Adjacent to the First display were the regular SHOWBUS troup of Eastern Counties preserved vehicles which also got to bask in the sunshine. Eastern Counties is now part of First. The vehicles on display reflected various stages in the company's distinguished history. The VR has the early privatisation style of fleetname on the basic Tilling Red livery that the company readopted. The bus was new to Ribble as 1998 (OCK998K) but served EC as VR378. Alongside in NBC poppy red and white is the rarer Bristol RESL - as opposed to the longer RELL model - with the rarer still original style of ECW body for the RE model: RS658 (KVF658E).
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The complete line up with new addition David Gray's 1949 highbridge Bristol K5G, 133 (HPW133) nearest the camera. Next we have Bristol LL5G LL718, Lodekka LKD229, coach LM789 and the RESL and VR, all from the Eastern Transport Collection.
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A closer view of the beautifully restored Bristol K5G. The highbridge model was quite a rarity - Bristol Omnibus and Brighton, Hove & District being the other major operators of the type. Most Tilling companies operating areas were bedevilled by lowbridges and thus the sunken gangway, four seats in a row on the top deck lowbridge model was much more widely used.
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This exceedingly unusual Burlingham bodied Thames Trader more or less limped to Showbus last year. Considerable progress has been made on its restoration and it was displayed alongside the Eastern Counties buses with a few other stalwart Showbus supporters.
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A closer view of the beautifully restored Bristol K5G. The highbridge model was quite a rarity - Bristol Omnibus and Brighton, Hove & District being the other major operators of the type. Most Tilling companies operating areas were bedevilled by lowbridges and thus the sunken gangway, four seats in a row on the top deck lowbridge model was much more widely used.
