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CZECH REPUBLIC David Griffiths
sent this picture of AEC Routemaster RM798 which he owns.
David lives in Zamek Borec and drove the bus from Barnsley
himself after buying it in 1999. It is pictured outside the
Culture House in Chlumec. David says he has received many
offers to buy it from Czech business men, but will not sell
for any price! |
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CYPRUS Kelvin Williams reports that RM851 (WLT851)
is alive and living in the sun in the Ayia Napa Area of
Cyprus. It is in the livery of a local Real Estate company
and can be seen almost daily somewhere between Ayia Napa
and Protaras areas. He has noticed it parked-up at night
near the local village of Sotira, in a compound adjacent
to a petrol station. Unfortunately he couldn't get a photo,
but she looks very impressive and is now open top. Kelvin
has seen this bus in October 07 and June 08 - and would
welcome any former history of this car prior to her arrival
on the island. Kelvinpwilliams@aol.com
Bernard Chandler-Honnor sent the picture.
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Carsten Schürenberg of events agency
BUS STOP Events GmBH has sent this picture of RM2120 which
is used for roadshows. They've had some trouble wirth the
water pump. If you know where they can get a spare they'd
like to know. Tel. 0201/43885936 or email c.schuerenberg@bus-stop-events.de |
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German
RT
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GERMANY Hubertus Elster writes: "my AEC Londonbus
is used in Germany like a Coffeeshop. We love him and try
to set him in good conditions". Thanks for the picture
Hubertus. Can anyone identify this particular RT?
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Greek
Routemaster
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GREECE Routemaster RM1182
is used in Athens for promotional work (roadshows etc.) The
owners occasionally require help finding spare parts, so if
you know of anywhere please contact them at s_theodoridis@pmm.gr |
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HOLLAND Between 1955 and
about 1974 the Dutch bus company LTM used a number of AECs
Regal Mk IV, all with bodywork by Roset (Bergen-op-Zoom).
I pictured one of the few used since 1971 in the summer of
that year in Heerlen. It's LTM 5731 used on a not-too-busy
route on a beautiful day in June 1971. Of all these AECs,
only one was saved for preservation. If you're interested,
I've a complete list of AECs, that were used by NS-owned bus
companies in Holland between 1955 and 1974. Photo
and caption by Jan Emmelkamp (jan.emmelkamp51@home.nl). |
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HOLLAND In June 1953, the
OAD in Holten put in service two AECs, type Regal Mark IV
9831S with bodywork by Den Oudsten. These two buses seated
50 and were used as coaches. After the "oil crisis"
at the end of 1973, both were put to a less intensive use
as schoolbuses. The OAD 50 was preserved as a working museumbus
by the OAD, bus 51 was sold for scrap. The picture shows museumbus
50 in Holten on July 16th, 1975. Photo
and caption by Jan Emmelkamp (jan.emmelkamp51@home.nl). |
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GVBA 206
GVBA 209
GVBA 225
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HOLLAND Another user of Den Ousten bodied AEC Regals
was GVBA Amsterdam. These pictures were taken during the
winter of 1973/74, the last period that the GVBA Amsterdam
used their two series of AECs:
- GVBA 206 AEC Regal Mk IV 9834E/Den Oudsten, 32/63, 1957,
at the Amsterdam CS
- GVBA 209 at Amsterdam Central Station
- GVBA 225 at the Kamperbrug near the Central Station
Photos and caption by Jan Emmelkamp
(jan.emmelkamp51@home.nl).
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HOLLAND And here is one
of those Dutch AEC Regals still in use as a camper vehicle
with the Familie Roos. More information about their bus can
be found on their website www.fam-roos.nl |
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HOLLAND This AEC Duple
Elizabethan coach has latterly been languishing on a dockside
in Amsterdam, but was bought for preservation in 2007. It
is 26 HMD new to Gibson, Cockfosters, chassis No MU3RV816
body Duple Brittania No 1066/7. Thanks to Rik Krielaart for
this information. Further pics & details from rik@amsterdamhard.com. |
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HUNGARY Keleman Csaba writes
(April 2003): I attach some pictures about our 1965 Routemaster,
working in Hungary. You can see, the new costume of it, which
will be worn for only one month. We made several party in
it. Can you tell me, where can we buy parts for our bus (email
to kcsaba@lauritzen.hu). |
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MALTA Malta still has a varied fleet of expatriot
British buses, many substantially rebuilt over the years.
Mac Head has sent a list of the 60 or so ex LT AEC Swifts
exported there and there status in June 2008 (Malta
AEC Swift list). Almost half still remain in service,
most with their automatic gearboxes converted to manual.
These include former SM8 whose owner Paul Spiteri (danjav@maltanet.net)
would like to receive any photos of it.
Howard Berry's photo shows
an ex LT Swift in service in 1996 with its bodywork substantially
modernised and trying to pass itself as a quite different
AEC marque. More pictures of AEC Swifts in Malta can be
found at Keith Till's Malta
bus photos site.
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NORWAY Tore Haugen writes
(April 2003): For the last month or so a double-decker bus
has been parked close to my house here in Lillehammer, Norway.
Being interested in buses and also a member of the Norwegian
Bushistorical Society I had to do some studies of it. I do
not know much about English buses but in the front it has
a Regent logo and as far as I see then this most be an AEC-bus.
On searching the Internet to get this verified I found the
AEC Bus Site, so I thought perhaps you were interested. Last
saturday the local newspaper here in Lillehammer had an article
on the bus and an interview with the owners. In this article
it is said that the bus was built in 1963 and was in regular
service in Ipswich until 1998.
Geir Midtun adds: The bus is former SDX 61, ex. Ipswich Corporation
Transport. New 7/63. AEC Regent Mk V, chassis no. 2D2RA1203
It is now registered in Norway as HS 84899, and has been since
30/04/2003. (It is registered as a Leyland Regent). From taken
out of service in Ipswich in 1981 and until 2001 it served
as a playbus, and the playbus equipment, inflateable slide
etc., is still there. From 2001 to 2003 it was with an owner
in London who started to convert it to a mobile apartment,
but then it came to Norway. It was first used as a "graduation
bus" (or more "party bus") for a group of high school students,
then sold to the company that owns it today. What I would
have liked to know, is if the bus still had the SDX 61 license
plates when used as a playbus in High Wycombe and London.
You can contact Geir on gmidtun@newmedia.no.
More info can be found at http://www.adventures.no/buss.asp
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PORTUGAL AMIBUS is a Portuguese
bus fans association that gives all the attention to anything
concerning buses. As you know, AEC was very important in our
country. Unfortunately with the ending of AEC we lost a bus
that we were so used. It was so normal to hear their sound
in the cities or in the country...
Trying to preserve that feeling, AMIBUS saved two UTIC AEC's.
A U2035 C51D and a U2047 C55Dg. Both are equipped with AH691
units but the U2047 is a rear engined. These will be renovated
and the intention is to preserve the buses in their original
livery.
We also have a 1964 AH505 UTIC AEC U2001U that is in a very
poor condition. With time we believe that in some years it
will run again.
A selection of Portuguese AECs (UTIC and imported) from AMIBUS
can be seen on the AEC
Society's Photo Albums (on page 3). |
| Arriva
Portugal AECs |
PORTUGAL Marco Lindo has
kindly sent a list of the AECs currently running in the Arriva
Portugal fleet. The list is current to September 2002 and
requires Excel or Microsoft's free Excel viewer to see it.
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Spanish Routemaster
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SPAIN RM1171 [171CLT] is alive and very well indeed,
and garaged at the premises of Frahermar Autocares, in La
Canada de San Urbano, 5km East of Almeria, SouthEast Spain.
It has the AEC AV590 engine, and is in excellent mechanical
condition. The body is also very good, but has been somewhat
modified for use as a promotional vehicle, having had a
4kva generator added under the staircase, and outward-opening
windows on the nearside, and all seating removed although
they still all exist in store. It is likely to remain with
this operator for quite some time to come. Information
from Roland Brindley.
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SPAIN Manuel Mas, a Spanish Routemaster enthusiast,
has bought Routemaster RML2431. He's sent some photos of
when it arrived in Spain (Granada), and some more pics of
the restoration going on now. He writes: "Itīs been
really hard for me restore my RML, but iīve found some goods
mechanicals that are working hard on it. Iīve change all
the electric installation, cause as you know, RM has the
polarity change. The engine is a Cummins, and it look to
be in a good condition... I hope it goes well for a long
time, because it's very difficult for me to find parts here
in Spain. The gear box is another problem, because the bus
has a limit speed fn 60 km/h. Do you know if this can be
changed? I dont want to convert my RM to a Ferrari, but
I'd like it will to be able to make 80-90 km/h..!! ;-) My
purpose is to use my RM for publicity (Road-show and street
marketing), in fact, Iīm working with a good mate who has
two RM (in caņada de San Urbano) and we have make a new
web to offer ours RM (www.distintoyespectacular.com) sorry
it hasn't an English version yet...we are working on it.
I hope you, and all the UK enthusiasts of RMs enjoy the
photos."
  We
will, Manuel, and thanks. If anyone can help with his gearbox
question, Manuel can be contacted at info@distintoyespectacular.com.
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