AEC Regal IV
| AEC Regal IV | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Preserved London Transport Metro-Cammell bodied AEC Regal IV | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | AEC |
| Production | 1949–1962 |
| Assembly | Southall, England |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1–3 |
| Floor type | Step entrance |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | AEC Reliance |
The AEC Regal IV was a bus chassis manufactured by AEC from 1949 to 1962.
History
[edit]The AEC Regal IV was AEC's first mainstream underfloor engined vehicle. A prototype was built in 1949, before production commenced in 1952.[1] The first 25 were built to the maximum permissible length of 8.4 metres (28 ft) for London Transport before maximum length for PSVs increased to 9.1 metres (30 ft).[2][3]
Over 2,600 were built, London Transport was the largest operator, purchasing over 700, while British European Airways purchased 64 as coaches.[4][5] Production for UK market finished in 1955 with the introduction of the AEC Reliance but it remained in production for export markets until the 1960s.[2]
Exports
[edit]New Zealand
[edit]At least 117 Regal IV vehicles were exported to New Zealand between 1952 and 1955. For Christchurch and New Plymouth, these were specifically to replace the city's tram networks. These included:
- Auckland Regional Authority - 12 vehicles
- Christchurch Transport Board - 95 vehicles[6]
- New Plymouth City Transport - 10 vehicles
- Otago Road Services - 1 vehicle[7]
References
[edit]- ^ London Transport First RF Bus Placed in Service Railway Gazette 19 September 1952 page 329
- ^ a b Companion to Road Passenger Transport History. Walsall: Roads & Road Transport History Association. 2013. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-9552876-3-3.
- ^ Berry, Howard (2018). AEC Single Deckers. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445676722.
- ^ Flying High Bus & Coach Preservation August 2016 page 56
- ^ John, Godwin (2020). Great British Buses. pp. 28–32. ISBN 9780244847784.
- ^ "Bus No. 290 will drop the curtain on another era of local transport". Press. Papers Past. 29 July 1981. p. 21. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ "Database of New Zealand Buses". Bus Info NZ. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to AEC Regal IV at Wikimedia Commons
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