AEC Reliance / Watts body 1963 - trying to find.

[Mogambo]

Hello all

This is my second visit to this site - forgot my username and password from some years ago. Have been in the bus industry fro many years as a driver as well as an owner.

Im hoping that maybe someone around here can help me locate a particular vehicle, as I would ultimately like to find it and restore it back to its bus configuration.

Its a 1963 AEC Reliance, formerly No.4 of Picnic Point Bus Service of Toowoomba. It was sold via Barrie Watt's yard a few times post 1988, however the lead Barrie was able to give me revealed that it wasnt the same vehicle. It was obviously last sold as a motorhome, and returned to Barries yard more than once since it was traded in 1986 for an ex Adelaide Swift.

Really, its almost like the ultimate "needle in a haystack" to find, as it could be anywhere, and it could aslo be destroyed or wrecked - I dont even know if it still exists and what possible consition it may be in, however I wont give up until such time as I exhaust all avenues.

So.....has nayone seen this vehicle in a caravan park or paddock anywhere? If I had to guess where it was, I would imagine it shouldnt have strayed too far from Queensland or possibly northern NSW, but I could be proven very wrong on this.

Any help or suggestions would be very welcome and much appreciated. The pciture attached was taken around 1988 on its last known visit to Barrie Watts' yard in Brisbane.

Cheers,
Mogambo..

[captainch]

i remember that bus on the picn9c pt run it was very modern for its day .............your name must be rod had a ex sydney doubledecker in my yard oppp hyran phillips cnr john and herries sts

[Mogambo]

i remember that bus on the picn9c pt run it was very modern for its day .............your name must be rod had a ex sydney doubledecker in my yard oppp hyran phillips cnr john and herries sts

No mate, sadly I am not Rod (Im presuming its original owners - Rod was one of them). Cant say I recall the Sydney doubledecker you refer to, as I was too young to even think about driving when this bus was still in service, but I did ride on it many times

[Bedford-29]

Watts bodyworks still exist at 12 Lotus st Woolloongabba 0733917011.I suggest giving them a try they might have some sort of record of where number 4 went.
http://www.wattsbusandcoachworks.com.au/

[captainch]

ok sorry i thought you might of been rod,when i was 18 i had my bus lience and used to help out driving no 4 on days when they were busy i lived on the cnr of herries and john street,also used to admire the 2 little orange beddies on the hume street bus service, rod used to keep the buses in good order i wish you luck in finding her .had lots of pics of her .but sadly were lost in the gattoon floooods last year .maybe some qld guys might have some pics of her it was on the cover of truck and bus mag many years ago! i bought the decker of maccaffetys in 1965 it was red /white/blue, i had it 5 years it ended up on a farm in nsw were i now live!40 years latter its now a wreck sadly

[Mogambo]

Watts bodyworks still exist at 12 Lotus st Woolloongabba 0733917011.I suggest giving them a try they might have some sort of record of where number 4 went.
http://www.wattsbusandcoachworks.com.au/

Thanks, but yes, have tried that, and went up a bit of a garden path there (not anyones fault though). Have asked Barrie again if he could have another think where it may have went last time

[Mogambo]

ok sorry i thought you might of been rod,when i was 18 i had my bus lience and used to help out driving no 4 on days when they were busy i lived on the cnr of herries and john street,also used to admire the 2 little orange beddies on the hume street bus service, rod used to keep the buses in good order i wish you luck in finding her .had lots of pics of her .but sadly were lost in the gattoon floooods last year .maybe some qld guys might have some pics of her it was on the cover of truck and bus mag many years ago! i bought the decker of maccaffetys in 1965 it was red /white/blue, i had it 5 years it ended up on a farm in nsw were i now live!40 years latter its now a wreck sadly

Perhaps you would have also driven "the arm buster" No.12 the Bedford too? It was new in 71. I worked for Rod in the very last days of the town runs, and was driving Leyland Nationals on it then.

What do you recall about driving No.4? I believe it was a 4 speed crash box with the 470 engine...

[captainch]

yes it was, great to drive,the beddie was the spare also no 4 did a lot of charters till they got there first coach by the way is rod still alive i left toowoomba in 70 live in hunter valley now.

[Mogambo]

Awesome! No, sadly Rod passed away in around 2002. The business didnt go on for a lot longer after that. I cant reply to your PM just yet, as it wont let me....

[Fleet Lists]

Your PM has now been enabled

[Mogambo]

Thanks Fleet Lists

As an update, after somewhat of a wild goose chase, I have conclusive evidence that confirms that this bus did in fact end up in the Babinda region of far north QLD, however from the contacts Ive managed to establish up that way, it appears that it was towed from a paddock where a person was using it as a weekender on a block of land, some 15 years ago. Luckily, one of my contacts there has contact with the people who owned it at that time, who are returning in 3 weeks time to the district, so we may be able to piece together where it went from *then*......

I still have no idea either way whether it still remains intact or where it may be now, so the best we can do is to keep chipping away from its last known owner and go forward...finger crossed

[captainch]

best of luck with your search hope she is still around has any one got pics of her in toowoomba

[Mogambo]

best of luck with your search hope she is still around has any one got pics of her in toowoomba

I have seen some in books and things over the years. Anything Toowoomba pre 1990's is awesome viewing, it was such a colourful place so far as different buses and liveries were concerned.

[Mogambo]

Well, I found the bus. It is in Babinda, confirmed.

Sadly however, it wont be a restoration project, as its now just a chassis - the body was torn off as a training exercise for excavator operators at a training place.

What is excrutiating sad, is the body destruction only took place a month ago!!!!!!!!!!

Im actually rather devastated, merely on account of the one month timing....

Do any Brisbane members know of the Athol Hedges Metro Star bodied International (formerly of Hess, Towooomba, then Hagans Toowoomba, then lastly to Jimbour Coaches of Dalby, that was sitting in a yard in Acacia Ridge? Cant recall the name of the road but it links up to Ornage Grove Rd if I recall correctly. Wondeirng if its still there?

[captainch]

sorry to hear that mate! and to think it was only a month ago! SO DID THEY HAVE ANY PICS!

[Mogambo]

Nope, no pics and only a chassis.

Im now debating whether I should at least get the chassis and engine / gearbox. I had a yarn with Barrie Watt this morning when in Brisbane, and I have a few ideas....

[Mogambo]

Ok, an update for anyone interested in this project so far. And it MAY be very VERY good news.

I made the effort to drive to Babinda last weekend, and got to also sample the temperature of some delicious beer at various bush pubs on the district., Mirriwinni was the best so far. In any case, I made it my business to look at the remains of the chassis' that had been scrapped.

To my delight, despite the extremely accurate descriptions provided back and forth, and my belief that the bus was now just a mere memory, it turns out that the destroyed bus was NOT Mogambo after all. One was a Freighter bodied front engined Leyland, and the other was a front engined Beford VAM with CCMC bodywork....or shall I say, the remains thereof.

So, furiously pleased that the bus *MAY* still exist (I exercise that belief with caution), I set about the local area to try and find it, and looked in areas where it had been previously suggested, however to no avail.

My local contacts are also on the look out for it, however, it must be pointed out that it did arrive in the district some 22 - 23 years ago as a camper, the bus is 49 years old, and therefore it could be very likely that it has been sold at least one more time since (meaning it could well be anywhere), or dare I say it, perhaps it could still be destroyed or scrapped.

Either way, this story now has more bends and twists than a cheap American novel, but what is good is that now it makes the search even more juicier and there is also some hope Watch this space