Parlorcars Of Perth:photos wanted.

[Denv12]

Back in 1985-86 I was driving for "The Bus Company" Quest Tours & Across Australia Coachlines based in Glynde,SA.The company owned Parlorcars based in Perth too. I would like to get some history of the company.I remember their immaculate depot off Great Eastern Highway.There were various Denning coaches.Those would gradually be replaced by new Bova's from 1986 onwards and the Denning's (and AAC's Perth based coaches) were also replaced by Bova's.They would end up in Adelaide too. I think one was sold To Explorer Coaches,SA. What did their fleet consist of at the time Max Winkless bought the company? Who owned it then? Who started the company? I did drive #21 and #24 on Across Australia Coachlines express at times and #21 on a Broken Hill tour.

I added 4 Denning photos.I just found another photo.

[LocoLes]

Back in 1985-86 I was driving for "The Bus Company" Quest Tours & Across Australia Coachlines based in Glynde,SA.The company owned Parlorcars based in Perth too. I would like to get some history of the company.I remember their immaculate depot off Great Eastern Highway.There were various Denning coaches.Those would gradually be replaced by new Bova's from 1986 onwards and the Denning's (and AAC's Perth based coaches) were also replaced by Bova's.They would end up in Adelaide too. I think one was sold To Explorer Coaches,SA. What did their fleet consist of at the time Max Winkless bought the company? Who owned it then? Who started the company?

I added 3 Denning photos.

Hi Denv12,

I can help out with the Explorer Coachlines Bova. I photographed it in Partridge Street, Glenelg in the 90's quite an impressive looking coach. Sorry, I don't know any history re the companies though.

Cheers, LocoLes
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-14528

[Guy_Arab]

Back in 1985-86 I was driving for "The Bus Company" Quest Tours & Across Australia Coachlines based in Glynde,SA.The company owned Parlorcars based in Perth too. I would like to get some history of the company.I remember their immaculate depot off Great Eastern Highway.There were various Denning coaches.Those would gradually be replaced by new Bova's from 1986 onwards and the Denning's (and AAC's Perth based coaches) were also replaced by Bova's.They would end up in Adelaide too. I think one was sold To Explorer Coaches,SA. What did their fleet consist of at the time Max Winkless bought the company? Who owned it then? Who started the company?

I added 3 Denning photos.

I drove fpr Parlorcars in 1970 Trevor Pollard was manager I worked out ofGreat Eastern Hwy depot most of our buses where Bedfords Drivers like Dick Hood Joe Turnbull I do not know how many photos I have
Guy Arab

[Denv12]

Back in 1985-86 I was driving for "The Bus Company" Quest Tours & then Across Australia Coachlines based in Glynde,SA.The company owned Parlorcars based in Perth too. I would like to get some history of the company.
I remember their immaculate depot off Great Eastern Highway.(no comparison when compared to the Glynde depot).There were various Denning coaches.Those would gradually be replaced by new Bova's from 1986 onwards and the Denning's (and AAC's Perth based coaches) were also replaced by Bova's.Their coaches and AAC's would end up in Adelaide too. I think one Denair was sold to Explorer Coaches,SA. What did their fleet consist of at the time Max Winkless bought the company? Who owned it then? Who started the company?

I added 3 Denning photos.

Hi Denv12,

I can help out with the Explorer Coachlines Bova. I photographed it in Partridge Street, Glenelg in the 90's quite an impressive looking coach. Sorry, I don't know any history re the companies though.

Hi Locoles.Thanks mate. I didnt realise Explorer bought a Bova as well.Beautiful photo you've got there.I think it was Parlorcars #25 might have gone to Explorer.

[Denv12]

Back in 1985-86 I was driving for "The Bus Company" Quest Tours & Across Australia Coachlines based in Glynde,SA.The company owned Parlorcars based in Perth too. I would like to get some history of the company.I remember their immaculate depot off Great Eastern Highway.There were various Denning coaches.Those would gradually be replaced by new Bova's from 1986 onwards and the Denning's (and AAC's Perth based coaches) were also replaced by Bova's.They would end up in Adelaide too. I think one was sold To Explorer Coaches,SA. What did their fleet consist of at the time Max Winkless bought the company? Who owned it then? Who started the company?

I added 3 Denning photos.

I drove fpr Parlorcars in 1970 Trevor Pollard was manager I worked out ofGreat Eastern Hwy depot most of our buses where Bedfords Drivers like Dick Hood Joe Turnbull I do not know how many photos I have
Guy Arab

Thanks Guy_Arab. I remember the name Trevor Pollard.I'm sure I knew him when I was in Perth.Love to see any photos you can find.

[Herbert]

24 at Corstons in 2011:

[Herbert]

[Herbert]

[Herbert]

[Herbert]

[Herbert]

[Herbert]

[Denv12]

24 at Corstons in 2011:

image.jpg

Thank you Herbert for those beautiful photos.Thats some amazing history there.
Did Corston's buy Parlorcars #24 from BusCoach Pty Ltd? Or did they buy it from another bus company?

[system improver]

Parlorcars was established by (Alfred) Percy Withers (b.1898) in 1931. His father, Alfred Arthur Withers (b.1864 d.1929) had established Pioneer Tourist Services as a family company in 1919. Before the war, another family company, Withers Pty Ltd, had begun running bus and car tours in Melbourne. Both companies continued until early 1942 when the demands on materials due to WW2 shut down all tourist bus services, which were deemed to be non essential. The vehicles were sold off and the licences held in abeyance. In late 1944, the government indicated that licences were soon to be returned (Germany had been defeated in the European war). However, without buses, and the ready means to make or acquire them, the Withers family sold the interstate licences of Pioneer to Reg Ansett. Percy kept and restarted Parlorcars (originally Parlor Cars till about 1948) for Victorian tour work. As part of the deal with Ansett, he was unable to run interstate tours for 15 years i.e. until 1959. It appears that he counted off the days, because as soon as the 15 years was up, Parlorcars re-entered not only the interstate tour market, but also interstate express work, which the Privy Council in Britain had authorised (overriding our High Court) in late 1954.

The Perth connection with Parlorcars began in 1965. There had already been expansion into all other capitals. The exact ownership arrangement remains unclear. However, we do know that Metro Tours, the last remnant of the Metro company in Perth, was part of the arrangement. A new company called Parlorcars Interstate Tours (WA) was formed with Jack Norman as managing partner. He may have had some involvement with Metro Tours. I guess that Percy Withers was the other partner. At the time, Metro Tours had (mainly?) Bedfords, some with CAC bodies and one with a 1960 Freighter body. The older buses were replaced with new Freighter Bedfords and Comair Bedfords. Around six buses were allocated to Perth. When the final breakup of Parlorcars occurred in the early 70s, the WA section continued on, as can be seen by the previous posts. My guess is that a full buy out in fact occurred from Withers much earlier, in 1967.

Here is a photo that was posted on Facebook (I think) some time ago, showing 3 Flxible Clippers, the ex Metro Freighter Bedford SB3, three 1965/66 Freighter bodied Bedford SB3s and one Comair bodied Bedford SB3 from 1966. I am currently working on the history of Parlorcars from 1944 to 1967 - the Withers era - which should appear in a future edition of Australian Bus Panorama.

[Denv12]

[quote="system improver"]

Thank you system improver.Thats a lot of history there.Its amazing what you have found.
I dont know who owned Parlorcars before Max Winkless bought it in 1985.I remember their depot was one of the best I had ever seen.That was 1985 and 1986 when we were on Across Australia Coachlines express.Cant remember the depot address.They had all their Perth AAC and Parlorcars fleets based there.

Parlor Cars had vehicles serviced at Port Road Woodville Park (SA) back in the 1960s.A guy by the name of Arthur Lee ran the place.Might have been a petrol station but he always had coaches there. He had the Ampol at Alberton on Port Road after that.

[oldkiwi]

Hi, came across this old piece of ephemera of Parlorcars. A pamphlet from 1966 that was targeting the NZ market.
Sorry my flatbed scanner isn't quite big enough to fit it all in, but it might be of interest to some.
Enjoy the site & photos.
All the best.
cheers.