NATIONAL EXPRESS COACH IMAGES
Doubledeck coaches
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 Former East Kent open top AEC Regent V PFN879 was acquired by National Travel South East, the area operator for National Express for publicity purposes. When National Travel South East sponsored SHOWBUS in the late seventies at the Hillingdon Show the bus was not only used as their centre piece in the display, but also for the Hillingdon Show Society's pre-show publicity tours of the London Borough. It is seen at SHOWBUS 76 in the company of an RAF helicopter which performed stunts at the end of the Sunday. |
 For The Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 PFN879 was painted, like many other buses, in silver. This posed picture by the Hillingdon Show sign was to publicise the Show. |
 As part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations the Showbus Road Run started in Windsor and was led by PFN879. It picked up the Mayor and Mayoress of Windsor and took him to have lunch with the Mayor of Hillingdon at the show. Arriving at the Showground, traffic was very busy and it was decided to take the trade entrance into the showgrounds to ensure the Mayor and his wife were in time for the lunch. The roadway went under a low bridge under the Metropolitan tube line, but as can be seen there was sufficient clearance. |
 Clear of the bridge, the driver accelerated away promptly crashing into low trees and showering the Mayor and Mayoress, and Penny Jeffrey, the National Travel publicity officer, with glass from broken front screens. Fortunately only pride was injured and the open topper had to be parked backwards into its prominent display position to partly hide its damage. |
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The Regent V was a big support to the Hillingdon Show and SHOWBUS too. It toured the locality in the weeks before the Show to promote the event. It is seen here on the Road Run in 1978 at Langley and again at the showground.
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