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AEC links and publications


This page includes a number of links to other websites with some AEC interest, plus publications and other material about AEC buses.  For links to suppliers of spare parts, manuals and insurance/engineering services see the Parts and Services page.

Links
AEC Wikipedia page The Wikipedia entry for the Associated Equipment Company . Provides a concise history of the company and its subsidiaries and joint ventures.
The AEC Society The AEC Society exists for the appreciation, preservation and documentation of the products of AEC Limited, late of Windmill Lane, Southall, Middlesex, England.  All AEC products are featured, including trucks and railcars.
AEC: Builders of London's buses

More photo galleries and a very full bibliography at this site.
 
Bus UK AEC Bus and Coach on Flickr A Flickr group with literally thousands of pictures of AEC buses and coaches.
Friends of the East Kent Maintain a collection of preserved East Kent AECs and other types.
Ian's Bus Stop Has information and indivudual vehicle histories of all the vehicle classes (including all the AECs) that have operated for London Transport and London Country - plus those of other operators who have worked LT/TfL contracts and services that London Country would once have operated.
Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society The LVVS is based at the Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum, North Hykeham, Lincoln where the museum houses a collection of over 65 vintage cars, buses and commercial vehicles spanning over 80 years of road transport history. The collection includes six preserved AECs and a Routemaster for hire.
London Bus Museum The website of the London Bus Preservation Trust (LBPT) who own the London Bus Museum at Brooklands.
M&D and East Kent Bus Club Fleet histories and photos are available dating from the early 1900s including many of AECs with the two major operators which give the club its name. Current operations in this area are, of course, covered in detail.
Malta buses photos Keith Till's Malta buses site now has over 3500 images and includes a picture of every AEC Swift that has been exported to Malta in various liveries taken over the passage of time.
Oxford Bus Museum The Oxford Bus Museum maintain an excellent collection of AECs and other types associated with Oxfordshire.  You can find pictures, news and details of forthcoming running days at their site.
Red RF Run by the owners of RF486, the site includes information about rallies and events involving preserved RFs, a history of RF operation in the London Transport Central Area and links to other sites.
RLH Bus Information Centre Timebus's page dedictaed to the RLH class of lowheight AEC Regents, which follows the latest news on RLHs around the world, plus giving some historical and technical info, and with a forum.
Routemaster Association The Routemaster Association's aims are to pool knowledge and operating experience, to collect and make available technical information, to look into past and future developments, to assist in the procurement of spare parts as well as to cater for the historical and preservation interest. Membership is open to owners, suppliers and others with a genuine interest in Routemaster preservation and operation.

Books/Videos
 
The AEC Gazette, The company magazine, gives an insight into event that were occurring at times in the company's history. Also a good source of information for people lokking for information about relatives who who were employed by AEC. The Local History section of Ealing library keeps copies of the AEC Gazettes, including pre-war editions.
 
Blue Triangle, Alan Townsin, Venture Publications.   This is a reprint of the book first published in 1980 by the Transport Publishing Company as ISBN 903839342, with some extra information added, and contains excellent historical and factual information.  I used it to source much of the potted history information on the gallery pages.  The photos aren't all what we expect of more modern books and few are in colour, but I would recommend it to anyone.  It's out of print so you may only find it in secondhand bookshops now.
 
AEC Buses in Camera, R. Hannay, Ian Allan Publications.  This is another reprint of an older book, which Ian Allan reissued at the end of 1998.  I haven't seen it but my guess is it is more of a pictures with captions kind of thing rather than a comprehensive text.  It's out of print so you may only find it in secondhand bookshops now, or ask you're local library to borrow it through an area scheme.
 
AEC, Alan Townsin, Ian Allan Publications, ISBN 0711026203.  Another AEC book by Alan Townsin, published by Ian Allan in 1998.  This book includes AEC trucks as well as buses, and includes some new photos, some official and some from the Ian Allan library.  Also out of print so check out the secondhand bookshops.  I got mine for a tenner from a bookshop opposite Farringdon underground station.
 
AEC Reliance, Gerald Truran and Philip Platt, Roundoak Publishing, ISBN 1871565340.  A new book published in 1999.  To quote the publisher's blurb, this book attempts to set out in words and pictures the story of the best selling postwar AEC single deck passenger chassis.  In fact most of the book is taken up with pictures, including several in colour and two of Reliance removal vans (yes - really!).You can get it for the bargain price of £7 from MDS Book Sales (last checked July 2022).
 
Best of British Buses, 6: AEC Regals, Alan Townsin, Venture Publications.  It's that Townsin feller again.  This is another "remaindered" book that you can still get from Booklaw Publications for just £7 (original cover price was £16.95).
 
AEC Story, Part 1, Brian Thackray, Venture Publications.  Published April 2001. Packed with info and photos, it details the complete history of AEC and its full range of products up to around 1933. Sadly this too is out of print and no longer avialble for the publisher.
 
AEC Story, Part 2, Brian Thackray, Venture Publications.  This volume was launched by Venture Publications at Showbus in September 2004, and covers all the vehicles built by AEC up to to 1928 when Rackham joined the firm. Also appears to be out of print. Further volumes were promised to cover the later vehicles and the company history will continue in the AEC Story series. "AEC Vehicles: Origins to 1929" is an A4 hardback book, with 144 pages and is also now out of print.
 
40 years of Brown Bombers, A History of Neath and Cardiff Luxury Coaches, G.H. Truran, privately published.  Written by Gerald Truran, coauthor of the Reliance book (above) and former AEC employee, this book details the history of this well-known operator of AECs (and other types) and contains a number of photos of AECs and a list of those run by the company. Click here for more information.
 
Bus Business 2: The Rise and Demise of London's Routemaster, Video/DVD, with Jonathan Whitlam. Second sight Publications. May 2004.
 
AEC Single Deckers, Howard Berry, Amberley Publishing, ISBN 9781445676722 and AEC Double Deckers, Howard Berry, Amberley Publishing, ISBN 9781445677590.
These two books published in 2018 give a pictorial overview of the bus and coach chassis produced by AEC in the post-war years. Informative text is provided throughout. Available from bookshops, the publisher, and can also be ordered through MDS Book Sales, price £14.95 each.
 

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