As Thamesdown's Scania slips by on the Site Shuttle, one of the most interesting vehicles at SHOWBUS is revealed. Entered by Grayscroft Coaches was a 1959 Ford Thames Trader with Burlingham coachwork, a very rare combination. The coach is appropriately registered GCC3 and originally hails from North Wales. Grayscroft are undertaking a major restoration of the vehicle and it managed to amke its way from their Lincolnshire base under its own steam, but to be on the safe side, was accompanied by the firm's recovery truck. Alongside is another comparitive rarity, a 1955 Harrington bodied Leyland Tiger Cub new to Silver Star Motor Services of Porton Down, near Salisbury, an independent taken over by Wilts & Dorset in the early sixties.
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Another rare combination with a Roe coach body on this 1958 AEC Reliance chassis. The coach has since been reregistered as RSL383, but was new to Essex County Coaches. It is also unusual in having a centre entrance body.
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There was a small fashion for integral coaches, particularly amongst south coast operators. Doubtless the weight saving contributed to better fuel consumption. Beadle was much involved in various designs, like this 1937 Leyland based unit for Maidstone & District. Thornes of Bubwith, a SHOWBUS regular, have recently completed the work on OKP980, which was well received by the thousands of enthusiasts at SHOWBUS.
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A beautiful trio of Bedford OBs posed together at SHOWBUS, the blue example is in the colours of Bowells Coaches, followed by two OBs entered by Tim Wootton, a green Southern National example and the orange Shamrock & Rambler OB.
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