It was spocered by Jayes Travel for a time, I think there was a mention of AD4860 in Aust Bus & Commercial Vehicle Heritage mag some time ago.
It was owned/imported by a couple of well known Newcastle area private collectors.
Jayes Travel Agency coach travel was handled by Linsley Bros Motor bus service at Wallsend, they were later purchased by Blue Ribbion Coaches who took over the Jayes duties. (The Hong Kong AEC was stored at their Wallsend depot for years.)
Is it fully electric (electric motor) or electrically switched air solenoids operating air rams to operate the doors ?.
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Dave Wilson wrote:Only kidding- I rode them exensively in HK in 1982 and thought they were extraordinary. What was really amazing was how many people could be swallowed up by these Regent V buses at a single sitting. The HK Chinese (are) were so disciplined to do the right thing that 80 people could load in a few minutes. It is a stark memory of those days. Try that in Sydeney. Put it back in Kowloon colours and it will be a treasure
Did you know they existed prior to travelling there?I would have been in shock to see AECs in that place!
Dave Wilson wrote:Only kidding- I rode them exensively in HK in 1982 and thought they were extraordinary. What was really amazing was how many people could be swallowed up by these Regent V buses at a single sitting. The HK Chinese (are) were so disciplined to do the right thing that 80 people could load in a few minutes. It is a stark memory of those days. Try that in Sydeney. Put it back in Kowloon colours and it will be a treasure
Did you know they existed prior to travelling there?I would have been in shock to see AECs in that place!
Even today most world bus enthusiasts know a large proportion of new HongKong buses bear strong design and construction links to UK products and some are even fully imported from the UK.With Hong Kong remaining a British colony until 1997 their buses were more British than anywhere else in the world outside of the UK and Ireland.
Most bus people back in the 1970/80s knew that all Commonwealth countries except Canada purchased the majority of their buses,trucks and cars from the UK or UK owned local assembly operations prior to 1973. When the UK joined what is now the European Union, free or very favourable trade between the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth ended with the rest of europe becoming the UK´s largest trading partners.And so companies like AEC and Leyland ended up losing their export businesses to Commonwealth Countries once EU rules forced them to compete on a level playing field against Mercedes,MAN and Renault amongst others .........so it was the EU free trade that enabled Mercedes to win all of Leyland´s Aussie bus customers with newly competitive prices rather than just a superior over priced product
It wasn't just "favourable" trade terms that saw so many British buses in colonies like Hong Kong and Singapore. It was the fact that the British Colonial governments could impose legislation that stipulate the local bus companies must purchase British / Commonwealth products.
It's interesting that as soon as this legislation was lifted in Hong Kong, KMB went out to purchase the 40 Mercedes O305s ... and then returned to virtually purchasing British products only for the next 2 decades.
kitkat271 wrote:It wasn't just "favourable" trade terms that saw so many British buses in colonies like Hong Kong and Singapore. It was the fact that the British Colonial governments could impose legislation that stipulate the local bus companies must purchase British / Commonwealth products.
It's interesting that as soon as this legislation was lifted in Hong Kong, KMB went out to purchase the 40 Mercedes O305s ... and then returned to virtually purchasing British products only for the next 2 decades.
I seem to recall that soon after the mercs landed in honkers, the Brits and the Chinese started to talk about the hand back of honkers and therein the Brits started to pour cash into the colony, the new airport etc etc - wouldn't surprise me if they (the UK gov) didn't offer favourable terms for English companies/suppliers doing business in HK......
Its also about fitness for purpose. I dont know how well the Mercedes o305 chassis was able to cope with the weight of a double deck body and full loads of passengers on hilly HK but the British Dennis Tridents and various Volvo models from Olympian onwards have the power and reliability to serve the whole length of modern contracts.Its a shame that political will is blocking the introduction of modern deckers which are such a success in HK to the streets of Sydney. The arguement of excessive delays at stops unloading while passengers make their way downstairs is not borne out by the London experience.
Even if the AEC Regent has lost its original upstairs seats I hope it will still attract preservationists that will cherish it and get it undercover to make sure it is around to be enjoyed by the people in Sydney forever, and it would become a top attraction for HK bus lovers visiting Australia.
The Mercs don't climb up the hill much, most of the times are doing express between Kowloon and the North West - Yuen Long, with their coach diffs, they are the first buses got caught by the speed cameras in Hong Kong!
SMS88AEC wrote:Its a shame that political will is blocking the introduction of modern deckers which are such a success in HK to the streets of Sydney. The arguement of excessive delays at stops unloading while passengers make their way downstairs is not borne out by the London experience.
I though they are not allowed because is being too heavy?
Detroit 6VT92/ZF 4HP500...the best bendi bus power train!
kitkat271 wrote:It wasn't just "favourable" trade terms that saw so many British buses in colonies like Hong Kong and Singapore. It was the fact that the British Colonial governments could impose legislation that stipulate the local bus companies must purchase British / Commonwealth products.
It's interesting that as soon as this legislation was lifted in Hong Kong, KMB went out to purchase the 40 Mercedes O305s ... and then returned to virtually purchasing British products only for the next 2 decades.
I don't quite think it was the case for Singapore. They were independant of the British by the mid 70s but up until the 90s they were buying Leylands.
Trade preference within the old British Empire was actually governed by a series tariffs with reciprocal benefits - not legislation as I understand it. Its effect was hosed down to some extent by Churchill in the 1950s who believed in free trade and did not want to exclude the US as a potential trade partner (not that the US gave a stuff about Britain). Notwithstanding Churchill, Menzies was a strong advocate of 'imperial preference' and probably led to the large Australian orders for British tram replacement bus chasses right into the 60s. Menzies retired in 1966 and Empire trading had become a shadow of its former self by about the mid 1970s (EEC etc).
boronia wrote:Boronia was expecting a picture of this mysterious 3rd person poster, out of his home territory.
Me too - I thought it was going to be a collection of holiday snaps...........
AEC Decker has been to Cessnock several times, sometimes for the big swap meet at the showgrounds. Next time he goes to Cessnock he will post some holiday snaps.
STA CNG Scania 3461-3520,3621-3661=Scania Blοater
STA O405NH=Classic Blοater
STA O500LE 4868-4877,4879-4902,1800-1811=Heavy Blοater
STA O500LE 1812 onwards=Blοater
STA O500LE Euro 5 Diesel=Non Blοater or AdBlueter
Now I had a look around on the net I found a picture of A19 in all her glory plus pictures of the original seating that were in these buses plus they had a nick name for the AEC Regent V they called them Buffalo's cause of there size and three conductors plus the driver as the crew.
Yes AEC AD4860 had the same green fibre glass seats as in those photos before Shaddow's removed them.
There must be more photos of it in someones collection????
boronia wrote:I came across the sad looking Daimler in a yard in HK a few years ago.
Anyone know if it still exists ??
HK Daimler (Medium).jpg
This shot is more than 10 years
It was moved to another yard close to the boarder of China when I saw it in 2000, but suffered a fire damage, and I think it has moved to another yard
Detroit 6VT92/ZF 4HP500...the best bendi bus power train!
OLYMPIAN wrote:
This shot is more than 10 years
It was moved to another yard close to the boarder of China when I saw it in 2000, but suffered a fire damage, and I think it has moved to another yard
Taken in 1997 or 1999.
Preserving fire service history @ The Museum of Fire.
Re: AEC Decker in Cessnock
