| Fleet No 2134
Reg No MOI 2134 Company Ulsterbus Ltd Chassis No RELL-3 2164 Body No 183/14 Type Bristol RELL6G Body Alexander (Belfast) X type B44D+30 Engine Gardner 6HLXB Gearbox 4 speed semi auto New 17/02/77 Smithfield 17/02/77 - 31/12/80 Detaxed with accident damage 30/11/77 and returned to service 9/1/78 at Smithfield. Londonderry City (LY) 31/12/80 - 29/02/92 Reserve 29/02/92 - 5/03/92 Londonderry City (LY) 5/03/92 - 30/04/92 Reserve 30/04/92 - Sold to Bus Eireann, Dublin 11/92 and numbered BG39 and reregistered 77 D 816. Reseated to B49F before sale to Bus Eireann. Acquired by Richard Shannon. Purchased on the 9/03/08 for continued preservation from M.Phipps, Dublin. Delivered new to Ulsterbus at its Smithfield depot in 1977, 2134 is now the only surviving early Ulsterbus double door RE of the later X type alloy frame design. One of a batch of 15 numbered 2121-2135, these were initially for use in Newtownabbey with the whole batch allocated to Smithfield. Unfortunately this was to prove unsuccessfull and was transfered to Londonderry and put onto the city routes along with the rest of the batch in 1980, they joined another two batches of the double doors 1051-1070 (new in 1969)and a few of the 2001-2028 batch (new in 1975) already hard at work in Londonderry. (The 1969 batch were of the earlier steel frame X type design and had Leyland 680 engines, one of these also survives with a preservationist in Lisburn and is currently under restoration) . Like so many of this batch it nearly became a victim of the Troubles while in Derry, but luckily it was saved from being torched at the last minute by the authorities and was to go on till 1992 when it was replaced by newer buses being delivered. Only 5 remained in 1992 due to being Maliciously destroyed. Apart from that it led a normal life until withdrawal finally recieving the MK2 livery in its end days, one of the very few to do so from the early examples. By 1992 the Irish bus operator Bus Eireann had already taken some REs and Leopards from both Citybus and Ulsterbus for use on school traffic, with the RE's this involved removing the centre door and putting in extra seats on Bus Eireann's request, 2134 was chosen for this sale and was duly rebuilt to single door configuration. This was done by Citybus engineering. 46 REs were sold to Bus Eireann over the period 1991-93. Being exported to the south it was given the registration 77 d 816 and the BE fleetnumber BG39. Spending 10 years with Bus Eireann it was mainly used on school work, occasionally straying onto service work when needed. By the time of withdrawal in 2001 it was like many BE vehicles, it had been used to the death and was very rough bodywise. It was sold for scrap to a breaker in Northern Ireland in the area of Keady and from there was saved by Mark Phipps and taken back to the south. From there Mark set about restoring it, repaneling it etc. In 2008 it was sold to its current owners for continued restoring and was brought home under a suspended tow. Being in very poor condition both mechanically and bodily and it will require a major restoration from top to bottom. It will require a new floor and repanel and a mechanical check over and the biggest job of all, the centre door reinstated. It is intended to restore it as new eventually after other projects have been finished. |
Front ceiling panal missing, apart from that very little repair's are needed in this area. ABPG_370.jpg 2008-03-10 17:30:07 |
Front saloon area as acquired. The bulkhead's have escaped the usual stress crack's that most of the later Alexander X type Bristol RE's suffered from. ABPG_369.jpg 2008-03-10 17:29:54 |
Front step area as acquired, the lower step has had a nudge at one time and moved slightly towards the back of the bus, the step area will need stripped to determine what repair's are needed. ABPG_368.jpg 2008-03-10 17:29:04 |
Interior as acquired ABPG_367.jpg 2008-03-10 17:28:51 |
Front side facing seat area, all in excellant condition. ABPG_364.jpg 2008-03-10 17:27:20 |
Floor rot is again evident here and has been patched over with checker plate metal sheeting. ABPG_362.jpg 2008-03-10 17:26:39 |
Floor rot is evident here and is the worst ive seen. ABPG_361.jpg 2008-03-10 17:26:26 |
As acquired ABPG_360.jpg 2008-03-10 17:26:13 |
Interior as acquired. Still very much the Ulsterbus RELL inside even though it spent 10 years with Bus Eireann. ABPG_359.jpg 2008-03-10 17:25:47 |
Interior as acquired, all very original apart from the middle door having been removed. ABPG_358.jpg 2008-03-10 17:25:26 |
As acquired ABPG_357.jpg 2008-03-10 17:23:59 |
As acquired. The back end will require a full rebuild like 2306, the back dome is also beyond repair and will be replaced. ABPG_356.jpg 2008-03-10 17:23:31 |
As acquired ABPG_354.jpg 2008-03-10 17:22:59 |
As acquired ABPG_353.jpg 2008-03-10 17:18:25 |
When Mark acquired 2134 he found he couldnt get the original spec front panel's and obtained a set from a later Bristol RE being scrapped in Beatties. These will be removed and the proper one's fitted as a source has been found for them. ABPG_352.jpg 2008-03-10 17:17:45 |
As acquired ABPG_351.jpg 2008-03-10 17:17:36 |
2134 or 2561! ABPG_350.jpg 2008-03-10 17:17:20 |
As acquired. It is intended to do a full check on 2134 and will mean all these panal's being removed and the framework and stress panal's examined. A full repanel is also planned. ABPG_349.jpg 2008-03-10 17:17:09 |
As acquired ABPG_348.jpg 2008-03-10 17:16:45 |
As acquired recent_pics_155.jpg 2008-03-09 16:57:15 |
Not 2134 but it's sister 2135 seen here when nearly new. File0035.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
Panalwork being attached while with Mark. File0034.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
As acquired by Mark Phipps. File0032.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
As acquired by Mark Phipps. File0031.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
As acquired by Mark Phipps. File0030.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
Restoration progressing while with Mark. File0029.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
As acquired by Mark Phipps. File0028.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
2134 is seen here leaving Altnagalvin hospital on the outskirt's of Londonderry in the mid 80's. File0027.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
Turning onto the main road from Altnagalvin Hospital. File0026.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
Looking pristine 2134 is captured at Ulsterbus Central Workshop's after overhaul probably in the mid 80's. File0025.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
Cab as acquired, all very original but showing sign's of it's age. 100_3965.JPG 2026-03-09 18:16:08 |
As acquired 100_3963.JPG 2026-03-09 18:14:38 |
As acquired 100_3955.JPG 2026-03-09 18:11:17 |
Being unfit for the road a suspended tow was arranged, with half shafts removed the tow from Louth to the ABPG base went without a problem. 100_3950.JPG 2026-03-09 13:26:44 |
On tow to the ABPG base. 100_3949.JPG 2026-03-09 13:26:36 |
Stored in reserve at the back of Gt Victoria St now the Europa Buscentre in 1992. 2134 was on of the few Ulsterbus double door RELL's to have the mk2 livery applied. 1003124.jpg 2008-03-10 00:00:00 |
