Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

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Tim Williams
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Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:26 pm
Location: Adelaide

Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

IMG_0002.jpg
IMG_0002.jpg (69.65 KiB) Viewed 10566 times
This coach was the first of two heavy rear engined deck and a half types (no 62 was the next one) The body is pure J A Lewis body builders but the chassis is of more interest. It is badged as an Albion and it may have been that some of the components come from a Clydesdale but major items (engine, gearbox and at least rear axle) are ex Leyland Hippo truck. It was a real handful to drive an 0680 (or 0690 power plus engine) combined with a very slow and heavy 5 speed constant mesh gearbox. The hydraulic clutch slave cylinders came from written off Holdens ex Glynde Auto wreckers and would regularly fail - I won't go into the results of that!!

However one of many unique products from J A Lewis body builders. I know some sort of book has be written about Lewis Bros., I haven't seen it and am not sure what form it took, but a lot of fascinating stories could be told about this wonderfully pioneering organisation as it was in those earlier times.

The picture comes from an official photo taken at Glynde, not sure who was the photographer.
Tim Williams
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Location: Adelaide

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

I have just realised that the second of these heavy coaches was no 60 (not 62 as previously noted)
paulgersche
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Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:54 am

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by paulgersche »

Hi, Tim (and all)

Is there a fleet list for the Lewis fleet available from anywhere?

I am sure it would make interesting reading!


Regards,

Paul
Tim Williams
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Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

LB Fleet 1.jpg
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A good enquiry - The fleet list information (which is fairly non-detailed) was compiled by me from Lewis Bros records and was including in 2 issues of the Bus & Coach Society of SA Newsletters in late 1972, scanned in 3 sections.
Tim Williams
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Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

LB Fleet 2.jpg
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Tim Williams
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Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:26 pm
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Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

LB Fleet 3.jpg
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burrumbus
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Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by burrumbus »

Thank you Tim for posting the photos and fleetlist of the highly interesting Lewis Bros business.
They ,off the fleetlist were far and away the largest Adelaide private operator.67 vehicles if my maths is correct !!
I have been reading a fair bit lately on the Adelaide private route operators and wished I'd been around to see them in action.
Most of them would seem to have been good quality operators with pretty reasonable ,if very diverse fleets.
Cheers.
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Fleet Lists
Administrator
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Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Fleet Lists »

Thanks to the fleet list I have been able to add fleet numbers to the descriptions of these two photos in the photo gallery:-
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... ?pos=-8653
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... ?pos=-8652
Living in the Shire.
paulgersche
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Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:54 am

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by paulgersche »

Yes, thanks Tim!

Interesting reading!

Paul
Denv12
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Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Denv12 »

This was one of Lewis Bros buses. In 1985 it was still being used by Quest Tours. It was sold later that year with all their other buses.
I dont know where it went.It was a heavily modified vehicle using Austral Tourmaster parts and it had a turbo engine and power steering.The interior was "Austral"-ised too.
Attachments
Lewis Bros.
Lewis Bros.
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Coach Captain Daryl
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 2:56 pm

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Coach Captain Daryl »

Are you sure that coach is No 55 ? I thought 55 looked a little different, it looks like Coach 63 with the 10 speed road ranger gearbox and the V8 Perkins, If my memory serves me right she came to grief approx 5 kms or so just out of Hay, extremely sad circumstances, I was sent out to rescue the group that were on that bus.
Tim Williams
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Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:26 pm
Location: Adelaide

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

That is not no 55, as you have said -- the regn no. suggests it was SPS no 80, but I cannot remember what no 80 looked like and it could well have been rebuilt at some stage.
Tim Williams
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Location: Adelaide

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

LB147.jpg
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I found an old photo I took whilst route 502. The Regn is RCW 813 and it obviously later served with Quest.
Tim Williams
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Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:26 pm
Location: Adelaide

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

Sorry Route 503 not 502. And it is clear that the coach was rebuilt after my photo, or at least repanelled.
Coach Captain Daryl
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 2:56 pm

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Coach Captain Daryl »

Tim, please forgive me,my name is Daryl, I don't mean to be rude. When I was approx 7 years old or so, I was walking south along King William St, with my Grandmother, I saw this beautiful bus, parked there, I was in awe, I thought, wow, one day I would love to drive something like that.
Several years later, there I was, somehow fate put me in the seat of that very coach, number 80. I feel certain that bus that you have shown is number 80, both buses were deck and a halves but I think you will find coach 55 (sometimes called the purple people eater) had a slightly different shape on the roof.

Kind Regards
Daryl Tyndall.
Coach Captain Daryl
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 2:56 pm

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Coach Captain Daryl »

Tim, Daryl again, I need to apologize, when I was looking at your blog I saw

"(LB147.jpg (81.3 KiB) Viewed 1686 times
I found an old photo I took whilst route 502. The Regn is RCW 813 and it obviously later served with Quest.Top)"

and thought that was the bus that you were referring too.

By the way, thanks for putting the pictures up, it is really great to see them.
Tim Williams
Posts: 1241
Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:26 pm
Location: Adelaide

Re: Lewis Bros Coach No 55 (Albion/Leyland)

Post by Tim Williams »

I will try and upload some more Lewis Bros bus photos, this week - hopefully.
John Lewis was a character, a man that new what he wanted and wasn't at all afraid of trying new ideas!!
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