Subject: Rhondda 309 (HTX 580)
Chassis: AEC Regal III 9621A
Body: Longwell Green B34R
Location: Porth depot
Date: c.1959

309 stands outside the top garage with sister vehicle 314, still in service, visible on the right. 309 was the first of the final batch of Regals to be withdrawn in 1958 and is seen here not too long after. It had been adapted for use as a driver training vehicle but bears little evidence of that here except that if you look carefully you can see that most seats have been removed.

The crash box, no doubt specified as part of Rhondda's drive for fuel economy that started about the time these were ordered, would also have made this bus eminently suitable for its new role as drivers trained on that transmission would easily be able to adapt to other vehicles in the fleet.

Photograph by courtesy of Phil Sposito