| Registration Number |
PHN 699 |
| Chassis |
Guy Arab III |
| Body |
Roe B41C
|
| Date New |
1952 |
| Fleet Number |
26 |
| Original Owner |
Darlington Corporation |
| Acquired for Preservation |
2019 |
| Current Status |
Stored - Awaiting Attention |
Historical Information
This vehicle was new to Darlington Corporation in 1952 as No. 26.
It was disposed of via a County Council yard in Frosterley, Co Durham, before passing to a vehicle breaker in the small village of Avonbridge in Falkirk.
No. 26 at Avonbridge, still showing Health Dept on the blind
Ian Findlay tracked it down in 1982 at Fogger Mountain, which wasn’t a mountain at all, but the breaker’s yard. A price was agreed to buy the bus, and the late Ted Heslop of Hexham used his converted flat bed lorry to collect it.
No. 26 arrives at Acomb on Ted Heslop’s “bus transporter”.
The bus was delivered to Ken Sumner’s yard in Bowburn, but soon moved to the Tow Law area for undercover storage. Because of the location and lack of time, nothing much was done for several years. Eventually the Purvis brothers bought out the other shareholders and No 26 was moved to Wardley in 2001 where it was made roadworthy and offered for sale. At the time NEBPT was not in a position to buy it, so it was advertised nationwide and Steve Morris of Rexquote bought it and took it down south to his depot in Somerset.
It was soon on the move again, passing to the fleet of Tony Blackman at Halifax who was operating a fleet of private hire buses for weddings, trading as The Yorkshire Heritage Bus Company.
PHN 699 in Tynemouth in August 2014 whilst with The Yorkshire Heritage Bus Company.
After the The Yorkshire Heritage Bus Company, went into liquidation in February 2019 it was acquired by the North East Bus Preservation Trust.
