Rex Law's Redline Coaches

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Industry
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

1957 on tour pity the poor lady on the tour
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

Many thanks again Industry.....
Some observers may wonder how the banner was attached to the coach...
Being a wooden frame, the panels were all screwed on, with zillions of wood screws and cup washers.
The bright sparks quickly figured out that a screwdriver was all that was necessary to have their signage up and running with no permanent disfigurement to the bodywork, other than maybe a tiny blemish on Barrie Watt's excellent Brolite Enamel paint job....!
No 11 exists today near Fernvale, Qld,, a true historic artifact, with all those original touring seats and the parcel racks, etc, still in place, just as the late brothers Watt constructed her.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

Looselion

In another post on this board some discussion is whether this is a Redline Coach or came direct from Kirklands can you add any info it is currently in WA
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Car177 »

Looks like Stewart &Sons, Bundaberg had a hand in that!
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Car177 »

Having spent a couple of nights at O'Reillys this week I managed to copy this fro the wall, the other photos are familiar to me but don't recall this one.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Tas Bus Nut »

Industry wrote:Looselion

In another post on this board some discussion is whether this is a Redline Coach or came direct from Kirklands can you add any info it is currently in WA
(see photo, 2 posts UP) On the Clipper Club of Australia FB page, it mentions this is a butchered Flxible Clipper AF103
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Car177 »

Stewarts did modify a Clipper.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

Car177 wrote:Having spent a couple of nights at O'Reillys this week I managed to copy this fro the wall, the other photos are familiar to me but don't recall this one.
Great shot, Car177.....
I've no idea who was posing with the bus, but certainly it wasn't Rex.
If you look closely, just ahead of the pax door can be seen the logo "R. J. Law Bus Service" which had been applied in a style virtually identical to Rex's own personal written signature.
"Redline Coaches" wasn't used until commencement of the Brisbane - Sydney - Brisbane operation in 1953.
The paint scheme was red upper with a black band background to the waist level sign-writing, and cream to the lower areas.
The side signage read "Brisbane - Canungra - O'Reilly's N.P." (N.P. standing for 'National Park.)
Upper front read "Royal Mail" above "Green Mountains."
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

Industry wrote:Looselion

In another post on this board some discussion is whether this is a Redline Coach or came direct from Kirklands can you add any info it is currently in WA
Hi Industry,
I made a comment or two on the other post....
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

I believe this to be a Superior Body Ford from 1968 which past to Parlorcars/Panther after Redline closed, not sure how many of this body style were operated by Redline.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

The above unit was a Watt Bros build.
Watts built seven Ford R 192 / R226 based units for Redline: Nos 78, 80, 86, 88, 98, 100 and 108.
Superior constructed five: Nos 96, 97 and 102, with the last two, Nos 110 and 111 being step deck bodies.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by VIKing »

Regarding the Panther Tours coach ... looking at the body and the front wheel trims, plus fleet #93 (or so it seems to me in the photo) I think this vehicle is actually a rebodied AEC Reliance 470. Panther fleet #93 was RWK 284 AEC Reliance 470 - repowered with AEC 505 motor / CCMC (67.240 11/9/67) C41F. The chassis number was MU3RAE365, a mid 1950's chassis which was rebodied. I don't know any details of the original owner / operator. After it's time with Panther Tours to coach was sold to King of Colac in Vic, where it was registered KZS310 on 08/10/71.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

Nice historical assessment VIKing...
One can readily identify the close relationship between the Watt Bros and Custom Coaches (CCMC) products of the day when looking at this photo.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by bjg154 »

VIKing wrote:The chassis number was MU3RAE365, a mid 1950's chassis which was rebodied. I don't know any details of the original owner / operator. After it's time with Panther Tours to coach was sold to King of Colac in Vic, where it was registered KZS310 on 08/10/71.
The very helpful site http://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk isn't much help in this case. It lists this chassis as new to "Magree, Australia" with no body or registration details. Magree seems to be a surname rather than a locality.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by system improver »

bjg154 wrote:
VIKing wrote:The chassis number was MU3RAE365, a mid 1950's chassis which was rebodied. I don't know any details of the original owner / operator. After it's time with Panther Tours to coach was sold to King of Colac in Vic, where it was registered KZS310 on 08/10/71.
The very helpful site http://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk isn't much help in this case. It lists this chassis as new to "Magree, Australia" with no body or registration details. Magree seems to be a surname rather than a locality.
Fortunately, I can help here. The "Magree" that is being referred to was one of the two operators of the Geelong Road Bus Service (the other being Reynolds). Young Joe Magree inherited the business in the 30s from one of the originators of the service, James Bowman, which ran from Footscray down Geelong Road to (initially) Somerville Road and then later to the Guiding Star Hotel. However he died young and without any children, so his "estate" (a solicitor was executor) ran the business for over 30 years! Eventually, when the solicitor died, the next executor sold the business to Reynolds 1967 who then sold to Sitch in 1971.

In 1955, Magree's bought a Symons & Fowler bodied AEC Reliance, certainly the biggest and most expensive bus they had ever invested in. It was registered GKE 038. In 1966, shortly before selling the business to Reynolds, the bus was disposed of to (James) Doug Barnes, who, at the stage, was running route services in the Sunshine area as well as charter/industrial services. It ran for a number of months for him (in the Magree livery) until it was de-registered in 2/67. He then removed the S&F body and had it rebodied by CCMC. By this stage, he had acquired the Parlorcars business (7/67) and he put the rebodied vehicle into his Parlorcars fleet in Adelaide registered as RWK 284. It later came back to Melbourne and became part of the Panther BL group for Parlorcars. When Panther finally went bust (three owners in about a year), it went to Kings of Colac.

Here are some pics, first showing the original bus for Magree, then for Parlorcars (Panther) while still owned by Barnes, then Kings:
Image
Image
Image

The first two pics come from the John Masterton Collection and the last one from the Bruce Tilley Collection.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

Just to return to the similarity between the Watt Bros and CCMC products, here's Redline No 88, constructed in 1967 by Watt Bros. The similarities were of course due to the latter's use of components prefabricated and supplied by CCMC.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

I believe the driver is Jim Flannigan and was taken in 1957 and the coach is No.11 but stand corrected on this, love the mascot skull.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Looselion »

Industry wrote:I believe the driver is Jim Flannigan and was taken in 1957 and the coach is No.11 but stand corrected on this, love the mascot skull.
Yes Industry, this was Redline No 11, with driver "Big Jim" Flanagan featuring large.
During the latter stage of the historic Central Australia round tour from Brisbane in 1957, somewhere in snow country in NSW.
It's fascinating to know this coach still exists in its original form, while needing a heavy duty reconstruction of its wooden body frame.
Here she is today:
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Industry
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

Just to make your day here is 11 in her better days.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

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Industry wrote:Just to make your day here is 11 in her better days.
Great shot Industry....
Looks like this was taken on the same occasion as the one of Big Jim above.
I remember very well one day in company with Rex sometime around 1960 as he was looking at one of the coaches and said..."I don't like the look of those red colored road wheels...." and very soon after that all the fleet had white wheels!
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Nevadahellchicken »

These photos of Number 11 where taken by my Grandparents in 1957 on the Brisbane Bushwalkers Red Centre Trip, I have a Facebook page that I'm slowly uploading the many photos i have from the trip.
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Industry
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

When your finished can you post the Facebook Page details interested to have a look.

These photos were sent to me from a relative in Noosa and have a couple of more which maybe from your grandparents as one has text it was from a bushwalkers tour.

I hope you do not mind me posting them in this forum.
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Nevadahellchicken »

Here's a link to the group on Facebook, I have a lot more photo's to put up but most of the ones from the bus are already up.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/115810418867874/
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

:D thanks for the link
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Re: Rex Law's Redline Coaches

Post by Industry »

Thank you for posting the link what a wonderful selection of photos, not only of Redline 11 but the outback as well.

No11 was luxury compared to Alice Springs Tours bus in the photos

Thank you
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