RELH 60th

1964 to 2024

In late-1962 Bristol Commercial Vehicles constructed a brand new coach chassis. It was their first 36-foot long chassis and first with the engine at the rear. Powered by a Gardner engine, it had a manual 5-speed gearbox and air suspension. Chassis code: REX002 it was the prototype RELH (Rear Engine Long High) chassis. In the spring of 1963 Eastern Coach Works built a body on this chassis, based on the design they were building then on 'MW' chassis.

 

Thames Valley of Reading, took delivery of the proto-type coach (registered: 521 ABL) on 25 April 1963 and allocated it to their coaching subsidiary SOUTH MIDLAND, of Oxford. In May 1963 this coach entered service operating express services between Oxford and London, either via High Wycombe or via Maidenhead and Slough.

Production RELH

The first production RELH coach (registered: 861 UAE), entered service with Bristol Greyhound in November 1963. Within a year there would be 124 of these coaches operating express services throughout England and Wales. To unsuspecting coach passengers they must have seemed both very large and ultra modern. Several operators had the steering wheels produced in white (rather than the usual black), so that drivers would be well aware they were driving a coach of 36-foot length! It needs to be remembered that until late-1962 the longest bus/coach permitted in the UK was 33-foot.


In January 1964, 17 coaches entered service with 6 different operators, possibly to give as many different fleet engineers and drivers experience of this new chassis. By the end of 1964, sixteen operators had Bristol RELH / ECW mark-1 coaches in service, as follows:


Bristol Greyhound (19), Crosville (13), Eastern Counties (7), Eastern National (15), Hants & Dorset (2), Lincolnshire (8), Midland General (3), Southern National (3), Tillings (1), South Midland (2), United (20), United Counties (10), United Welsh (2) Western National (11) and West Yorkshire (6).


To view a table giving details of all 413 Bristol RELH / ECW mark-1 coaches built between 1963 and 1970, click here >

To view pictures of the 25 surviving Bristol RELH / ECW mark-1 coaches, click here >

Oldest survivor: 375 GWN

New in January 1964 to United Welsh, Swansea. Chassis 212.027 of the first production run.

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