Skennars coaches from September 1973

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Herbert
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Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Herbert »

Some shots by Bruce Harris taken during early September 1973 of Skennars Coaches. Any corrections on makes & locations would be appreciated.

NKP104 International / Watt near Moolooluba:
Image

PMW831 Denning near Grantham:
Image

PIY877 International / Denning:
Image

PFD688 Denning in Light St:
Image

NRK226 International? in Barry Pde:
Image

PDA768 International / Denning in Eagle St:
Image
Get the gen, see the shots: www.perthbus.info
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Hornibrook
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Hornibrook »

Skennars Coaches -

Depot Address: 22 Barry Parade, Brisbane City

Routes were as follows as of 1982:

Brisbane - Pacific Hwy - Port Macquarie - Sydney
Brisbane - Tweed Heads GOLD COAST via Main Beach or Nerang
Brisbane - Caloundra - Maroochydore - Buderim to Tweantin SUNSHINE COAST
Brisbane - Ipswich - Toowoomba - Warwick - Inglewood - Goondiwindi - Boggabilla - Moree
Brisbane - Ipswich - Warwick - Stanthorpe - Tenterfield
Toowoomba - Esk - Maroochydore - Tewantin
Last edited by Hornibrook on Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User xxx

Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by User xxx »

I remember riding on skennars a number times from maroochydore out to marcoola when living there they still then they were still using the old denning bodied international with diesel powered air con and this was the route via bli bli before they built the toll bridge I notice some of skennars coaches were automatic which gave a smooth ride I am not sure when sunshine coaches took over from skennars but when I rode with skennars was towards the end of the 80s route660.
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by davemail66 »

Terrific photos there Herbert of some classic Skennars coaches travelling around SE Qld. If I'm not mistaken....that first photo looks a lot to me like Nicklin Way long before any residential development started and back when it was only two lanes, possibly around the Kawana Waters (Warana/Bokarina) area of the Sunshine Coast.
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Industry
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Industry »

Do you anymore photos of this interesting operator to share with us
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Herbert
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Herbert »

Unfortunately not, Industry.
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jac
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by jac »

A nice bit of South East Queensland bus history in these shots.

The first photo NKP 104 is along the Currumundi to Kawana section of the Nicklin Way before any residential development.

NRK 226 could be one of the V8 petrol engined Internationals along with NKP 104.

Their exhaust sounded like a hot rod rather than a bus.
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ged
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by ged »

NRK 226 International has a Watt Bros. body.
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Hornibrook
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Hornibrook »

And now for the 'gen'. For a for list of Skennar's buses please PM me and I will email you the list which was sent to me (along with several others) from 1whoknows, many thanks!

PMW 319 International QFC RE / Denning built 20/08/1968 seats RC41F
PFD 888 International - GM QFC RE / Denning built ? Seats C--F
NRK 226 White QFC / Watt built ? Seats C--F
PDA 768 International QFC RE / Denning built ? Seats RC41F

The other buses aren't listed as per this fleet list from Aug 1980 some may have been withdrawn/sold elsewhere.
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beddy
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by beddy »

Skennars' lively had similar colours to Thomas Tours
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1965

Post by jayvee »

hello,my name is john,i stumbled accross the post by accident,i worked for clarry from about 1965 to approx 1979 ,i have a lot of photos including his first bus.
i worked at the valley with norman taylor,don brighton,and co.if i can be of assistance please look up my email address in profile.oh and by the way i have worked on all of the above skenna coaches. JOHN.
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Tas Bus Nut »

Those Denning bodies were an ugly looking thing. Thank goodness they improved!!
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Stan »

Dare I say it, I love those spider wheels... A friend of mine had them on a Mack tipper, the inside was red and the rim was royal blue. Very classy indeed.

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OldCoastie
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by OldCoastie »

Herbert, here is an update about your very good photos of the Skennar Fleet.
NRK 226 (Watt Bros / International V8 Petrol) This vehicle later operated at Allora as a school bus, converted to a caravan and is currently located in a yard at Talwood.
PMW 231 (AB Denning Body 229 Built 1969) Last known location working Victorian Snowfields, it appeared as a cover shot at Dinner Plain in ABC Magazine some years ago.
PFD 688 (AB Denning Body 199 built 5/1968) V8 petrol International, later GM 6V53 installed. To my knowledge it went to a Sunshine Coast operator (Edwards?) late 1970s, then to McPhersons Gunnedah or Tamworth. I am sure it then passed to a religous outfit as a mobile showroom as I had sighted it in Toowoomba in the early to mid 1990s. Like always I never had a camera to snap it, but I did get a peak inside and recognised it as PFD. Has dropped of the radar since.
PIY 877 (AB Denning Body 170 built 9/67) To my knowledge this was on a White Chassis with a White Motor but I will stand corrected if anyone knows better. Later fitt5ed with a 4v71GM. It passed to Biloela Coaches and is now a mobile home.
PDA 768 (AB Denning 173 built 10/67. International chassis but was the first GM powered vehicle in the fleet, 6v53 with Allison Auto. Last known location as Junee-Wagga.

Hope this is of interest. PM me if you require more info on the Skennar fleet. It is a passion of mine and whilst I do not claim to be perfect my memories come from years of travelling on Skennars in the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s and also driving for them in the 1980s.
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by RabidRabbit93111 »

Some beautiful coaches there, especially that first one! Thanks for sharing:)
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Re: Skennars coaches circa 1969

Post by jayvee »

Hello all,this poem as an attachment was composed by an anomymous person who was a skennar driver,it was handed to me mid 70s while i was a mechanic for clarry,(for about 12 years,john.
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geoff Attwell
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by geoff Attwell »

Sadly the photo of the original piece of paper with the poem written on it ,posted by jayvee, is probably the only copy there ever was of the poem. Unless the author or someone else who knows what the missing words are, is still around, we will never know what they were.

I have typed out the words to make it easier to read just as I did with "Ode to the Eagle". I have also taken the liberty and used a little poetic licence to add some words like what the missing words could be.
Skennars poem 5 (Copy).JPG
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Denv12
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Re: Skennars coaches from September 1973

Post by Denv12 »

Could you repost the photos? And bring the post up to date?
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