Vehicle Class History:



Green Line despite having being an operator of and in the past well known for, specifying some of London’s finest vehicles, had by the mid 1970s become a mere shadow of its past self. Recent vehicles had not met the standard demanded of commuters and patronage had followed the decline in standard. So it was decided to embark on a plan to bring in better vehicles and try to win back the shrinking market. Money was tight so the vehicles chosen were leased for five years on a rolling basis. The vehicles were a mix of Plaxton Supremes and Duple Dominants and the sequentially numbered RB and RS Class were born in 1977.



 

The plan had been for five years of 30 coaches a year, but after the 1977 and 1978 batch were taken, the remaining three years worth of 90 coaches were all delivered in 1980, allowing the reinvigorated network to expand past its boundaries.

The lease programme had been successful and as the leases expired the coaches were returned to Kirbys and were replaced mainly by Tigers in the Green Line fleet. By 1985 all the leased vehicles of the RB/RS class had gone, but having helped bring some stability back to Green Line operations the experiment was seen by most as having been successful

 

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RF319 History

 

RB51 was one of the second years (1978)  leased coaches to arrive. Initially going to Reigate the vehicle received the luggage racks behind the driver that would see the seating fall from 53 to 49. It spent its five year working life with Green Line largely at Staines where the 718 would have been its regular run.



Having been returned to Kirbys of Sheffield in 1984 via Midland Red, it was next with Fairway Coaches of Biggleswade by the spring of 1987, only there for a year it next moved to Essex where it joined Bonnors Coaches of Ongar. Next it would move on in 1992 to Golden Boy Coaches of Hoddesdon where it gained the name ‘Miss Karen’ before passing on to Jems Coaches in 1994, who withdrew it in 1996.

From coach use it now passed into preservation and passed through a number of individuals, which along the way saw it restored to its original Green Line livery as well as get its original registration back having been re-registered YOI 2517 whilst in the Golden Boy fleet. Ensign acquired it in November 2011, and set about returning it to passenger carrying abilities, which was done successfully and saw it return to the road on the Southend Running Day of January 1, 2012.

 



Allocation History:

 

RB 51 XPK 51T    1978    new to Kirby Central, Anston, Sheffield

AEC Reliance, Duple Dominant 11m coach body, C53F

10/78 RG leased by London Country, to store at Reigate

downseated to C49F

12/78 ST into Greenline service (Staines)

79-82 ST

7/83 GR transfer into store (Garston)..

7/83 ST ..return

9/83    transfer into store, withdrawn (Midland Red)

1/84    returned off-lease to Kirby Kingsforth

5/87    bought by Fairway Coaches, Biggleswade

5/88    bought by Bonnors Coaches, Ongar

8/92    bought by Golden Boy Coaches, Hoddesden: named Miss Karen

YOI 2517  2/93    re-registered

10/94    bought by Jem Coaches, Roydon

1996    bought for preservation: Jim Howard, Hoddesden

XPK 51T   1/97    reregistered

1998    preservation: Tony Quince, Holwell

restored to as-new GreenLine condition

4/03    Chris Wills (RF512 Preservation Group), Stevenage

9/04    at Showbus

1/05    used at St Albans Running Day (724)

6/05    Hertford & Stevenage Running Day

2008    Chris Wills

2009     Keith Valla/RB51 Group

2011    Ensignbus Heritage for preservation