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USA Regent
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Fairhaven, USA
Old AECs never die, they just end up as... coffee bars!
Well former Morecambe and Heysham AEC Regent JTE 549 has been
for at least 10 years since 2000, and was still serving coffees
in August 2010. It is seen here dispensing refreshments
in Bellingham in the United States - just over the border
from Vancouver B.C. Another member of this batch was sold
in 2011 to an owner by the Black Sea.. Photo
by Bob Wingrove. Thanks to Michael Parry for the update. |
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Arizona, USA Here's one
that is looking a bit the worse for wear though. This is RT3145
pictured at the site of a former restaurant on Ajo Way west
of Tucson at Three Points in November 2010. The restaurant
has been abandoned and it looks the RT too has been left to
the same fate. The coat of red paint has been applied since
2006, but it's in pretty poor shape, doesn't appear to have
any windows left and the engine is missing several parts.
Seats are still inside but the floors are rotten, and radiator
is obviously missing too. Let's hope someone rescues it soon.
Thanks to Mike Abbott for sending the
picture and Mike Pannell for first identifying the vehicle
in 2006. |
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USA Randy Nix, General
Manager, GCT-Gulf Coast TELECO, has bought former RT2539 from
a scrapyard for restoration. Randy would appreciate any information
on the history of this bus at randy@gctinc.com. Photo
by Randy Nix. |
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California Regent RTs
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California, USA There
are some RT's still in daily use on the Unitrans network of
routes serving the University of California in Davis, California.
RT3123 and RT4735 were fitted with Cummins diesels modified
to run on LPG. Former RT742 (JXC 105) has now been modified
the same way and also benefitted from total refurbishment
in 2007. RT2819 runs on CNG. They run on UC services B, E,
F and G. RT1235 is also owned but is in need of restoration
- and will also be fitted with a CNG engine. Leyland
RTL1014 is also owned and has its original engine and gearbox,
but isn't used in daily service. Thanks
to Caroline Deacon of Unitrans for updating information previously
provided by Nigel Neville, and to Peter Deacon for drawing
attention to the Unitrans entry in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitrans |
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California open-top RM
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Big Red Bus (www.bigredbus.com)
run an open-top Routemaster in Long Beach, California. They
have recently acquired an older (1961) closed top model, although
it is missing the hood and front left fender. If someone knows
of a source of replacements please contact m.otoole@verizon.net |
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California, USA Jerry
Zuckermann sent this picture of his Routemaster RM447, parked
in his driveway in Los Angeles. He purchased it in February
2007 and drove it to LA in March 2007. It’s in very good running
order, and he's been catching up on its regular maintenance
and taking it out on regular runs to keep it exercised. |
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Open-top RML
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Illinois, USA Open-top
RML2585, which was sold (along with RML2439) to Charles Riverboat
Co in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2004, has turned up in the
small village of Rondout, Illinois in November 2011. It is
now painted yellow. http://beling.net/articles/about/Rondout,_Illinois |
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Texan Regent
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Texas, USA The Rev Dan
Hendricks and his wife Lori in Austin, Texas are restoring
(in 2005) their 1948 A.E.C. Regent MkIII double deck bus and
are in need of engine parts and transmission parts. The engine
is the original 9.6 liter A.E.C. Southall coupled to the original
A.E.C. Select shift 4 speed transmission. A full engine rebuild
is in progress, and anything that can help get this old bus
on the road would be appreciated. When restored it will be
used for the ministry to help feed the homeless in the central
Texas area. Contact dan7064@yahoo.com
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Argentina Regals |
 ARGENTINA
Martin Donato sent pictures of the Twentyfive AEC Regal
IV 9834 -E bodied by Verheul (Holland) which ran in Argentina
in the early '60s. They were in service in Buenos Aires
city - with no success - and then in Mar del Plata city.
Martin wishes to know technical characteristics
of them. If you can help, contact Martín at donato_martin@hotmail.com
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Tierra del Fuego Routemaster
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ARGENTINA Former RM317
runs city tours of Ushuala in the Tierro del Fuego region.
It is pictured in Buses
598 (January 2005). |
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BRAZIL Jacy Dias sent
a photo of a coach which he believes is an AEC (known in Brazil
as ACLO). This particular coach was used by Viação Cometa
in Brazil in the 1950's. Although not 100% certain about it,
he firmly believes it is an AEC (ACLO) and would welcome confirmation
of this fact. jacy@rochadias.fsnet.co.uk
AEC buses were exported to South America in 1940's and 1950's
and known locally as ACLOs. If you know of any other photos
please could you contact Jacy or AECBus. |
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Ontario
Routemasters
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CANADA An
Ottawa tour bus co. is still using some ex-LT Routemasters
for guided city tours in the summer. Some retain original
London destination blinds, at least up until last summer.
Other co's are using re-painted Leyland Atlanteans and ECW
Bristols(origins unknown). Last update
March 2001. Thanks to Bob French for info. |
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Nova Scotia
Routemaster
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CANADA Atlantic
Tours of Halifax, Nova Scotia purchased Routemaster Double
Decker bus WLT 937 in 2000 for use in service. Thanks
to Mark Fenn of Atlantic for info. |
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Nova Scotia
Routemasters
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CANADA Ambassatours
Gray Line of Halifax, Nova Scotia has purchased Routemasters
RML2314, 2322, 2507, 2578, 2673, 2725 (CUV 314/322C, JJD 507/578D,
SMK 673F/725F) in early 2006. RM1018 (PVS 828 ex 18 CLT),
RML2336 and 2651(CUV 336C, NML 651E) were added in 2010. |
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Niagara Routemasters
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CANADA Double
Deck Tours of Niagara Falls, Canada now have a 25 strong Routemaster
fleet after acquiring RMLs 2467, 2501 and 2555 in November
2004. Many of the fleet still have their original AEC engines.
A heavy sightseeing tour of the Falls area with a route in
excess of 30 miles long keeps these vehicles extremely busy
all Summer. November 2004. Thanks to
Ray Soper for info. |
Toronto
Routemasters
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CANADA The
Bus and Boat Company run three open-top Routemasters on tours
of Toronto. For more details check out their website at www.thebusandboatcompany.com.
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Coach Canada
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CANADA Stagecoach
have converted Routemasters JJD 435D, JJD 481D, NMY 639E to
open-top and exported to Coach Canada in early 2006. |
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British Columbia RT2929
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CANADA Ex
London Transport AEC Regent RT2929 is in use as a recreational
vehicle in Port Campbell, British Columbia, and is still in
good condition although the paint is a little faded. September
2007. Thanks to Alan Splendiff for info. |
Prince Edward Island
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CANADA The 11 former
London buses (including seven AEC Regents and two Routemasters)
that operated sightseeing tours at Charlottetown, Prince Edward
Island, were sold to the London Bus Company for further service
in the UK and returned there in 2010. The picture shows RT714
in Charlottetown in 2006. Updated September
2010. Thanks to Joseph Choi for the picture. |
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Falkland Islands Routemaster
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FALKLAND ISLANDS Former London Transport
Routemaster RML2593 is now owned by the Falkland Islands
Co Ltd, registered F124G, operating at Stanley for cruise
ship tour work during the summer months. Updated
January 2009. Thanks to Stephen Luxton of the F.I.C. for
info.
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| Uraguay Verhuels |
URUGUAY/MEXICO
Can anyone give me details about the AEC-buses, that were
built by Verheul (Holland) for export to Uruguay between about
1956 and 1964? Also I know from the "orderbook" of Verheul,
that in 1953 or 1954 an AEC/Verheul was built as a demonstration
vehicle; this bus went eventually to Mexico, I believe. Any
details (and pictures) are welcome as I am still working on
the full history of this once famous busbuilder in the Netherlands.
jan.emmelkamp51@home.nl |
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URUGUAY AEC Verhuels (ACLO mark
IVs) were running in service in Montevideo with the COECT
and UCOT companies in the mid-2000s. Nestor Brasesco (cincosietediesel@hotmail.com)
sent this picture of number 36 on the Carrasco service in
October 2004.
Some pictures of historic COECT buses including
the ACLOs can be seen on the COECT website (http://www.coetc.com/
and click on the Hostoria section). Thanks
to Luis Feijoó for this information.
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URUGUAY CETCU, a group of enthusiasts
in the history of buses in Uruguay, bought an ACLO (AEC
for South America) REGAL II and restored it in the CUTCSA
works. This bus was new to CUTCSA in 1938, with a wooden
body made in Uruguay by Aguila, fleet number 491. It was
renumbered 130 in 1954, and rebuilt with its wooden body
in 1962 by CUTCSA, the biggest urban bus operator in Montevideo.
It was replaced by a Leyland Worldmaster in 1971 and sold
to an operator of country routes, close to Montevideo. In
1985 it was sold to a single bus operator in the northern
rural area of Uruguay, working in a route of 90 km. most
of them unpaved, from Santa Clara to Paso de Pereira, close
to the river Negro, where it worked until 1994. The ACLO
is painted in the old CUTCSA livery, light gray with a red
band written with "CUTCSA 130" in shadowed white. The pictures
were taken on April 5th 2000. On July 20th 1999 this bus
and another one restored owned by CETCU, a Chevrolet 1935,
were declared "national historical monument" by the Uruguayan
government. CETCU also acquired another ACLO that is trying
to restore. If you want contact CETCU: e-mail: mpienovi@adinet.com.uy.
Hugo Duque has provided some additional
information in 2006. There is another one (left hand driven)
and again with the livery of CUTCSA, internal # 1 which
is fully rebuilt by ERHITRAN, dedicated to museum purposes.
There are two more awaiting for their reconstruction, in
a bus company site, recovered from their abandon in the
middle of the country. All of them are ACLO's, as you know.
The bodies were bult by Uruguayan body makers in the thirties
and the forties (in the case of the left hand driven) I
presume that all of them were used by CUTCSA. The other
three coaches built in the late thirties are right hand
driven, as traffic in Uruguay drove on the left until 2nd
September 1945, when conditions imposed by American car
manufacturers caused a change to the right. British influence
in those days was very heavy. British Companies managed
tramways since early last century. Railway services, waterworks,
gas company, etc.
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