Photo © John Kaye. Please do not re-post without permission.

Stanley Hughes (dealer), Gomersal maintained a fleet of coaches for seasonal hire to operators. This fleet was a mixture of new vehicles, usually on lightweight chassis, and older vehicles taken in from operators. Wallace Arnold used to hire vehicles on a regular seasonal basis and those for 1962 were 81-83 BUA Plaxton bodied Ford 570Es, 84-86 BUA Duple bodied Ford 570Es and the subject of this image, 649CNW, which was an A.E.C. 2MU3RA Reliance with a Harrington Cavalier (31' 5") C43F body, which had been new to Hughes in April 1962.
It is seen here in Victoria Coach Station, at 16:21, with the B.O.A.C. Air Terminal in Buckingham Palace Road in the background, and the tenement buildings in Semley Place on the right. Behind it is a Duple Yeoman bodied Ford 570E. Note that the Ford has the garter insignia whilst the Reliance has the later WA Arrow one. 649CNW was returned to Hughes later in October and passed to Kirkham, Church in November 1962; Jones, Login in March 1968; Killick & Vincent, Dallington in January 1972; Austin, Dorking in December 1972 and to Thomas, West Ewell in July 1975. Thomas withdrew it around June 1979.

Photo taken by John Kaye, Saturday 6 October 1962, London Victoria Coach Station

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