BDV 252C: February 2016

This blog is an ongoing chronicle of the restoration of my 1965 Bristol SUL4A bus.

Here you'll find regular updates on the project and historical info about the bus and its type. If you've ever fancied a restoration project of your own, but don't welcome the expense and strife that comes with it, pop back as often as you like and virtually share in mine.

The restoration will be a thorough process, covering all aspects of the vehicle, so please don't expect a quick result. Instead, you can look forward to a long series of temporary defeats and small victories that hopefully balance in our favour overall and take us ever closer to a result.

This blog is a 'brother' to the long-established 270KTA.co.uk, which follows the adventures of my 1962 Bristol SU coach, brought back to life from a similar state. To balance the woes and elations in each story, I recommend you follow the two in equal measure!

David Sheppard, 2017

BDV 252C (671) is a 1965 Bristol SUL4A saloon, one of 81 such buses built for Western National and Southern National between 1960 and 1966. It is the sole survivor of its batch but is typical of the later SU buses which were so much a part of West Country life for decades.

Bristol's SU-type was a narrow, lightweight chassis designed specifically for use in rural areas. As well as the South West, they found their way to Yorkshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of the Home Counties, albeit in smaller numbers.

671 has a 36-seat body built by Eastern Coachworks of Lowestoft and a 4-cylinder Albion EN250H diesel engine, mounted horizontally underfloor and coupled to a David Brown 5-speed gearbox.

BDV252C's Owner and Scribe

David Sheppard is 34 and lives in the South West of England. He has been involved in bus and coach preservation for more than 25 years, having helped his father to restore their first bus at the age of seven.

David is a trustee and director of the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust and a director of NARTM, the National Association of Road Transport Museums, which represents the heritage transport movement to Government departments and agencies, regulators and funding bodies.

A broadcaster by trade, David currently presents a nightly show for BBC South West across their radio stations in the West of England and the Channel Islands.

Contact David by email, at: david@davidsheppard.info

Monday, 29 February 2016

The Rescue