Created 2-Apr-20
Modified 8-Mar-24
This group of vehicles haven't much in common, only that they were double-deckers bought by Rhondda Buses from sources other than National Welsh.
850 (D888 YHG) was a solitary Leyland Olympian ONTL11/2RH with East Lancs CH47/31F body bought by Rossendale in April 1987 and numbered 88. It spent a little while in the associated Ellen Smith fleet in 1992 and was renumbered (on paper at least) to 388 and had also been re-registered by then to HIL 3188. It came to Rhondda Buses in early 1995 and remained until late 1996 when it was sold, passing to Shuttle Buses, Kilwinning.
Rhondda's first 851 was a former National Welsh Leyland Olympian withdrawn in late 1992 and dealt with in the collection about that batch elsewhere in this gallery. In mid-1995 a second 851, along with 852, arrived from an unusual source, Great Yarmouth Transport. They were Volvo B10M-50 chassis fitted with Alexander H47/35F bodies, new in March 1989 and numbered 50 and 51 in that town's fleet. They lasted until early 1997, by which time they were some of the last remaining double-deckers in the fleet. Both passed to Chambers, Bures, quite possibly as part of a deal which brought the Leyland Lynx 504 (E87 KGV) to the Rhondda fleet.
The final pair were in fact the first of this group to arrive, joining the Rhondda fleet in late 1992. 861/862 (JHE 156/152W - note the order of the registrations) were MCW Metrobus DR104/6 with H46/31F bodies that had been new in February 1981 as South Yorkshire PTE 1856/1852. What made them more unusual, and unique in the Rhondda Buses fleet, was that they were equipped with Rolls-Royce Eagle engines. Whether the engines were the reason isn't clear, but they only lasted until mid-1994 after which they were sold to MTL (Merseybus) as 3156 and 3152. In 1996 they moved on to Capital Citybus as 111 and 109 respectively, both withdrawn in 2000. JHE 152W went on to serve another year with First Hampshire in Southampton as their 531.
© David Beilby
