GNR Double Deckers.

The GNR Double Deckers made their appearance on the Dublin Eden Quay to Howth service on Monday 18^th October 1937 operated by two AEC Regent 56 seat vehicles (Fleet No.62/3) with bodywork frames supplied by Park Royal which were completed at Dundalk Works.

The first GNR Double Decker (62) seen at Dublin Garage just prior to entering service in October 1937.

The decision to introduce double deckers had been taken by the company in June 1936 in order to cater for the burgeoning level of traffic on the Howth services. At the time several new housing developments were springing up in North Dublin adjacent to the inland route which the GNR followed between the City and Howth. The Dublin based District Superintendent John.H.Scott wanted to develop a series of double deck services serving not only Howth but Skerries and Malahide as well as the complementary service to that of the GNR Railway which served all three destinations.

Willingly or unwillingly the GNR got into a race with the Dublin United Tramways Company (DUTC) to see who would be the first to operate large capacity double-deckers. The GNR won this race, as the DUTC did not introduce their R Type Leyland double deckers on Route 50 to Crumlin until December 20^th 1937.

The first two Regents were joined by four more almost identical machines during May/June 1939, which gained the fleet numbers 64-67.

The advent of the wartime emergency interrupted the GNR's plans to rapidly expand double deck operations in the Dublin area. It was not until November 1943 that AEC would agree to accept an order for four more Regents, which were not delivered until late 1946 and early 1947 as soon as war production controls permitted delivery. This batch of vehicles gained the fleet numbers 285-288 and commenced working from Dublin Garage. The arrival of the new vehicles permitted the GNR to establish double deck workings outside the greater Dublin area with the transfer of buses 65 and 67 to Dundalk garage to work the international (cross-border) service to Newry, which at the time was enjoying particularly heavy loadings.

AEC Regent III 298 seen in Beresford Place Dublin just outside Busaras in 1954.

Further development of double deck operations was facilitated by the arrival of an additional seventeen more new AEC Regents in 1948 which transformed many services in the Dublin area. This in turn enabled the company to operate all its services in the Dundalk /Newry/Greenore/Carlingford area with double deckers. In March 1948 Drogheda Garage gained its first double deck workings on the Togher service.

The company expanded yet further with double deckers in October 1948 as it opened its "north western outpost" with the allocation of AEC Regent number 437 to Cliffoney between Sligo and Bundoran for operation on the Ballyshannon to Sligo service. Weeks later double deckers were also allocated to Ballyshannon garage such was the intensity of traffic in the area. Double deckers could not work any further northwards than Ballyshannon as a result of the low Railway Bridge, which took the Narrow Gauge County Donegal Railway across the main road to Donegal Town at Laghey. The road was eventually lowered in 1957, which allowed double deckers to reach Donegal.

The final deliveries of new double deckers came in 1953. A total of nine AEC Regents to an eight feet wide specification (fleet nos. 299-307) for exclusive use in the Dublin area where road widths permitted their use. At the same time they were joined by three narrower 7'6" specials (fleet nos.440-442) ordered as road replacement vehicles for the GNR's Hill of Howth Tram. They were fitted with "Neate multi-pull handbrake control levers" providing more effective control over braking and in particular park braking. The joint-Chairman of the GNRB representing the Irish Republic Percy Reynolds wanted to close the Hill of Howth Tram for all time as it had always been a loss maker. The joint Chairman representing Northern Ireland George Howden argued against closure. In this Dubliners who held the Hill of Howth Tramway in great affection supported him and there was a storm of protest from a wide body of opinion. Dublin Corporation was also opposed to closure, as the roads around Howth Head could not safely accommodate even a 7'6" bus particularly the Carrickbrack Road, which ran from the Summit down to Sutton Cross.

AEC Regent III 442 (numerically the highest) seen on the North Strand just outside what is today the Dublin Fire Brigade Station.

To conclude our look at the GNR's double deck operation mention must be made of the events in Dundalk Works during the night of September 7^th 1955. A disastrous fire broke out in the wood store destroying the bus body building shop, which was adjacent. Two fairly new AEC Regent double deckers (300 & 305) were completely destroyed and could not be rebuilt. The GNR made an approach to CIE who agreed to sell six life expired Leyland Titan TD5 double-deckers to the Great Northern for £474 each. Five of these buses entered service from Dublin Garage during June and July 1956 taking the fleet numbers 280-284.The sixth vehicle did not enter service having been cannibalised for spare parts at Dundalk Works where the Leyland's were overhauled before entering service.

Former CIE Leyland TD5's in GNR service as fleet numbers 280,284 on Eden Quay in 1956.

Thirty-one former GNR AEC Regent double deckers were taken over by CIE in 1958. Many of these magnificent cars continued to give sterling service until the final example was withdrawn in 1971.