Created 15-Aug-19
Modified 8-Mar-24
These three vehicles were new to Taff-Ely Borough Council and were the last new full sized buses bought by that undertaking. Taff-Ely 35-37 (A35-37 XBO) were on the Dennis Lancet SD515 chassis and had East Lancs B47F bodies, although 35 was reseated to DP43F in December 1985.
Dennis introduced the underfloor-engined Lancet chassis in 1981 with rather limited success, many examples being used as welfare vehicles or mobile libraries. With the exception of a later demonstration vehicle the last service buses on this chassis were these three supplied to Taff-Ely.
All three passed to National Welsh after the 1988 takeover and were initially numbered NS495-497 in Nov-1988 until it was realised that they did not belong in a series for Leyland Nationals. They were quickly renumbered DS495-497 in Jan-1989. They ran at first from Aberdare and then Bedwas but seem to have been troublesome buses and spent quite some time idle and all had been withdrawn by 1991.
They were acquired by Tellings-Golden Miller in Apr-1994 and passed to Rhondda Buses in May 1994 as 495-497. On paper they were withdrawn in Oct-1992 (495) and Jul-1992 (496) with no withdrawal date available for 497. They would have seen little, if any, use with Rhondda and no photographs have come to light of them in service from Porth. They were sold to Vanguard, Bedworth in Oct-1992 or Nov-1992 and it seems they were still in full National Welsh livery when sold.
This gallery contains the same photographs as the gallery on this batch in the Taff-Ely section.
© David Beilby
