Created 6-May-19
Modified 8-Mar-24
After the last pre-war specification AEC Regents were delivered in 1940, Rhondda's new vehicles would be under Government control for the duration of the war. Vehicles were certainly needed as the war meant collieries working at maximum capacity and industrial production soared. Unemployment had been a huge problem in the Rhondda during the 1930s but meant that a large pool of labour was available. However, this labour needed to be transported to the locations it was required, notably Treforest Trading Estate and the Royal Ordnance Factories at Waterton and Brackla near Bridgend.
This required more buses which originally came through reductions in normal services but eventually new deliveries became available. The first were three 1941 'unfrozen' AEC Regents 173-175 (ETX 581-583) with Park Royal bodies, the unfrozen term referring to the use of existing stocks of material which had been released by the Ministry of Supply. These introduced the utility body to the Rhondda fleet, this being a relatively-standardised design meant to economise on both materials and the use of skilled labour.
In 1942 the first wartime design of bus appeared, the Guy Arab I, three of which joined the fleet that year which were 176-178 (ETX 832-834) and had Weymann bodies. Two of these were to be exchanged with two Daimlers from Devon General in 1944 (see below). Two more Guy Arab Is arrived in 1943, 179-180 (FNY 60-61), followed by twelve Guy Arab IIs 181-192 (FNY 390-395, FNY 530-535), all of which had Park Royal bodies. Rhondda was fortunate in that all their Guy Arabs were fitted with the more powerful Gardner 6LW engine more suited to the hilly terrain on many of their routes. Not every operator was as lucky!
To provide yet more capacity a number of vehicles was hired during the war. Notably fourteen different ST-type AEC Regents were hired from London Transport for varying periods between 1942 and 1945 but there were also nine AEC Regals from Western Welsh and, from South Wales Transport, a single-deck AEC Renown six-wheeler and a Dennis Lancet.
From 1944 Rhondda's utility vehicles were Daimlers. In 1944 the first new examples arrived which were five Duple-bodied Daimler CWA6 195-199 (FNY 809-813). In the same year, as mentioned above, also came two of the more unusual CWG5 model from Devon General in exchange for two Guy Arbs, the Daimlers became 193-194 (HTA 881-882).
A further fifteen Daimler CWA6 arrived in 1945. 200 (FNY 814) had a Duple body, 201-207 (FTG 114-120) were fitted with Park Royal bodies whilst the final examples 208-214 (FTG 202-208) had Brush bodies. Finally in 1946 arrived 215 (FTG 256) which was yet another variant being a Daimler-engined CWD6 with a Duple body.
At the end of the war these utility vehicles comprised about 40% of the double-deck fleet.
© David Beilby
