Subject: Tellings-Golden Miller 903 (AAL 622A) Chassis: Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Body: Plaxton Paramount C53F Location: Cardiff bus station Date: 8–Feb-1992
Seen in Cardiff bus station this is 903 although you have to take my word for it given the absence of any visible fleet number. It is working the X9 which since the previous year had ceased to run to Blaenllechau and had been cut back to Penrhys. It is operating at this time under the Tellings-Golden Miller licence and it's worth recounting the origin of the Golden Miller name
Golden Miller was a horse that won the Grand National in 1934 in a record time of 9 min 20.4 sec. Fred Varney, a bricklayer, bought a ticket in the Irish sweepstakes and drew Golden Miller. A bookmaker bought a half share in Fred's ticket for £3,000. When Golden Miller won, he won the top prize of £30,000. He had to give the bookmakers £15,000, which left Fred with £18,000.
With the winnings, Fred and his son-in-law founded a coach company and named it Golden Miller Coaches after the horse. After many years, the company was bought and renamed Tellings-Golden Miller. Many of the firm's coaches featured a portrait of the horse on the front or side of the vehicle.
