RSG 825V

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New in February 1980 to W. Alexander & Sons (Fife) Ltd which used the fleet name Fife Scottish, this company was a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group (SBG). She started her working life based in Kirkcaldy and she is powered by an 11 litre Leyland O.680 engine. Originally, she carried the fleet number FPN25, which included a vehicle code. With the abolition of that system of classification in June 1985 she became simply 325.

She served Fife until 1994 (by then under Stagecoach ownership), after which she passed to Stagecoach Red & White in Wales where she received fleet number 513. Then in June 1999 she was sold to North Devon (Red Bus), part of the Cawlett Group. After the take over of the Cawlett Group by First Group, the company was renamed First Red Bus and became a division of First Western National. She was withdrawn from service by First Red Bus in March 2001.

The bus came to the notice of the Glasgow Bus Museum (GBM) when it was contacted by the West Country Historic Omnibus and Transport Trust, who had acquired it from First Red Bus to prevent it being scrapped. It was purchased for preservation by Martin Denman in June 2001 and soon after it was driven back to Scotland to the Glasgow Bus Museum where it is based. Since then it has travelled to Belfast as the GBM entry to the Irish Transport Trust Rally 2002 and to Penrith for the first Heart of the Lakes Classic Vehicle Extravaganza, and has taken part in the Edinburgh Classic Bus Running Day. It is planned to return this bus to its original Fife livery of Ayres Red and Cream after remedial body repairs are completed. During 2004 the bus was sold to Gordon McGregor of Prestonpans for continued preservation.

Pictured here in First Red Bus red and white livery.

© Photograph by Martin Denman.