Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol KS5G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2300 Registration Number: DJN 554
Route Service Number: 241 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: October 1965
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1950 with ECW L27/28R body.
Originally delivered to Westcliff-on-sea & seen leaving by the original western exit. Withdrawn 11/1967.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol KS5G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2269 Registration Number: ONO 78
Route Service Number: Unknown Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1965
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1951 with ECW L27/28R
body. Formerly numbered 1541 & withdrawn in 1967.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol LD5G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2527 Registration Number: 50 PPU
Route Service Number: 254 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1967
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1959 with ECW H33/27R
body. Formerly numbered 1558 & withdrawn in 1975.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol LD5G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2462 Registration Number: 324 GPU
Route Service Number: 244 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: September 1972
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1956 with ECW H33/27R body. Formerly numbered 3293 & withdrawn in 1973.
Note the space now occupied by the Eastgate Indoor Shopping centre.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6B
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 1640 Registration Number: RWC 607
Route Service Number: X10 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: June 1963
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: FLF6B coach with ECW CH37/18F body
new in 1963. Later renumbered 2604. Note the bus alight point Island, parallel with Southernhay & now
the site of the taxi rank.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2826 Registration Number: JHK 461C
Route Service Number: 147 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: 1970
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1965 with ECW H38/32F body & withdrawn in 1980.
Note above the top deck windows, aluminium beading along the roofline. A significant feature of this bus was that it used much more glassfibre
as an experiment - a foretaste of the future.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2792 Registration Number: AVX 960B
Route Service Number: 2A Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: June 1970
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1964 with ECW H38/32F body. Originally numbered
1669 & withdrawn in 1979.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2866 Registration Number: RVW 392D
Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: 1971
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1966 with ECW H38/32F body. Withdrawn in 1971. Shortly
afterwards this bus was exchanged with W.Alexander & Sons (Midland) for a Bristol VR.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2814 Registration Number: GNO 790B
Route Service Number: 2 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: May 1971
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1964 with ECW H38/32F
body. Withdrawn in 1980.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2718 Registration Number: 98 TVX
Route Service Number: 259 Photographer: Chris Stewart Year of photo: 5 September 1976
Copyright: Chris Stewart Comments: New in 1960 with ECW H38/32F body. Originally numbered
1589 & withdrawn in 1977.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6B
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2779 Registration Number: 992 KOO
Route Service Number: Not known Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: March 1977
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1963 with ECW H32/32F body. Originally numbered 1656 & withdrawn in 1978.
Note the original wall mural above the shops.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2919 Registration Number: AEV 813F
Route Service Number: 26 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1968
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1968 with ECW H40/30F
body. Destroyed by fire at Prittlewell depot (Essex) 1981.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2887 Registration Number: WNO 975F
Route Service Number: 251 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: May 1970
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1967 with ECW H40/30F
body & withdrawn in 1981.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2892 Registration Number: WNO 980F
Route Service Number: 151 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1974
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1967 with ECW H40/30F body & withdrawn in 1981.
Intermediate livery (NBC green/white) Yellow (Eastern National) above radiator.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2922 Registration Number: AEV 816F
Route Service Number: 2 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: May 1977
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1968 with ECW H40/30F
body & withdrawn in 1981.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2894 Registration Number: WNO 982F
Route Service Number: 151 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1980
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1967 with ECW H40/30F
body & withdrawn in 1981.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT/SL6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3000 Registration Number: CPU 979G
Route Service Number: X10 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: 1968
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1968 with ECW H39/31F body & withdrawn in 1986.
The first VRT SL & was the chassis shown at the Earls Court Show in 1968. It is now preserved & privately
owned by a bus enthusiast.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT/SL6LX
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3001 Registration Number: CPU 980G
Route Service Number: X10 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: March 1969
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1969 with ECW H39/31 body & withdrawn in 1986.
Painted in duel-purpose livery.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3019 Registration Number: SMS 45H
Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: September 1971
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: Swopped in a deal involving 15
FLFs with W.Alexander & Sons (Midland). Seen with interim scrolls (no numbers) in Alexander blue
livery.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3008 Registration Number: SMS 34H
Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: September 1972
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: Swopped for FLFs, seen here after re-paint
into NBC green/white livery, but missing the NBC-style fleetnames and grey wheels.
Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT
Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3005 Registration Number: LFS 287F
Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: April 1974
Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: ENOC VRT in NBC green/white
livery, ex Eastern Scottish AA287, with curiously small "T" box front destination box fitted by
ENOC.
All photos and information appear courtesy of The History of Southend Corporation Transport website.
No unauthorised use is permitted - see website link above for more information.
Abbreviations: ENOC; Eastern National Omnibus Company, ECW; Eastern Coach Works (Lowestoft, Suffolk). Bus Type Codes: KSW5G=kchassis Short Wide 5 cylinder Gardner engine. LD5G=Lodekka 5 cylinder Gardner engine.
FLF6B=Flat floor Long Forward 6 cylinder Bristol engine.
FLF6G=Flat floor Long Forward 6 cylinder Gardner engine. FLF6LX=Flat floor Long Forward 6 cylinder Leyland engine.
VRT=Vertical Rear-engine Transverse.
Basildon Bus Station
In 1958 development of Basildon town centre was well under way with the first
shops opening later that year. Bus services up to then had operated routes on existing pre-new
town roads and the few new roads either completed or under development, without being able to
serve the town centre directly.
Following the completion of Whitmore Way and Southernhay, from May 4th 1958 service numbers 243,
244, 254 & 255 all had their routes extended to become the first services to use the new bus
station in Southernhay.
At the same time with Roundacre roundabout now operational the 244 route was extended again,
during peak hours, to Laindon Railway station via the newly opened Laindon Link, thus becoming
the first cross-town service.
Initially the passenger pick up point consisted of a double parallel island arrangement with
buses entering from the eastern end. The South Walk pedestrianised shopping walk was at that
time still under construction, with the parallel bus bay only partially developed against the
entire length of South Walk. During mid 1966 to August, the bus station was completely
rebuilt and extended as one large bay. This meant the end of the double parallel
arrangement - although a paved parallel section was retained, which some services would still
continue to use for many years. Increased services and coaches had necessitated this work and
the new 20 bay 'saw tooth' layout, numbered A - V (no letter I or O bays), with buses now
entering from the western end has remained ever since.
Much later, further development of the waiting area resulted in a new closed in
weatherproof design, with the only other change being the single parallel island section now
given over to a re-sited taxi rank in the late 1990s.
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