RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

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Denv12
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RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Denv12 »

Over the years there have been some unique coaches.Every builder has tried to build them.Every chassis has been used even for a rebody. Then there's the RFW chassis.(the chassis builder's own initials)(Company based in Sydney). There were several built on Ansair coach bodies in the 1970s.I remember seeing one in mid 1970s at the Ansett Pioneer depot in Adelaide(Then Burbridge Road opposite the airport).My late Father bought a truck from them that day.We looked inside the coach.It was high standard coach interior. What were they like to ride in? What were they like to ride in? These coaches are in Tony Finneran's GBNF book 3.

I know that ABM coaches in Adelaide had an RFW CCMC coach during the 1980s.I never drove it.
Thanks.

http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 48&t=71122

An update:

Thank you to everyone for their replies.There's a lot of information being posted.Great history.
Last edited by Denv12 on Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Fleet Lists »

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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by MCI9 »

don't know how many made but great to drive gm power,hendrickson back end I know of 1 of our Ansett ones ended with Sydney coach lines great coach!
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by CCCC »

Qantas still running their RFW catering trucks but the end is near, most retired from frontline duties have been placed in other divisions , mainly aircraft appearance.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by boronia »

Sydney Trains (or Railcorp, or ??) still have some as road/rail vehicles for OHW maintenance. But I think some Unimogs are creeping in for this task now.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Landseer »

There were 50 RFW chassis #

# 021 Berima Coaches Mittagong TV 505
# 022 Leslies Junee
# 024 Blue Line Kirrawee TV 603
# 026 Carah Coaches Randwick PBX 695
# 033 Bosnjaks Edensor Park MO 5905
# 036 Leslie Junee MO 4063
# 037 Motorhomes Gordon
# 038 Nevilles Casula MO 5520
# 046 Batterhams Cessnock MO 5703
# 047 Eggins Taree MO 244
# 048 Fred Doolan Temora
#049 WestDarling Tours Broken Hill MO 3358
#054 CullensBuslines Wangaratta
# 055 Carah Coaches Randwick OCT 539

#057 to 060 Freeport Mine Indonesia
# 058
# 059
# 060

# 061 Coles Coaches (Jetline) Riverstone ISZ 649
# 062 G & D Thomas Cowra MO 3274
# 064 Loaders Bus Service Grenfell GNM 650
# 065 Parramatta Villawood Bus Service (Rowes) Villawood MO 165
# 068 McGuire Wittenoom
# 069 Riverstone Bus Service Riverstone M o 5304
# 071 Red Bus The Entrance TV 366
# 072 Aub Rolfes ScenicCoaches Inverell MO 5887
# 073 J Cabot ForestHill (upside down camel back chassis) nine Horses Float
# 076 Bosnjaks Bus Service Edensor Park

# 079 & 080 George Ould Southern Highland Coaches Moss Vale ISX 542 & ISX 547
# 080

# 082 & 083 Entrance Red Bus The Entrance TV 137 & TV 348
# 083

# 117 Ansett Pioneer Melbourne (Camel back chassis) SSX 889
# 124 Ansett Pioneer Melb (space frame chassis) SOB 629
# 125 Ansett SDB 353
# 126 Ansett SZA 519
# 127 Ansett SZA 577
# 128 Ansett SJB 340
# 138 Ansett SOE 574
# 139 Ansett SEV 060
# 140 Ansett SKP 975

# 146 & 147 Groote Eylandt Mining Groote Eylandt (these have been rebody and still in use )
# 147

# 153 & 154 Suva Fiji
# 154

# 159 proto type space frame 6x6 chassis never used ( to be Bob Whitehead,s motorhome)

# 176 TCN Channel Nine Willoughby TCN 002
# 237 Chester Coaches Australian Explorer ChesterHill MIM735 TV 733 TV 098
# 242 WMC Engineering Roxby Downs
# 338 Peter Rae Highland Tours Fiji
# 354 Dennis Hutchenson (RFW busbody)

This is the full RFW list of bus / coach built
Hope that helps
Jumbo
Last edited by Landseer on Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by boronia »

Blythe's of Bexley had one in the early 1980s, perhaps one of the above obtained second hand. I drove it a couple of times.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Landseer »

That was the new list who they where built for
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Landseer »

Landseer wrote:That was the new list who they where built for
Need to look at fleet list to find where they went
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Ben O »

boronia wrote:Blythe's of Bexley had one in the early 1980s, perhaps one of the above obtained second hand. I drove it a couple of times.
This was # 065 TV 810 ex KLF 978 ex Rowes Coach Tours, Plumpton m/o 165 10/79 and sold to Highway Tours as TV 810 5/84, then to ABM Coaches, Adelaide by 4/88 (referenced in original post).
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Fleet Lists »

Landseer wrote: # 139 Ansett SEV 060
A fleet list search for registration 6GA108 shows
Operator Aust-wide Tours (B. Parker)
Registration VCZ 990
Chassis Type RFW - GM 8v71
Chassis No R63139
Body Manufacturer Ansair
Body No RFW990
Body Date 11/1978
Status Withdrawn
Seating Codes RC42FT
Notes ex VV 13 AG Glenhenry Tours, Morwell, Vic-ex Sunski Tours, Canberra, ACT-ex (208) 6GA 108 Ansett Pioneer, Australia
SOLD as camper
This would be chassis 139 above but no mention is made of the rego SEV 060 above.

This unit had quite a bit of discussion some time ago for Highway Tours TV 821 which gets no mention in this fleet list but the final description for photos of this unit were:
http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 42&t=81995 also see first photo post in that thread
RFW 990/Ansair. New to Pioneer Tourist Industries Pty.Ltd,t/a Ansett Pioneer,Perth,as (208) 6GA 108. Sold to Highway Tours,Enfield,late 1984 and reg as TV 821. Sold to Stafford and Maruda,t/a Pleasure Tours,Wollongong as TV 821. Sold to Chester Coaches Pty.Ltd,Chester Hill,by 6/86 and reg as TV 733. Rereg TV 098. Rereg TV 073. Sold with business to Carah Coaches Pty.Ltd,t/a Newmans Coaches,Chester Hill. Sold to Sunski Tours,Canberra. Sold to H.Beames,t/a Glenhenry Tours,Morwell as VV13AG. Sold to Aust-Wide Tours,Regency Park as VCZ 990. Sold for camper as VCZ 990,2002.
So This only mentions a rego of 6GA 108 with Ansett and not SEV 060 - so this history is probably incomplete with another Ansett rego SEV 060 to be added as well as its History with Highway Tours.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Landseer »

TV821 was never TV733 / TV098 they are two different coaches

TV821 was an Ansair body Ex Ansett Pioneer sold to Hilly's Highway Tours

TV733 was Built as MIM735 For Chester Coaches Australian Explorer 4 wheel drive Austral body

This has been said before and I worked there at the time
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Fleet Lists »

Thanks - so what was the chassis number of TV 821? So hopefully we can sort this out once and for all.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by burrumbus »

TV 733 and TV 098 on RFW/Ansair(RFW990,11/78) were short term regos prior to the rereg onto TV 073 .I have them documented via info from the enthusiast magazine Australian Bus Panorama.TV 733 was also the Australian Explorer Austral bodied RFW,after being new,as Landseer states, as MIM 735.TV 733 came off the RFW/Ansair and went onto the RFW/Austral Australian Explorer coach.I am very confident I have this correct.I have workshopped quite a few of the RFW coaches histories through a number of other "gen"enthusiasts and we all agreed on this as the facts.
The chassis number for this coach is GMB63139.It was indeed new to Pioneer Tourist Industries Pty.Ltd,t/a Ansett Pioneer as 208)SEV 060,then rereg as 6GA 108.
I think you will find a range of plate swaps in the Hilly and Chester Coaches business at that time.Many of the plate swaps involving TV plates at Hills and Chester (and several other operators)were a direct result of changes to the regulations involving tourist vehicles.
Hope this helps.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Landseer »

Sorry that info is wrong

Chassis number #139 the second batch built still oringal rear suspension & 49 seater

Check your dates as Chesters did not have a RFW till the Explorer was built in 1983
charter plates till TV were issued

The Ansair RFW was Geoff Tegals Fredom Coachlines as payment for the Bankstown coaches service runs that Hilly got
Geoff used three Chester plates TV094/095/096 just because they were parked there and used Cheso plates doesn't mean Chester own them

When TV733 was issued then TV 098 was issued at Chullora registry by me from the new untidy reed plates busted issued
Never were they issued before

TV073 was Foleys 302 Mercedes ( sold to WA)then the plates went on a Denning that came from Clippers ( sold to Tasmania)

When Newmans came they plate went on Carah Coaches MAN with the Newzealand body

Found that some of the info in the old book was not always correct but everyone took to be right
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Fleet Lists »

So what was TV 821 if the information is not correct?
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by stajourneyman »

Unless I am reading it wrong, the above list shows 51 units rather than 50.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Landseer »

50 on the road
One was never completed as a R&D unit
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by Sahara53 »

There was a unit based here in Adelaide for sometime under the Admiral Roadlines banner. This unit was Build Number 128 Reg No SJB340. I managed a few drives with the owner Stan as his second driver when doing the snow runs. It was a fun time and a laugh for front passengers who had the pleasure of watching my short legs trying to get to the pedals after the lanky long legs of Stan! As for the RFW I remember her as being a good unit, comfortable to to run but she did have many miles on the clock following her life with Ansett Pioner. My photo unfortunately is the only one I have with any coach that I drove.
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Re: RFW Chassis:How Many Were Made?

Post by AliceDriver »

I first met Stan when he was at Scanias up on Glen Osmond Road about 1973. The RFW coach would often be seen parked out front of his house on Brighton Road.

My wife and I operated Wanderer Tours of Silver City in Broken Hill. It had been Colin Jack's West Darling Tours. Colin's Alice Express was sold to Ansett Pioneer in December 1975 along with the Broken Hill to Sydney intrastate license. It was on 'Alice' that Stan's and the other Ansair bodied RFW's were based.


I only drove this unit once. I was in Adelaide on holidays, mine for change - not a tour, one of my former drivers had become an Uniting Church Minister and his wife's church group had charted Stan for tour.


A ute colided with stan, there wasn't much damage. Stan got out to talk with the ute driver who prompted decked Stan. He hit the kerb and was out to it. We were at the manse only a block away. When we got there the police and ambulance hadn't arrived. Stan was coming round but very dazed.


Long story short. I completed the charter and returned the coach to Brighton Rd. I got the impression he was relieved when I got there he had no recolection of what had happened to the coach.
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