Aberdeen 279 (ORG 279), 1960 Daimler CVG6 / Metro-Cammell H37/29R, Byron Square, Aberdeen, 1965.
Aberdeen Daimler CVG6 / Metro-Cammell 279 (ORG 279), new in 1960, at Byron Square in 1965. One of a batch of twelve buses, 276 - 287 (ORG 276 - 287), that entered service in July 1960.
This bus was the penultimate grey roof repaint. The last grey roof repaint was 1950 Daimler CVG6 / Weymann 98 (DRS 298), which four years later would become the last bus to gain a cream roof in 1968. It was 1964 when roofs started to be painted cream when 1957 AEC Regent V / Park Royal 254 (KRS 254) was out-shopped from its second repaint.
279 was one of eight buses to have painted Prudential adverts. Paper adverts of the same style had been fixed to eight buses in 1964, most of these adverts, if not all eight, featured on the then new batch of buses 317 - 324 (VRS 317 - 324). The corners of the paper adverts were squared, while painted ones were rounded - like 279 as shown here.
322 was the only one of the VRS batch that subsequently got the painted version of the advert in lieu of a paper one. Others buses to have painted adverts applied were 326, 327, 328, 329 & 332 of the 1965 batch 325 - 332 (CRG 325C – CRG 332C), and 272 (MRS 272) a 1959 AEC Regent V.
In mid 1965 when the newer buses had received their painted adverts, there was a period when a total of thirteen adverts featured across the fleet while five buses remaining with paper adverts (317, 318, 320, 321 and 324) awaited replacement adverts from other contractors.
This was the first, and my favourite, of three styles of painted Prudential adverts which I remember on the Aberdeen fleet. The "Ask the man from the Prudential" advert was a colourful one with main background colours of cream, yellow and white with "Ask the man from the" in black, and "PRUDENTIAL" in red lettering shaded in black. The image of a man was applied by transfer.
The second advert was another colourful one featuring a pale blue and white background, a black arrow shape upon which "PERSONAL SERVICE", in white letters, and "where you want it - when you want it", in yellow letters below, pointing towards "Prudential Motor Insurance" in red lettering on a white rectangle.
The third version, which was uninspiring with no visual impact, had a red base with white lettering - "PRUDENTIAL for all your insurance needs".
In 1965 the area behind 279 started to be developed for the new Lord Byron pub. I'm not sure if the pub remains, but 279 doesn't, being withdrawn in 1977 after transfer to Grampian Regional Transport in May 1975 when that organisation assumed control of the former ACT operation.
Aberdeen 279 (ORG 279), 1960 Daimler CVG6 / Metro-Cammell H37/29R, Byron Square, Aberdeen, 1965.
Aberdeen Daimler CVG6 / Metro-Cammell 279 (ORG 279), new in 1960, at Byron Square in 1965. One of a batch of twelve buses, 276 - 287 (ORG 276 - 287), that entered service in July 1960.
This bus was the penultimate grey roof repaint. The last grey roof repaint was 1950 Daimler CVG6 / Weymann 98 (DRS 298), which four years later would become the last bus to gain a cream roof in 1968. It was 1964 when roofs started to be painted cream when 1957 AEC Regent V / Park Royal 254 (KRS 254) was out-shopped from its second repaint.
279 was one of eight buses to have painted Prudential adverts. Paper adverts of the same style had been fixed to eight buses in 1964, most of these adverts, if not all eight, featured on the then new batch of buses 317 - 324 (VRS 317 - 324). The corners of the paper adverts were squared, while painted ones were rounded - like 279 as shown here.
322 was the only one of the VRS batch that subsequently got the painted version of the advert in lieu of a paper one. Others buses to have painted adverts applied were 326, 327, 328, 329 & 332 of the 1965 batch 325 - 332 (CRG 325C – CRG 332C), and 272 (MRS 272) a 1959 AEC Regent V.
In mid 1965 when the newer buses had received their painted adverts, there was a period when a total of thirteen adverts featured across the fleet while five buses remaining with paper adverts (317, 318, 320, 321 and 324) awaited replacement adverts from other contractors.
This was the first, and my favourite, of three styles of painted Prudential adverts which I remember on the Aberdeen fleet. The "Ask the man from the Prudential" advert was a colourful one with main background colours of cream, yellow and white with "Ask the man from the" in black, and "PRUDENTIAL" in red lettering shaded in black. The image of a man was applied by transfer.
The second advert was another colourful one featuring a pale blue and white background, a black arrow shape upon which "PERSONAL SERVICE", in white letters, and "where you want it - when you want it", in yellow letters below, pointing towards "Prudential Motor Insurance" in red lettering on a white rectangle.
The third version, which was uninspiring with no visual impact, had a red base with white lettering - "PRUDENTIAL for all your insurance needs".
In 1965 the area behind 279 started to be developed for the new Lord Byron pub. I'm not sure if the pub remains, but 279 doesn't, being withdrawn in 1977 after transfer to Grampian Regional Transport in May 1975 when that organisation assumed control of the former ACT operation.