AEC Regent III
Encyclopedia
The AEC Regent III was a type of double-decker bus
chassis manufactured by AEC.
It was mainly built for operation outside London
and overseas. It could be fitted with AEC's 9.6-litre diesel engine (except a minority with 7.7-litre ones), 'Wilson' preselective epicyclic gearbox (except for a minority with crash gearboxes. A synchromesh option also became available in the early 1950s) and air pressure operated brakes (except a minority with vacuum brakes). The Regent III was available with bodies from a number of manufacturers including Park Royal
, Metro Cammell Weymann
and Charles H. Roe
.
AEC Regent III was superseded by the AEC Regent V
, not the AEC Regent IV underfloor-engined double decker which existed as a one-off prototype only. The last Regent III's were supplied to Reading Corporation in 1956.
acquired 76 AEC Regent III buses with Weymann lowbridge
bodywork. They were numbered as the RLH-class (Regent Low Height) and were used by London Transport from 1950 until 1971.
The first twenty RLHs were built in 1950 and were almost identical to ten vehicles sold to Midland General. In 1952 a further batch of 56 buses was purchased which had minor differences. The fleet operated from various garages around both the Central area (painted red) and the Country area (painted green) of London Transport, usually where a low railway bridge over the road would otherwise cause a problem.
Many RLHs were sold for further use after London Transport. Due to their lower height of 13 feet 6 inches (around a foot lower than normal double-decker buses), a large proportion found their way to other countries especially in Europe and the USA where maximum vehicle height restrictions allowed them to operate.
. It was the standard red London bus during the 1950s, with a total of 4,825 buses built for London Transport. Although not all were in service at the same time.
Some RT-type buses were built for operation outside London, such as St. Helens Transport.
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
chassis manufactured by AEC.
It was mainly built for operation outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and overseas. It could be fitted with AEC's 9.6-litre diesel engine (except a minority with 7.7-litre ones), 'Wilson' preselective epicyclic gearbox (except for a minority with crash gearboxes. A synchromesh option also became available in the early 1950s) and air pressure operated brakes (except a minority with vacuum brakes). The Regent III was available with bodies from a number of manufacturers including Park Royal
Park Royal Vehicles
Dating its origins back to 1889, Park Royal Vehicles along with its Leeds-based subsidiary Charles H. Roe was one of Britain's leading coachbuilders and bus manufacturers based at Park Royal, west London, UK.-Associated Commercial Vehicles:...
, Metro Cammell Weymann
Metro Cammell Weymann
Metro Cammell Weymann was once a major player in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe. It was formed in 1932 by Weymann Motor Bodies Ltd and Metro Cammell's bus bodybuilding division to produce bus bodies....
and Charles H. Roe
Charles H. Roe
Charles H. Roe Ltd. was a Yorkshire coachbuilding company. It was for most of its life based at Crossgates Carriage Works, in Leeds.In 1947 it was taken over by Park Royal Vehicles. Two years later, along with its parent, it became part of Associated Commercial Vehicles in 1949, which was merged...
.
AEC Regent III was superseded by the AEC Regent V
AEC Regent V
The AEC Regent V was a front-engined double-decker bus built by the Associated Equipment Company between 1954 and 1969. It was the last version of AEC Regent series double-decker and built as the successor of the AEC Regent III .The Regent V had AEC's own frontal design and concealed radiator as...
, not the AEC Regent IV underfloor-engined double decker which existed as a one-off prototype only. The last Regent III's were supplied to Reading Corporation in 1956.
Regent III in London
London TransportLondon Transport Executive
The London Transport Executive was the organisation responsible for public transport in the Greater London area, UK, between 1948-1962. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.-Creation:On 1...
acquired 76 AEC Regent III buses with Weymann lowbridge
Lowbridge double-deck bus
A lowbridge double-deck bus is a double-decker bus which has an asymmetric interior layout, enabling the overall height of the vehicle to be reduced compared to that of a conventional double-decker bus. The upper deck gangway is offset to one side of the vehicle, normally the offside , and is...
bodywork. They were numbered as the RLH-class (Regent Low Height) and were used by London Transport from 1950 until 1971.
The first twenty RLHs were built in 1950 and were almost identical to ten vehicles sold to Midland General. In 1952 a further batch of 56 buses was purchased which had minor differences. The fleet operated from various garages around both the Central area (painted red) and the Country area (painted green) of London Transport, usually where a low railway bridge over the road would otherwise cause a problem.
Many RLHs were sold for further use after London Transport. Due to their lower height of 13 feet 6 inches (around a foot lower than normal double-decker buses), a large proportion found their way to other countries especially in Europe and the USA where maximum vehicle height restrictions allowed them to operate.
The RT-type
The AEC Regent III RT (RT-type) was first built in 1939 and was designed for & by London TransportLondon Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
. It was the standard red London bus during the 1950s, with a total of 4,825 buses built for London Transport. Although not all were in service at the same time.
Some RT-type buses were built for operation outside London, such as St. Helens Transport.