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. The youngest examples will celebrate their twenty-seventh birthday this year (2008), testament to the quality of design and build which was a hallmark of the Brislington factory where they were built.
Last Updated : June 28th 2008 (Photo of the Month updated, further vehicles added to eBay page)
Operator Focus(May 31st 2008)Bristol Omnibus Bristol RE
Bristol Omnibus amassed the second largest fleet of Bristol RE saloons and coaches in Britain (United Auto had the largest) so listing them all with photos has been a big job (over a number of years). I am now completing this task and would appreciate any contributions to fill in the blanks. The first batch to be completed with all available photos is the famous "THU-G" batch of RESL6Ls, known as the "Thugs". These carried three liveries with Bristol - Tilling green, "OMO" green and cream and NBC green, and many also had an Indian Summer in South Wales, so lots of ground to cover here. June 28th update - Recent additions are the RHT-G, SHW-G, UHU-H and UHY-H batches as listed on the Bristol RELL page Operator Focus - ArchiveThe Operator Focus Archive contains a log of previously featured operators. If you can contribute to fill any gaps or correct any mistakes I'd be delighted to hear from you. |
Photo of the Month (June 28th 2008)
Western Greyhound have repainted their remaining closed-top VR into latest livery and very smart it looks too! The VR in question is JWV259W which has also received a new floor downstairs as well as some new panels. Very many thanks to Managing Director Mark Howarth for the news and photo. Photo of the Month - ArchiveThis is the latest photo in a regular feature intended to showcase the work of some of the very kind contributors to this website to whom we are very much indebted. |
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.
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.
ILLUSTRATED CURRENT SURVIVORS LISTS
|
All current VR operators. |
Playbuses, exhibition units, caravans, etc. They're all here. |
Over one hundred and eighty VRs are already in preservation. Keep up with their progress here. |
|
Lists by original owner of all RE survivors from around the World |
Lists by original owner of all Lodekka survivors from around the World |
Lists by original owner of all LH survivors from around the World |
COMPLETE TYPE LISTS
| BRISTOL
VR
Here you will find all VRs that were manufactured, listed by original owner. The lists show the current location of all survivors, all others being marked as scrapped. |
| BRISTOL
RE
Here you will find all REs that were manufactured, listed by original owner. The lists show the current location of all survivors, all others being marked as scrapped. ***New feature - work in progress*** |
| BRISTOL
SU
Although we do not cover the Bristol SU, you will find very comprehensive comprehensive coverage on Gerry Tormey's website using the above link |
| BRISTOL
MW
Gerry Tormey has also now completed a superb site devoted to the Bristol MW. Follow the link above. |
| BRISTOL
SC
Further offerings from Gerry Tormey now include this site for the Bristol SC.... |
| BRISTOL
LS
...and this one for the integral Bristol LS model |
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.
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
