In the period following the merger of Thames Valley Traction and Aldershot & District Traction in January 1972 to form Alder Valley, the company suffered a severe shortage of vehicles, particularly in the Reading area, partly arising from failing to meet the maintenance standards required by the Vehicle Inspectorate. The result was that over the period from May 1973 to September 1974 vehicles in a wide range of colours – not to mention types – were hired in from time to time. This gallery covers four particular periods of interest. Vehicles mentioned are those which I have photos of, and do not represent a comprehensive list of all those hired in.
May 1973
Alder Valley called upon two of its neighbouring NBC companies to help out, namely Oxford-South Midland and London Country. The former provided a number of AEC Renowns, including 342 and 370, while London Country provided RTs, including RT3252, RT4102, RT4592 and RT 4781. One wonders what the reaction of drivers brought up on Bristols was when confronted with pre-selector gearboxes!
London Country RT4102 leaves Reading Bus Station on service to CamberleyOxford-South Midland 342 (AEC Renown 3B3RA / Park Royal H38/27F 1964) turning into Queen Victoria Street, Reading on service 43 to Twyford Station via Woodley.
September 1973
London Country again came to the rescue, with RT3252 and RT4781 again involved (I don’t recall whether they were on continuous hire from May, but I think not). Also involved was Southern National in the form of at least two Royal Blue Bristol MW coaches, 2239 and 2256.
Royal Blue 2256 (Bristol MW 6G / ECW C39F 1961) entering Cheapside, Reading en route to Maidenhead on service 1A.RT 4781 during its second stint, leaving Reading Bus Station en route to Mortimer, having acquired a suitable destination blind. It is displaying a GF (Guildford) allocation.
April 1974
For whatever reason, for the next season of hires, NBC vehicles were not in evidence, and Alder Valley had recourse to a multicolour selection of vehicles from that well known dealer, Ensign Bus. It seems possible that the Southend vehicles were brokered by Ensign, although still in service with Southend..
Southend 207 (Leyland Leopard L1 / Weymann B43D+18 1961) leaving Reading Bus Station to an unknown destination. One hopes that the passengers got to where they were intending!Southend 326 (Albion Lowlander LR7 / Alexander H41/29F 1963) at the same location on service 1 to Maidenhead. 325 of the same batch was also on hire.Ensign Bus STP 996 (ex-Portsmouth 124, Leyland PD3 / Metro-Cammell H38/32R 1959) turns out of Vachel Road heading for unknown territory. The provision of destination on the hired vehicles displays was a bit hit and miss!Ensign Bus MCP 225, at the same location. In the livery of S & M of Hadleigh, Essex, originally Halifax Joint Committee 226 (Leyland PD2/37 Weymann H36/28F 1960). Again, no destination is showing.
August/September 1974
Once again, Ensign Bus provided vehicles, with STP 996 making a repeat appearance, joined by a couple of distinctly elderly roof-box RTs, JXN 90 and KXW 495. There was an extended municipal presence, with Maidstone contributing PD2s nos 8 and 10, Swindon with PD2s nos.125 and 127 and Reading with Lolines 45 and 46 and Reliances 226 and 228. The services to Woodley and Twyford (43, 44, 44A, and 45) were the main beneficiaries.
Ensign Bus STP 996 made a repeat appearance, this time painted into its owner’s blue livery. Seen on Station Hill on route 43 to Twyford via Woodley.Also from Ensign was JXN 90, formerly London Transport RT1024 of 1948. It has just turned into the Kings Road contra-flow bus lane at Reading’s Cemetery Junction on service 45 from Woodley.Maidstone Corporation 8 (Leyland PD2/30 / Massey H33/28R 1957) passing Forbury Road on its way to Woodley on service 45. No.10 was a similar bus built the following year.Swindon 125 (Leyland PD2A/24 / Weymann H 37/28R 1962) leaving Reading Bus Station for Woodley on service 44A. The paper stickers in the destination boxes indicate a permanent allocation to this route. Sister vehicle 127 was also hired in.Reading Transport 46 (Dennis Loline III / East Lancs H38/30F 1964) heading for Reading in Broad Street, Wokingham on service 3. Although nominally a clone of the Bristol Lodekka FLF, Alder Valley drivers would not be so familiar with the Dennis 4-speed gearbox as the Wilson 5-speed box on their own vehicles.Reading Transport 228 (AEC Reliance 2MU3RV / Duple Northern B34D+26 1962) looks very much at home at the Stations terminus, but is in fact on hire to Alder Valley as the route number 44A (to Woodley) indicates.Reading Transport 45 (Dennis Loline III / East Lancs H38/30F 1964) at Twyford Station on route 43, presaging the time a couple of years or so later when the route would be transferred from Alder Valley to Reading Transport, and this type of vehicle would again appear here.
Alan Murray-Rust 08/2020
23/09/20 – 08:56
What a wonderful selection of colours and vehicle types. It must have been fantastic for bus enthusiasts to have such a varied selection, but it was a sad indictment of the state of the UK bus industry at that time. It was experiences like this that must have driven yet more people away from public transport and into cars.
