Show us your buses

From time to time I mention and illustrate some of the buses I have built or modified from commercial die cast models. I have photographed quite a few of them on various dioramas I have built as well as on my layouts but I only usually show them if there is specific mention of a particular type or model, or else as a part of my workbench thread.

Jim S-W also illustrated many of his models but I certainly didn't wish to divert attention from them in his own thread topics, so thought I might start a new thread for my own and others modelling achievements.

To start the ball rolling, here are some pics of my kit-built Pirate Models white metal Duple Dominant II coaches, all taken some time ago. The dioramas have all been entries in the annual Model Bus Association of Australia's modelling competitions over the years.

First up, the Duple Dominant II as a bus grant Volvo B58 in Green Line livery (one of two tried out in competition with similarly bodied Leyland Leopards). It is seen on my seaside diorama (with photoshopped sky)



Next, another Dominant II but this time in my fictitious Kingfisher Coaches livery. This one has the coach door and low front dome. Firstly on the seaside diorama, then on the country lane diorama, then on the low bridge diorama.







And next, a Metrobus (Orpington) bus grant AEC Reliance. The other buses in the pics are a Metrobus Optare StarRider (Paragon resin kit) and a Plaxton Bustler (also Paragon but in etched brass and white metal). None of these was quite complete at the time of the photos.





Rounding out the Duple Dominant theme, here is a Dominant III I built for a friend. Livery is once again fictitious. The other coaches visible in these two shots are both Pirate Models, a Duple 320 12m Leyland Tiger (white metal kit) and a Plaxton 3200 12m Leyland Tiger (etched brass and white metal), both in Green Line livery - those stripes are a real pain to do!

Thanks for sharing those with us, Jeff.  Buses have a charm and attraction all their own.  They really add a lot to the overall scenes.

Thanks Max.

Continuing with a few more of mine, this time with a theme of London RF class (AEC Regal IV) buses.

Here are a couple of London Transport RFs of the first batch of 25 short vehicles (chassis code 9821LT Special). The Green Line one is built from a Little Bus Company resin kit (ex-CJT kits) while the one in original Private Hire livery (green/red/grey) was shortened from a Concept Models plastic RF bus.



Contemprary with the Private Hire RFs were the 15 8' wide RFW class coaches, also for Private Hire duties. This was an RTC white metal kit which was not particularly easy or well-designed and not entirely accurate, either (look at the depth of the roof cant panels). Sorry I don't have a good photo of the model right now.



Next, a straight build of the ABS Streetscene (ex-GS Models white metal) kit as an LT country bus.



Passing a standard RT (EFE model) is a repainted Concept Models RF as a Green Line coach (apologies for the hairy roof!).



These next few were straight repaints of the Concept Models plastic RF. The red one is a standard central area red bus, the blue one represents a Continental Pioneer of Richmond (Surrey) vehicle but I never got around to printing up the fleetnames, while the two-tone red and cream one is one bought by Osbournes of Tollesbury.






Rounding off the RF section, here is a variation built for British European Airways, still on AEC Regal IV chassis but with Park Royal deck-and-a-half bodies that owed some allegiance to the RT style. These were maintained by London Transport and coded 4RF4 by them. This one is an old GS Models white metal kit but I have another to build from RTC Kits, also in white metal.

I have a lot more to show off (no hurry though!) but to finish off for today, here is a little bit of whimsy. I made the Harry Potter Knight Rider bus from two EFE RTs (actually, an RT and an RTL!). I mixed the purple myself but I'm still not sure I got it right. At the time of this photo the middle deck had no glazing.

There's some great modelling there Jeff. You should be really chuffed with those vehicles. A very nice addition to any layout.

Thanks Robert. Unfortunately, I have way too many buses to display all of them on the layout. I tend to pick a few suited to the time period and swap them around as and when I feel inclined.

Nice shots Jeff. :thumbs  Some very authentic looking scenes there.

I've always had difficulty sourcing buses from my modelled region - most seem to be LT or other "southern" based areas.  I'd never considered re-liveries ( I doubt I'd tackle actually building one from a kit) but you've sown a seed.  However, I'll bet some of them are absolutely B's to do …………..:hmm

Peter, modern stripey liveries are a pain in the ar** to do but many of the earlier liveries followed the contours of the bus body and trim strips (painting between the lines!).

EFE buses are usually easy to dismantle for repainting, OOC are a little more difficult.

What period and area are you interested in?

With Peter's post in mind, here are a few repaints I have done with difficult (read 'horrible'?) stripey liveries.

An EFE Leyland National with Pirate Models national 2 front grafted on, Pirate white metal wheels and BusTrans Stagecoach stripes and fleetnames.



Another EFE National 2 conversion but with original wheels, repainted into London & Country livery - the stripes are hand-painted.



Would you believe this was originally a Leyland National? It started life as a Tower Models kit with a Model Bus Company/Anbrico/ABS Streetscene white metal front and wheels and scratchbuilt chassis in plasticard. Stripes by BusTrans. It is not accurate but represents a short Bristol LH of Wilts & Dorset (post-privatisation) - it's passable!



Yet another variation on the EFE National; a Kentish Bus repaint with a few tweaks, including removal of the pod and addition of the louvres between the headlights. The stripes were all hand-painted (which probably explains my continuing insanity!).



A simpler repiant was this Concept Models Leyland Lynx, also into Kentish Bus livery.



More Stagecoach stripes, this time a white metal kit-built Dennis Dart with Alexander Dash body from Pirate Models (ex-Lowland Models kit). Stripes and fleetnames are again from BusTrans.



I'm not sure if this one counts as stripes, apart from the thin yellow stripe between the grey skirt and the blue lower panels but I'll include it here anyway. It is a Leyland Atlantean AN68 from an ABS Stretscene kit (white metal, ex-Anbrico) in The Shires livery. Fleetnames were from BusTrans.



And lastly for this segment, a John Day white metal Ford Transit in a fictional livery. The stripe is hand-painted but the text and picture are home-printed transfers.

:cool wink  very cool, indeed.

As you rightly say Jeff, the older liveries tended to follow the body panels.  Your "stripey" repaints look brilliant. :thumbs

My era is roughly the transition period - late 60's to early 70's and the region is roughly the Yorks/Lancs borders.  There would be a few "trip" buses from elsewhere in the country, double deckers serving the modelled "town" and single deckers serving the surrounding countryside.

I remember the red livery of "West Yorkshire Road Car Co", green of "Leeds City Transport" (although their trams were red), cream of "Wallace Arnold", brown and cream (naturally) of the "York Pullman Bus Co" and blue and white of "East Yorkshire" - at least I think I do !!!

The actual models, I'm not sure about - I wasn't particularly "into" buses but the country bus we went to school on - 50's and early 60's was a 29 seater Bedford Duple operated by the local cattle and sugar beet haulier ………………………………:roll::roll::roll:

Peter,

There have been a few models from EFE/OOC and Britbus that would suit you. For that last one (the "29 seater Bedford Duple operated by the local cattle and sugar beet haulier") both OOC and EFE have the OB with Duple coach body available but you would probably have to repaint one to the local operator. If it was a bus body then the only model (no longer available new) was the Little Bus Company resin kit. I wouldn't mind one of the latter myself because I used to regularly ride on one owned by the West Sussex County Council for school runs to swimming and sports events.

In the period you are modelling, there were still some half-cab buses around, some lasting long enough to gain West Yorkshire PTE livery from around 1972 onwards. I know Britbus did a WYPTE liveried half cab - I think it may have been a Park Royal bodied Leyland but I'll check later to confirm or correct.

EFE did a West Yorkshire Road Car Leyland Tiger single decker although it was a pre-war type so may not be entirely suitable. Of more interest could be the Leeds City Transport AEC double decker and Samuel Ledgard Leyland PD, both from EFE. OOC released the Burlingham Seagull coach in Wallace Arnold livery and EFE did their Plaxton Panorama Elite in WA livery. I think the AEC Regent V MCW Orion from EFE was released in West Yorkshire red and Hebble - you could easily change the Hebble one by changing the fleetnames.

Speaking of Hebble, that would also fit the bill anyway. EFE also had a Hebble Harrington coach and I think OOC had the Burlingham coach.

EFE and OOC have released quite a few buses and coaches in East Yorkshire livery, including the Harrington Cavalier/Grenadier (EFE), Leyland ECW single decker (OOC), BET standard bus (EFE), Bedford OB (either EFE or OOC), Bristol VRT2 (EFE), Windover/Duple half cab coach (EFE) and BET later standard (EFE). I am open to correction on some of these as I am going from memory. 

Going slightly further afield, it may have been possible to find Halifax, Todmorden, Ribble, Crosville, Lancashire United and Manchester Corporation (later SELNEC PTE and later still the Greater Manchester PTE) buses and coaches in the area you want, too.

They might be good starting points to look for. Changing fleetnames for liveries that are similar is easy using nail varnish remover (or acetone) to remove the old transfers and suppliers such as Fox Transfers or ModelMaster for the replacement fleetnames, number plates and destinations (although I print the last two items myself, nowadays).


EDIT: additional info: check out British Model Buses on http://www.britishmodelbuses.com/ and follow the Model Lists link. Additional Wallace Arnold coaches released included a Leyland Tiger Duple half-cab (EFE), Bedford OB (EFE), Plaxton Panorama 1 (OOC) and Harrington (EFE). OOC at one time had 'generic Bristol L and K models in Tilling red and Tilling green so one could add their own fleetnames and destinations.

Most of these models are out of production but can crop up at swap meets and on eBay, or even in Hatton's specials bin!

That's an extremely comprehensive reply Jeff - many thanks. :thumbs

I do have some OB Duple models - EFE I think, one of which is in East Yorks livery,  another in West Yorks livery and yet another in W.A. livery.  Destinations are, I think, Scarborough and Otley so that fits.  I also have a couple of Leyland Tiger single deck half-cabs - in, I think,  "Todmorden" livery.  I like them even though they were pre-war and the area is OK !!

I keep an eye out on fleabay for anything that might suit but many thanks for the names of the transfer manufacturers - I'll have a look and see what they have in stock.

My local cattle haulier - "Bailey's of Fangfoss" might be a little more difficult to source ………………:roll::roll::roll:  I'm pretty sure their OB's were cream with a maroon "flash" running down from the base of the front window flaring out to include the rear wheel arch.  As you say, I probably won't be difficult to decide exactly where by looking at the body panels.  Their radiator grills were also painted in the maroon.

Sorry Peter, I edited the previous post with a little extra info plus a couple of corrections. :roll:

Is anybody interested in a few Bristols? These are all ones I have either modified or built from kits.

The first one actually appeared in my previous post with pictures - it is a Bristol LHS / ECW converted from a Tower Models Leyland National kit.

The Tower National also provided this Brighton, Hove & District Bristol RESL / ECW dual door. Also in the photos is a Tower National built almost as it comes out of the box (but with modified wheels and front lower panel).





Next, a rather simpler conversion of an EFE Bristol LS / ECW. I have lowered the front destination moulding slightly and redone the bus from Eastern National to Wilts & Dorset.



Also a relatively simple conversion was this EFE Bristol MW / ECW coach, now running as a bus or dual purpose vehicle for Hants & Dorset. This involved a partial repaint and building up the front destination panel from Milliput. It should also have a folding bus door but I haven't done that … yet!



A slightly earlier ECW coach body features on this Bristol LS of Royal Blue. This one is built from an ABS Streetscene white metal kit and includes quite a few passengers.



And a somewhat later ECW coach body features on this Bristol MW, also in Royal Blue coaches fleet. This one was built from a Little Bus Company resin kit.



Last one for this segment: A Bristol MW bus in Wilts & Dorset colours, built from a Little Bus Company resin kit.

Very smart Jeff. :thumbs

I can see I'll have to do some research to "date" these buses rather than simply work from memory. Some of those Bristols look familiar but I'd hate to boob by having an "Optare" running alongside my A4 Pacific hauling Gresley teak coaches………………………:roll::roll:

All interesting stuff.
Thanks for the pics.

That bloke waiting in post 9 will be there a long time if that's a one way street.

Yes, that's typical, isn't it? You stand at a bus stop and all the buses go past in the opposite direction!

The title I gave that diorama in the competition was "The Long Wait".:twisted:

How about a London Transport theme this time? Not just any LT buses though, only pre-war types for this post!

Here are two shots of my L3 trolleybus, made from a Little Bus Company resin kit.





At the other extreme, here is a country C class Leyland Cub 20 seater. This was built from an ABS Streetscene white metal kit.



A pre-war type but refurbished by Marshalls of Cambridge after the war to prolong their service lives a little longer, this AEC Renown of the LT class was built from a Little Bus Company resin kit. These LT 'scooters' were internally coded as LTL by London Transport. This is, of course, a post-war livery as appropriate for the type.



This 1935 AEC Q of the type coded 5Q5 by London Transport has a Park Royal body with a front entrance with no door - the Metropolitan police didn't allow operational doors to be fitted until 1965. It also pre-dates One Person Operation (OPO) as this type was operated with a crew (driver and conductor). It was built from a Little Bus Company resin kit.




Finally, a whole collection of them! Most of these are incomplete and still under construction but a few are finished. At the rear left are two 'Godstone' STL buses, 1934 AEC Regents with all-metal Weymann forward entrance lowbridge bodies used on route 410 (Bromley - Reigate). One is in original livery (a Little Bus Company resin kit), the other (an original Varney Transport Replicas white metal kit) in later dark green and light green. To their right is the AEC 5Q5 shown above. To the right again is a 1938 rear-engined Leyland Cub of the CR class, again in original central area livery with grey roof. Next to that is a diecast OOC AEC 4Q4 in country area green. On the road, facing to the right are an EFE diecast 10T10 AEC Regal Green Line coach and a double decker AEC 2Q2. Facing the left are a 9T9 AEC Regal in early Green Line three-tone green (a Little Bus Company resin kit) and an original (unrefurbished) 1931 single deck LT 'scooter' built from an ABS Streetscene (ex-GS Models) white metal kit.

It's a terrific collection of buses you have there Jeff, some great jigsaw pictures too.