AFM103G     A Website about Crosville's CRG103 Bristol RELH/ECW coach.
RELH/ECW coach home page Part 1 : The Tilling years (1969-1973) Part 2 : The National Express years (1973-1981) Part 3 : School Operation (1982-1992) Part 4 : Restoration I (1992-2007) Part 5 : Preservation I (June/July 2007) Part 6 : Preservation II (July -December 2007) Part 7 : Preservation III (2008)
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(Part II)		 Preservation
(Part III)

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The history of AFM 103 G - Part 1 : The Tilling years (1969-1972)

  AFM103G was delivered to Crosville, as it's number CRG103 on 6th Feb 1969. The Eastern Coachways body (Number 17479) had 47 coach seats, a bus-style destination panel, a bus type (folding) door and a Webasto heating system. The chassis (number RELH-4-196) was fitted with air suspension and a Gardner 6HLX engine driving through a semi-automatic gearbox.

Whilst the National Bus Company had been created the previous month nothing had really changed yet and AFM103G was delivered in the traditional Crosville coach livery, and worked on the coach network that Crosville had built up. A picture exists of it working the X2 London - Liverpool service in this livery in June 1970.

It was one of a batch of 10 (AFM102G-AFM111G) that were ordered at the same time, with 102-110 being used from Liverpool and Rock Ferry (Birkenhead) garages on the main express services to London. These vehicles had a unique (to Crosville) feature with illuminated panels on the side spelling out 'Liverpool London Motorway Express'. Whilst these were now lit with fluorescent lights, the idea dated back to the earliest days of coach, or stagecoach, operation!

The picture on the right is actually a recent one of sister vehicle AFM106G. The last of the batch (AFM111G) was delivered with only one side panel to be used for private hire/day trips from Chester, this coach also still exists.

 BRISTOL RELH ECW coach AFM103G
Photo Copyright Carl Berry
  
Crosville Express Services Booklet 1969

  Crosville's express services from Merseyside 1969-1970:
     
   X1Liverpool - Birkenhead - Chester - Birmingham - Stratford upon Avon - Oxford - London
   X2Liverpool - Birkenhead - Chester - Newcastle under Lyme - Crewe - Tamworth - London (Summer only)
   X18Liverpool - Birkenhead - Chester - M6 - M1 - London
   X61Liverpool - Runcorn - M6 - M1 - London
   X3Liverpool - Birkenhead - Prestatyn - Rhyl - Colwyn Bay - Llandudno
   X7Liverpool - Birkenhead - Chester - Wrexham - Llangollen - Betws y Coed - Bangor - Caernarfon
   X10Liverpool - Wrexham - Oswestry - Machynlleth - Aberystwyth
   X71Liverpool - Wrexham - Oswestry - Newtown - Llandrindod Wells - Brecon - Cardiff - Barry
     
  It's likely that CRG103 left Liverpool in July 1972 when the CRL259-CRL268 batch of coaches arrived for the London services. It was operating from Heswall, by August 1972. There is a record of it operating from Holyhead depot in mid September 1972, though this is likely to have been a short-term loan. It was definitely back on Merseyside, at Heswall, by 1973.
 
   


AFM103G's History (Page 1)
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Crosville Express Services Booklet 1969
 


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