Thursday 25th January 2007 ~ "MALTA - DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE!"

Fred Ward ~ summarised by Steve Worsley

Appeared in Journal 506

Fred Ward began his presentation to the January meeting by explaining the title. The Maltese are great lovers of giving their buses individual identities, this manifesting itself in customised variations in fleet livery, lining out, names, and more pertinently, badges. These badges do not necessarily reflect the make or model of the vehicle on which they are displayed. Thus we saw pictures of vehicles with prominent Bedford SB grilles, Leyland Tiger Cub badges, and even in one case a Leyland Panther badge, which were not even remotely connected with the towns of Luton or Leyland! Another feature of the Maltese busmen is their ability to rebuild, re-engine, and rebody buses, giving them a lifespan way in excess of their original manufacturer's expectations. Even now, in the 21st century, a REO Speedwagon, Leyland Tiger TS models, an AEC Regal, two Leyland Hippos, and a Fordson ET7 normal control bus remain in use; the REO and Leyland Tigers are nominally septuagenarians!

Following a brief look at the geography of the Mediterranean island, Fred commenced by briefly mentioning the railway line and two-route tramway, which had served the islanders. Then it was on to colour photographs taken in the 1960s, which showed a wide variety not only of vehicles but also of liveries. At this time, each group of routes on the island was operated by buses in a dedicated livery, the owners/drivers operating each in a loose co-operative. We thus saw reds, yellows, blues, greens, and browns, the whole object of this being to allow identification by the illiterate and innumerate locals.

In the 1970s, a new era began with the adoption of route numbers, which negated the need to use differing liveries. The spray green livery of the Sliema group of services was adopted as a standard throughout the island, due, it is rumoured, to this being the route used by Prime Minister Dom Mintoff's mother! This livery was again changed, to an attractive yellow scheme, in 1995. Fred illustrated some of the variety of vehicles remaining on the island, concentrating on the locally-bodied vehicles; prior to 1980, very few buses had been imported complete, the majority arriving as chassis for the myriad of local concerns to body. The march of time has seen the closure of most of these businesses, but Scarnif survive, bodying and rebodying buses up to the present time.

A bus driver's strike in 1980 heralded a change to complete vehicles being imported. The Government brought in a batch of AEC Swifts of London Transport origin with which to break the strike. Object achieved, the bulk were sold on to the bus operators. The floodgates thus breached, Bedford/Ford coaches, Leyland Tiger Cubs, and Bristol LHs, all ex-British owners, arrived and most remain in service. From the 1990s, low floor buses were experimented with, followed by substantial numbers early this century. As these buses have now passed out of warranty, they are beginning to gain typical Maltese modifications, proving that old habits die hard. The sole Optare Excel on the island spent several months being completely repanelled and underwent mechanical changes, to produce a much improved bus. Fred reckoned that the Scarnif-bodied MANs would be the longest-lived of this latest generation of Maltese buses.

However, life remains in some venerable buses. We were shown pictures of a Commer Avenger awaiting rebodying, and also of a Swift undergoing conversion from rear-engined to underfloor-engined, a process which involves the provision of a new floor 9" above the old. Swifts and Avengers are seen as obsolete elsewhere in the world, let alone being given an extended life as these look likely to achieve. New vehicles have resulted in large-scale withdrawals, and many old buses have gone for scrap. Twenty-two have been retained by the Government for a projected heritage route and others remain with operators. Fred had been able to visit the Government dump, the scrap yard, the storage area where the heritage fleet is housed, and also the depots of the firms with old buses, and we were privileged to witness his photographs. It is hoped that some buses may be eventually displayed in a bus museum, perhaps located close to the excellent aircraft museum at Ta Qali.

To conclude, Fred showed views of the six Daimler open top double deckers which, after a decade or so on the island, have finally been permitted to run on Sliema seafront, this year. He also illustrated an amphibian bus which its makers hope to sell elsewhere in Europe.

To those who, like John Day who proposed the vote of thanks, have yet to visit Malta, Fred's talk gave a taste of what they might find. To others, your present scribe included, who have already spent holidays on the island, memories were re-kindled, with many familiar vehicles being illustrated. Many thanks to Fred for an excellent evening's entertainment, aided by his efficient digital projectionist, son David.

Front Cover. Network Rail Eurailscout UFM160 Track Inspection Railcar approaching Stowmartket as 1Z98 13.51 Norwich - Willesden on 25th July 2006. Photo by John Day

Rear Cover Top. 60062 restarting 6E69 16.02 Felixstowe South - Scunthorpe from Derby Road loopat about 16.25 on 27th January. Photo by Martin Reeve.

Rear Cover Bottom. Ex Eastern Counties VR287 (VEX 287X) is now back in Ipswch for preservation in the capable hands of Andy Cook. Photo by Peter Horrex.