| Bristol RE | |
|---|---|
 Preserved North Western Road Car Company Bristol RELL with ECW bodywork. | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bristol Commercial Vehicles |
| Assembly | Brislington, Bristol |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 doors |
| Floor type | Step entrance |
| Chassis | upswept sidemember ladder type (bus) straight ladder type (coach) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Gardner 6HLW, 6HLX, 6HLXB; Leyland O600, O680, 510 |
| Capacity | up to 54 seats |
| Power output | 120-184bhp |
| Transmission | Bristol 5-speed Synchromesh, Bristol Self-Changing Gears 4 or 5 speed semi-automatic. |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 10.0m to 12.0m |
| Width | 2.5m |
| Height | 3.0 to 3.3m |
| Curb weight | up to 10 tonnes unladen, 14 tonne GVW |
The Bristol RE was a rear-engined single-decker bus or single-decker coach chassis built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles from 1962 until 1982.[1] It is often considered the most successful of the first generation of rear-engined single-decker buses.
Initially, the RE was only supplied to subsidiaries of the nationalised Transport Holding Company (THC), by which Bristol Commercial Vehicles was wholly owned. From 1965, when Leyland purchased a 25% shareholding in Bristol and the company's products became available to non state-owned bus operator customers, the RE also gained popularity with companies in other sectors, including the British Electric Traction (BET) Group and many municipal operators.
From 1972, sales to the National Bus Company (NBC), which had taken over the operations of both THC and BET) began to dry up, due to the introduction of the Leyland National. From 1976, the RE remained in production only for the Northern Irish state-owned bus companies Ulsterbus and Citybus, and for export to Christchurch Transport Board, New Zealand.
In Great Britain, the RE was most commonly fitted with bodywork by ECW, but several other manufacturers also built bodywork on the chassis. Some coaches were fitted with Duple Commander, Plaxton Panorama Elite or Alexander M Type bodywork. In Northern Ireland, the RE was bodied by Alexander (Belfast), with the X Type bodywork.
Three of the ex-Citybus REs from Belfast were acquired by Pinewood Studios in October 2005, where they appeared in movies such as Children of Men[2] and St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.[3][4]
- ^ Millar 2007, p. 54.
- ^ Buses on Screen - Children of Men - http://www.busesonscreen.net/screen/screenfmchildrenofmen.htm
- ^ shenfielddepot > Buses > Lough Swilly buses - Bristols - http://shenfielddepot.smugmug.com/Buses/Lough-Swilly-buses-Bristols/16942960_Q4kwNf#1280949826_hPvrGD4
- ^ IMCDB Bristol RELL in St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold - http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301596-Bristol-RELL.html