The 6th Annual Worthing Bus Gathering & running day 28th July 2002
Yes this year I actually made it to the annual bus rally in Worthing and boy was I impressed.
Below is a selection of photo's that I took on the day
The first part of the day was dominated by a flurry of ex Southdown buses both open top and Closed top varieties on the running services. Soon relief buses were "cranked up" and a motley selection of finely preserved vehicles could be seen with full loads of passengers ploughing through a very busy & bustling Worthing.
A splendid portrait of pair of convertible Queen Mary's one with it's roof on, the other open top. The one on the left is ex Southdown fleet No 419 but it has lost it's original number plate (419 DCD) to a Stagecoach bus. It has also lost it's original twin headlamps & sidelights but nevertheless looks resplendent in a livery that I remember these buses in the most, NBC Leaf Green. (I wonder what these buses would have looked like in NBC poppy red!!). Both these buses were used during the day on the various free services in and around the Worthing/Lancing & Shoreham area.
Ex-Southdown and Brighton & Hove Bristol VR No 603 (TPN 103S) also a convertible bus and I believe the owner still has it's roof which is replaced in winter. This bus also worked on the free services during the day. I never thought I would ever see a Bristol VR as a preservation item but they certainly deserve a place in our bus history. To me they are the best design of double decker rear engined bus ever made. many are still in service and there are over 80 of these fine machines in preservation .
A Northern Counties bodied Leyland Leopard in NBC Southdown coach livery. This bus has a very unusual but pleasing body style and has recently been restored from a derelict state. She sounded and looked in fine fettle!
Another Leopard but this time with Harrington bodywork and a lot older, a design of body that prevailed for many years in the Southdown fleet and was as familiar as the Northern Counties bodied PD3 "Queen Mary"
Yes, this did cause a bit of a stir when it arrived and no, it didn't arrive under its own power. It is a utility bodied Guy Arab built I believe in 1945 and subsequently converted to open top. It is quite remarkable as being the only one of 100 of this particular batch to have survived (just!) this one was Southdown fleet number 451. It is completely derelict and the upper deck has made friends with the lower deck!!. I am reliably informed however that the basic frame of the bus is in restorable condition and the engine believe it or not actually works. It has spent its life since 1964 in Denmark and was repatriated last year in exchange for an ex Guernseybus RT. I won't even dream of guessing how much it will cost to restore this little gem though. I am grateful to both Dick Gilbert who is the custodian and webmaster of the British Bus Preservation Group website and Gerry Cork for providing me with the information above on 451
*****2007 update******* more info can be found about this historic vehicle by clicking here
A steady stream of buses then came & went including a later Guy Arab and a rather splendid Bedford OB (right picture)
London's "proper" buses were not left out at Worthing with this gleaming RM which arrived mid morning... it was closely followed by.......
..........this lovely RF in Green Line livery. Note the Gold over the front & rear roof dome... I presume for the Golden Jubilee!
Brighton & Hove buses sent along their Bristol K with ECW Highbridge body
And a very familiar bus (Known to me as the Stanley arms Ale trail bus) arrived a bit later in the form of Ex Southdown & Stagecoach 684 (EAP984V) seen here trundling past a Leyland Titan.
Finally I a picture of a splendidly restored Leyland Tiger Cub which I rode on in the afternoon on one of the Mystery tours. This bus has a Pneumo Cyclic gearbox which was a bit jerky at times but the bus sounded healthy enough and is a credit to it's owners
All photo's on this and the next bus rally page were taken by me I have no objection to them being used on other websites provided you ask me first.
I'm looking forward to next year already!!