File:1941 Bristol K 5G-ECW - 53904594439.jpg

English: 1941 Bristol K 5G chassis with Eastern Coach Works open bus body and Gardener 5LW 7.0 litre 5-cylinder diesel engine (hence 5G in the designation) at the Bristol Bus Show, Brislington, 28 July 2024. Registration No.GHT127, Brighton Hove & District Fleet No.992. It was built as a standard closed top double decker for Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company (later Bristol Omnibus) who sold it to Brighton Hove & District in 1955. They converted the bus to an open top. In 1965 it was sold on to Thomas Bros. (Port Talbot) for Aberavon tours, then in 1969 to Bristol Omnibus (for Bath tours) which became Badgerline. It was withdrawn for preservation in 1975. The ECW were an associate company of Bristol Commercial Vehicles, both being part of the Tilling Group.

The Bristol K classes were produced 1936-57 and the subject of many variations and developments. The K’s were the first Bristol double deck bus type to use only diesel engines – Bristol 6-cylinder engines (code 6B), Gardner 4, 5 or 6-cylinder (G4, G5 or G6) or AEC 6-cylinder (A6). The types were:

K - introduced 1936, 26’x7’6”, 2,774 built. KW – introduced 1947, 26’x8’, wide version of K, 20 built. Although the Construction and Use Regulations allowed only 7’6” wide buses, it was possible to build wider buses for a specific operator if they got special permission from the local licensing authority, which presumably accounts for this small batch of KW’s.

Revised Construction and Use Regulations in 1950 allowed longer (27’6”) and wider (8’) buses, hence:

KL – proposed 30’x8’ long version never produced as regulations did not allow such long buses at the time and no operator sought special permission from their local licensing authority. KS – built 1950-57; 27’6” x 7’6”, short version of KL but had narrow body for restricted routes, 236 built.

KSW – built 1950-57; 27’6” x 8’, wide version of KS, 1,116 built.