THE HOME COUNTIES BUS IMAGE GALLERY
ALDER VALLEY Bristol VRTSL6G ECW
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 Two further Scottish VR deckers arrived at Alder Valley after a stint with Southdown. After three years with Alder Valley, former Southdown 544, and before that Eastern Scottish AA296, was converted to open top in 1983 for riverside tours from Windsor, its extra length giving extra seats on the sort after top deck. Alder Valley 896 (LFS296F) has an identical history with partner 895 (LFS288F), even to the point that both passed into preservation. In contrast 895 has been restored to Eastern Scottish colours, without a roof, as AA288 in the Manchester area. As can be seen 896 has kept its NBC stripey coach style livery from Alder Valley days, but is recalling its Southdown life at the Southsea Bus Rally in June 2002 on a day which turned out to be most unsuitable for open toppers. |
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 Central SMT BN358 (NGM158G) became Alder Valley 881, its "GM" registration being part of the mark of every Central SMT bus. It became strangely at home as in 1974 when the registration system was revised "GM" was transferred to the Reading licensing office. The bus is seen in Bristol when new leaving the Bristol Brislington works. Most of the first batches of VR buses for Central, Western and United Auto spent some weeks at Bristol Commercial Vehicles Brislington works after fitment of their ECW bodies in Lowestoft. |
 Most of Alder Valley's Scottish VRs came from Western SMT and were unusual at that time in having black window rubbers. This trio, 888 (OCS596H), 885 (NAG590G) and 886 (OCS594H), are seen not long after arrival with Alder Valley at Reading, freshly painted in NBC livery, with a former Thames Valley VR on the end of the row. The buses were Western SMT 2270, 2239 and 2268 respectively. |
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 VR 885 (NAG590G) is seen a few years later in Reading's Thorn Walk depot having gained a standard destination blind and sporting the revised NBC fleetname with the double N on a white background. |
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