Worthing Bus Gathering and Running Day

Brighton & Hove were unable to send an open-top Dennis Trident this year as they were required for service. However they did send Bristol KSW6G 6447 (HAP985).

Brighton & Hove also sent along one of their Golden Jibilee liveried Dennis Tridents, 865 (PK02RCZ). The bus has been named Queen Elizabeth II. 866 of the same batch is named Prince Philip. Body is by Plaxton. One of the DAF/Optare Spectras recently passed from Eastbourne to Reading can be seen in the background.

And talking of Eastbourne - another golden bus to appear was Eastbourne Buses 26 (P906PWW) a DAF SB220 with Northern Counties body, acquired in 2002 from Airlinks of Gatwick Airport.

Besides the double decker noted above, Reading Transport 123 (YG02FVW) was also there - an Optare Solo painted in standard Reading livery and branded "Solo-Rider".

I make no excuses for showing another London Transport RT - this year we had a "pre-war" one, RT113 (FXT288) smartly painted up in wartime livery complete with white edged mudguards. The 14 was one of the routes on which RT113 would have operated (along with the 74 and 37) which all ran out of Putney (Bridge?) Garage.

New operator, Thames Buses, showed two of its vehicles, E47TYG is a Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen. D109NDW is a Leyland Lynx which was new to Merthyr Tydfil Transport. Both are very sartly turned out.

Another south coast operator is represented here - Bournemouth Corporation Transport - perhaps best known for its excellent trolleybus sytem but it has some interesting motor buses too - such as this Leyland Tiger PS2 with full-front Burlingham bodywork. This is a popular entrant at many rallies.

And finally .......

........ isn't this really what everybody comes to Worthing to see? Southdown buses as far as the eye can see. In the foreground is Leyland Leopard/Harrington 1703, behind which is Bristol VR 684. These are about to be passed by one of the many Queen Maries to be seen at the event. On the left is the recently repatriated Guy Arab open-topper, 451 - GUF191 and Guy Arab IV/Park Royal 547 - PUF647 and - oh yes - another QM!

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