R&W RE's
Together, the 2 surviving restored & roadworthy RED & WHITE Bristol RE's: LAX 101E - 1967 RESL bus & OAX 9F - 1968 RELH coach. 
Both are powered by Leyland O.600 engines, which now makes them unique. 
In 1965 the Directors of RED & WHITE decided not to buy any more double deck buses. The likely reasons for this decision were:
  • the high capacity of the Bristol RE bus (up to 54 seats), meant that double decker's were not as necessary,
  • the Bristol RE offered operational cost savings - it could be 'One Man Operated' (i.e. without a conductor),
  • the decline in passenger numbers that was taking place meant there was less need for the seating capacity of decker's,
  • the company had 72 Bristol 'Lodekka' (LD, FS & FL type) double decker's that would be operational until the late 1970's.  
So, from 1966 to 1974 RED & WHITE bought 145 Bristol RE's. They bought most RE chassis types and most Eastern Coach Works body styles (see vintage pictures below). There were:
  • 31 RESL's (Short, Low bus) - all with ECW bodywork,
  • 47 RELL's (Long, Low bus) - all with ECW bodywork,
  • 67 RELH's (Long, High coach), 58 ECW & 9 Plaxton bodies.
For details of the fleet of Bristol RE's that RED & WHITE bought click here (PDF). Today just four RED & WHITE Bristol RE's survive:
GAX 2C (RELL); LAX 101E (RESL); OAX 9F (RELH); SAX 1G (RELH).
RED & WHITE had considerable experience of both Gardner and Leyland engines in their buses and coaches. Their Bristol RE's therefore had a mix of power units, as follows:
  • 11 with Gardner 6HLW engines, 
  • 26 with Gardner 6HLX engines,
  • 67 with Leyland O.600 engines,
  • 41 with Leyland O.680 engines.
RED & WHITE were unusual in buying so many RE's with Leyland O.600 engines. It's now what makes our Ruby unique. 
There was one style of ECW bus body built on the Bristol RE chassis that RED & WHITE never bought - the larger flat windscreen bus of 1968 and 1969. However, in 1980 National Welsh Omnibus Services (successor to RED & WHITE), bought 8 of these second-hand from the Bristol Omnibus Company. They only lasted three years until 1983 and were all scrapped then. 

However, one of this batch THU 354G survives today in preservation. 

Pictured is Ruby and THU 354G at the MetroCentre Bus Rally (Gateshead) in May 2014. At this time THU 354G was painted in United Automobile (Tilling) red and cream livery.  It is now painted back into original Bristol Omnibus Company (Tilling) green and cream. 
Ruby and THU 354G at the MetroCentre 2014.
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