SFJ 106R | Bristol VR | Fleet No. 1106

1106 entered service with Western National in June 1977, initially based at Callington. It then moved to Dartmouth and onto Plymouth. 1106 spent its entire working life with WNOC and successors, in latter years operating from Cornish depots, mainly St Austell and Newquay. It was finally withdrawn from service in 2003, and purchased by a group including the current owner in 2004.

Together with extensive refurbishment of the bodywork (all the timbers needed replacing), 1106 was restored to NBC green with Western National names. Latterly it has received Cornwall Busways names, authentically on vinyls over the NBC names, and yellow on blue destination and number blinds, representing an evolution to mid-1980s condition. Fortunately the interior was never refurbished so restoration to near-original condition was relatively straightforward. Purists will note that the seats have recently been retrimmed in NBC Autumn Gold moquette, which 1106 never had in service. However, sourcing and embossing original orange vinyl appeared to impossible and the moquette is a vast improvement on the previous mix of different shades of brown vinyl and faded "eyes down" moquette, and a "what might have been" had WN embarked on a regular refurbishment programme.

1106 has attended four Penzance Running Days to date, the latest being 2023, but it's a long way to go for a nearly half-century-old vehicle at a maximum speed of 44 mph, so not always an annual run! It can however be seen representing Western National at more local running days, Didcot and Chesham being regulars.

Illustrated History available on Rob Sly's Bristol Commerical Vehicle site - http://bcv.robsly.com/sfj106r.html