1973 - A year travelling on Oxford South Midland buses

I first took an interest in bus operation in 1969 – it all started with a trip to Wantage and back on a City of Oxford Bridgemaster, 310. Living in the village of Drayton, just outside Abingdon, it wasn't until I started at secondary school that I travelled by bus regularly. The local operator was of course City of Oxford, who then absorbed South Midland and became Oxford-South Midland. As I started taking notice, the AEC dominance of the Oxford fleet was being diluted by Daimler Fleetlines, and during the nineteen-seventies all manner of different makes were operated. At Christmas 1972 I was given a diary for 1973, and in that diary I recorded every bus I travelled on during the year. It's something I still do, but for volume and variety none of my records matches those early years. Here are some entries for 1973 which give a flavour of what it was like to be a schoolboy travelling to school in Abingdon.
All vehicles listed were Oxford South Midland vehicles unless otherwise noted. My means of travelling into school was on either service 21 (Didcot - Abingdon) or 22A (Wantage-Abingdon). In previous years I'd had fun getting to school on a lone Brighton Corporation one man operated Leyland Titan on an extension of the 8B which otherwise plied between Abingdon and Oxford. My trip home was either on the 21 or the 22A or the 112 Oxford - Newbury service run jointly with Alder Valley and previously with Thames Valley. In those days there was a bus station in Abingdon, next to the defunct railway station.

8 January 1973 – 640 (PJO640J) (in both directions)
Oxford's 640 was a dual door Fleetline/Alexander saloon – quite unlike anything else in the fleet before or since, and quite outlandish at the time. I saw a lot of 640 during the year and had quite an affection for this ugly beast.

9 January 1973 – 354 (CFC354C) / 309 (309MFC)
At this time the standard vehicle for my trip to school was an AEC Renown/Park Royal from Oxford's large fleet – we never saw the Northern Counties examples, at least not until much later. My trip home was on something more interesting, a Bridgemaster, and it proved to be my last trip on the type in service.

23 January 1973 – 903 (OFC903H) / 393 (MJO393H)
A real treat this morning – a rare trip on a Bristol VRT. 903 was one of three ordered by Southern Vectis but delivered to Oxford. At the time City of Oxford was unique in running Fleetlines, VRTs and Atlanteans. Although at 13 feet 8 inches the VRTs were lowheight, they were still too high for Oxford Station Bridge and were therefore treated as highbridgers, hence the 900 series fleetnumber. The trip home on 393 was conventional for 'seventies Oxford, but out of the ordinary in its own way. These Fleetlines were dual-door, but to the Oxford low height specification of 13 feet 5 inches. 393 was Northern Counties-bodied.

24 January 1973 – 213 (JDB245F) / 769 (769NJO)
A trip into school on a former North Western Fleetline, 213. This and its three sisters had non-opening skylights in the upper deck roof and had begun life on the Manchester-Blackpool service. Again the influence of Oxford Station Bridge – they were numbered in a secondhand lowheight series, which included lowbridge Atlanteans (discussed later) and followed on from the last lowbridge AEC Regent V. 200 (200KFC) outlived its contemporaries as a driver trainer in all-yellow. I rode home on 769, numerically the first 36 foot Reliance, with standard BET-style Marshall body.

12 February 1973 – 773 (773NJO) / 627 (DFC627D)
773 was different from the other Marshall Reliances in having a luggage rack just inside the door, which reduced the seating to 51. I knew 773 well in its time at Wantage garage. The last time I rode it was between Ammanford and Llanelli, by which time it had joined the South Wales fleet. Home on one of the 36 foot Swifts. Rather than steps, these had a sloping gangway almost to the back of the bus, which made a fearsome angle when the bus was facing downhill. I enjoyed riding the Swifts for their distinctive low moaning engine note.

21 February 1973 - 350 (CFC350C) / 926 Alder Valley (LBL585L)
Another of the 1965 Renowns took me to school, while the trip home was on a nearly new VRT of Alder Valley returning to Newbury on service 112.

8 March 1973 – 640 (PJO640J) / 5785 Midland Red (CHA85C)
Another trip to school on 640, followed in the afternoon by the appearance of a Midland Red Leopard/Duple coach, 5785. Later this vehicle was acquired and numbered 25 in the Oxford fleet, although it was some time before it was repainted into fleet livery. Six of these coaches were acquired all told; one pair, 40 and 41, received roof destination boxes, which gave them an odd peaked look.

17 March 1973 – 18 (KKV800G)
School on Saturday had its compensations – often something unusual turned up in the morning, and this morning it was this former Daimler Roadliner demonstrator with Plaxton Derwent body. I'd ridden it before when it was numbered 639 in a striking variation of the traditional Oxford tricolour livery. Later 18 appeared in South Midland ivory and maroon, and later still in National Bus poppy red and white dual purpose colours, but it retained its blue semicoach seats. Blue seating was rare in the Oxford fleet, the other three examples being the three ex-Stratford Blue Atlanteans, 904-6.

1 May 1973 – 101 (NUD101L)
101 was the numerically the first of nine Bristol VRT semicoaches, the first new VRs for Oxford, and the first able to pass under Oxford Station Bridge.

6 May 1973 – 911FMO Higgins Coaches
A Sunday trip with the local camera club to Sudeley Castle. Higgins Coaches were based in nearby Marcham and ran in two-tone blue. 911FMO was a Bedford SB with Duple Bella Vega body. Higgins Coaches disappeared many years ago.

17 July 1973 – 374 (KFC374G) / 787 (787RJO) / 925 Alder Valley (FBL117K) / 756 (756KFC)
School Founders' Day, so two trips into Abingdon. The morning brought single door Fleetline/Northern Counties 374, notable for being City of Oxford's first allover advertising bus, for National Holidays. Home on Marshall Reliance 787, then back to school in the afternoon on Alder Valley's 925. This and 926 were regulars on the Newbury-Oxford service for a long time. However, while 926 was delivered in NBC poppy red and had the later style wrap-round windscreen, 925, not much older, had a flat windscreen and had been painted into the shortlived dull maroon Alder Valley livery that resulted when Aldershot and District and Thames Valley came together. Home again on a short Reliance, Park Royal-bodied 756.

11 August 1973 – 5695DP (Abingdon Coaches)
A day trip to Weymouth with Abingdon Coaches on one of their classic Duple Super Vega Bedford SBs. Abingdon Coaches is a long-gone operator – although the bulk of their fleet over the years comprised SBs and several VALs, there was a shortlived stage operation some years later using ex-Ribble Leopards in green and grey colours.

16 August 1973 – 9 (AJO619C) / 377 (KFC377G) / 926 Alder Valley (LBL585L)
An expedition over the Downs into Alder Valley territory on the Newbury service. First I rode into Abingdon on one of four Reliance/Weymann d/ps I'd been used to seeing on the Southsea service when they were new. Originally 619, 9 later became 719 in NBC bus livery. Fleetline 377 took me to Newbury for the afternoon where I discovered all manner of former Tilling Group buses in the summer heat, till 926 took me home.

17 August 1973 – 411 (TFC411K) / 15 (GRX415D) / 390 (MJO390H)
The two lowheight Fleetlines that took us to and from Oxford were unremarkable, but the family trip to the Cotswold Wildlife Park brought my only ride on 15, a former South Midland Bedford VAM/Duple still in ivory and maroon. Two coaches made the trip from Gloucester Green, the other being one of twelve Bristol LH/Duple coaches in all-white which Oxford also inherited with South Midland.

21 August 1973 – 412 (TFC412K) / 422 (UFC422K) / 902 Alder Valley (SRX645G)
An appintment at Oxford Eye Hospital arrived via two lowheight dual door Fleetlines, the second being one of the Leyland-engined batch, with a ride home on an early flat windscreen VRT on the Newbury service.

29 August 1973 – 105 Alder Valley (LMO226L) (in both directions)
Towards the end of the school holiday, my first trip on a Leyland-National, one of a pair at Newbury garage at the time. I was so excited I made sure to catch it on my way home from Abingdon as well. The design was quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

11 September 1973 – 753 (753KFC) / 104 Alder Valley (LMO225L)
For the new term the Renowns had been replaced by Reliances, hence the appearance of 753. Homeward, and the second Alder Valley National appeared on 112.

18 September 1973 – 407 (TFC407K)/ 5142 Midland Red (5142HA)
Oxford South Midland was going through a difficult period with a shortage of serviceable buses. It was unusual for a Fleetline to take me to school, it was quite amazing to have a BMMO S16 take me home. 5142 was one of a number that served briefly with Oxford in full Midland Red livery. A number of different operators contributed vehicles during the crisis. A trip into Oxford would find numbers of Nottingham and Coventry 'deckers in service, but I never managed to get a ride on any of the Barton saloons that helped out.

4 October 1973 – 633 (GJO633F) / 1495 Western Welsh (SBO495)
More surprises – a short Swift took me to school; 633 was one of my favourites. I'd not seen many Tiger Cubs, let alone ridden them. Western Welsh 1495 was small and maroon with a huge gold fleetname. In later years I would ride many WW Tiger Cubs in South Wales, but this was the only one I rode in service in its traditional colours.

10 October 1973 – 3 (521ABL) / 201 ( UBX46 )
3 was the prototype Bristol RE coach and was another relic of South Midland's days under Thames Valley ownership. 201 was one of a motley collection of lowbridge (as opposed to lowheight) Atlanteans received from South Wales in return for highbridge Regent Vs. These quaint 'deckers had part of the upper saloon to lowheight configuration, while the rear was to lowbridge layout with a sunken gangway at the side. They'd originated with James of Ammanford.

31 October 1973 – 211 (RTH ) / 9362 (Tilling)
More evidence of engineering trouble. 211 was another lowbridge Atlantean, while the trip home was on a Tilling Bristol MW in National white livery.

6 November 1973 – 792 (792TJO) / 19 (436GAC) / 773 (773NJO)
All this time I had avoided breakdowns in my journeys back and forth, but today my luck ran out. 792 was a short Willowbrook Reliance, but getting home from school involved a very short trip on a rare bird. 19 had been with Stratford Blue until the Midland Red takeover and if I recall correctly was still in all-red at this time. A Leopard with Duple Continental coach body, it ran out of fuel in Abingdon town centre, leaving us to catch 773 home.

19 December 1973 – 67 (417DHO)
A difficult Christmas. My brother was seriously ill in hospital and I was despatched from Oxford to stay with relatives, while my parents stayed at the hospital. When I went home, it was on this very pretty former Aldershot and District short Reliance/Park Royal in South Midland colours.

31 December 1973 – 926 Alder Valley (LBL585L) / 79 (NUD79M) / 393 (MJO393H)
There were many hospital visits around this time, and we saw out the year with VRT 926 from Alder Valley, lowheight Fleetline 393, and a crisp new Bristol RELH dual-purpose, 79.

For the record, my year's travel encompassed

Oxford South Midland

In this table I have treated as lowheight any vehicle of normal layout which could then pass under Oxford Station Bridge. I have treated as lowbridge any vehicle with a sunken side gangway upstairs in whole or in part which could pass under Oxford Station Bridge. If a vehicle was unable to pass under Oxford Station Bridge, even though to conventional lowheight specification, I have treated it as highbridge.

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