Bristol VRTs and VRLs

The Bristol chassis was amongst the less common in the fleet first appearing in 1968. However, what the fleet lacked in quantity - it made up for in its quality with the unique VRLs and a sizeable (relatively) fleet of the far less common Highbridge VRT.

The VRL prototype was the first Bristol decker to appear with the Ribble group and Standerwick 50 was exhibited at the 1968 Commercial Motor Show with its Ribble designed ECW body Production versions followed in 1971/2 but had all been withdrawn by July 1977.

VRTs first appeared in the summer of 1971 with the arrival of the first two at AC -Blackpool Talbot Road and AB - Preston respectively. Delivery was very protracted and it was over 12 months before the batch was all in service - by then as OPO deckers at Carlisle.

No more arrived until 1977 when Ribble had a requirement for lowheight deckers. By now the VRT was in Series 3 form and Ribble's were of this type but unusual in having Leyland 501 engines. The following year Ribble received a sizeable batch oh Highbridge VRs which were distributed between Lancaster (BA); Morecambe (AZ) and Carlisle (BR).

The final VRs arrived in 1980/1 and reverted to lowheight configuration but by the the prototype Olympian had already been delivered.