Lough Swilly
Operating in the remote north-west of the country, Lough Swilly is the last vestage of the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway Company which at one stage had extensive narrow-guage railways operating in Donegal and Derry. Always down-at-heel, the vehicles they operated in the late 70's were an amazing collection of second, third and even fourth-hand buses and coaches, rarely being able to afford new ones. Here's just a selection of some of them:
Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 No 87 (UI 8616) was the fifth production bus of its type and arrived in Ireland in 1960 from the UK where it carried registration 46 LTB. It operated with the Ulster Transport Authority and Belfast Corporation ( as 8985 XI), after which it trialled with CIE, (being re-registered HZA 723), paving the way for the purchase of 602 PDR1/1As (the D Class). In 1961 it passed to Lough Swilly, and I purchased it for preservation in 1981.
This was how 87 looking when restored into Lough Swilly colours, and is photographed in Belfast whilst attending the Bangor Rally in 1982. Sadly, being a student, I could not afford to keep the bus and sold it to a preservationist in Northern Ireland in 1984, but unfortunately it was scrapped shortly afterwards.
No 101, ECK 159 a Leyland PSU1/15 was new in 1952 and languished for many years as a shed on the main Derry / Letterkenny road.
The rear of 111 FCK 851 This Leyland PSUC1/1 with Saro bodywork was new in 1954 to Ribble