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SCT '61 Southend Corporation Bus Fleet Details - The Seventies |
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At the end of 1969 lowbridge deckers with rear open platforms, seating 55 or 58, still formed a significant part of the fleet; out of a total of 80 buses, over half seated 58 or less, yet only 15 were single deckers, all of which were one-man operated. Within the next six years the fleet was to change almost out of all recognition with fifty one-man operated double deckers, each licensed to carry 98 passengers. In the sixties Southend had remained loyal to the conventional crew bus, which was relatively cheap and easy to maintain, despite having tried demonstrators of the main types of rear engined buses at various times since 1959, such as Fleetline 4559 VC seen here in 1963 and Atlantean KTD551C seen here in 1967. However the demise of the traditional bus had been hastened by the bus grant scheme, whereby the Government would pay 25% of the cost of new buses to approved designs, suitable for OMO; the grant was later increased to 50% but was finally withdrawn in 1984.
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The last Leyland Titan had been built in 1968 and henceforth the only real choice open to Southend was between the Leyland Atlantean, Daimler Fleetline and Bristol VRT, now all under the control of British Leyland. The need to obtain a very low height bus dominated the decision, which came out in favour of Fleetlines with Leyland 0680 engines and dual doorway Northern Counties bodies. Southend opted for 33 foot long, high capacity (80 seat) vehicles, coupled with a much larger order than usual (26 buses in one go) which allowed one man operation to be introduced on a widespread basis very quickly, in conjunction with frequency reductions. This achieved useful economies at a time when inflation was about to enter its most serious phase - the downside from an enthusiast, if not passenger, viewpoint was the wholesale demise of the lowbridge PD2s 287-310 in one year. At the same time the ticketing system for OMO buses was changed to Almex, with automatic Videmats as well on double deckers.
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Fleetline deliveries started in 1971 with 346-373, WJN348-373J. These unintentionally reintroduced the blue roof to the fleet as 21 were so painted in error!
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372 soon after entering service | 
… and another early view | 
… and a rear view of 362, taken around the same time |
364 in May 1974 in the original livery with blue roof | 
358 sporting an all-over advert | 
… and a second view of 358 |
359, seen in the snow in January 1977 | 
362 was loaned to Cardiff, seen here in August 1977 |
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These were followed a year later by 12 more, 374-385, GHJ374-385L.
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380 seen here on special route 251 working on Boxing Day 1974 | 
382 two years later on route 400 | 
384 in March 1977 |
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6 more Fleetlines came in 1975, 6 more in 1976, 10 in 1979 and 12 in 1981 (including the last Fleetline chassis to be completed). A further 8 secondhand examples were added in 1984, ex LT DM/S types, and subsequently 5 of the 1972 batch were upgraded and rebodied. Also four of the first batch, 370-373 were converted to open-top in 1979.
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A large number of double deckers were also hired in for varying periods of time during the seventies - some even appeared repainted in Southend livery.
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Ex Ribble Titans, seen here when first delivered in March 1974 .. | 
… and a year later | 
Rear view of 317 |
… and 318, the third of the batch | 
STP996, ex Portsmouth seen in late 1973 | 
ex Barton 901LRR seen here in May 1974 |
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Single deckers also came in on loan
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Two Leyland Leopards were repainted in Southend livery, 204 …. | 
…. And 205 |
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and in 1976, the forerunner to what was to become a large coach fleet arrived
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Two Plaxton bodied Leopard coaches seen immediately after delivery |
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Many thanks to Richard Delahoy for his kind permission to include extracts from his book in this page and also to Richard and to Paul Harrison for supplying the pictures. |
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