Southend on Sea 1963-1968 (and later developments)

On moving in 1963 from Ruislip in Middlesex to South Benfleet, outside Southend, the difference in the buses was obvious, from just the one type, the RT on route 158 to Ruislip Lido, to the variety of Southend Corporation and Eastern National.

The two operators had a co-ordination agreement within the area and whilst some routes were exclusively Company and others exclusively Corporation, the routes linking South Benfleet with Southend were jointly run. These were the 3 from Canvey to Shoeburyness via Tarpots Corner and the London Road, and the 3A mostly the same route but cutting the corner from Benfleet Memorial to Hadleigh via Essex Way

Routes in the Benfleet area were:

1 Rayleigh-Benfleet-Hadleigh-Leigh-Chalkwell-Westcliff-Southend (Corp)

2 Grays-Basildon-Tarpots-Hadleigh to Southend (EN)

3/3A Canvey-South Benfleet-Hadleigh-to Southend-Thorpe Bay-Shoebury (joint)

15 Laindon to Southend (E N)

26 Canvey-South Benfleet-Basildon (E N)

X10 London Victoria to Southend (coach service)

The Corporation had a new garage at 87 London Road (still in use) while the Company had garages at Basildon (BN) Hadleigh (HH) Canvey (CY) Southend (SD) among others throughout Essex.

The buses in use in 1963 were all either lowbridge (sunken gangway) or low height due to the low bridge on Southend High Street where the Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness line crossed just outside Central Station.

Southend Corporation

The Corporation had a large selection of older buses such as the Massey bodied Daimlers, AECs Leyland Titan PD2s

Daimler new to London Transport during the Second World War and fitted with their new bodies in 1954 when purchased to replace the trolleybuses in Southend. Note the typical large rear route indicator, a feature of Southend buses, also the blue roof with cream front.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PHJ953 was built in 1958 as a lowbridge (sunken upper deck gangway) Leyland Titan PD3/6 number 314 with Massey 55 seat body. Seen at Hastings Rally in May 1998 as converted for its final use at Southend as a seafront bus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

However those in use on the 3/3A were generally the newer Corporation buses and in 1963 were;

6 Massey bodied Leyland Titan PD3 with sunken upper deck gangways. As the first 30 footers these already appeared archaic compared with the Company's Lodekkers which had central gangways on both decks.

6 AEC Bridgemasters with Park Royal bodies. These had central ganways on both decks and were very comfortable if a bit lively on their springs. One feature in particular is remembered, the two single seats alongside the rear wheel arch.

10 "Albion" Lowlanders, the classic blunderbus, with Alexander front entrance bodies, these buses had Leyland badges and seemed to have seats on various levels giving a very cluttered internal layout with the driver seated almost halfway between lower and upper decks! Not a patch on the similar Bristol FLF of Eastern National but then only state owned fleets had the chance to buy the better bus.

12 Massey bodied Leyland Titans delivered in 1965 with modified chassis and highbridge layout bodies, these could pass under High Street bridge and were very close to an RT in layout and in fact were loaned to London Transport in the 1970s complete with stencil holders.

Leyland Titan PD3 of 1965 seen at the Canvey bus rally, the Massey body is more upright than previous versions for Southend and this batch were the first to be delivered with all-cream roofs The Canvey Bus Rally is organised every October by the Castle Point Transport Museum whose web site can be visited at
 
 
 

www.topolino.demon.co.uk/cptms1.htm
 
 
 
 
 
 

3 East Lancs bodied Leyland Titans, very similar to the last ones and very late half cab deliveries.

Later deliveries after the author's time at Southend have included ex Glasgow Worldmasters, Routemasters and various rear engined buses including VRs, Nationals and open topped buses.

PD3 standing at Canvey alonside a VR in the later white and dark blue livery. On the Right just out of shot is one of the later East Lancs trio, 347, Southend's last half-cab (before the Routemasters) and in the colours of Plymouth.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Routemaster 116 in the white and dark blue livery as shown on the EFE model.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Another view of 116 at Canvey showing the London style route indicator which was so similar to long-time Southend practice and allowed the 1965 Titans to be loaned to Croyden Garage
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Eastern National

Bristol K type, all with ECW bodies and sunken ganways, these were really old style buses compared with the RT.

Bristol LD type, the first Lodekker with central gangways, but the lower saloon one being a step up from the rear platform

Bristol FLF type. Whilst Bristol/ECW offered front and rear entrance, short and long types, Eastern National ordered only the FLF (Flat floor Long Front) in various batches

A late model FLF of Eastern National in the National Bus Company version of the green livery. This bus has the larger rear window of the 31 foot version, longer than the standard FLF.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

An FLF bus on the left at the Canvey Bus Museum in the former CY Depot, with the blind set for the Wood Green to Tylers Avenue service 251. Centre is an FLF Coach.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bristol FLF coaches ran on the London route X10, but for a while one ran back to Southend in bus service at about 8am and the author occasionally was able to travel to school at Westcliff in style catching the coach at Tarpots.

A fine view of an FLF coach for the X10 service from Southend to London, this is an early bus RWC907, the ECW body had a triangular linking piece from the platform to the cab while the later style had the platform front window set entirely at an angle.

This site is part of the British Bus Web Ring [ Previous | Next ] [ Random Site | List Sites ]

Return to the top of this page