St Helens Corporation’s RT AEC Regent Mk III : BDJ 67's Remarkable Career

Geoff Sandford documents the memorable life of BDJ 67, St Helens Corporation’s AEC Regent Mk III (RT type) built to London Transport specification in 1950.New as fleet D67, it worked hard on town and inter-urban routes before sale in 1962 to Hull Corporation as No. 145. The bus completed over 660,000 miles in public service before being preserved.Withdrawn in 1971, it narrowly escaped the cutter’s torch when a small group of North West bus enthusiasts secured it for preservation.This book tells the story of how this was achieved by those directly involved: the bid and collection from Hull; early rally outings; the painstaking return to St Helens condition; and generous help from St Helens transport staff.Along the way, BDJ 67 became far more than a piece of machinery: a symbol of post-war fleet renewal, municipal pride and the birth of the bus-preservation movement – especially notable because St Helens was almost alone, outside London, in buying new RTs. From smoky first miles home to a craftsman repaint and trophy-winning runs, this is the story of one bus that carried a town’s memory – and still does.