is thought both had suffered some form of fire damage.
21

At around this time 557 had turned up back in South Wales with Wilkins of Cymmer,
while 554/5/8 passed on to Scottish operator Rennie of Dunfermline and gained
cherished registrations BHZ9542/1/8 respectively. 551 passed from Cherry of Bootle to
Stephenson of Easingwold near York in 2003 via LMS Buses of Liverpool. In
Nottinghamshire the Leons of Finningley business was sold, with 556 consequently
passing to Thomas of Porth while 559 was scrapped. Both 551 and 554 had been broken
up by the end of 2009, 556 by the end of 2010.
Returning to the original nineteen buses, 507 and 513 had turned up with Fairbrother
of Thelwall near Warrington in 2003, painted in a smart blue and white livery. Two
years later they were with KJB of North Hykeham near Lincoln, but they were both
scrapped by February 2008. 516 headed to Cornwall in 2004 for service with Williams of
Cambourne and was still there in 2011, by which time it had received a makeshift
replacement front roof-dome. Moving down from Scotland in August 2005 were 554/5/8
passing from Rennie of Dunfermline to Williams, Ancaster.
LBO 501X In San Francisco Sept. 2012 (Roger Davies)
506 was withdrawn by A Bus, Bristol in 2007 and used for spares while Confidence of
Oadby scrapped 511 the same year. Further examples sold were Long’s quartet; 509 and
566, both sold for scrap by March 2008, and it is assumed that 512 and 552 met the
same fate, as no further evidence of their actual whereabouts has been forthcoming.
Meanwhile Cullinans on the Wirral disposed of 553, 560 to 564, 561 having suffered fire
damage at some stage. Back in South Wales, 557 passed from Wilkins of Cymmer to
Movereturn at Pontycymmer in August 2008, and was broken up by Movereturn in July
2011.
22

Only two members of the final batch actually survived into 2008. These were 565 and
567 which passed to Pilkingtons of Accrington but were out of use by 2007, and by this
time had received rectangular headlights and bus seats on the lower deck! After a short
spell with King of Accrington, the eventual fate of 565 is now clear. It passed to
Newbridge Learning Community, Wigan, probably in 2010, for conversion into a playbus.
However 567 was to be found operating for Franks of Haswell near Sunderland by 2009,
with cherished registration mark PIB1180, but was thought to be out of use by a year
later. Meanwhile in July 2009, your author witnessed in York, a recently repainted and
very smart open-top A517VKG. It was still hard at work in City Sightseeing livery with
Top Line of York.
Over the sea and far away
By November 2008, LBO501X and A514VKG had been exported to the USA for
continued tourist work with City Sightseeing of San Francisco, and were later noted in
use here by member Roger Davies. Also to venture overseas was RBO508Y and maybe
RBO506Y from ABus of Bristol. I am fairly certain that 508 went to Kozlova and
Vysochin, San Bruno, California, USA in April 2009 as an open-topper, as I seen a
photograph. However, is known that a completely different Olympian with a Roe body
and of Bristol Omnibus origin, has assumed the identity of RBO506Y by carrying its
registration plates!! What became of 506 then after disposal by A-Bus? One possibility
is that 506 was actually exported and was further used as a source of spares.
In conclusion
In 2012, 516 was thought to be still owned by Williams of Cambourne, while opentopper
517 was sold for scrap in February 2012 after service in York. Williams of
Ancaster had disposed of 558 and as I write 555 had just been withdrawn by them.
One former Cardiff Olympian that it was hoped would be around for some time to
come is 510. In August 2008 this passed from Confidence of Oadby to Trevor Jones of
Cardiff for preservation. By the summer of 2012 a new home was required for the bus,
and it was purchased by local operator Watts of Bonvilston for use as a reserve school
bus by the October.
The Leyland Olympian was without doubt a well built and reliable bus in service with
Cardiff. In the end its “Achilles heel” was the East Lancs body which was from the
period when East Lancs products had a bad reputation for corrosion. Had this not been
the case, and had the vehicles received Northern Counties bodywork for example, then I
reckon that all thirty six buses would have been refurbished, and Cardiff’s Volvo Ailsas
would have been eliminated by the end of 2000. I was a little surprised why Cardiff
turned to Scania in 1990 for new double-deckers, when the Olympian with the Cummins
L10 engine would have made more sense, given that a fleet of similarly-engined Leyland
Lynx saloons was then being built up.
I would like to thank Mac Winfield, Dave Thomas, Mike Taylor, Peter Smith, Anthony
Brewer, John Jones, Roger Davies, Viv Corbin and the PSV Circle for their assistance
with this article. All photographs by the author unless stated otherwise.
Andrew Wiltshire November 2012
23

EDITOR’S NOTES;
Meetings will be held at Penarth Conservative Club at 19.30 on the third Wednesday of
the month. Road runs from Barry Depot will be organised for the summer months,
leaving at 19.00. Further details for 2013 events will be discussed at the AGM on Wed.
16 th January.
Dates already set are as follows;
Wed. 20 th Feb. Meeting T.B.A
Wed. 20 th March Meeting T.B.A.
Wed. 17 th April Meeting T.B.A.
Wed. 15 th May Road Run T.B.A.
Sun. 9 th June. 2013 Barry Festival of Transport to be held at Barry Island.
Wed 19 th June Road Run T.B.A.
Wed. 17 th July
Road Run T.B.A.
Sat. 20 th July
Ebbw Vale Classic Bus Day
Wed. 21 st Aug. Road Run T.B.A.
Sunday 8 th Sept. Bus & Coach Wales 2013 at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre.
Wed. 18 th Sept. Joint meeting with Omnibus Society
Sat. 28 th Sept. Red & White Reunion Rally at Beachley
Wed. 16 th Oct. Meeting T.B.A.
Wed. 20 th Nov. Meeting T.B.A.
Wed. 18 th Dec. Annual Quiz Night with Chris Taylor.
Details of all events will be updated regularly on our website. www.ctpg.co.uk
Several members have already chosen to receive their newsletters online. If you wish to
join this growing trend it will save the group the expense of printing and postage etc.
Please let the Editor know at viv.corbin@ntlworld.com
MYSTERY BUS;
Name the operator,
make, model and
bodywork of this
Valleys coach.
24

25

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 at the Penarth Conservative Club. 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 £20, which runs from the date of joining. Joint membership is also
available for £25.
CTPG Committee
Chairman
Mike Taylor, 10 Ger Nant Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed CF82 7FE
Phone: 07733 302242
email: mikeystrad73@btinternet.com
Deputy Chairman Chris Taylor, 31 Heol Wen, Rhiwbina Cardiff CF14 6EG Phone:
02920 693734
Secretary
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.
26

On Sunday 2 nd December 2012, Western Welsh 107 finally arrived back at Barry Depot
after an absence of 45 years. It will be restored it in its original wine red & royal ivory
livery and not in the later blue version, as shown below.
(Paul Hamley)
27

A fine shot of our restored Caerphilly 32 posing by the impressive offices of the
former Barry Railway Company, which opened in Feb 1900, at a cost of £59,000.
The clock tower and roof were rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1984. (T. Thomas)
28