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Sunday 30th September 2012

Starline Tours, Los Angeles - City Sightseeing franchise

Please see Bristol Commerical Enthusiast's site Starline page for more info on the fleet.

Thanks to Peter Yarwood for sending in these images, photos of VRs in service anywhere in the world are always welcome to show where they can be found operating. The images have been in our inbox for a couple of weeks as the VR at the end caused quite a bit of headscratching...


VAH278X in Beverley Hills - registered as 8T61253. This last saw use in the UK as a closed top vehicle with Travelmasters of Sheppey and saw some use on rail replacements and was registered as AIG6624 at the time.
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012


SKL683X - the other former Travelmaster's VR which was registered as AIG6623 with them. Now carrying registration 90250A1.
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012


SKL683X and Fleetline SDM95V.
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012


Rear of SKL683X.
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012


'8X00016'. UK identity was GGM110W (see photo below).
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012


GGM110W with its last UK operator, Bryn Melyn of Llangollen.
Photo Copyright of I Wilson, March 2004


So - in theory - you've never seen anything like this before. '37457C1' is a stretched VR! It has not only an extra window bay, but an extension on the rear. Whether the extra section between the front and rear axle has been cut out of another VR or whether it has used other materials is not clear.
Obviously the bus has many other visible modifications. The nearside fuel filler is unusual and a photo on Rob Sly's Bristol Commercial Enthusiast's site shows UWV608S had a nearside fuel filler one window bay closer to the front when with a previous operator, UWV was previously fully open top (convertible of course) - so potentially this vehicle is UWV608S as the construction on the upstairs front is clearly new and not a conversion of the structure that is present on closed top VRs.
The extra window bay would, if the above is correct, would appear to be the one where the largest persons head is displayed on the vinyl advertising - the one in front of the fuel filling point.
The ground clearance has also been raised slightly, presumably the new rear overhang would have caught on certain bumps/change of angle in the road if it was at the traditional height. Note the gap between the top of the wheels and the wheelarches compared to other VRs, and then also the height from the ground below the bodyside.
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012


An offside (well, nearside in the US) view of the same vehicle.
UWV608S carried registration 7T98022 when with British Bus of Spring Valley.
photo copyright of Peter Yarwood, August 2012