MORE ODD EASTERN COUNTIES BUSES FROM THE B.BEESTON TAKEOVER

DS 980 KBJ 968 an Dennis Lancet/Mulliner was the longest lasting of The B.Beeston fleet acquired in 1951, originally repainted into coach livery, it survived long enough to receive bus livery in 1955,seen here leaving Victoria Coach Station.

Now i must say i like odd buses the stranger or the more uglier it doesn't bother me and Eastern Counties had quite a few during the 1930's to 1950's when they took over a fair few independent operators, which bought some quite strange buses and coaches to their fleet, which in the main was of Bristol and Leyland manufactured. Looking at 1951 in July Eastern Counties acquired the B. Beeston and Son of East Bergholt fleet,the goods carrier part of the business was kept as G.B Beeston and Son, Beeston had a garage at East Bergholt and a number of services which operated in the area between Ipswich and Colchester serving Mistley, Manningtree, Brantham and Bromley and with the takeover came 2 Albion PH114/Duple B20F  N969/70 DRT 346/7, 2 Bedford OWB/Duple B30F B917/8  ERT 883/FBJ 491, 2 Bedford OB/Duple B20F B919/20, 1 Commer Commando/Thurgood C33F C990 JRR 374, 2 Maudslay Marathon/Plaxon C32F HRT 655/JBJ 12, 1 Austin K4/VT/Thurgood C29F T890 NHK 159, 1 AEC Regal III/Duple C35F KS 900 HRT 330, 1 Austin CXB/Thurgood C29F T891 JBJ 190, 1 Dennis Lancet/Gurney Nutting C35F KBJ 314, 1 Dennis Lancet/Mulliner C35F DS 980  and  2 Albion FT39N/Thurgood FB31F N972/1 KBJ 830/1.

 3 More Vehicles were on order at the time of the takeover 2 Maudslay Marathon/Gurney Nutting FC37F and a solitary Albion chassis for which Eastern Counties ordered an ECW body and was delivered in June 1953, of these buses and coaches the 4 Bedford OB/OW's and the 2 Albion PH114 lasted only a year, the Austin K4/VT and Austin CXB two years later. The solitary AEC Regal III and the two Maudslay Marathon left in 1957, the other Dennis Lancet/Gurney Nutting left in 1958, below you will see one of the two Albion FT39N's with Thurgood bodies N972 KBJ 830.