Thylacine
master brummie
2010-03-28 17:40:26
Between 1924 and 1930 Midland Red supplied 44 SOS chassis to Llandudno Coaching & Carriage Co Ltd (Royal Blue Motor Services). All were made for Llandudno except for 1926 standard SOS registered HA3512. This originated as Midland Red fleet number (A number) 573 but was sold to Llandudno before entering service. Midland Red then re-assigned fleet number 573 to a large Commercial Goods Services van (HA2568 Scammell 10 ton 40 hp articulated 6-wheeler chassis number 928).
Llandudno passed to Crosville in February 1931 and all 44 SOS vehicles were included. HA3512 became Crosville 511 and was surely the only Smethwick-registered vehicle in the Crosville fleet. It was withdrawn in 1933.
Also included was a batch of sixteen 1928 SOS QLs. These were withdrawn by Crosville in 1934 and sold to our old friend Potteries Motor Traction Co Ltd (PMT). Miraculously one of these has survived. Registered CC7745 it entered Royal Blue service in May 1928. It passed to Crosville (as fleet number 521) in February 1931 and to PMT (as fleet number 42) in 1934. After withdrawal in 1937 it disappeared for a while, being rediscovered as a mobile home at Llangollen in 1952. Preservationist Tom Hollis of Queensferry rescued it and it passed to BaMMOT in May 1984 for restoration and preservation at the Wythall museum (the challenge is pictured here: https://johnbird1408.fotopic.net/p57525297.html).
I thought this was the sole surviving SOS QL. Wrong! – Friends of Beamish Museum (https://friendsofbeamish.co.uk/trambus/sosbus.html) are restoring ex-Northern General 338.
The last two SOS chassis made for Royal Blue were 1930 QLCs with Brush 29-seat charabanc bodies. These survived with Crosville until 1949, a remarkably long life (I’m not sure if they were rebuilt or rebodied at some period).
Peter Gould’s Crosville fleet list (https://www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/crosville2.htm) includes six ex-Llandudno vehicles which have me puzzled. They are all listed as “SOS 30 cwt” chassis, four new in 1926 (reg KA4533, KA4602, CC6617, CC7114) and two in 1927 (CC7115, CC7116). Bodies are given as unknown B19F, B20F or Ch26. All were withdrawn in 1931 so probably didn’t see service with Crosville. The chassis numbers don’t look anything like Midland Red ones (50851, 50895, 50867, 51626, 17230, 17226). Does anyone know what these “SOS 30 cwt” might be? Was another manufacturer using the SOS make name, or was Midland Red up to something I don’t know about?
Between 1924 and 1930 Midland Red supplied 44 SOS chassis to Llandudno Coaching & Carriage Co Ltd (Royal Blue Motor Services). All were made for Llandudno except for 1926 standard SOS registered HA3512. This originated as Midland Red fleet number (A number) 573 but was sold to Llandudno before entering service. Midland Red then re-assigned fleet number 573 to a large Commercial Goods Services van (HA2568 Scammell 10 ton 40 hp articulated 6-wheeler chassis number 928).
Llandudno passed to Crosville in February 1931 and all 44 SOS vehicles were included. HA3512 became Crosville 511 and was surely the only Smethwick-registered vehicle in the Crosville fleet. It was withdrawn in 1933.
Also included was a batch of sixteen 1928 SOS QLs. These were withdrawn by Crosville in 1934 and sold to our old friend Potteries Motor Traction Co Ltd (PMT). Miraculously one of these has survived. Registered CC7745 it entered Royal Blue service in May 1928. It passed to Crosville (as fleet number 521) in February 1931 and to PMT (as fleet number 42) in 1934. After withdrawal in 1937 it disappeared for a while, being rediscovered as a mobile home at Llangollen in 1952. Preservationist Tom Hollis of Queensferry rescued it and it passed to BaMMOT in May 1984 for restoration and preservation at the Wythall museum (the challenge is pictured here: https://johnbird1408.fotopic.net/p57525297.html).
I thought this was the sole surviving SOS QL. Wrong! – Friends of Beamish Museum (https://friendsofbeamish.co.uk/trambus/sosbus.html) are restoring ex-Northern General 338.
The last two SOS chassis made for Royal Blue were 1930 QLCs with Brush 29-seat charabanc bodies. These survived with Crosville until 1949, a remarkably long life (I’m not sure if they were rebuilt or rebodied at some period).
Peter Gould’s Crosville fleet list (https://www.petergould.co.uk/local_transport_history/fleetlists/crosville2.htm) includes six ex-Llandudno vehicles which have me puzzled. They are all listed as “SOS 30 cwt” chassis, four new in 1926 (reg KA4533, KA4602, CC6617, CC7114) and two in 1927 (CC7115, CC7116). Bodies are given as unknown B19F, B20F or Ch26. All were withdrawn in 1931 so probably didn’t see service with Crosville. The chassis numbers don’t look anything like Midland Red ones (50851, 50895, 50867, 51626, 17230, 17226). Does anyone know what these “SOS 30 cwt” might be? Was another manufacturer using the SOS make name, or was Midland Red up to something I don’t know about?
Last edited: