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AECs in Europe

This page has pictures of AEC buses running outside the UK that have been sent to me by some of our readers.

If you would like to contribute photographs or news of AEC buses in Europe please email the author at

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!


German RT

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?

Greek
Routemaster
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
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).
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).


GVBA 206


GVBA 209


GVBA 225

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).

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
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.
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).

MALTA Malta still has a varied fleet of expatriot British buses, many substantially rebuilt over the years.  This ex LT AEC Swift was seen in service in 1996 with its bodywork substantially modernised and trying to pass itself as a quite different AEC marque.   A few of these 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.
Photo by Howard Berry.

More pictures of AEC Swifts in Malta can be found at Keith Till's Malta bus photos site.

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
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.
Spanish Routemaster

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.