Trivia - Models of buses which have only ever been ordered by one operator

[delt1c]

What about FRM for LT .
LEWS 926 which was basically an Albion constructed by SMT and numbered S1.
The pair of Guy Wilfrunian for Ackrington Corporation.
Then the half cab single deckers delivered to South Wales Transport which were AEC Regent V's fitted with Roe bodies

​

 

[Man of Kent]

Cyrstals of Dartford also operated Reeves Burgess bodied Leyland Cub - not sure if any one else bought them.

Yes. Southdown had some, possibly supplied by East Sussex County Council.
More unusual were the Reebur-bodied Leyland Tigers of Tayside, while Geoff Amos of Daventry had one on a Dennis Dorchester chassis.

 

[SteveHFC]

People's Provincial's ACE Cougar with Wadham Stringer bodywork H523CTR (fleet number 3, then 333, then 600) was a one off. Rode on it many times in the early 90s. Now in preservation. Only ever operated in service for People's Provincial and its subsequent companies.

The only other ACE Cougar ever built had Willowbrook bodywork and after being a demonstrator, ended up with Caves Bus Services in the West Mids, before being sold to a private owner on Valentia Island (source: Wikipedia)

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Marshall bodied a few LHS's with examples for Gash of Newark (passing to RoadCar)

Bedford VAMs rather than SBs, and yes, also delivered to Eastern Counties and West Yorkshire Road Car.

NCT has had countless unique stuff over the years, even some odd looking AEC Renowns,

 

[DunsBus]

Aye, have been following 659's restoration on Flickr (along with the ex-Eastern Dodge S56 breadvan, D428 ASF) with great interest for some time now and I know that 188 will be done to the same high standards when her turn comes.

That wee minibus needed a whole new front end as the original one was rotten - compared to the bodywork which needed very little in the way of major work done to it. The replacement front has been grafted on so well, you literally can't see the join.

This opens up a new subset, incidentally. Most Alexander-bodied Renault/Dodge S56s had offside cab doors, but not all - the Central D-MHS batch, the Eastern D-ASF and E-JSG batches, and the Busways E-BVK batch didn't have them.

 

[Roilshead]

No, Liverpool Corporation received a single similar example, E1 (371 BKA).

There was something in the back of my mind! - thanks for confirming.

What are the geographical limits of this thread? - we've had references to Hong Kong and the south of Ireland . . . if we're going outside the UK then there are plenty of vehicle classes in the Channel Islands that will be unique - not to mention then rest of the world, if anybody has knowledge. And surely, those posts referring to the only X delivered to Y don't count as they're clearly not within the scope of the thread.

So how about Marshall-bodied VASs for East Kent?

 

[madannie77]

Yorkshire Traction had the only Kirn Mogul, 208 (1901 HE), with East Lands Flyte bodywork

 

[buses7675]

I am correct in thinking Stagecoach was the only company to buy MAN 18.240/Alexander Dennis Enviro300s brand new?

On a similar vein of unusual Enviros, First Glasgow had the only batch of UK spec ADL chassis Enviro500s, Dublin bus the only batch of Volvo B9TL/ADL Enviro500s and Courtney Coaches the only company to order ELC Esteem bodied Enviro300 chassis.

 

[MrKyleBuses]

Wasn't the Streetair only ever bought by Lothian Buses as the rest were just demonstrators.

 

[scosutsut]

The 15 Alexander bodied Dennis Dorchesters new to Central that served through the Kelvin, SB Holdings and into the First era.

5 each with TS, TE and TC bodies.

Would have loved to have preserved one.

 

[delt1c]

Each of the RM models were only built for individual customers
RM standard LT
RML LT
RMA BEA
RMC and RCL LT
FRM Nothern General
Also if i not mistaken only Midland Red operated the BMMO family

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The 15 Alexander bodied Dennis Dorchesters new to Central that served through the Kelvin, SB Holdings and into the First era.

5 each with TS, TE and TC bodies.

Would have loved to have preserved one.

Didn't Western have some though?

As ever, Wadham Stringer get into the picture - think they bodied a single Dorchester for Tillingbourne.

This opens up a new subset, incidentally. Most Alexander-bodied Renault/Dodge S56s had offside cab doors, but not all - the Central D-MHS batch, the Eastern D-ASF and E-JSG batches, and the Busways E-BVK batch didn't have them.

Perhaps worthy of a separate thread?

Detail differences and individual specs aren't quite what the OP was getting at.

 

[galwhv69]

HV1-6 will Arriva London at Brixton are the only Volvo B5LH's with an original Eclipse body I believe?

 

[Strathclyder]

I am correct in thinking Stagecoach was the only company to buy MAN 18.240/Alexander Dennis Enviro300s brand new?

On a similar vein of unusual Enviros, First Glasgow had the only batch of UK spec ADL chassis Enviro500s, Dublin bus the only batch of Volvo B9TL/ADL Enviro500s and Courtney Coaches the only company to order ELC Esteem bodied Enviro300 chassis.

Indeed you would be correct.

As for the ADL Enviro 500/Volvo B9TL combo, Dublin Bus were the only operator in the UK & Ireland to buy that combo new (in two batches in 2005 & 2007 respectively), but Hong Kong once again steps into the fray here. Transport International Holdings took a number of such B9TLs for both their Long Win Bus & Kowloon Motor Bus fleets.

That wee minibus needed a whole new front end as the original one was rotten - compared to the bodywork which needed very little in the way of major work done to it. The replacement front has been grafted on so well, you literally can't see the join.

Aye, the standard of the work being done is simply impeccable and the attention to detail is insane. Honestly can't wait for it's completion, it'll undoubtedly be a cracking addition to the rally circuit.

 

[MotCO]

On a similar vein of unusual Enviros, First Glasgow had the only batch of UK spec ADL chassis Enviro500s

Didn't First Glasgow have some triple axle East Lancs Nordic double deckers? Also, First had the only batch of StreetCars, articulated buses based on Volvo chassis.

 

[Strathclyder]

Didn't First Glasgow have some triple axle East Lancs Nordic double deckers?

They did indeed: 10 tri-axle low-height East Lancs Nordic-bodied Volvo B7Ls originally numbered VT1-10 (31505-31515 in the national fleetnumbering system) new Oct/Nov 2002. They even ran alongside the E500s for about 2 years (2009-2011). The Nordics were on loan and not outright owned by First, and thus were withdrawn and sold at the end of 2011. The E500s were the same initially, but were bought outright by First in the middle of their transfer from Glasgow to Aberdeen in late 2015/early 2016, nullifying the lease in the process.

 

[scosutsut]

Didn't Western have some though?

As ever, Wadham Stringer get into the picture - think they bodied a single Dorchester for Tillingbourne.

I stand corrected, 6 more built with Alexander TC (assume for Western) the rest were Plaxton Paramounts.

So the TS and TE were the unique ones.

 

[MotCO]

Each of the RM models were only built for individual customers
RM standard LT
RML LT
RMA BEA
RMC and RCL LT
FRM Nothern General
Also if i not mistaken only Midland Red operated the BMMO family

Technically the FRM was for LT, and RMFs for Northern General. The RMFs were 30ft (same as the RMLs); the RMAs were 27ft 6 in or thereabouts

 

[delt1c]

Technically the FRM was for LT, and RMFs for Northern General. The RMFs were 30ft (same as the RMLs); the RMAs were 27ft 6 in or thereabouts

Dislexic Deltic strikes again, meant RMF,s

 

[busesrusuk]

Technically the FRM was for LT, and RMFs for Northern General. The RMFs were 30ft (same as the RMLs); the RMAs were 27ft 6 in or thereabouts

To be pedantic, the 30ft front entrance Routemaster (RMF) had two customers. The first, built for LT was numbered RMF1254. For various reasons it didn't actually enter service with LT (until about 2004/5 when it did a few trips on the last day ops of various RM routes but as a preserved bus at that point). It was used by AEC as a demonstrator but the only other company that bought any were Northern General who ultimately bought RMF1254 from LT as well.

 

[MotCO]

I suppose that any buses bodied by Silcox of Pembroke Dock must be considered unique. This is probably one of the worst examples: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rw3-497alh/42259124944/in/photolist-27oi4yu-217hAK4-97PfGz-4Ty6NZ

(Not my photo. Picture shows a Bristol double decker, SDE450, with a body produced by Silcox. )

 

[Eyersey468]

The ADL Enviro400 bodied Volvo B9TLs thar were delivered to EYMS in late 2007 were an unusual combination, the only other UK ones were 3 for London in 2008.

 

[cnjb8]

The ADL Enviro400 bodied Volvo B9TLs thar were delivered to EYMS in late 2007 were an unusual combination, the only other UK ones were 3 for London in 2008.

Dublin Bus also ordered some but like you say that's not the UK

 

[Eyersey468]

Dublin Bus also ordered some but like you say that's not the UK

Yes they were Dublin Bus's standard double decker at the time.

I was told the reason EY went for the ADL E400 bodies for those 5 was that Wrights couldn't build the Gemini bodies in the timescale thar EY wanted the vehicles in but ADL could.

 

[Busaholic]

The Northern General Routemasters were the same length as the London RML - but with the door at the front. The only other front entrance Routemasters were those that BEA ordered for their Heathrow- London Terminal shuttles (although they were looked after by LT!) and were to the shorter RM length.


There are also two of the Volvo/Wright SRM that were delivered to Go Ahead London. Originally for a trial of opportunity charging in London which didn't happen so they are effectively now the same bus as the London Sovereign examples running as normal hybrid Volvo's. Pic of one of the London Sovereign examples here:

London Sovereign VHR45207 May17 | Waterloo Place, May 2017 | Flickr

More an addition than a correction, London Transport RMF 1254 was built as a 30 foot example with a front, doored, entrance as an experiment, and was fitted with a tow bar at the rear. This predated the BEA order but doubtless influenced BEA's thinking, and came not too long after the delivery of the first batch of RMLs, 880-903, for conversion of trolleybus route 609 at Finchley to the 104 bus route. I stood for several hours at Finsbury Square in the City of London on its first Sunday of operation!

 

[matchmaker]

The Glasgow Corporation Royal Tiger Worldmaster RT3/1s. Bodied by the Corporation Tramcar Works on Weymann frames. A very rare type of bus in the UK, but the Worldmaster was actually Leylands best selling bus by some margin.

 

[Roilshead]

Ulsterbus/Citybus were the only operator to order several types of Alexander Belfast buses including Bristol REs and Leyland Leopards.

. . . and Bedford YRQs, Bristol LHs. At least one of the Education & Library Boards ordered Alexander (Belfast) bodied Albion Vikings - er, does each Education & Library Boars count as a separate operator, or can we group them all together as "Arriva"/"First"/"Stagecoach"? . . . on which basis NBC/THC/BTC/BET/SBG could all count as one.

Another unique Lynx was D401MHS, which was the sole Lynx purchased by Kelvin Scottish, and the whole of the Scottish Bus Group.

Thats not a unique vehicle only ordered by one operator, is it? Its a unique vehicle for a particular operator . . . which isn't the subject of this thread. To which I'll add those Tiger Cubs?/GUY LUFs? bodied by Harper Bros (Heath Hayes) for their own use.

What about Warrington CT's 7'6" wide PD3s?

Lothian - did anybody other than SMT buy this in-house make? . . . we're going back to the 1920's now.

The sole Atkinson double-decker - can't remember its name/designation - that was built for SHMD Board in the 1950s.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Were the Jonckheere bodied Scanias operated by Scancoaches on some LRT tendered service in North London unique to them? Remember plenty of Jonck coaches but not dual door buses

 

[awsnews]

Were the Jonckheere bodied Scanias operated by Scancoaches on some LRT tendered service in North London unique to them? Remember plenty of Jonck coaches but not dual door buses

There was one other built as a demonstrator which was subsequently acquired by Cairngorm Chairlift.

 

[Pit_buzzer]

Doncaster corporation

Roe Trolleybus bodies on Daimler CVG6 chassis
Roe Trolleybus bodies on Leyland PD2 chassis
Royal Tiger Cub RTC1/1 manual gearbox, Roe old style body
Royal Tiger Cub RTC 1/2 semi auto, Roe new style body
Seddon RU, Roe body

Sypte
431 Van Hool McArdle Atlantean
MAN bendibus
Leyland DAB bendibus