SCT '61 Photo Index
Lesney Staff Transport
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1. KGK675
The Lesney staff bus fleet was well known for its former London Transport RT types, some of which lasted long enough to gain the final "Stagecoach" style livery as shown here on KGK675 (the former RT1206), roaring down the narrow West Street in Rochford.
Photo taken Wednesday 23 May 1979, West Street, Rochford
2. KGU413
Surprisingly, RT type KGU413 (originally RT1544) was still active in September 1986 when seen at the Anne Boleyn on Southend Road.
Photo taken September 1986, Southend Road/Sutton Road, Southend
3. KGU413
Perhaps one of the most bizarre sightings of the Lesney staff bus RTs was of KGU413 on a trip to the Derby at Epsom in 1979! It was the former RT1544 and is in the later, "Stagecoach" style livery, much brighter than the original blue.
Photo taken Wednesday 6 June 1979
4. KGU413
Lesney staff RT KGU413 in Wickford Broadway. The ST Fleetline alongside was on a short lived ECC contract for a solitary schoolday morning trip, Wickford to Rayleigh High Street on the 251.
Photo taken Wednesday 12 November 1986, Wickford Broadway
5. LYR737
One of Richard Delahoy's early shots on slide film captured 3 ex-London Transport RTs laying over outside the Lesney Toys factory at Rochford. On the left is LYR737 (ex RT 2753), to the right LYR995 (RT 2825), with an unidentified third RT in between.
Photo taken Tuesday 13 November 1973, Rochford
6. LYR737
Not one of Richard's better shots, but here we see LYR737, a staff bus in the Lesney Toys fleet, leaving the Rochford factory in convoy with other deckers - the one behind being an ex Ribble Burlingham bodied Leyland PD3. LYR737 was the former RT 2753.
Photo taken Wednesday 9 October 1974, Rochford
7. LYF316
Another RT to see the new, brighter Lesney livery was LYF316, the former RT 2591, followed by a sister bus. The location is the end of the road leading from the Rochford factory, the bus waiting to break into the busy traffic on Ashingdon Road.
Photo taken Monday 2 May 1977, Lesney Factory, Rochford
8. YWS623
Former Edinburgh buses were not very common in south Essex but Lesney Toys had YWS623 in its staff bus fleet. The Leyland PD2A with Alexander body is leaving the Rochford factory followed by an RT still in the original (dull!) blue livery.
Photo taken Monday 2 May 1977, Lesney Factory, Rochford
9. GPW442D
Lesney Toys factory staff bus GPW442D, a Bristol FLF/ECW, formerly Eastern Counties FLF442 (a pretty logical fleetnumber!), taken on the roundabout outside the Anne Boleyn pub between Rochford and Southend Airport.
Photo taken September 1986, Southend Road/Sutton Road, Southend
10. HPW450D
Originally using a fleet of ex London RTs, the Lesney Toys staff bus operations moved onto ex-Eastern Counties FLFs like HPW450D (the former FLF450), seen here passing Benfleet station en route to the Rochford factory.
Photo taken Tuesday 30 July 1985, Benfleet
11. JPW454D
Another ex Eastern Counties bus in the Lesney fleet was the former FLF454, JPW454D, another 1966 built bus.
Photo taken September 1986, Southend Road/Sutton Road, Southend
12. KNG471D
A third Lesney ex-Eastern Counties FLF to pass the photographer outside the Anne Boleyn pub was KNG471D, which you will by now have guessed was the former ECOC FLF471.
Photo taken September 1986, Southend Road/Sutton Road, Southend
13. OMK819R
The Lesney Toys staff bus fleet generally featured superannuated double deckers but even with the availability of low-height Bristol FLFs, there was a need for a single decker on one particularly restricted route. Surprisingly, the need was fulfilled with a bus supplied new to Lesney, OMK819R.
Photo taken Monday 2 May 1977, Lesney Factory, Rochford