Between 1934 and 1938, 77 of these buses were
supplied to the then Department of Road Transport and Tramways in Sydney, New South Wales.
They comprised 21 Albion
Valkyrie, 8 Albion Valiant 21 Leyland Tiger TS 7/8 1 Leyland Lion, 20 A.E.C. Regal and 6
Dennis Lancet 1/2.
The Kit is based on the Dennis
Lancet 2 with Waddington body as displayed at the Bus and Truck Museum of New South Wales
at Tempe in Sydney.
This preserved bus later saw
service with West Bankstown Bus Service. Oldings, Syd Wood and Waddingtons supplied
similar but not completely identical bodies. They operated from all Sydney depots and at
Newcastle. Originally all had headlights set into the body which was a typical British
practice (like the Leyland in Sydney Tramway Museum at Loftus in Sydney) but to double as
clearance lights all had the distinctive bar conversion completed by 1939.
The early ones were painted
black and white with a brown roof but all were later painted green and cream with black
lining. The interior was white and brown with brown seats. However for some time at least
one Albion retained its brown roof and during WW II some were painted in camouflage.
Between 1947 and 1953, all were withdrawn but most saw many years further service with
private bus companies including the following;
Caringbah Bus Service, Cartins
All Weather Coaches (Victoria), Hunter Valley Coaches, Hills Bus Service, John J.Hills Bus
Service, Linsley Brothers Bus Service, Kogarah Bus Service, Lowes Bus Service, Mc.Vickers
Bus Service, Mount Kurling-Gai Bus Service, Parramatta Bus Company, Punchbowl Bus Company,
Narwee Bus Company, Red Top Transit, St. Ives Bus Service, Stone Brothers Bus Service,
Watt Brothers Bus Service, West Bankstown Bus Service, Tamarama Bus Service.
Some survived until the late
1960`s and others were rebodied with full fronts by Syd Wood for Punchbowl Bus Company,
Red Top Transit and possibly other operators. |