SCT'61 Articles
Southend Sea Front Bus Services by Brian Pask

Second part of a short personal history of the Southend sea front bus services and the open toppers that worked them with the pictures either taken by Brian or drawn from his collection.

At the time of the Co-ordination scheme Southend had no open toppers, so for the 1955 season operation remained entirely in the hands of Eastern National. However, for the 1956 season Southend converted some double deckers to open top. These were from a batch of seven utility bodied Daimlers which had been acquired from Eastern National the previous year, six having seen a few months service in as acquired condition. These vehicles had originally come from the Benfleet and Canvey fleets and all but one had been new to Birmingham Corporation. Four were converted in 1956 and would have been in use for that season, a fifth following in 1957. They lasted until the end of the 1970 season and fortunately one, 244, was rescued and is now in the care of the Castle Point Transport Museum.

As converted in 1956 the four Southend Daimlers had no windscreen on the upper deck and the original half drop windows remained downstairs (although with three on each side rather than the one or two they had previously), but they were fitted with (perhaps new) very shiny chromed radiators. The original livery was cream with (on 244/5/6) two blue bands and blue mudguards and the fleet number on the front dash in large black figures. Here 245 (FOP452) is just west of the pier (with the Shrubbery in the background) on a 67 for Shoebury Common on 14th July 1957.

The fourth of the 1956 conversions, 247 (FOP340) was in a slightly different livery, with only one blue band, above the lower deck windows. Here it stands at the stop opposite the Kursaal on a 67 for Thames Drive in June 1957. Note the informative bus stop sign to the right of the bus - this was typical of many such signs at important stops in Southend. Behind the bus is a tower incorporating a slide, for many years a feature of Southend Sea Front, but now long gone.

The single 1957 conversion (242, FOP462) probably had an upper deck windscreen from the beginning, as this photo taken on 24th June 1957 shows it in that condition and looking very shiny. It also had the livery with a single blue band as 247. It is shown here at the Thames Drive terminal point with the blinds already changed for its return journey on the 67 to the Kursaal.

Upper deck windscreens were later fitted to the other four vehicles, but probably not for some years (244 at least was still without one in 1960). A change to the livery may have taken place at the time windscreens were fitted, there now being only one blue band, at the top of the side of the upper deck, and mudguards were now black. A final change was replacement of the original windows by new ones with opening sliders. It is not clear when this was done (it was certainly later than fitting of windscreens) but it may have been in 1963 when the seating capacity was increased to 33/26. Perhaps at this time the fleet number was moved to under the front canopy, where it appeared in smaller figures. Here 244 (FOP429) is in this final condition as it stands at the stop opposite the Kursaal on a 68 for Thames Drive (although the setting of the blind could have been improved!) some time in 1969. The buildings to the left of the bus look almost derelict here, but were later refurbished and survive today.

Also in final condition 247 (FOP340) is to the west of the gasworks as it heads for Shoebury East Beach on a 68 in summer 1970.

On the same day at roughly the same spot, but heading west for Thames Drive on a 68 is 245 (FOP452). Again it is in final condition.

245 (FOP452) again, at the stop at Shoebury Common on a 68 for East Beach in summer 1970. 339 (CJN439C) stands behind, having arrived on a relief 7 from Southend.

The one vehicle which was new to Canvey/Benfleet, 246 (JVW561) at the stop opposite the Kursaal on a 68 for Thames Drive in summer 1970. Although originally differing from the ex-Birmingham FOPs in the size and shape of the blind box, this is now distinguishable from them only by its Essex registration.

247 (FOP340) at the depot after withdrawal in late 1970. One wonders whether its last journey was in fact on the 21 or whether someone had just been playing.

Southend's elderly Daimlers soldiered on until the end of the 1970 season when they were withdrawn and four of Southend's 1958 batch of Leyland PD3s were converted to replace them. These lasted until 1980 but amazingly all four still survive, one with Classic Buses of Folkestone, two in Germany and the fourth last heard of in Indonesia!