Rex Law's Redline Coaches

[Looselion]

Yes mate...the Superior built fleet No 110 or 111.

[Looselion]

Here's a shot I've just dug out.
From 1966, the Commer based Denning No 64 pictured during a stop-in at the Devils Marbles, near Tennant Creek, NT, en route to Alice Springs and Ayers Rock during a Central Auistralia tour.
I'm unsure if this was a camping or accommodated tour as Redline never hauled chuck wagons on the Safaris.

[VIKing]

Redline fleet number 110 was sold 09/01/1970 to Calder Highway Coaches where is was reg KLO439, later passing to Kyenton Bus Lines. Sister vehicle fleet 111 went to Castlemaine BL in Victoria as (12) reg KLX450.

[Industry]

Looselion

In this months Australian Bus published by the Sydney Bus Museum on pages 18-20 is a story with colour photos of 51 on a Central Australia Camping Tour in 1965 when the coach was 4 months old Albion Viking 41 seat Denning Body number 76

[Looselion]

Many thanks Industry.....
51 was delivered by Denning in January 1965, built on a VK41L chassis which was license modified to rear engine and assembled from CKD components in Redline's West End Brisbane workshops.
(I wonder if that last mentioned fact was identified in the article?)
It's great to know the very early days are being a little more broadly remembered......
I must get hold of a copy of the magazine.

[Looselion]

Many thanks Industry.....
51 was delivered by Denning in January 1965, built on a VK41L chassis which was license modified to rear engine and assembled from CKD components in Redline's West End Brisbane workshops.
(I wonder if that last mentioned fact was identified in the article?)
It's great to know the very early days are being a little more broadly remembered......
I must get hold of a copy of the magazine.

I forgot to add.....
Haven't seen the article yet but I'm guessing the Redline captain aboard this safari would have been 'Hill' or 'White'......
Just testing the grey matter.......

[system improver]

First name Kevin if that helps.

[Looselion]

Thanks S.I.....
Now I'm thinking Kevin King.
He was a very experienced Centre Safari captain, yet as far as I can recall his regular drive became No 50 from new.
It's very possible that he was aboard No 51, which was a twin to No 50, due to some overarching mechanical issues with his regular mount that caused a temporary swap around of coaches.
Kevin had actually crewed one of Clive Penfold's first Greyhound centre camping tours in the very early 1960's before coming over to Redline.....

[Bedford-29]

A coach that might interest Looselion of a Sampson`s Tours Adelaide Albion on tour in Tasmania.Picture from Ted Lidster in care with Trainiac

[Looselion]

"A coach that might interest Looselion of a Sampson`s Tours Adelaide Albion on tour in Tasmania.Picture from Ted Lidster in care with Trainiac"

Yes Bedford-29 very much so.....
This was Denning body No 71, originally Redline fleet No 46, which was delivered new 7/12/64 on NVE-371 plates.
Historically interesting because this was the very first of a large tranche of Viking VK41L chassis assembled and rear engine converted at Redline's West End Brisbane workshops, under license from Leyland Motors. I tell the full story in my coming book.
She went to Geoff Sampson in 1969, then Tasmanian Bus Lines in 1972 and then Hills of Fairy Meadow in 1977.....
I've never seen an awning over a desto like that before......??

[VIKing]

In February 1977 Hills (Wollongong) who were dealing extensively in buses at that time purchased 2 Albion Viking / Dennings ex Tasmanian Coach Lines (TCL). They were ex TCL D122 (AB 9747) which had been with Inland Coach Service, Alice Springs before sale to TCL in 3/72) and D123 (NB 6227) which had been with Sampsons Tours in Adelaide as RHR 775 until sale to TCL in 3/72) - this being former Redline #46. I remember Jim Hill telling me of bringing these coaches back to Wollongong, a true story I feel of what it was like in the 1970s .... Jim and a driver flew to Melbourne Saturday morning to collect the 2 coaches which had been shipped on the roll on / roll off ferry service. They set off for Wollongong, but only got as far as Benalla when the engine in one of the coaches seized up. So they left it there and set off for Wollongong in the other coach. More problems, the gear linkage in that coach broke and could not be repaired, so the driver could not change gears. So, with the floor hatch up the driver would shout instructions the person at the rear of the coach, then engage the clutch, the person at the rear would change gears moving the selector on the gearbox, clutch released and travel onwards. They got that coach back to Wollongong, then collected their tow truck, drove back to Benalla, collected the coach with the blown motor and towed it back to Wollongong ... all in time to start a normal week's work on Monday ! One of these ex TCL Dennings was sold to Mount Isa as a staff bus, can't remember off hand where the other one went.

[Looselion]

Great story VIKing....
Jim's remote gear changing stunt wasn't the first time that trick had been performed...!
We found it very critical to be ahead of the game with the remote shifter maintenance on those rear engine converted VK41L's.
Due to the fine bull-dust many of them lived in during Central Aust operations with Redline in the '60's, the shifter rods ran through wooden 'plummer blocks' which could be readily adjusted on the road to take care of the never ending wear from the dust. I'm wondering if the later operators were savvy to the needs of the set-up and maybe let things become a little slack over time.....
There was never a dull moment back in those heady post war days of "suck it and see....."

[Industry]

Here is an old Landliner that I just found on Old Service Stations believe this is Coober Pedy.

[Bedford-29]

Any Redline pedigree in this Commer coach.Picture from the Ken Magor collection

[Timbo52]

Grayhound Tours - Ford Thames Trader - TCL.jpg (66.07 KiB) Viewed 4085 times

Question To Looselion,
G'day Glen, can you recognise this body, I believe it was ex Redline prior to Grayhound Tours (Tas) then absorbed into Tas Coach Lines. It was a Ford REC, 380 Diesel 41 reclining seats, jetair equipped.
The second picture is of it a little later in life after having been panel stripped below windows & re-panelled. I dont go too much on the undercoat that we used!! It ended up all white. Any help with some history would be great.I think it was a Lewis Body from memory(long time ago know - mid to late 60's)
Regards Tim

[Looselion]

Hi Timbo52,
Brings back some memories Tim...
The bare bones of the history is that this coach was a new build for Redline in 1963, by Athol Hedges, Brisbane.
As you say, a Ford Thames Trader REC, and went into service with Redline as fleet No 37, operating Tassie tours for much of its life with the company.
There are photos of this unit in Redline colours floating around and I'll go digging.
Are you doing a restoration?
Cheers, Glenn.

[Looselion]

Any Redline pedigree in this Commer coach.Picture from the Ken Magor collection

Hi Bedford-29,

Not ex-Redline.

My first thought is it's a Denning built for Cobb & Co....

That's the exact grille treatment and header design that Denning applied to those early Commer based builds for the Boltons, although there are a few design features that don't accord with the usual Denning of the period.

I guess we have to accept that many of these old vehicles have been altered and modified over many years, making identification a bit difficult sometimes....

[Bedford-29]

Here is a closer look at Grayhound Tours 35.Picture from Ted Lidster in care with Trainiac flickr

[Looselion]

Here is an old Landliner that I just found on Old Service Stations believe this is Coober Pedy.

Hi Industry....

What a historic photo that is, of Redline No 11, a Watt Bros/Commer Avenger at Brewsters Roadhouse in Coober Pedy in 1957.....

No 11 was doing the first ever Central Ausatralia Safari tour by a full size touring coach from any coastal city and back again. The driver was "Big Jim" Flanagan.

I've described this historic event in my book, and I'm now hoping that I may be able to publish a few photos of the event now that they've begun to surface.

Could you PM me with a link to where you found the image Richard? I'd be most thankful.

No 11 still exists, in full original Watt Bros touring coach guise , although her wooden frame is shot.

Cheers, Glenn

[VIKing]

Chapmans Bus Service from Hamilton (Newcastle) m/o 4806 was built new for Chapmans. It was fitted with Denning body # 87 new in 1965. The coach is named Ellen Ruby after Mrs Ellen Ruby Chapman who operated the service (industrial runs to the steelworks and coaches on charters).

[pauwri]

Hi Glenn, I have emailed you regarding the early shot of 11 on tour. It is from Barry Brook.

[Timbo52]

Hi Timbo52,
Brings back some memories Tim...
The bare bones of the history is that this coach was a new build for Redline in 1963, by Athol Hedges, Brisbane.
As you say, a Ford Thames Trader REC, and went into service with Redline as fleet No 37, operating Tassie tours for much of its life with the company.
There are photos of this unit in Redline colours floating around and I'll go digging.
Are you doing a restoration?
Cheers, Glenn.

Hi Glenn thanks for the prompt reply, great to hear that my memory does still work a bit. You & I are very similar in our backgrounds, My dad started off with a school bus & ended up with 87 coaches on the road , "But only in Tas" So we probably have similar memories looking back. Unfortunately I haven't got many pictures so any you can supply would be greatly appreciated, I am enjoying this site immensely & am looking forward to "The Book".
I can remember sore fingers from sanding the Landliner, Redline signage off of the coach to repaint into Grayhound Tours. The Ford was a school bus @ the end of our use, don't know where it ended up.
Regards, Tim.

[Timbo52]

Any Redline pedigree in this Commer coach.Picture from the Ken Magor collection

Hi Bedford-29,

Not ex-Redline.

My first thought is it's a Denning built for Cobb & Co....

That's the exact grille treatment and header design that Denning applied to those early Commer based builds for the Boltons, although there are a few design features that don't accord with the usual Denning of the period.

I guess we have to accept that many of these old vehicles have been altered and modified over many years, making identification a bit difficult sometimes....

G'day Guys,
Denning Leyland Albion was new to Tas Coach Lines, rebuild of a prime mover/shunter from the wharf in Devonport at the "Princess of Tas" terminal. It went to Dennings for a cut & shut then that body was built. It replaced the AEC Reliance Skysiter built by Freighter Lawton, it was used for Tasbureau tours around Tas & tours to Adelaide & Gold Coast.
Regards Tim

[Industry]

Glenn this could be No.11 again an photo from Barry Brook's grand mother from 1957 believe taken at Kulgera Homestead

[Looselion]

Yes, undoubtedly the same coach on the same historic trip.
The big figure between the coach and the building can only be "Big Jim" Flanagan, the tour driver....no-one else was ever that big a man.....LOL.
If you look closely, you'll see a front mesh screen addition which was added for this trip to save the windscreens and headlights from flying rocks and stones.
You'll also likely see that this screen was prolifically used to hang drinking water cooler bags....!