Bus enthusiasts especially welcome - come and have a look around our VR

  Bristol Commercial Vehicles Enthusiasts

This website is for anyone interested in the products of Bristol Commercial Vehicles, a manufacturer swallowed up by British Leyland and a victim of the politics of the 1970s and early 1980s. The specific model we deal with in most detail is the Vertical Rear-engined (VR) double decker which is still operating in several parts of the country, but in ever-dwindling numbers. 2009 saw a large number of VRs exported as very few newer lowheight double deckers are available on the secondhand market. The only large fleet of VRs used in regular service in the UK remains with Johson of Hodthorpe, but on the other hand there are now 212 VRs recorded in various states of preservation in the UK. The youngest VRs will celebrate their twenty-ninth birthday this year (2010), testament to the quality of design and build which was a hallmark of the Brislington factory where they were built.

Last Updated : February 7th 2010 (HGM341E and TRB589F for sale, XOI2520 and SRU981 on eBay)

FACEBOOK PAGE LAUNCH : I thought it might be nice to have a forum whereby readers could easily comment on and raise issues about the website, chat with me and with each other and help with information and photos for use on the website. I have therefore added a page on Facebook where I will periodically post photos and information that might not normally make it onto this website. I have started off with four photos of Bristol Lodekkas which I hope we might be able to identify and thereby add to the historical record on here. Do please become a fan of this website - you can even receive updates on Twitter - I look forward to seeing you there!

This week's interesting non-Bristols on eBay:

UPDATED *** Leyland Olympian/ECW coach A101FPL*** UPDATED
UPDATED *** Leyland Lion F387GVO *** UPDATED
UPDATED *** Leyland Titan PD3/Queen Mary BUF425C *** UPDATED
London Transport/London Country RF600
Bedford YLQ/Alexander LOI1859
Leyland Olympian CUD222Y
Leyland Olympian C62CHM
Leyland Olympian A148PNC
MCW Metrobus LMO191X
Leyland Tiger/Alexander D713CSC
Ford/Duple Viceroy WNK480J
Leyland Olympian coach C450BKM
Leyland Olympian coach PJI4983
MCW Metrobus WYW57T
Scania K93 coach H927DRJ
Unknown Leyland Royal Tiger
Low-height Metrobus D708NKY
Bluebird N731EOT
Dennis Dominator F95STB
Leyland Tiger/Duple C65JTU
Leyland National B359LOY
Leyland Tiger/East Lancs C41GKG
IVECO Daily N301FOR
Dennis Arrow N806TPK
Dennis Arrow N804TPK
Dennis Arrow N803TPK
Unknown Dennis Dart
 

Bristols For Sale
I do not charge any fees for listing Bristol vehicles for sale on this page, but I regret I cannot advertise events or vehicle parts due to lack of available time. I do however now list Bristols advertised on eBay in the hope of alerting buyers who may otherwise miss the opportunity and have added a few additional links to interesting eBay categories such as those for Photos and Models at various points on the website.

***New Feature - Bristols on Video***
Following the use of JOU161P on free services in and around Cheltenham on Saturday 12th September a video of it has appeared on YouTube, thanks to the prolific camera of Simon "Video47". This has prompted me to add a new page to this website where I will add links to videos of Bristol VRs, REs, LHs and Lodekkas across the Internet. If you find any more do please drop me a line at rob@robsly.com and I will build up this library of material.

Please help to support this website by using this link. Anything you buy (not just bus-related items) on eBay, having clicked through from here, results in a commission payment of a few pennies which I put toward the cost of having this website professionally hosted.

Mission Statement

The aim of this website is to be the up-to-date reference point for all surviving Bristol VR, Lodekka, RE and LH vehicles. Ultimately it is the intention to have an Illustrated History page for every one of these vehicles that were built including photos with every owner in every livery. Obviously this is a lifetime's work and will not be achieved without the help of a great many contributors - these kind folk have already helped to swell the number of photos held for publication to over 15,000, many of which are already in use on the site. I have decided that the time has come to record all changes of vehicle status on the website, and this information can now be found on the Recently Recorded Changes Log.

Operator Focus

For a couple of years now I have been adding Illustrated Fleet Histories for operators who have run VRs, REs, LHs and/or Lodekkas at some point, ranging from large groups to tiny one-vehicle operations. Those added so far are listed by county on the Operator Cross Reference page (including an indication as to whether or not the list yet contains all the details and photos in my possession), but I now plan to showcase operators as I work on them. The purpose of highlighting them on here is both as a means of promoting the pages but also as a request for viewers to send in any photos that fill in the gaps in the Photo Archive sections on each page. The aim is to illustrate every vehicle in every livery with every operator and I want to thank all the very many kind individuals who have already made such contributions to this website.

The Illustrated Histories Log page details those vehicles that have already been processed. More are added each week. If you can help to complete any with either additional information or photos I would be delighted to hear from you, either through the submission of photos or slides for scanning, or through the email of digital images. You will find my Contact Information at the foot of this page.

I do not charge any fees for listing Bristol vehicles for sale on this page, but I regret I cannot advertise events or vehicle parts due to lack of available time. I do however now list Bristols advertised on eBay in the hope of alerting buyers who may otherwise miss the opportunity and have added a few additional links to interesting eBay categories such as those for Photos and Models at appropriate points on the website.

This is a work in progress, but take a look - Frapper link - for the time being I have added my own VR and its sister with Stagecoach - do please feel free to add your own Bristol bus and photo. 

eBay items index

Contact Information

Your webmaster would be delighted to hear from you about anything Bristol/ECW-related. His email address is rob@robsly.com.

This site is best viewed at a resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher

I am selling a few photos from my personal collection on eBay to raise funds towards the continued restoration of JOU161P. Please click here or on the link below to take a look:

The British Bus Club is run by Mark Golding and provides an invaluable service to owners in the North American continent. Mark has built up a library of service manuals (including VR3, LH and Lodekka) and other useful documents which he has made available here with reasonable shipping costs to the UK and Europe. Proceeds go towards the Club. Mark also owns Lodekka FSF6G 52JAL. Click on the CD to visit his store.

The Doctor Who story has been moved here

Morocco Special Bulletin

Fantastic news is that after 22 years "missing in action" Series 1 flat-front VR BYG851H, former West Yorkshire VR44, has been spotted in good condition in Morocco. It was parked just off the main road heading back into Tangier from Cap Spartel and the "Caves of Hercules". Unfortunately Clive Williams (whose quick thinking provided enough of the registration to check its identity on this website) was on a tour coach at the time so it was impossible to get a photo. My request to readers is for anyone who finds themselves heading out to Morocco to keep their eyes peeled for this one (and to carry a camera with them!!).