This spotless and obviously well-maintained AEC Reliance with Plaxton “Derwent” bodywork arrived at Westwood Coach Station, Scarborough, during April 1977. Based on its “N” registration suffix, the vehicle was built in 1974-75.

At the time, the vehicle belonged to Victoria Coaches of Guiseley, Leeds, as shown below:

In the UK, Easter is a public holiday. In those days, Easter weekend saw a huge influx of public transport vehicles to Scarborough, bringing excursion visitors to the town for the day. In earlier years, most of the excursionists had come by rail, but by the 1970s they mostly came by bus (although there were still rail excursions). Rows of buses and coaches could be seen parked during the day at Westwood Coach Station, William Street Coach Park, and elsewhere.

Amazingly, the vehicle in my 1977 photos still exists (perhaps testament to its excellent maintenance over the years). At the 1978 Commercial Motor Show, I picked up a brochure for the AEC Reliance (now renamed the “Leyland Reliance”) describing it as “the long distance runner”. Here’s an excerpt from that brochure:

That slogan certainly turned out to be true in this case, and this link shows the same vehicle on display in 2012:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76050719@N02/7347653086/

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