Cardiff’s Buses Page 1

Cardiff Corporation Transport

City of Cardiff Transport

Cardiff Bus

Details of vehicles purchased new and secondhand

from 1947 onwards

Part 2 – 1956 to 1963

Leyland PD2A/30 / East Lancs 400 (400 BUH) shows its St Helens style new look front as it waits in Castle Street before proceeding to Michaelston Road on 7th

January 1974.

All photographs by Mike Street

Cardiff’s Buses Page 2

1956

Daimler CVG6 310 (LBO 520) had lost the cream band beneath the upper deck windows but retained it under the lower deck windows with the later City of Cardiff

Transport lettering when photographed on 14th September 1968.

301 – 315 LBO 511 – 525 Daimler CVG6 East Lancs H35/28R

316 – 330 MUH 316 – 330 Guy Arab IV 6LW East Lancs H35/28R

Notes

311 - 315 (LBO 521 - 525) were new in 1957; they were originally to have been

bodied by D.J Davies, but the order was transferred to

East Lancs.

319 (MUH 319) became a driver training bus and a mobile exhibition

vehicle (‘Car Bus & You’) in 3/72. Sold for scrap 1/76.

324 (MUH 324) became a driver training bus 3/72.

325 - 330 (MUH 325 - 330) were new in 1957; and 326-30 were originally to have

been bodied by D.J Davies, but the order was

transferred to East Lancs.

Years of withdrawal

1970: 308/11/4/5

1971: 301-7/9/10/2/3/6-8/20-2/6/7/9/30

1972: 319/24

1974: 323/5/8

Cardiff’s Buses Page 3

(above) Guy Arab IV 330 (MUH 330) had received the new cream lower case fleet names when seen on 14th December 1971. (below) By 30th May 1970 325 (MUH 325) had received this livery with a minimal amount of cream; it must have been

deemed unsuccessful as by January 1974 it was back in the livery carried by 330.

Cardiff’s Buses Page 4

1957

Longwell Green bodied Leyland ‘Tiger Cub’ PSUC1/1 145 (NKG 145) approaches the Monument from Penarth Road on driver training duties. It is flanked by a

Glamorgan County Council Morris LD ambulance in this 1st August 1969 photograph.

143 – 146 NKG 143 – 146 Leyland PSUC1/1 Longwell Green B44F

331 – 342 OBO 331 – 342 Daimler CVG6 East Lancs H35/28R

Notes

331 - 342 (OBO 331 - 342) had the radiator filler cap protruding through the top of

the ‘new look’ front.

Years of withdrawal

1969: 145

1970: 143/4/6, 341

1971: 331-40/2

East Lancs bodied

Daimler CVG6 331

(OBO 331) lays

over at the St

Fagans terminus of

service 32 on 11th

April 1970.

Cardiff’s Buses Page 5

1958

351 (OUH 351) of the 1958 delivery of East Lancs bodied Guy Arab IVs was photographed in Dumfries Place on 23rd June 1969.

343 – 354 OUH 343 – 354 Guy Arab IV 6LW East Lancs H35/28R

Years of withdrawal

1971: 343-54

Cardiff’s Buses Page 6

1959

Daimler CSG6 358 (SKG 358) heads a lineup of four similar vehicles in Cardiff Bus Station on 8th November 1969. The other CSG6s visible are 356/7/60.

355 – 360 SKG 355 – 360 Daimler CSG6 East Lancs H35/28R

Notes

355 - 360 (SKG 355 - 360) had David Brown/Porsche synchromesh gearboxes and

Manchester-style new-look fronts. They are believed to

be the only short examples of this model in the U.K.

Years of withdrawal

1971: 355-60

Another view of

Daimler CSG6

358 (SKG 358)

in the minimal-

cream livery. It

was seen in

Greyfriars

Road on 7th

December

1971, just

before

withdrawal.

Cardiff’s Buses Page 7

1960

AEC Bridgemaster 366 (TUH 366) is also seen just before withdrawal at Cardiff Bus Station on 10th December 1971.

361 – 366 TUH 361 - 366 AEC Bridgemaster B3RA Park Royal H41/27RD

Notes

361 - 366 (TUH 361 - 366) were purchased for the Tredegar route. They had air

suspension and saloon heaters and were Cardiff’s first

vehicles fitted with power operated rear doors.

Years of withdrawal

1971: 361-6

Cardiff’s Buses Page 8

1961

Leyland Titan PD2A/30 370 (XUH 370) received a rebuilt front dome following an accident. It is seen in Cardiff Bus Station on 14th August 1970.

367 – 371 XUH 367 – 371 Leyland PD2A/30 M.C.C.W. H36/28R

372 – 381 XUH 372 – 381 AEC Regent V 2D3RV East Lancs H35/28R

Notes

367 – 371 (XUH 367 - 371) had St Helens style new-look fronts and the

heavyweight version of the Orion body. 367/70 were

fitted with fluorescent lighting from new.

Years of withdrawal

1971: 367-71

1973: 373/7/9

1974: 372/4-6/8/80-1

Cardiff’s Buses Page 9

(above) The 1961 delivery of AEC Regent Vs consisted of ten vacuum-braked examples the first of which, 372 (XUH 372), was photographed in Cardiff Bus Station

on 14th December 1971. Note the incorrect spelling of the destination, it should be Snowden Road (named after a former alderman).

(below) AEC Regent V 382 (382 BUH) from the 1962 air-braked delivery is seen in Central Square in its later role as an office/crew rest room on 16th October 1977.

Cardiff’s Buses Page 10

1962

AEC Regent V 390 (390 BUH) was seen on 25th May 1974. It became a driver training vehicle in April 1975 and was finally withdrawn in June 1979.

382 – 391 382 – 391 BUH AEC Regent V 2D3RA East Lancs H35/28R

Notes

382 - 391 (382 – 391 BUH) were fitted with air-brakes. These and all subsequent

vehicles had heaters and fluorescent lighting.

382 (382 BUH) became a driver trainer in 4/74, office/crew rest room in

9/77 and was sold for scrap in 3/78.

382/5/7 (382/5/7 BUH) were the oldest vehicles to be repainted in the orange

livery, but only after conversion to driver trainers or

crew rest room duties. As crew rest rooms, 382/7 were

all-over orange, without the white band.

383/5 (383/5 BUH) became driver trainers in 12/74 or 5/74 respectively and

were sold in 6/79.

386 (386 BUH) became a driver trainer in 2/75 and was sold in 3/77.

387 (387 BUH) became a crew rest room in 11/74 and was sold in 1/78.

390 (390 BUH) became a driver trainer in 4/75 and was sold in 6/79.

Years of withdrawal

1974: 382-3/7/8 1975: 384-6/9-91

Cardiff’s Buses Page 11

1963

When photographed on 4th September 1968, Leyland PD2A/30 400 (400 BUH) retained a cream band below the upper deck windows and black lining (see page 1).

392 – 401 392 – 401 BUH Leyland PD2A/30 East Lancs H37/28R

402 – 407 402 – 407 CKG Leyland PD3A/1 East Lancs H38/32R

408 – 413 408 – 413 DBO AEC Regent V 2D3RA East Lancs H35/28R

414 – 419 414 – 419 DBO AEC Regent V 2D3RA Neepsend H35/28R

Notes

392 - 401 (392 – 401 BUH) had St Helens style new-look fronts.

403 - 407 (402 – 407 CKG) had St Helens style new-look fronts. They were

Cardiff’s first 30-foot motorbuses and were used to

replace trolleybuses on the Pengam route. They were

accepted in lieu of the final vehicles of an order for

trolleybuses placed in 1945!

408 – 419 (408 – 419 DBO) were the first double deckers delivered without black

lining out. The destination screens were rebuilt with

separate route number boxes in 1975/6. Vehicles from

this batch were the oldest still in regular service to

receive the orange livery.

414/6-9 (414/6-9 DBO) were new in 1964. 416 received a replacement glass-

fibre roof in June 1972 after its original was damaged in

an accident.

Years of withdrawal

1973: 393

1974: 392/4-407

1979: 408-19

Cardiff’s Buses Page 12

(above) Leyland PD3A/1 404 (404 CKG) shows the blanked out destination screen and route number card in the front window on 29th March 1974.

(below) AEC Regent V 412 (412 DBO) was one of six delivered in 1963 with East Lancs bodywork. It was photographed on 21st December 1968.

Cardiff’s Buses Page 13

(above) East Lancs-bodied AEC Regent V 413 (413 DBO) is seen on 4th June 1976 after receiving the modified destination layout and repainting in orange.

(below) 417 (417 DBO) was one of six Neepsend-bodied AEC Regent Vs, most of which entered service in 1964. It was seen in Havelock Street on 10th September 1973 when operating route 14, which had replaced the Ely trolleybuses in 1970.