Coaches and single-deck buses
DTCA Chairman, Michael Driver, takes another trip on Dinky’s single-deck PSVs.
Having waited for some time, along come some more Dinky Toys buses and coaches to follow on from the first instalment that appeared in the November 2020 issue. These models had added features to add to their play value, so let us ‘board’ the new models and see where the journey takes us.
VEGA MAJOR LUXURY COACH
Continued traveling at home or abroad by coach meant that coaches needed more refinement for the passengers. This refinement was captured with extra features by Dinky Toys when it introduced the Vega Major Luxury Coach (No 952) in January 1964. The Dinky Toys model was large, and finished in light grey with maroon side panel stickers and jewelled headlights. The interior usually has beige plastic seats, although there are blue seats in some. There is full suspension and there are double steering front wheels. To steer the coach, you press down on one side or the other and then the appropriate indicator fl ashes. The coach has an opening boot to take the holiday luggage.
The yellow illustrated card lift off lid box describes the real coach as “The prototype vehicle has a luxurious Duple body on a Bedford V.A.L. chassis, equipped with twin steering axles, and is powered by a 6-cylinder engine of 400cu.in capacity developing 131 B.H.P. 52 passengers can be carried in absolute comfort, each having excellent visibility owing to the enormous windows with which the coach is fitted.” There was a full instruction sheet included on how to steer the coach, and change the batteries and the indicator bulbs. The model also came in an illustrated card end fl ap box and a yellow Visi-Pac,
with 1971 being the end of the holidays for this model.
HOLIDAY GIFT SET
Just in time for Christmas, the Dinky Toys Holiday Gift Set (No 124) appeared in an advert in the December 1964 Meccano Magazine. The set included the Plymouth Fury Convertible (No 137), the Jaguar Mk X (No 142) and the Boat and Trailer (No 796) alongside the Vega Major Luxury Coach (No 952). These were contained in a grey corrugated-card top opening box. The set was last seen in the 1966 Dinky Toys Catalogue.
SINGLE DECKER BUS
A number of public transport authorities used single-deck buses on certain routes. The Dinky Toys Single Decker bus (No 283) was just such a vehicle. It came into service in May 1971 as seen in the Meccano Magazine of that month. The bus is finished in red with a white band around the centre. This carries the London Transport logo and “Red Arrow” wording on each side. Also, by the front entrance, is the “Pay as you enter” instruction. The interior seats are in light blue plastic. Some models were also finished in metallic red and these have metallic red doors. They carry the number plate INJ 72J, with J registrations being issued in 1971, suggesting these are early models. Later models were without number plates. The Dinky Toys Catalogue of 1972 shows the bus with red doors then in the following year they are shown as white.
Like the real bus, the front and centre doors can be opened and closed. This is by moving a slide button on the offside of the roof. At the rear is lever that operates the bell, indicating the bus is ready to leave. It comes in a yellow illustrated card end fl ap box and includes an instruction sheet and labels for the route indicators. Later models came in blister packs and service ended in 1971.
As a matter of interest, the Red Arrow name was introduced in 1934 when trolley buses were running. The name re-appeared in the 1960s when the AEC Merlin buses ran on the route 500 between Victoria and Marble Arch.
SINGLE DECKER BUS DINKY KIT
When Dinky introduced its Dinky Kits, one of the models was the Single Decker Bus Kit (No 1023), arriving in April 1972 via an advert in the Meccano Magazine. This was the number 283 model ready to be assembled from a card and blister pack, but to be finished in green as a Green Line Bus.
DUPLE VICEROY 37 LUXURY COACH
Continuing with the smaller scales, the Dinky Toys Duple Viceroy 37 Luxury Coach (No 296) came along in May 1972 as seen in the Meccano Magazine for that month. The black and white advert shows the coach was available for 32p. It is in metallic blue with orange tinted windows and a white plastic interior. A version was made in yellow with a blue plastic interior and this I suggest is the colour of the model, in the black and white picture, reviewed in the July 1972 Meccano Magazine. Interestingly, the Valiant comic from the 13 May 1972 has an advert for Dinky Toys
including a yellow Duple coach. The 1972 Dinky Toys Catalogues shows it in blue. The models have Speedwheels and came in blister packs with either low or tall card inserts. The coach lasted until 1976 and, at some point, a promotional gold-plated version was produced. The real coach is by Duple Coachbuilders Ltd, based in Blackpool, and uses a Leyland Leopard chassis.
VEGA MAJOR LUXURY COACH (2ND VERSION)
This version of the coach is the Dinky Toys Vega Major Luxury Coach (No 954) and was basically the 952 model, but without the fl ashing indicators - although the plastic indicator lights were still fitted into the casting. The interior is in blue or red plastic and, of course, there may be other colours out there. The coach came in an illustrated card end fl ap box and later in blister packs. It was illustrated in the1972 Dinky Toys Catalogue and continued its journeys up to1977.
VEGA MAJOR LUXURY COACH (SWISS POSTAL BUS)
Sometime in 1973, the Vega Major Luxury Coach was produced as an export model for Switzerland and designated as the Dinky Toys Swiss Postal Bus (No 961). The model retains all the features of the 954 model and is finished in yellow with a white plastic roof and the interior is in light or dark blue plastic. There are red paper stripes along the sides and “PTT” and the Swiss post logo on yellow labels. It was sold in a plain white illustrated card end fl ap box and was also available in a special promotional card end fl ap box for the Swiss market. The box describes the model as a “Postauto PTT”. Does anyone remember seeing or buying one of these in Switzerland?
SWISS POSTAL BUS
Also in 1973, the Duple Viceroy 37 Luxury Coach was given the Swiss PTT livery as the Dinky Toys Swiss Postal Bus (No 293). This was in yellow with a white roof and a pale blue plastic interior. Once again it was for the Swiss market, but in 1975 it became available in England. The Meccano Magazine quarterly for July 1975 in its Dinky Toys News article describes the bus as “No.293 Swiss PTT Bus, formerly produced as an ‘export special’ exclusively for the Swiss market, but now on general worldwide sale.” It was shown in the 1975 Dinky Toys Catalogue as a “New” model. The model came in a blister pack with a low or high card base and was available until 1978. Incidentally, I bought my model from a toy shop in East London
LEYLAND NATIONAL BUS
An interesting bus might have joined the Dinky Toys range in 1975. The model that was proposed appears in a factory drawing from August 1975, but appears not to have had a prototype made. As with other Dinky Toys that never went into production we can only guess as to the reason, be it the cost of production or a different model having a better appeal in the market place!
Around the same time the model was also considered as a Leyland Life Liner with “Casualty Unit” and a chequered stripe along the sides of the roof. The drawing shows that the rear of the bus was to open with a plastic roll down shutter. It was to be based on a real Leyland National bus converted to an ambulance. Once again Dinky Toys were considering an unusual model for the range, but sadly it went no further than the drawing.
LONDON COUNTRY BUS (GREEN LINE)
The Dinky Kit for the Single Deck Bus (No 1023) had been around for five years when, in 1977, a finished version was proposed as the Dinky Toys London Country Bus (Green Line) (No 292). This was illustrated in the 1977 Meccano Trade Catalogue and some models did reach the shops. These were in the blister packs, both low and high, but with the card bases using the 283 number. It is not listed in the Dinky Toys Catalogue so the production run must have been small and I suggest it was around for less than a year.
SINGLE DECKER COACH
A final single deck bus that never left the depot was the Single Decker Coach (No 248), illustrated in the 1978 Meccano Trade Catalogue. In the Dinky Toys Catalogue of that year it is designated as a Continental Tourer Coach (No 248). Here it states that it is ”Available in alternative football club liveries” and, of course, the first model was for Liverpool Football Club.
In the final Meccano Trade Catalogue of 1980 under the banner “Stop Press!”, the coach was renamed as a Dinky Toys Football Supporters Coach (No 248). It was to be available as the description says “In a variety of British and Continental Club Colours such as Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Real Madrid, SV Hamburg, Ajax Amsterdam”. However, the demise of Meccano in 1979 meant that no fans could be taken to a match and the final whistle had gone!
So, the famous saying that there will be another one along shortly was not to be for Dinky Toys buses or coaches, or in fact any Dinky Toys, as 1979 saw the closure of the Meccano factory in Binns Road. Certainly, there had been quite a variety of bus and coach models in the series over the years. There had always been keen interest in these models by young collectors of the day and bus collectors of today who search out variations and different liveries – but that is what collecting is about – so “hold very tight please”, as the conductor would say, and look out for the next Dinky Toys bus for your collection.