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Buses

Leaving Portslade Works in Victoria Road on its delivery in 1966 is Southdown 294

From the private collection of Martin Nimmo

Southdown 410, a convertible open-topper, passes Cedars Gardens on London Road on a summer Sunday bound for Devil's Dyke

From the private collection of Martin Nimmo

Southdown's 'Queen Marys'

By Martin Nimmo

As you might imagine, the 'Queen Marys' were large machines for their day. Seating sixty-nine people in thirty feet of bus, they were substantially larger than anything Brighton (or most of Sussex) had seen on their roads before. In particular, they contrasted with the much smaller red and cream rear-entrance double-deckers run in the Brighton area by Brighton Corporation Transport, and the Brighton Hove and District Omnibus Company. While nowadays all three operators have been absorbed into the Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, then they operated as separate entities - largely co-ordinated rather than competing!

Green and cream monsters
Fifty years ago this year (2008) the first of what eventually turned out to be around 300 very different buses took to the road. They were green and cream "monsters" - but unlike the buses entering service in some other towns, they kept their engines at the front rather than the back. Entering service at around the same time as London Transport's famous Routemasters, they set a higher standard of comfort. With full fronts instead of half cabs, forward entrances and heating, combined with the usual comfortable Southdown seats, they were worthy successors to Southdown's existing double-deckers.

Common by the 1970s
Although only seen on a few Brighton-based services in the late 50s and early 60s, by the early 1970s they gradually superseded the Brighton Hove and District Bristol buses on many town routes, and became well-known to most passengers. Brighton still had conductors at the time, as although experiments had been carried out on one vehicle (428, one of the convertible open-toppers), operation by one man was not agreed and not really feasible.

Lasting appeal for enthusiasts
The last 'Queen Marys' entered service in 1967, with each batch differing in a greater or lesser way from the previous; some were convertible to open top, some had twin headlights, some had panoramic windows and some had forced ventilation. Most were sold on for further service, some spent time in Hong Kong! And a substantial number have been rescued and restored by enthusiasts, who seem to hold the Queen Marys in high esteem. Every summer it is still possible for one day to ride these vehicles on a special running day based on Worthing.

This page was added on 25/09/2008.

Comments about this page

HI Martin. They bring back memories of early youth employment - first job working at Gilletts Printers, next to Hadlows Printers both near the Town Hall. However that was much before those later monsters described above; the old double deckers with rear platform and 'hanging pole' which was very convenient because 'the girls' had kept me up very late so often and I was then very late each morning for work. Run like hell and hear the sound of the engine start up, then compete with the drivers as they set off at their fastest from the 'island Moulsecoomb' bus stop. Just making it, a fast run then leap at the pole and swing aboard like a circus act!
A penny to the Arches stop by A.H. Cox's factory and three half pence to the sea front in those days. When 'the trolleys' came along, there was no leaping at their platform poles anywhere in the town. Much too fast on takeoff.

By Ron Spicer (29/09/2008)

Two things stand out in my mind about driving the Queen Mary's. One was that, on leaving Churchill Square going to Old Steine, if you got too close to the traffic lights at Ship Street you had to stand up and put all you had on the foot brake in order not to over shoot (quite scarey). The other thing was when running a No.2 from Rottingdean to Shoreham you could wrap some fish or meat in tin foil, wire it to the exhaust manifold and have it cooked ready to eat on the Shoreham layover (thanks to Terry).

By Bob Golby (psv KK57891) (21/08/2009)

Hi Martin, most respectfully, please allow me to correct you about 428 (FNJ 110) You wrote:- "Brighton still had conductors at the time, as although experiments had been carried out on one vehicle (428, one of the convertible open-toppers), operation by one man was not agreed and not really feasible." You were relating to Circ 1970. FNJ 110 (428) was never a convertible open topper. In fact none of the K types were converted to one man or open top use from APN 207 (336) originally delivered in 1938 through to MPM 500 (500) delivered in 1957, excluding of course the cream livery or painted red and cream vehicles in the winter periods which was 348 (6348) CAP 221 and CAP 187 360 (6360) which were delivered in 1940. 428 for your interest was in a batch that was delivered in 1951. Nos. 6419-6429 re-numbered 419-429 in 1955.All of these vehicles were withdrawn from public service during 1965 (6419-6429[419-429]). So other than FNJ 110 (428) which ended its days as a learner bus, on which I passed my PSV test, I would assume that they were all melted down in the furnaces or gone to a bus heaven so to speak. I hope that this information is useful to you.

By Sid Berry (02/10/2009)

Hi Martin, OK I will hold my hands up - I have made a faux pas. With reference to my recent comments I was assuming that you were referring to the BH&D (428) as there was no full bus registration number quoted in your statement, only a chassis number. In this case I am wrong to blurt on about correcting your information which still stands correct and intact as I can now see you are referring to the Southdown vehicle. My profuse apologies for misunderstanding your text. However saying this I hope that the info I wrote may be useful to you. Best Wishes Sid.

By Sid Berry (02/10/2009)