THE SHOWBUS SOUTHERN ENGLAND BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Southdown coaches
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 Whilst Plaxtons dominated the coach fleet in the post-Harrington era, Duple, which had been patronised after World War 2 up until 1954, did receive the occasional order, including a beautiful batch of twenty Commander bodied Leopards for tours in 1970: 1800-1819 (RUF800-819H). This is believed to be one of the nine Dominant bodied Leopards: 1881-1889 (RYJ881-889R), delivered for National Express duties in 1977 and later repainted in dual purpose livery for more mundane work.
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 Most undignifying for the once illustrious Southdown fleet was a large batch of 37 Duple Dominant bodied Ford R1114 coaches delivered in 1974, with three more following in 1977. Several are seen on Derby Day on the Epsom Downs around 1980, with the last of the batch, 1437 (SCD37N) identifiablke a the front.
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 A very Brighton scene that was probably coming to the end of its days. A queue of Southdown coaches on Maderia Drive near the Pier touting for day trip business. For decades these would have been beautiful green coaches, but in this final manifestation we see the all conquering white NATIONAL livery on the Plaxton Supreme bodied Leyland Leopards. Probably the blandness hastened the demise of this spectacle.
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 In the final days of the National Bus monolith subsidiary companies tried to recapture some of their past with what was known as the "Venetian Blind" livery of alternating colours at the front end of coaches. The dark green and gold on new Plaxton Paramount 3200 bodied Leyland Tiger 1004 (XUF534Y) on Epsom Downs for Derby Day was the Southdown version.
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 Six Duple Laser bodied Leyland Tigers joined the fleet in 1984 for touring holidays work in National Holidays livery. These fifty seat coaches were a far cry from the three-abreast luxury of the Harrington and Plaxton Elite touring coaches seen earler. This one, 1011 (A811CCD), is preserved and is seen arriving at SHOWBUS international 2010. |
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