Bristol RELH – 60^th Anniversary Road Run

TV&GWOT organised a SOUTH MIDLAND / THAMES VALLEY road run on 14^th May.

May 2023 was exactly sixty years since the prototype Bristol RELH / ECW mark-1 coach (521ABL) went into service with Thames Valley coaching subsidiary SOUTH MIDLAND from their Oxford depot.

The participating coaches recreated parts of the two Oxford-London routes that the prototype RELH operated during the 1960s and represented the types plying the route for SOUTH MIDLAND over several decades:

TV&GWOT is very grateful to coach owners for bringing their fine vehicles to create this stylish spectacle.

The route principally followed A4/A4130/A4074 and A40 routes connected to form a circular road run.  Trust Supporters also travelled as passengers or took photographs from the roadside as coaches swept by. 

A late 1950s’ poster promoting South Midland

and Thames Valley express road services.

Above image of the 1963 SOUTH MIDLAND timetable leaflet from the TV&GWOT archive

A souvenir A5 booklet (28-pages) was produced by TV&GWOT to coincide with the occasion. Extensively illustrated, it charts some 75 years of history from the origins of SOUTH MIDLAND in 1921, through the development of Oxford-London express services over the decades and the changing vehicle types covering the route.  It highlights the significance of the prototype Bristol RELH / ECW coach (521ABL) which joined the fleet in May 1963.  The story continues through to the late 1990s into Oxford Tube and Thames Transit eras.

This is a very short run publication with remaining copies available for £6 (including post & packing) by either:

  -   Sending a cheque payable to ‘TV&GWOT’ to Ledger Farm, Forest Green Road, Fifield, Maidenhead SL6 2NR, or

  -   Paying by Paypal (including any postal / delivery instructions in the notes)

TV&GWOT and the Great Western Society at Didcot Railway Centre had been organizing a veritable festival of heritage transport.  TV&GWOT specifically was organizing a display of vintage buses and coaches together with a network of free services to transport visitors from Ladygrove Park to the Railway Centre entrance and provide trips from there on former Great Western Railway Road Motors and Thames Valley Traction Co. routes.

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond the organisers’ control, the event has had to be CANCELLED for 2023 but it will return for future years.

Emergency work needed to shore up a railway bridge over the River Thames near Oxford has made national headlines in recent weeks because of the major disruption expected to rail services until at least June (e.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-65238311). Didcot Parkway Station is at the head of an extensive Rail Replacement Bus operation which will dominate the forecourt interchange for the foreseeable future. This precludes vintage bus services at Didcot whilst the rail replacement activities are in operation.

The Festival of Heritage Transport organisers regret the disappointment but feel sure entrants and intending visitors will understand the decision.  All vehicle entrants have been contacted directly.  Payments for Souvenir Programmes ordered in advance are being refunded in full.

TV&GWOT’s Thames Valley K No. 446 and Reading VR No. 38 at Didcot Interchange epitomise the evolution of bus designs spanning 30 years, 1946-1976.

Thames Valley Tilling-Stevens No. 152 (MO9324) undergoes a successful road test with its replacement gearbox and upgraded electrical system (April 2022).

TV Bristol K6A No. 446 (DBL154) operates in service to Cheriton passing high above Winchester at the Fokab running day on 2 May 2022.

All photos © Helen Billington unless noted

TV Bristol LL6B No. 556 (FMO938) has finishing touches applied following a major restoration (read more)

Thames Valley Tilling-Stevens No. 152 (MO9324) in service at Didcot Parkway Interchange in 2022.  Royal Blue LS 1286 is loading behind and Western National VR 1106 is on layover above. © Helen Billington

TV Bristol K6A No. 446 (DBL154) sweeps out to Blewbury on the Villages circular, with over 400 passengers enjoying the vantage point throughout the day. © Chris Drew

TV Bristol LL6B No. 556 (FMO938), fresh from the restoration workshops, looked stunning in the Chiltern landscape set off by the May sunshine and skilled photography.  © Chris Drew