Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
CONTENTS
Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. - Fleet History 1912-1963……….…………. Page 3
Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. - Bus Fleet List 1912-1963…………….…… Page 8
Cover Illustration: 19PVX, a 1959 Guy Arab IV with Massey 67-seat lowbridge bodywork. It passed to Eastern National 4 years later where it was re-numbered 1045. (LTHL collection).
First Published 2015 by The Local Transport History Library. Second Edition 2018.
With thanks to John Boylett (courtesy John Kaye) for illustrations.
© The Local Transport History Library 2018. (www.lthlibrary.org.uk) For personal use only. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise for commercial gain without the express written permission of the publisher. In all cases this notice must remain intact. All rights reserved.
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2 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
The history of Moore Brothers can be traced back to W. E Moore, who, in 1815, first commenced operations as a carrier using three donkeys and a cart. The business was gradually developed and by 1865 a horse drawn (passenger and goods) carrier service was operating between Chelmsford and Colchester (the use of donkeys was discontin- ued in 1877!).
The first horsebus service was introduced in 1881, between Kelvedon and Coggeshall, to link with the Great Eastern Railway line to London. By the end of the century, Charles, Horace and Basil Moore, now trading as Moore Brothers were also operating a passenger service between Braintree and Colchester as well as continuing the carrier service.
In 1912 the first motorised vehicle, a Ford T chassis, was purchased. This was ostensibly for use as a taxi, but also later served in connection with the bus business and in a funerary capacity. Two more Ford T's were purchased in 1913, before the first purpose-built non-horse-powered passenger vehicle, a Clarkson steam bus, was acquired the following year. The new vehicle was used to inaugurate services between Kelvedon and Colchester. On Tuesdays and Fridays journeys would be via Tiptree, whilst on Wednesdays and Saturdays it would serve Coggeshall. An additional route serving Colchester from Braintree was also introduced around this time.
In July 1915, Moore Brothers took delivery of a new Thornycroft 30hp vehicle with 14 seat charabanc body, joined by two more Thornycroft J types in 1919, one of which
3 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
(HK4232) came via Berry of Colchester and received the body from the Clarkson steamer. The other (HK6530), although purchased new, carried a second-hand body from an ex-British (British Automobile Traction) bus. The delivery of these vehicles meant that the use of the carrier carts could be discontinued. The final Thornycroft was delivered in 1922, the fleet in the meantime being expanded by the purchase of several more Ford T's, that were used on various duties, including passenger services.
Two further routes had been introduced by 1924, Kelvedon to Braintree, via Earls Colne and Halstead on Wednesdays and via Easthorpe and Birch on Fridays. Initially the Ford T's were used to supplement the service, but with the arrival of new vehicles this was no longer necessary.
The route between Colchester and Kelvedon was extended to Chelmsford in 1929 and necessitated the purchase of more vehicles. Initially, two Thornycroft A6 buses with 26-seat bus bodies were purchased, joined later the same year by a 20-seat GMC T30, which, along with another GMC that had been purchased the previous year, proved so successful that the larger 32-seat T60 version was ordered. At the same time two Gilford 168 OT models were delivered, and quickly became the standard vehicle, a further eight such vehicles being acquired in the following two years.
In 1932 the stage carriage services of Blue Bird Services of Tiptree were taken over, along with a solitary Gilford 166OT vehicle. Bluebird had operated two routes, between
4 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
Colchester and Tolleshunt Knights via Tiptree, and Chelmsford to Malden via Hatfield Peverel, neither of which connected with Moore Brothers routes (apart from a small section on the Colchester to Chelmsford service) and involved dead mileage for Moore's buses.
Throughout the 1930's Moore Brothers continued to expand its stage carriage services and added additional routes including Braintree to West Mersea, via Coggeshall, Kelvedon and Tiptree and a Saturday only summer season express service to Great Yarmouth. There were improvements to existing routes, the Chelmsford to Colchester service was now hourly, the Braintree to Colchester every 40 minutes, whilst the Colchester to Tiptree was hourly with additional journeys on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays via Messing. In order to cope with the diverse nature of the routes and an increasing demand for private hire and contract work, the company ordered two Albion PV70's for delivery in 1934. The petrol-engined Albions proved popular with passen- gers and crew alike and accordingly orders over the next few years were predominate- ly for Albion models.
In 1937, three ex-City of Oxford Motor Services AEC Regent double-deckers were purchased, breaking the single-deck monopoly, which had been Moore Brothers policy since 1925.
5 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 the immediate consequences of petrol rationing and the fact that some of the older vehicles were approaching the end of their useful lives, made the economics of double-deckers more viable. Three second-hand buses were purchased to replace the more elderly Gilfords and during the war years further double-deckers (including an 'unfrozen' Bristol K5G) were pur- chased. The first Guy Arab I (JTW447) was delivered in 1943 and interestingly was still in service at the time of the take-over in 1963! Subsequently the Company standard- ised on Guy chassis for future orders, including those purchased for coach work. During the war, however, Moore Brothers bus services were radically curtailed and some sections of route (including the journeys on the Colchester service via Messing) were abandoned altogether and never re-instituted after the war. In 1947 though a new Wednesday only service between Braintree and Pattiswick, and a Friday only service between Messing and Colchester, were introduced using exclusively single- deck vehicles.
Guy Arab vehicles continued to predominate and in the early fifties a clutch of second-hand vehicles was purchased, four ex-Birch Brothers Arab II's and four ex-Dartmouth Coaches single-deck Arab III's. These were used to replace the petrol- engined Albions and AEC single-deckers and to demote the other surviving non- standard vehicles to 'spare' duties. The delivery, in 1954 and 1955 of three new 'tin-front' Guy Arab IV's finally allowed the Company to withdraw the remainder of the petrol-engined vehicles and non-standard makes from the fleet.
6 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
A new route was introduced in 1956 between Earls Colne and Colchester, travelling via Coggeshall, Kelvedon and Messing, replacing the Kelvedon to Earls Colne and Messing to Colchester routes. There were only four journeys on weekdays and just three on Sundays, requiring the use of only one vehicle, usually a single-deck Arab III saloon. A surprising choice for the coach intake for this year, given the Company's penchant for Guy vehicles, was two Commer Avenger III chassis with Duple C41F bodywork, which joined the only other two non-Guy vehicles in the fleet, two Bedford OB's of 1951. A further Commer Avenger, this time a type IV chassis, was purchased in 1960.
What was to be the final new service introduced by Moore Brothers commenced on December 5th 1960, between Tiptree and Colchester and provided a single inward journey to Colchester in the morning peak and two outward journeys in the evening peak.
Two years later, on the last day of 1962, and after several weeks of rumours, the application by Eastern National for the take-over of Moore Brothers services was made official. The then proprietor, Mr. Harold Moore, had taken the decision to sell because there was no one to succeed him now that he had reached retirement age. The date of the take-over was 3rd February 1963, and after almost 150 years of service, Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd, left the public transport stage.
7 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
Bus Fleet List 1912-1963
This list is in the format - Reg. No; Chassis; Chassis No; Body; Seating.
1912
F6060; Ford T; ? ; ? ; ?
Withdrawn unknown (F6060).
1913
F7257; Ford T; 2807517; ? ; ? F7627; Ford T; ? ; ? ; 4
F7627 ex-Grey, Rettendon Common. Withdrawn unknown (F7257, F7627).
8 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1914
F8536; Clarkson 32hp; ? ; Hurst Nelson; O40R
Withdrawn 1921.
1915
F5619; Thornycroft 30hp; 1106; ? ; Ch14
Ex-Holmes and Smith, Southend. Withdrawn 1918.
1917
HK2588; Ford T; 1062036; ? ; Ch14
Original seating unknown re-seated as shown at an unknown date. Withdrawn unknown
9 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1919
HK4232; Thornycroft J; 7116; ? ; O40RO HK4696; Ford T; 719332; ? ; ? HK6530; Thornycroft; 7773; ? ; O36RO
HK4232 ex-Berry, Colchester; re-bodied to Ch32 by Strachan & Brown c.1920. HK6530 re-bodied to Ch32 by Strachan & Brown c.1920. Withdrawn 1921 (HK4232, HK4696), unknown (HK6530).
1920
HK7284; Ford T; 3687849; ? ; ? HK8589; Ford T; ? ; ? ; ? HK8599; Ford T; ? ; ? ; B14?
HK7284 was a van with seats. Withdrawn 1920 (HK7284), by 1930 (HK8589, HK8599).
10 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1921
NO2732; Thornycroft; 4002; ? ; O40RO
Re-seated to O38RO by 1922; to O40RO by 1923. Withdrawn by 1933.
1922
NO5124; Thornycroft J; 3213; Hurst Nelson; O40R
Body transferred from F8536 (new 1914). Withdrawn unknown
1925
PU9308; Chevrolet S; S5166T; ? ; B14F
Withdrawn unknown
11 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1927
TW8006; Chevrolet LM; 15327; ? ; B14F TW8435; Reo; 145422; ? ; C20F TW9926; Reo; 146448; ? ; B20F VW2275; Chevrolet LM; 18275; ? ; B14F
Withdrawn 1932 (TW9926), 1934 (VW2275), unknown (TW8006, TW8435).
1928
VW2851; Chevrolet LO; 40038; ? ; B14F VW2852; Reo Pullman; GB163; ? ; B26F VW3178; Reo Sprinter; FAX5031; ? ; B20F VW6756; GMC T40E; 404264; Economy; B26F
Withdrawn 1933 (VW2852), unknown (VW2851, VW3178, VW6756).
12 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1929
VX51; Chevrolet LQ; 52578; Economy; B14F VX297-298; Thornycroft A6; 18276/298; ? ; B26F VX2632; GMC T30; 302815; ? ; B20F
Withdrawn 1935 (VX297), 1938 (VX298, VX2632), 1939 (VX2632).
1930
VX3808; Gilford 168 OT; 11207; Wycombe; B32F VX4075; Gilford 168 OT; 11247; Wycombe; B32F VX4279; GMC T60D; 601000; ? ; B32F VX4637; GMC T60D; 60924; ? ; B32F VX7065; GMC T30C; 307980; ? ; B20F
Withdrawn 1937 (VX4279, VX4637, VX7065), 1938 (VX4975), 1939 (VX3808).
13 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1931
EV179-180; Gilford 168 OT; 11877/879; Petty; C32C EV2510; Gilford 168 OT; 11948; Petty; C32C
Withdrawn 1941 (EV179), 1942 (EV2510), unknown (EV180).
1932
EV5299-5300; Gilford 168 OT; 12046/47; Petty; C32C EV5301; Bedford WLB; 108459; Petty; C20F EV6337; AEC Regal; 6621350; Petty; B32F KP7060; Gilford 166 OT; 10770; Wycombe; B32F VX2630; Gilford 166 OT; 11095; Wycombe; B32F
EV6337 was re-bodied by Duple to C32F in 1937. KP7060 ex-Sheppey Motor Transport, Sheerness. VX2630 ex-Bluebird, Tiptree. Withdrawn 1937 (EV5301, VX2630), 1938 (KP7060), 1954 (EV6337), unknown (EV5299-5300).
14 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1933
UV3200; Gilford 166 OT; 10843; Wycombe; C30F
Ex-Venture, Hendon. Withdrawn 1937.
1934
BEV464-465; Albion Valiant PV70; 11509J/9H; Duple; C32F BPU202; Bedford WLB; 109902; Duple; C20F BPU676; Bedford WLB; 109886; Duple; B20F VW7483; GMC T42; 479D; Waveney; B26F
VW7483 ex-Bluebird, Tiptree. Withdrawn 1936 (VW7483), 1945 (BPU202, BPU676), 1950 (BEV464-465).
15 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1935
CHK401; Bedford WLB; 110026; Duple; C20F CHK952; AEC Regal; 6621740; Duple; C32F CHK953; Albion Valiant PV71; 11602A; Duple; C32F
Withdrawn 1945 (CHK401), 1953 (CHK952, CHK953).
1936
DNO835; Albion Victor PK115; 25009A; Duple; C31F DNO836; Albion Valkyrie PW141; 44001I; Duple; C35F DNO837; Albion Victor PK115; 25010F; Duple; C31F
Withdrawn 1947 (DNO835-837).
16 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1937
EVW868; Albion Victor PK115; 25014L; Duple; C31F EVW869; Albion Valkyrie PW141; 44011G; Duple; C35F FEV806; Bedford WTB; 8470; Duple; C20F WL9062-63; AEC Regent; 661115/21; Hall Lewis; L24/24R
WL9062/9063 ex-City of Oxford Motor Services (Nos. G131/137), new 1930. WL9063 re-bodied by Willowbrook to L27/26R in 1943. WL9062 re-bodied by Willowbrook to L27/26R in 1944. Withdrawn 1947 (EVW868, EVW869), 1955 (WL9062-9063), 1957 (FEV806).
1938
GNO267-68; Albion Valkyrie SPPW141; 44017K/17L; Duple; C32F GVW634-35; Bedford WTB; 8470/8988; Duple; C20F WL9068; AEC Regent; 661116; Hall Lewis; L24/24R
WL9068 ex-City of Oxford Motor Services (No. G132), new 1930. Rebodied by North- ern Counties to L27/26R in 1945. Withdrawn 1954 (GNO267), 1955 (GNO268, WL9068), 1961 (GVW634), 1962 (GVW635).
17 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1940
UF6468; Leyland TD1;71409; Leyland; L24/24R VH4875; Leyland TD2; 2244; Leyland; L24/24R
UF6468 ex-Southdown Motor Services (No. 868), new 1930. VH4875 ex-Hanson, Huddersfield (No. 60), new 1933. Withdrawn 1946 (UF6468, VH4875).
1941
WN4762; AEC Regent; 6611899; Brush; L25/26R
WN4762 ex-South Wales Transport (No. 262), new 1932. Withdrawn 1947.
1942
JPU640; Bristol K5G; 57078; Duple; L27/28R
Withdrawn 1958.
18 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
VH4875 was a 1933 Leyland TD2 with Leyland 48-seat bodywork. Seen here when new with Hanson it was acquired by Moore Brothers in 1940 and withdrawn in 1946. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1943
JTW447; Guy Arab I; FD25917; Brush; L27/28R
Re-bodied by Massey to L29/28R in 1960 using chassis frame from OVW757 (ex- Eastern National 1192, Guy Arab III) purchased for spares in 1959. To Eastern National Omnibus Company [ENOC] 2/63 (re-numbered 1024).
1944
JVW999; Guy Arab II; FD26955; Roe; L27/28R
Re-bodied by Massey to L29/28R in 1960 using chassis frame from OWV756 (ex- Eastern National 1191, Guy Arab III) purchased for spares in 1959. To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1025).
20 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
JVW999 was a 1944 Guy Arab II which originally had a Roe 55-seat body but was re-bodied by Massey in 1960 with a 57-seat body on the chassis frame from OWV756 an ex-Eastern National Guy Arab III (No. 1191) purchased for spares in 1959. (John Boylett courtesy John Kaye). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1945
JVX223; Guy Arab II; FD27478; Strachan; L27/28R JVX553-554; Bedford OWB; 26699/799; Mulliner; B32F JVX555-558; Guy Arab II; FD27433/753/767/775; Strachan; L27/28R
Withdrawn 1951 (JVX553-554), 1958 (JVX223), 1961 (JVX555). To ENOC 2/63 (JVX556-558, re-numbered 1031-1033 respectively).
1947
LPU611-612; Guy Arab III; FD28324/325; Strachan; L27/28R LPU940; Guy Arab III; FD29455; Duple; DP35F LTW62; Guy Arab III; FD29466; Duple; DP35F LVW124-125; Guy Arab III; FD29483/485; Duple; DP35F
LPU611 re-bodied by Massey to L29/28R in 1960. To ENOC 2/63 (LPU611-612, LPU940, LWV124, re-numbered 1034,1035, 027, 028, [LVW125 passed to ENOC as withdrawn vehicle and was re-numbered 029], respec- tively). Withdrawn 1961 (LTW62) used as towing vehicle (acquired by ENOC in 2/63, re- numbered 040 and retained as towing vehicle), 1962 (LVW125).
22 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1945 Guy Arab II JVX556 with Strachan 56-seat bodywork, one of four purchased that year. All but one survived to pass to Eastern National in 1963 - JVX556 being re-numbered 1031. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
LPU612 was a Strachan 55-seat bodied Guy Arab III dating from 1947. It became No. 1035 in the Eastern National fleet after the take-over in 1963. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1949
ONO537-538; Guy Arab III; FD36192/93; Strachan; L27/28R PHK531-532; Guy Arab III; FD70106/108; Strachan; C35F
To ENOC 2/63 (ONO537-538, PHK531-532, re-numbered 1036, 1037, 034, 035, re- spectively).
1950
PHK533-534; Guy Arab III; FD70153/54; Strachan; C35F
Withdrawn 1961 (PHK533). To ENOC 2/63 (PHK534, re-numbered 036).
25 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
PHK532, a 1949 Guy Arab III with Strachan 35-seat coach body. It also passed to Eastern National in 1963 where it was re-numbered 035. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1951
GYL983-984; Guy Arab II; FD27550/563; Weymann; L27/28R HYM685; Bedford OB; 51452; Duple; C29F MMT876; Bedford OB; 38520; Duple; C29F RTW222; Bedford OB; 147090; Duple; C27F
HYM685, MMT685 ex-Fallowfield & Britten, London. GYL983-984 ex-Birch Bros., London (Nos. K103-104), new 1945. GYL983 re-bodied by Strachan to L28/28R in 1954. GYL984 was re-bodied by Strachan to L28/28R in 1955. Withdrawn 1955 (MMT876). To ENOC 2/63 (GYL983-984, HYM685, RTW222, re-numbered 1029, 1030, 025, 026, respectively).
27 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
GYL983 was an ex-Birch Brothers 1945 Guy Arab II with Weymann 55-seat lowbridge bodywork that joined the Moore Brothers fleet in 1951. It was re-bodied by Strachan in 1954 as shown and passed to Eastern National in 1963 where it was numbered 1029. (John Boylett). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1952
GYL981-982; Guy Arab II; FD27533/530; Weymann; L27/28R
GYL981-982 ex-Birch Bros., London (Nos. K101-102), new 1945. GYL981/982 re-bodied by Strachan to L28/28R in 1954. To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1028,1027 respectively).
1953
KGT378-381; Guy Arab III; FD33251M/44M/307M/272M; Strachan; C35F
KGT378-381 ex-Dartmouth Coaches, London. To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 030, 032, 033, 031 respectively).
1954
YEV263; Guy Arab IV; FD72118; Strachan; L28/28R
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1038).
29 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
KGT381 an ex-Dartmouth Coaches Guy Arab III with Strachan 35-seat coachwork that joined the fleet in 1953. (John Boylett courtesy John Kaye). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
YEV263, a solitary Guy Arab IV with Strachan 56-seat bodywork purchased in 1954. It became Eastern National No. 1038 in February 1963. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1955
52-53DHK; Guy Arab IV; FD72582/583; Strachan; L28/28R
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1039,1040, respectively).
1956
576-577FVW; Commer Avenger III; T85A0431/32; Duple; C41F
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 037, 038, respectively).
1957
2834-2835F; Guy Arab IV; FD73709/10; NCME; L31/32R
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1041,1042, respectively).
32 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1955 Guy Arab IV (52 DHK) with Strachan 56-seat bodywork. It became Eastern National No. 1039 in 1963. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1958
8935-8936NO; Guy Arab IV; FD74120/124; Massey; L34/33R
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1043, 1044, respectively).
1959
19-20PVX; Guy Arab IV; FD74286/288; Massey; L34/33R
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1045, 1046, respectively).
1960
7652VW; Commer Avenger IV; 94Y8063; Yeates; C41F
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 039).
34 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
Guy Arab IV 8935NO with Massey 67-seat bodywork, one of two purchased in 1958. Both passed to Eastern Counties in 1963. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
1961
372-373WPU; Guy Arab IV; FD74910/911; Massey; L34/33R
To ENOC 2/63 (re-numbered 1047, 1048, respectively).
1963
The following vehicles were on order but not delivered until March 1963, after the take-over and consequently never operated in Moore Bros. livery. They were num- bered 1049 and 1050 respectively in the ENOC fleet.
581-582AOO; Guy Arab IV; FD75265/266; Massey; L34/33R
36 Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
One of the last vehicles to wear Moore Brothers livery was 372WPU, a 1961 Guy Arab IV with Massey 67-seat bodywork. (LTHL collection). Moore Brothers (Kelvedon) Ltd. 1912-1963
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