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Lough Swilly's buses (by Shane Conway)

Page last updated on 3rd November 2022

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The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway was incorporated in 1853, and commenced a public transport service to the citizens of North West Donegal in 1863. By the end of the 19th century the company had established a network of narrow gauge lines linking Derry and Letterkenny with various towns and villages in the county. By the late 1920s privately owned buses had started appearing on the roads in competition with the train service. The takeover of four buses in 1929 from Barr of Buncrana was the first step to putting the Swilly on the tarmac highway as opposed to steel rails, and these were joined by five new Leylands in 1930. Nine vehicles were acquired with takeovers of four more Donegal based competitors, accompanied by six Vulcans imported from Glasgow. The 1931 intake comprised a fleet of 16 buses (mostly Chevrolets and Reos) from Winter of Derry. A further six Leylands were added from 1933 to 1937, and around 1935 the company seems to have introduced a fleet numbering system for the first time, indeed four of the acquired vehicles didn't survive long enough to be included.

Unlike the neighbouring County Donegal Railway who began running diesel railbuses and railcars in the 1930s, the Swilly stuck with steam haulage until the end of its train service in 1953. As the rail network shrank, the bus fleet increased, and the company was able to return a profit by the late 1930s. James Whyte became the General Manager in 1931, and held the post until 1967.

In 1946, the first of a fleet of postwar half cab single deckers entered service, comprising four Leylands and four AECs. Seven of these were fitted with prewar bodies by CIE, and all eight were rebodied in 1956 by the UTA, again receiving secondhand bodies removed from UTA Leyland Tigers which were then being rebuilt as double deckers. A further eleven were bought up to 1950, including the only ever examples of ECW bodywork to join the fleet.

1947 saw the arrival of the first double deckers, in the shape of two Leyland PD1s, and many more would follow over the years, the last being an ex Oldham Atlantean in 1980. 1951 saw the first underfloor engined buses to arrive, and these were to prove exceptionally long-lived, the last one not being withdrawn until 1980. In 1960 the company introduced Ireland's first Atlantean, as well as what would be their last new vehicles until 1971. Buying policy then changed to sourcing buses and coaches from U. K. operators, a practice that continued into the 21st century. Initially these were Tiger Cubs and Royal Tigers, with a pair of Leopards arriving in 1968. The latter were to be the first of 266 operational Leopards to enter service between then and 2001.

The two new vehicles in 1971 were the only examples of Bristol LHs ever bought, and these also introduced the Plaxton name into the fleet as well. Because of the company's international status, state help was difficult to obtain at first, but in 1973 the company was able to receive a baker's dozen of CIE Leopards on long term loan, the oldest of these dating back to July 1964. Three 1969 Plaxton bodied examples followed from the same source in 1976. Apart from these, the fleet intake at the time was centered on several 1959/1960 Atlanteans, and ex Ulsterbus Tiger Cubs from 1956 and 1962. Many of the 1956 examples were already 20 years old when they joined the LLSR, thus doing very little to improve the age profile of the fleet.

Some mid 1960s Leopards arrived from Ribble and Trent in 1977, and from 1977 onwards, a small group of 1967 Bedford VAM14s arrived from Ulsterbus. A further problem arose in 1979 when the historic 1 to 1 link between Sterling and the Irish Pound was broken, the company receiving much of its revenue in one currency, but paying its wages bill in the other. As mentioned earlier, the last Atlantean arrived in 1980, but it was to be short-lived due to union opposition of single manning of double deckers. A failed attempt to sell the business to Ulsterbus in 1980 was followed by the company being bought by a Buncrana born, U. K. based property developer in 1981, and that summer marked a sudden change in vehicle buying policy. Number 209 was a 17 year old ex C. I. E. Leopard, and 210 was an eight year old coach from Wallace Arnold, this was to be the first of a total of 85 youthful Leopards to be purchased over the years 1981 to 1985. Along with these Leopards came an ex Ribble Bristol RESL (the first rear engined bus ever owned), allegedly bought in error, but even so the bus went on to give 14 years service before going for preservation. Most of these were registered in Dublin, the reason being that they had been imported by CIE and leased to Lough Swilly.

When the last of these entered service in 1985, the oldest vehicle then in service had been new in 1968 and the youngest dating from 1976. A subsidiary operation, Swilly Tours, started in 1986 with two new Volvo coaches, and later added a Leopard, ex Bus Eireann Van Hool Acrons and a DAF coach new to Ulsterbus. The Swilly Tours fleet used a separate number range, commencing at 001. From 1987 to 1990 32 ex Ulsterbus Leopards arrived, dating from 1969 to 1973, and further ex U. K. vehicles commenced delivery in 1991. This group of 84 Leopards arrived up till 2001, and the later deliveries were interspersed with some Gardner powered Leyland Tiger coaches. Apart from a solitary Mercedes 29 seater and some ex Citybus Leyland Tiger buses, fleet renewal then turned to rear engined single deckers, including Leyland Lynxes, Bristol RELLs, Dennis Darts, and Scania N113s. After that vehicles began to be sourced from Ulsterbus once again, including Volvo engined Leyland Tigers and finally Plaxton bodied Volvo B10Ms. Sadly, after 151 years of providing a transport service to the people of Donegal, Lough Swilly ceased trading on Easter Saturday, April 19th 2014. With this event the oldest passenger transport company in the world passed into history. Most of the fleet at the time of closure was auctioned off in June 2014, many going for scrap.

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