Originally Posted by
bean
The BEA Vanguards were never fitted with uprated engines. The 953 had the same stronger structure specified by TCA for the 952. The 951s always were more restricted and never operated in all tourist class config
Bit late to this. I suspect accounts of changed engines are what was done on the Viscount fleet.
The six 951s were built first, in 1959, and for some reason hung around until 1961 to be delivered. Weybridge then turned to the Trans Canada order, and built those into 1961, when they then did the main BEA 953 single class fleet, which were delivered pretty much straight away and thus came along with the earlier ones. BEA operated the first passenger flight two weeks after first delivery, which makes one think some considerable training had been done while they still belonged to Vickers.
In 1966 BEA were running 13 Vanguards a day on Glasgow to London, which is way more seats than BA provide nowadays 58 years later.