Having received a large influx of double-deckers during the war, Pontypridd’s needs were quite small in the immediate post-war period and only ten double-deckers motorbuses were bought between the end of the war and 1956 when the first Guy Arab IVs arrived.
These ten buses were all Bristol Ks bodied by Beadle, as were the contemporary Bristol Ls. They gave the fleet a distinctive look as this style of body was not very common on new chassis and in truth looked a bit archaic with its six-bay construction.
The first batch comprised six K5Gs. 53-58 (HTX 608-613) were new in 1948/9 and had H30/26R bodies. All lasted until 1968 and were sold for scrap.
In 1950 four K6Gs arrived. 59/60 (JTX 520/1) had H30/26R bodies and 63/4 (JTX 524/5) had L26/26R bodies. They were bought principally for the Blackwood service which had a low bridge at Maes-y-cymmer. As noted in the captions, the longer 6LW engine meant the front bulkhead had to be set further back, which affected the window sizes on these vehicles, with the first bay being notably shorter than the others. 63 was withdrawn in 1967, 64 in 1968 and 59/60 in 1969 - all for scrap. Notably 63, the first to be withdrawn, was the last to be scrapped in the mid-seventies.
The bodies on these vehicles were rebuilt with rubber-mounted windows to a lesser or greater degree as best seen by looking through the gallery.
© David Beilby
