Eastern National’s VR’s

The Bristol VR holds a place in the hearts of many and as it’s long and distinguished life with Eastern National draws to a close Chris Stewart takes a brief look at their varied careers.

The early days –Prototypes and series 1

With the standard Tilling Lodekka showing its age against Leyland's rear-engine Atlantean and Daimler's Fleetline by the late 1960’s, Bristol looked instead at installing a rear longitudinal engine and conceived the 'N'-type.This design would have offered a whole range of versatile yet standardised single and double deck vehicles. In the end, though, the VR prototypes emerged primarily as a double-deck design, initially in the form of prototypes HHW933D and GGM431D. These eventually operated for Osborne's of Tollesbury and green-liveried HHW933D was even displayed on the ENOC stand at the Essex Show on 16/17 June 1967 with temporary ‘EN’ fleetnames over its Mansfield District names.

Introduction of the bus grant prompted a hasty re-design before production commenced; hence the Bristol VRT (transverse) was born. Available in two frame heights and two lengths, all Tilling and SMT group buses were low-frame vehicles and most were short (30ft), i.e. VRT/SL's. The first VRT’s to be delivered were 33ft long VRT/LL's for Eastern Scottish (LFS280-304F) from November 1968 onwards, some of which later found their way to Eastern National as 3042-4 and 9016-21.

VRT/SL-101 was displayed in chassis form at the 1968 Commercial Motor Show, Earls Court on the Bristol stand, and when bodied this became EN 3000 (CPU979G). This bus is now preserved at the Castle Point Transport Museum by member Paul Harrison (who also owns EN's last VR, 3129).

3001 was delivered on the very last day of December 1968, and 3000/2-4 during the first half of 1969. Although completed in bus livery, before entering service 3000-2/4 were repainted in dual-purpose livery at Central Works for the X10, some initially crew-operated. After only a matter of months, though, 3001/4 were transferred to BE in 9.69 for omo conversion of service 321, and before long the class was all in omo use at BE, CN (for the 111) and MN (for the 19/19A). Operation of the X10 became the province of 1600 class RELH6G Dual Purposes and coach conversions 1437-9; although unreliability of the early VR's may have prompted their short period of use on the X10, the slow pace of OMO conversions also suggests that there may have been Union resistance to one-man operation of double deckers. Ex Alexander (Midland) VR's took over the 400 (the X10's successor) in 1971, while 3000-4 settled down to give 17 years of service, and even then they were used as Driving Trainers from 1986, becoming 9000-4 in 5.87.

New style series 2

Bristol introduced the Series II VR in 1970, ECW bodies for which were visually almost identical until the adoption of the curved windscreen in 1972. The 1970 order for 5 of these buses was to have been numbered 3005-8, but became 3020-3 because of the earlier arrival of 15 former Alexander (Midland) Mk I examples (SMS31-45H) in exchange for FLF6G's 2865-73/8-80 in 1971. Interestingly the Midland batch were originally to have been bodied by W Alexander & Co, but carried ECW bodies albeit seating H43/34F. Downseated to the standard 70 seats by EN, they were also fitted for OMO but entered service in blue until repainted in 1972. All but one retained their distinctive triangular SBG destination displays. Most of the batch (3005-13/5/7) passed to Crosville in 1982, and continued in service for some years with them (and a few moved on again to Trent) despite their early rejection by Alexander (Midland).

In January 1969, the newly-formed National Bus Company had inherited the former THC interests in BCV and ECW, but Leyland’s holding was at the same time increased to 50%. The integral Leyland National, a joint British Leyland/NBC project, was intended to provide the majority of new vehicles for the NBC but continuing requirements for double-deckers meant in the end that the Bristol VRT became the standard NBC double-decker from 1972 right through to the end of production in 1981.

The first curved windscreen bodies were on two buses diverted to UCOC before delivery as 790/1; their chassis numbers were before those which arrived as 3024-6 (WNO544-6L). 3026 was converted to open-top as 3500 in mid 1986, along with 3027 (NPU974M) which became 3501. Originally painted in red and yellow ‘Coastliner’ livery for use at Clacton, they later gained green and yellow and saw use in Southend until 1989. Whilst in store at WN depot in 1996, however, both were regrettably destroyed by arsonists.

After further M-reg Series II's to 3041, a second group of former Scottish vehicles arrived to become 3042-7. These came via Eastern Counties, who received EN FLF6G's 2830/6/9/40/6/7 in exchange. Their triangular SBG blinds were inverted and repanelled on VRT/LL's 3042-4 as they had previously been worked from the upper deck, but VRT/SL's 3045-7 retained the original layout as they were cab operated. 3043 entered service in Eastern Scottish livery and was repainted NBC green c3.74. 3042 had to be very substantially rebuilt in about 1975 after severe front end accident damage sustained on the 400, but it still retained its unusual destination display. All these buses were still downseated to 70 with EN.

The first vehicle from the next batch, 3048 (JNO189N) was of note in that it gained original EN green and cream livery to celebrate 50 years of the company from 6.80 to 6.81, and toured the company's depots.

Series 3 and the end of the road

The first Series III buses, and also the first with Leyland engines, were delivered as 3052-63 and 3064-6. 3053 was one of a number of buses throughout the country to be given Silver Jubilee livery which it carried from 3.77 to 2.78. Following these, Gardner engines reappeared in 3067-76 which were painted in half green/half white livery for the 400. The last survivor of these is Braintree's 3072, which has now outlived Thamesway's 3069. A large batch of STW-W registered buses followed, some of which were for OMO conversion of the Southend-London 251. 3078 is still in use at CR, with former STW25W operated by NIBS, STW30W at Hedingham and STW34W with First Western National along with KOO785V, UAR586/8-90/5/7W and XHK220/3/5/8/30X. 3095 was the first 74-seater, when the 70-seat limit on OMO double deckers was finally lifted. The final XHK-X batch of VR's included 3110-23 diverted from Southdown (which had rear route number boxes although these were never used) and 3124-9 diverted from Alder Valley. In the mid 1990's a number of VR's were refurbished by Marshalls.

Several secondhand buses were acquired and numbered from 3200 upwards, initially a batch from Milton Keynes Citybus for London work, and a second collection from Yorkshire and South Wales following the CR depot fire in 1994. The last survivor of these is 3219 (VTH941T), a former South Wales bus re-engined by FEN from Leyland to Gardner.

In September 1980, a fleet of VRT/LL6G’s arrived to displace the remaining FLF driving trainers, namely former Southdown 542/3/5-8 (LFS282/9/97-300F). New to Eastern Scottish like 3042-4, they were painted all-over blue and numbered 9016-21. They retained their SBG destination boxes, with ‘Driver Training Vehicle’ displayed permanently, but had no side or back lettering other than ‘L’ plates. They entered service in November 1980 and although two were withdrawn within 2 years, 9021 was finally retired in 1987.

From Tilling green/cream through NBC green/white to chrome yellow/green and 'Badgerline' yellow/green, the VR's have carried many liveries. 3069, 3109 and 3113 gained pink sash Thamesway colours while 3226 carried the magenta/yellow 'First Anglia' scheme. Midland blue, the 400 versions, open-top varieties and several overall adverts have all added to the list but none has made 'Barbie 2'.

Eastern National/Thamesway Bristol VRT's owned

Fleet no	Registration	Fleet no	Registration
3000-4	CPU979-83G	3209-11	XNV882-4S
3005-19	SMS31-45H	3212	YVV896S
3020-3	OWC293-6K	3213	CBD901T
3024-6	WNO544-6L	3214-6	FRP905-7T
3027-36	NPU974-83M	3217	LBD922V
3037-41	PWC512-6M	3218	ONH924V
3042-4	LFS287/92/5F	3219	VTH941T
3045/6	NAG583/6G	3220/1	WTH949/58T
3047	OCS576H	3222	BEP963V
3048-51	JNO189-92N	3223	MFA721V
3052-63	LJN647-58P	3224/5	AYG848/50S
3064-6	UVX1-3S	3226	DWU298T
3067-76	KOO786-94V	3227	LUA716V
3077-94	STW21-38W	3228	LWU469V
3095-3109	UAR585-99W	3229	PWY44W
3110-29	XHK215-34X	3230	SUB789W
3200	JRP801L	3231	SWW302R
3201	RNV810M	3232	JWT760V
3202	HBD163N	3233	LUA717V
3203	HRP671N	3234	NUM339V
3204	LBD840P	9015	LFS282F
3205/6	OBD841/3P	9016	LFS289F
3207/8	RRP857/9R	9017-20	LFS297-300F

© 2002 Chris Stewart/Essex Bus Enthusiasts Group