Bristol Commercial Vehicles Enthusiasts

REs By Original Owner

Last Updated : February 2024 (East Midland/Mansfield District survivors updated)

Welcome to the RE section of the website. I have been keeping records of the whereabouts of RE single-decker survivors for more than twenty-five years now, and you will find below a list of companies who bought REs from new and for each company there is a separate list of known survivors with details of when they were last reported. Please feel free to contact me to update any information, contribute a photo (recent or otherwise) or to add a new survivor to the list.

While several well-known sources are acknowledged as contributors to data in this website, this is a personal list which I have been compiling from very widely-spread contacts over a long period and it is those people who I particularly thank for their kindness. They know who they are. Specific acknowledgements should go to The PSV Circle for the wonderful work they do to record vehicle movements in the UK and around the world, Buses magazine for the excellent UK coverage in Fleet News over many decades and the Bristol Interest Circle run by my friend Allan Macfarlane who have all documented the slow demise of the RE over a period of thirty years. Finally, great credit should go to Ian Chancellor who kick-started interest in the preservation of REs in the early 1990s with his excellent series of booklets "REliable Bristol" which ran from 1993-1998. Ian tracked down many of the survivors single-handedly, and a number of the entries on this site would not be there without his determination.

For a list of all operators of REs, both new and secondhand, visit the Bristol Operator Cross-Reference page.

Original Owners List



 Prototype
 Series I
 Series II
Original owners/Models - - > REX RELH6G
 RELH6L
 RELL6G
 RESL6G
 RESL6L
 RESH6G
 RELL6G
 RELL6L
 RELH6G
 RELH6L
 REMH6G
 TOTAL
Aberdare (No known survivors)




7





7
Accrington (No known survivors)




9





9
Aldershot & District (2 Survivors)    
  24
   30
 
  54
Alder Valley (2 Survivors)



5

6
 4
 13

28
Alexander (Fife) (No known survivors)






12



12
Black & White (No known survivors)








7

7
Brighton, Hove & District (3 Survivors)    
  10
   
 
  10
Bristol Commercial Vehicles (No known survivors)
 1






1


2
Bristol Omnibus (33 Survivors)   20 7

31
14
 313
 3
 37
425
Burnley, Colne & Nelson/Burnley & Pendle (1 Survivor)    

5
 20





25
Cheltenham District (4 Survivors)







14


14
Christchurch (New Zealand) (107 Survivors)    





152


152
City of Oxford (1 Survivor)    






5
 17
22
Citybus (66 Survivors)






340



340
Colchester (7 Survivors)    





15


15
Coventry (No known survivors)



6






6
Crosville (19 Survivors)   27
3
 39

161
 9
 20
 29
288
Cumberland (2 Survivors)  

2



51
1
54
Cynon Valley (1 Survivor)  



6





6
Darwen (1 Survivor)  



7





7
East Midlands (No known survivors)  





27
 9
 7
 2
45
Eastern Counties (8 Survivors)    18

14

93
16
 8
149
Eastern National (3 Survivors)    15



4
 55
25

99
Models - - > REX RELH6G
 RELH6L
 RELL6G
 RESL6G
 RESL6L
 RESH6G
 RELL6G
 RELL6L
 RELH6G
 RELH6L
 REMH6G
 TOTAL
Fylde (No known survivors)




5





5
Gateshead District (No known survivors)






6



6
Gelligaer (No known survivors)



6






6
Gosport & Fareham (2 Survivors)






12



12
Greenslades (No known survivors)    







15
15
Halton (No known survivors)







4


4
Hants & Dorset (7 Survivors)    2



4
 55
7

68
Hartlepool (5 Survivors)







58


58
Hyndburn (No known survivors)



4






4
Independent Operators (No known survivors)









6
6
Isle of Man (1 Survivor)









4
4
Jones of Aberbeeg (No known survivors)







2
 2
 4
8
Lancashire United (No known survivors)



50






50
Leicester (2 Survivors)




5

23


28
Lincoln (1 Survivor)







12


12
Lincolnshire (3 Survivors)
12
8


18
13

51
Liverpool (1 Survivor)






25



25
Luton (1 Survivor)







30


30
Mansfield District (1 Survivor)






6

2
8
Merseyside P.T.E. (No known survivors)




20





20
Merthyr Tydfil (1 Survivor)



4
 4





8
Midland General (5 Survivors)
3



2
 18
4
 8
35
National Travel (South East) (3 Survivors)








2
 6
8
Newport (No known survivors)




8





8
North Western (5 Survivors)



40

30
 34
5
109
Northern General (No known survivors)






23

22
45
P.M.T. (2 Survivors)




26

27
3
56
Reading (2 Survivors)






42



42
Red & White (4 Survivors)
11
11
31

34
 13
 37
137
Rhymney Valley (No known survivors)



3






3
Ribble (6 Survivors)




89
30
 10
10
139
Rossendale (1 Survivor)




9





9
Scottish Omnibuses (1 Survivor)
45








33
 78
Models - - > REX RELH6G
 RELH6L
 RELL6G
 RESL6G
 RESL6L
 RESH6G
 RELL6G
 RELL6L
 RELH6G
 RELH6L
 REMH6G
 TOTAL
South Shields (1 Survivor)




11





11
South Wales (No survivors)






6
 15
 2

23
Southdown (2 Survivors)



41
 12
20
 3


76
Southern National (See Western National survivors)
6




18
20

44
Southern Vectis (7 Survivors)



8
1
 9
1

19
Stalybridge, Hyde, Moss & Dukinfield (1 Survivor)



6






6
Sunderland Corporation (No known survivors)






10



10
Sunderland District (No known survivors)









2
2
Thamesdown (2 Survivor)



5






5
Thames Valley (1 Survivor) 1
 5
3
 8

11
 3
 10

41
Tillings (1 Survivor)
1






19

20
Trent (3 Survivors)







5
24
29
Tynemouth (No known survivors)






4



4
Ulsterbus (See Citybus survivors)






260
 20


280
United Automobile (4 Survivors) 1
 65
65
 70

152
72
 10
 35
 470
United Counties (5 Survivors)
18

8

52
37
 5
120
United Welsh (1 Survivor)
4
12


10



26
Warrington (3 Survivors)



4
 19

2


25
West Riding (1 Survivor)






44



44
West Yorkshire (6 Survivors)
14
33
 11

160
 3
 17
 21
259
Western S.M.T. (2 Survivors)
21








37
 57
Western National (18 Survivors)
14




55
52
 21
142
Western Welsh (1 Survivor)







5


5
Widnes (No known survivors)




8

3


11
Wilts & Dorset (3 Survivors)






26



26
TOTAL (378 Survivors)
 3
 301
 7
 137
 373
 325
 11
 1840
 861
 367
 299
 105
 4629
Models - - > REX RELH6G
 RELH6L
 RELL6G
 RESL6G
 RESL6L
 RESH6G
 RELL6G
 RELL6L
 RELH6G
 RELH6L
 REMH6G
 TOTAL

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