This article originally appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of ‘Bus Lane’, the Magazine of the Oxford Bus Museum Trust (OBMT) and is reproduced here with permission of the Editor. Some detailed changes have been made to aid readers who are not familiar with Oxford and its buses.
The Oxford Bus Museum is located in what was the goods yard of Hanborough Station (on the Oxford to Worcester line). It is open on Sundays and Wednesdays throughout the year and also on Saturdays during the summer. For further information visit www.oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk.
One of my interests, when I am not restoring 12 inch to the foot buses, is model railways. Two of my colleagues at the Abingdon and District Model Railway Club are currently building a OO-gauge scale-model of Abingdon Station. While this is still incomplete it was shown at the Club’s Abingdon Exhibition last March.
They have, of necessity, collected a lot of information on the prototype station and several photographs show one or more City of Oxford Motor Services (COMS) double-deckers alongside the station building. This prompted me to offer to produce a suitable bus to be incorporated in the layout. My intention was to purchase a proprietary 1:76 bus and to add additional detail where appropriate. The period of their model is 1947/8 – ie at the transition between The GWR and British Railways. It seemed that I had two options. Corgi produced a model of a Guy Arab Utility in Oxford livery which would be right for the period, but although COMS had some of these, they are not ‘proper’ Oxford buses. Corgi also produced a model of a Weymann-bodied AEC Regent II in Oxford livery. Although this particular version did not enter COMS service until early 1948 it is representative of the many Regents (of various Marks) operated by COMS. I did consider modifying it into an earlier, pre-war Regent, but decided this would introduce more anomalies than it cured.
The Corgi model’s basic shortcomings are the presence of two rods running vertically through the passenger saloons (to hold the various parts together) and the lack of detail around the stairway. Some brutal surgery with a cordless drill reduced the model to three metal components (chassis, lower deck and upper deck/roof) plus two plastic inserts representing the seating and two acetate ‘boxes’ for the glazing. This allowed me to first remove the rods and then to start adding new details. I fitted a ‘kicking-plate’ to the inside of the stairs using black styrene sheet and made a more comprehensive set of handrails using 0.45mm brass wire. The arrangement of these was based on experience gained in the restoration of the OBMT’s 1950 low-bridge Regent III (PWL 413) and examination of the other Regent III and V buses at the museum. I also replaced the over-thick grab-pole with one made from piano wire. The stairwell was then repainted in Oxford maroon.
The seat portions of the plastic inserts were painted a dull red colour and the areas representing the floor a brown colour. The safety-bars across the front upstairs windows and local to the stairway were represented by thin strips of styrene, glued to the inside of the acetate glazing.
The whole was then assembled, like a layer cake, with the metal parts glued together and the other components (and handrails) being fitted as I went along.
I kept the original registration number (MWL 964), but changed the Fleet Number from 864 back to its original 330. These, plus the addition of roof ventilators and the modifications around the stairwell involved touching up some of the original paintwork. The whole body was then given a coat of satin varnish.
New destination blinds were fitted, to show that it had just arrived on the number 17 service from Faringdon. These were produced on my computer, based on an original blind at the Bus Museum, although the size and style of the lettering is not quite correct. My excuse is that I had an exhibition deadline to meet.
Certain inaccuracies remain; the Corgi model represents the version of the Regent II with side panelling which turns ‘out’ at the bottom, whereas those supplied to Oxford in 1948 had side panelling which turned ‘in’. Changing this would have involved some brutal filing and a complete repaint. Also the doorway in the rear bulkhead of the lower saloon is wider than it should be; I guess this is due to a limitation in the manufacturing process. Finally the glazing is far from flush, although this is not so noticeable given Oxford’s red livery – when compared with liveries that had a band of light coloured paint a window level. Nevertheless I think it is a reasonable representation of an COMS AEC Regent II.
I should like to thank fellow OBMT members Michael Bartlett and Nick Taylor for information on the model and its prototype and John Bayliss taking the photographs and for his advice on the paint mixing required to achieve the correct colours involved in the touching up.
Allan Goode
Member OBMT and Abingdon & District MRC
26/8/09
