Red and White Guy L1749

Not seen Part One click here
or Part Two click here

Red and White Guy L1749 - Part Three

This is the third and final part of my gallery regarding preserved Red & White Guy Arab III L1749. It shows her in the condition she is in today, I have also included a selection of internal shots which depict the lowbridge seating arrangement and finally two shots of L1749 with other preserved Red & White vehicles. I do hope you have enjoyed my gallery of L1749 as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

Ken Morgan
04/2011

L1749 as she is today

Here we have L1749 at rest in the summer sunshine of July 2005 in the small town of Usk in Monmouthshire notice that the Red & White name decals and fleet numbers have all now been added.

Rear view of L1749 is almost as pleasing as the previous side view of the Duple body.

Now lets go inside "Mind the step"

Rear platform after complete rebuild.

With all of the removed components and panels now refitted the lower deck seats which are all original and are in good shape to receive passengers once again. Note the overhead coat rack above the left hand seats an unusual but very useful feature with the 60 mile route L1749 used to do.

A lower deck view towards the rear showing the leather tops to the seat backs which after 55 years are still serviceable. People entering the bus all remark on the smell of the old seats which were very comfortable when new and tell us not to have them reupolstered as it would spoil the atmosphere.

Upper deck view facing forwards showing the 12 inch step up from the lowered walkway for headroom in the drivers cab.

Upper deck view to the rear showing the four seater bench type seats also still the original upholstery.

The Duple Coachworks emblem located on the front bulkhead of the lower saloon..

How to get a 13ft 6in bus through a 11ft archway.

L1749 in 2005 about to pass through the ancient town arch in Chepstow, Monmouthshire for the first time since its service days of 1950 to 1968.
Chepstow was the Head Office and Central Engineering Workshops of the Red & White and L1749 passed through the town arch on a daily basis even though the archway was sign posted as a 10ft 6in height restriction.

Care had to be taken when driving through as the archway was slightly offset to the road and could easily be misjudged.

During the 1950s/60s when L1749 used to pass through the arch it showed a 10ft 6in
height restriction. since the construction of the town by-pass in recent years the height
restriction has been upgraded to 11ft although the road has remained unchanged.

And through without a scratch thank goodness.

At the Rallies.

The two oldest preserved roadworthy Red & White bus and coach together at the Merthy Tydfil bus and coach Wales Rally in 2009. Along side L1749 is Leyland PS1 coach registration HWO 323 fleet number C350 owned by Mr Bowring of Lydney and on loan to the Cardiff Preservation Group it is unique in having the only roadworthy example of a Lydney Coachworks body which can easily be mistaken to be a Duple.

This time at Beachley is L1749 with preserved Red & White Bristol Lodekka registration TAX 235 fleet number L235 now owned by the Cardiff Preservation Group.

23/04/11

What a superb job, Ken. To see such a delightful bus back in its original condition is a credit to you and all concerned. I have always had a fascination with the Duple double-deckers of this period with their coach embellishment beading. This simple addition transformed a smart town bus into an attractive inter-urban bus totally suited to longer-distant duties. How I would love to ride this bus from Gloucester to Cardiff today. Any plans? Thank you for sharing your work with us.

Paul Haywood

23/04/11

I agree entirely with Paul's comments above. Not only was this magnificent vehicle most appealing throughout its working career, but the standard of restoration is impeccable and the original features which have been retained are just "the icing on the cake." I'm sure that everyone will have noticed the similarity between the Chepstow arch and the Beverley Bar of East Yorkshire Motor Services fame. Thank you indeed for this splendid series of articles.

Chris Youhill

24/04/11

Firstly, I thought Ken might appreciate this shot of his Guy Arab taken on the 1973 Trans-Pennine Run. At the time it was owned by Dougal Jess of Carnoustie.

David Beilby

24/04/11

Low bridges and arches are fascinating in that there seems not to be a common standard of “honesty” with the signage.
A few summers ago, I took some foreign students from Windsor to Oxford on a three coach job. We drivers went to a café just the other side of the railway bridge on the Botley Road, by Oxford Station. The weather being good, we sat outside watching the procession of traffic. This included the regular passage of full height Tridents on the Park and Ride service under a 13’6” (?) bridge. They may have been trying to discourage people but bus and HGV professionals are not stupid when they see these vehicles going through.
I have also, safely, put a 12’1” Scania under an 11’6” bridge in Guildford. [Have to admit, it was another driver who told me it was possible and I did use my ferry lift to make sure!!!]

David Oldfield

24/04/11

I'd like to add my two penn'orth to thank Ken for his story of rebuilding this attractive vehicle. My living in Gloucester gave it an extra interest. I have seen wartime photos of buses in Gloucester with Abergavenny on the blinds (about 41 miles away), but this Red & White one of 60 miles tops that. Long routes seem to be disappearing. The long-standing Gloucester to Newport route (45 miles) was cut back to Chepstow (28) a couple of years ago, and now terminates at Lydney (19).

Chris Hebbron

29/04/11 - 07:00

I enjoyed your views of HWO 342, they revived memories of journeys on HWO 328 which was operated by W Everett (one of the United Services partners) on the Wakefield – Doncaster route around 1968 / 1970. The livery was plain mid-blue, but the interior looked exactly the same as your photos. It joined a fleet comprising an ex-Ribble PD2 and an ex-Western National Bristol K, and was later joined by an Aldershot Dennis Loline!
I have a photo of it in Wakefield, which I will try to find.................. cheers.

Roger Townend

16/10/12 - 05:22

Congratulations on your superb restoration of one the R&W Guy/Duples that took me to and from school during the 1950's. My father worked for the R&W group for many years and was the at Chepstow during and for a few years, after WW2. During this period he was the first person to drive a double decker through the arch! He always said he was totally sure it would go through but nevertheless took it very slowly. I still have relatives in the area and would love to see your classic sometime.

David Williams

12/10/13 - 09:00

Lovely restoration. I recall the joys of trying to get out of one of the inner seats on the top deck on one of these as it bounced down the hill towards Chepstow Bus Station in the mid- to late- 1960's. When we arrived at the Bus Station we pulled up alongside a Bristol LS saloon, the driver of which opened his window and asked our driver if he wanted to 'swap museum pieces'.
There is a video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lCJ3mlK_4Q) of another ex Red & White Guy being taken from St Helens to Cinderford for restoration, apparently in 1994. Does anyone know what has become of that? Was it kept in Cinderford at the same place as L1749?

Peter Cook

09/10/14 - 09:56

I have just found the photographs of the restoration of this wonderful old Red & White bus, what an amazing job you have done. This brings back so many memories, I used to travel to Caldicot School on the Newport to Chepstow via Caldicot and lived in Pencoed Lane Llanmartin, the bus driver used to stop at the 'Pink Cottage' for me to get off before the 'Greystones' bus stop, so that I could climb over the fence to the field our house was built in. The bus I travelled on had the long bench seats on the top deck I always loved sitting at the back by the window and had to push past people to get on to the walkway to go downstairs. Has this bus got the long bench seat?

Elizabeth Weatherley

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