CTPG, Group vehicles: (these are owned or part owned by the group).
1. 368 XUH368 Leyland Titan PD2A/30 fitted with Metro-Cammell high-bridge rear entrance lightweight body seating 64 passengers. Delivered new to Cardiff Corporation, one of five identical vehicles in the batch 367-371. Known to the crews as 'Skinny Leylands' due to the narrow width of the upper saloon, which conductors, hated. These were the first Leyland double deck buses purchased since a batch of Leyland Titan TD4c's which arrived in 1936. Cardiff, had standarddised on AEC since the mid 1930's, and on Daimler and Guy chassis' during the post war period.
The PD2A/30's introduced the well known Cardiff translucent centre roof panels, running continuously between the roof domes, also on two of the batch, 367 and 370 florescent lighting was introduced, this was later adopted as standard for all deliveries from 1962. Other features included a one piece upper deck rear emergency door window which at that time was rare indeed in the Cardiff fleet, only three Crossleys with rare Scottish Commercial bodies, new in 1947/8 had this feature. Last but not least, these vehicles heralded the revised rear destination display, using the service number only, which from then on became the standard until 1974 when rear destination indicators of any sort were abandoned until the trail fitting of two types of electrically operated rear service number displays, fitted to Daimler Fleetlines 555 and 559 respectively.
These vehicles had a comparatively short working life of only 10 years. Our example being acquired by Kenfig Motors along with stable mate 371 during the early 1970's. Later moving to a PSV driving school and used by them until around 1989 when it was sold for scrap. Brought back to Cardiff from a Hull based dealer it then resided for some years at the Newport Transport Depot, moving again to another location in Newport before arriving at our present site near Cardiff. Work has now started in earnest on rebuilding this vehicle.
2. 512 MBO512F AEC Swift MP2R, fitted with Alexander B47D+18 standing bodies, new to City of Cardiff Transport in the summer of 1968. This vehicle was one of 20 vehicles of this type purchased for one man operation (OMO), a description later changed, for the sake of 'political correctness' to one person operation (OPO). These vehicles lasted until ousted by the inevitable Leyland Nationals in the mid 1970's. The bus has now been restored to the original livery, and a rebuilt AEC AH505 power unit has been fitted. There is however still some outstanding work to be carried out on this bus.
3. 532 PKG532H Daimler Fleetline CRG6 fitted with Willowbrook/Duple H44/30D body, one of 25 such buses delivered to Cardiff in 1969 mainly for Trolleybus replacement. Split between Roath and Sloper Road Garages, these vehicles were originally a common sight on services 2, 6, 9, 10A/10B. Later, Roath Depot allocated buses settled down on revised services 7, 8 and 9. The Sloper Road vehicles were used more widely, with only service 24 receiving dedicated examples on the introduction of Vide-mat passenger operated ticket machines, for a short time during the early 1970's. Our example was in the batch originally operated from Roath Depot, though spending the last years of it's service life at Cardiff, working from Sloper Road Depot. Our vehicle needs considerable work in all areas to return it to roadworthy condition and must be considered a long term project.
4. 1 C101HKG Ford Transit fitted with Robin Hood B16F minibus body, new to National Welsh in 1986 which heralded the 'Bustler' revolution in Barry, this vehicle being the first of over one hundred such vehicles based mainly on either the Transit or Leyland Sherpa chassis. Our Bustler was first acquired in 1996 after finishing it's service life in the Stagecoach fleet, but has spent the last year in the care of The Vale of Glamorgan Bus Preservation Group from which it has now returned. It now displays the well remembered Bustler livery of mainly yellow, with red, white and blue stripes, in which livery, we hope to show this vehicle in the near future.
5. 497 JKG497F Daimler Fleetline CRG6 Park Royal H43/31F. This ex City of Cardiff Transport Daimler Fleetline has been transferred to the CTPG from it's former CTPG private owners and is from 20th April 2005 now a group vehicle. This vehicle is in course of repainting and needs some interior work to complete.
6. L358 TAX235 This ex Red & White Bristol Lodekka LD6G fitted with the standard 60 seat ECW lowbridge body was delivered new to Tredegar Depot during 1958, but subsequently operated from various other depots of Red & White Services Ltd. Originally appearing in the standard Tilling Red and Cream livery until the formation of the National Bus Company when it wore the then new Poppy red and white scheme. After withdrawal and sale by Red & White in 1974, it was purchased for school contract work by Mr. Win Griffiths of Globelle Coaches, West Bromwich. It now makes an interesting addition to our collection of buses with origins in, or connections with, south east Wales and will plug a gap in our collection of vehicles of the 1950's.
7. 678 LKG678 New to Western Welsh Omnibus Company one of 15 Park Royal 60 seat high-bridge AEC Regent V deckers, fitted with A470 engines and platform doors delivered new in 1956. This bus was brought back from the south of France in January of 2007 and is now in storage awaiting restoration.
8. 1518 TKG518J This Leyland Leopard PSU4A/2R fitted with Willowbrook B45F body was new in 1971 to Western Welsh Omnibus Co. Ltd later becomming U871 in the (renamed) National Welsh fleet a further re-numbering saw it as U1272 while allocated to Bridgend depot during 1983. During the mid 1980s it was converted to a Tow-bus along with a number of other similar vehicles, receiving fleet number E1058 and at the break-up of National Welsh in the early 1990s became Stagecoach (Red & White) tow-bus RW3 The bus has now been kindly donated to Cardiff Transport Preservation Group on 12/7/06. below is a potted history of allocations and fleet number changes:
9. 434 ABO434B Guy Arab V Neepsend OH37/28R new 1964 owned by CTPG (in store) this bus has recently been donated to the CTPG by the National Museum of Wales. New to City of Cardiff Transport in 1964, one of 12 Guy Arab V's fitted with Neepsend rear entrance body it was converted to open-top by Cardiff in 1976 for use on city tour duties along with similar bus 424 ABO424B which is now undergoing restoration, see other Cardiff Survivors section.
10. 3 LNY903 All Leyland Titan PD2/12 L55R ex Caerphilly Urban District Council, new in 1951 was purchased by the CTPG during November 2006 from preservationist R. A. Jenkinson of County Durham in who's care the bus had been for the past 31 years, being stored under cover for the last 15 years. Previously operated from new by CUDC and then passing to Shelton-Orsborn Services of Northamptonshire who operated it from January '69 until February '75.
11. 68 EDW 68D Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 Alexander H43/31F new to Newport Transport in 1966 one of the first rear engined buses to enter service. This bus has kindly been donated to the group by former owner and preservationist Robert Noakes of Newport.
12. 587 PKG587M ex Cardiff Bristol VRT-SL2-6LX and fitted with Standard ECW LH43/31F body. Acquired on 13/1/07 from BVRES and now stored prior to beginning the necessary work to return it to working order.
13. 14 XNY416 ex Aberdare Urban District Council Guy Arab LUF fitted with Longwell Green B44F body new in 1958.
14. 889AAX ex Jones Aberbeeg Leyland Tiger Cub OPSUC1/3T Weymann B44F saloon acquired by the CTPG jointly with group member Revd Patrick Coleman.
15. 407 NDW407X ex Cardiff Bus Volvo Ailsa B55-10 MkIII Northern Counties H39/35F new 1982, donated by Cardiff Bus 30/1/08.
16. 258 G258HUH ex Cardiff Bus Leyland Lynx MkI B51F new 1990, donated by Cardiff Bus 30/1/08.
17. 143 N143PTG Cardiff Bus "Clipper" Metrorider currently still in use by Cardiff Bus Training Dept.
Cardiff Transport Preservation Group-ctpg.co.uk