AEC Renown Scottish Omnibus, era question.

[w124bob]

I'm struggling to find an "in service" period for this bus, can anyone help give an era when these ran in this condition http://modelbuszone.co.uk/efe/dd/307/30707.html

Edited November 18, 2020 by w124bob

[markw]

Does this help.

http://www.busphoto.co.uk/media.details.php?mediaID=34190

[pH]

59 minutes ago, w124bob said:

I'm struggling to find an "in service" period for this bus, can anyone help give an era when these ran in this condition http://modelbuszone.co.uk/efe/dd/307/30707.html

I’m not sure what you mean by “in this condition”, but here’s one in Eastern Scottish colours, but with the full company name, in 1970:

 

http://www.sct61.org.uk/etb963a

Edited November 18, 2020 by pH
To add word

[Roddy Angus]

According to "From SMT to Easter Scottish" by DLG Hunter this bus, which appears to be the only A.E.C. Renown owned by Eastern Scottish, was purchased in 1963 and transferred to Highland Omnibuses Ltd in 1973.

 

I hope this is helpful

 

Best wishes

 

Roddy

[w124bob]

I'll elaborate, my layout cut off date is 1972 and ScR, so I wanted a bus which would be in period but vague enough not to be either Glasgow/Edinburgh. This bus seemed to fit the bill, also I just like it, I will invoke rule 1! Thanks for all the info, at least I now know the wheel centres need blacking , the green of the model looks to be a shade lighter than the picture, but I can live with that. Are Eastern Scottish transfers available ?

Edited November 19, 2020 by w124bob

[Joseph_Pestell]

13 hours ago, pH said:

I’m not sure what you mean by “in this condition”, but here’s one in Eastern Scottish colours, but with the full company name, in 1970:

 

http://www.sct61.org.uk/etb963a

A very different (and much nicer) shade of green than the model.

[w124bob]

I now realise I've walked into a bit of a minefield with this bus, not only is it a bit of a one off but what I've bought is in different livery altogether. At least I've found some transfers, from Mabex . The moral here is, stay away from Ebay! 

[Roddy Angus]

The livery is correct for the bus at some point, I have seen an undated picture of it in light green.  It was probably repainted before the picture linked above.

 

Regards

 

Roddy

[duncan]

I'm sure I remember travelling to school in this or very similar, would be late 60s / early 70s.  Blue Midland in Glasgow.

[Busmansholiday]

If you want to check bus history try this site ;

https://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk/

 

Stick the reg in (and any other details) and hit search (on the right).

It will give you some details but on the right is a box that says "More".

Click on that and it usually takes you to photos on the web. There's a fair few of it in different colours. 

 

Edit : I'm pretty sure that the reason this is in a pale green, rather than Eastern Scottish's usual darker green is that it was originally ordered by Stark's of Dunbar (who were taken over by Eastern SMT in 1964 ish) and that was their colour scheme.

 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Busmansholiday
Added bit about Stark's

[Les Bird]

One of the best sites for Scottish bus transfers is Sunrise Transfers. You can find them via modelbuszone.co.uk

Edited December 26, 2020 by Les Bird

[64F]

9963SF was the only AEC Renown in the Scottish Bus Group.  When Scottish Omnibuses took over Baxter's of Airdrie in 1963 there were two AEC Bridgemasters on order, but AEC was keen to demonstrate the new Renown to SBG so a swap was arranged.  At the time of its delivery at the end of 1963 Scottish Omnibuses had already dropped the traditional "SMT" fleetname and was using the shortlived "Scottish" name as depicted on the model, but by 1965 they had switched to "Eastern Scottish" with a darker green livery.   (Light green was the SMT main fleet livery prior to 1965 and a version of it continued to be used for vehicles painted in Stark's of Dunbar colours until the late '70s, but Starks never had any 'deckers).

 

Therefore, the precise period for this would be from December 1963 until its first repaint - I'd guess about 1965/66.  There is a picture of it in dark green in 1967, and as already noted it was transferred to Highland Omnibuses in the 1973.

Edited February 26, 2021 by 64F

[BrushVeteran]

I purchased the front dome from this vehicle and fitted it to the first built Renown 807ML as part of its restoration, the remains of 9963SF were scrapped on site at Stevenage. I also have an official Park Royal bodybuilders photo of 9963SF just before delivery in Stark's light green livery but with Eastern Scottish fleetnames.  I can scan this picture if necessary.

[64F]

1 hour ago, BrushVeteran said:

I purchased the front dome from this vehicle and fitted it to the first built Renown 807ML as part of its restoration, the remains of 9963SF were scrapped on site at Stevenage. I also have an official Park Royal bodybuilders photo of 9963SF just before delivery in Stark's light green livery but with Eastern Scottish fleetnames.  I can scan this picture if necessary.

I'm glad a bit of 9963SF lives on on such an historic sister.

 

The point about Stark's green is that it was exactly the same colour as the pre-1965 Scottish Omnibuses/SMT's green.  For many years before Stark's was taken over by Scottish Omnibuses in 1964 a proportion of the fleet was painted in SMT light green and cream colours (albeit of a different layout with a higher proportion of cream) and carried SMT fleetnames in order to operate the jointly-operated Edinburgh to Dunbar service (itself part of the Edinburgh-Berwick-Newcastle group of services which were joint with United Automobile).  After the takeover Scottish Omnibuses retained the Stark's name and livery layout for vehicles based at Dunbar until 1978.  From 1965 the parent fleet stopped using that shade of green and instead used the darker "Lothian Green" shade instead, but the Stark's vehicles continued to carry their unique variant of the older SMT light green and cream until the new SBG corporate identity with the saltire logo took over.  9963SF was never a Stark's vehicle because it was built specifically for Scottish Omnibuses (albeit in lieu of a Bridgemaster ordered by Baxter's) in 1963, a year before Scottish Omnibuses took over Stark's, so it could not have been built in Stark's livery (which was, in any event, actually SMT livery anyway if that makes sense!).

 

Round about that time the parent fleet was undergoing a bit of an identity crisis with many vehicles still carrying the old "SMT" names, a few (mainly coaches) "Scottish Omnibuses", then briefly "Scottish" was favoured before "Eastern Scottish" was settled upon.  Therefore it seems odd if 9963SF had Eastern Scottish fleetnames in its delivery shot but then reverted to the earlier Scottish in service, but it was a fairly confusing period.