BEA Road Service?

[atomicspaceship]

Just returned from a week in Bled, Slovenia and noticed that amongst other motoring organisation signs by the front door to what I presume was once the hotel to stay at in Bled a sign saying 'BEA Road Service - Car Stop':

http://i40.tinypic.com/23kx89y.jpg

Just curious to know what what the BEA Road Service was? I've tried using Google but nothing has turned up!

[airborne_artist]

Possibly connected to this? (https://www.ediecast.co.uk/stockdetail.aspx?sid=25414&img=1#imageblock)

[WHBM]

Haha !

BEA never served Slovenia in its day (which was a Yugoslavia province at that time, and the only significant airport in the province was Ljubljana). My guess, in a town like Bled (and not knowing Serbo-Croat) is that BEA was something like Bledski Expressovna Autobussie.

Any signage from the real BEA's days would now be more than 35 years old, and probably rusted away.

The old BEA Heathrow bus linked above would never even get to Yugoslavia, they were built to full British double-deck specification which is higher than the design height on European roads, so would get the upstairs chopped off on the first railway bridge.

[renfrew]

I thought this rang a bell.
Digging out a 1968 BEA timetable,there is a list of surface connections at the back.
And there it is!
Klagenfurt Airport/Bled/Ljubljana.

[Captain Airclues]

From the 1966 BEA timetable;

BE502 (Comet) LHR dep 11.05. Klagenfurt arr 14.00. Bus; Klagenfurt dep 14.20. Bled arr 16.15.
BE504 (Vanguard) LHR dep 13.05. Klagenfurt arr 16.30. Bus; Klagenfurt dep 16.50. Bled arr 18.45.

Bus; Bled dep 11.50. Klagenfurt arr 14.00. BE503 (Comet) Klagenfurt dep 15.15. LHR arr 18.20.
Bus; Bled dep 14.20. Klagenfurt arr 16.30. BE505 (Vanguard) Klagenfurt dep 17.45. LHR arr 21.25.

Return bus fare Klagenfurt - Bled £4 10s

Dave

[BEagle]

That takes me back to the early 1970s and the West London Air Terminal!

Just off the Cromwell Road and reasonably easy to get to by tube or by taxi - not that they were keen on doing such work when they could more easily rip people off by taking them all the way to the airport itself.

You checked in and your luggage went into the trailer. Then off to London Airport and check-in... Even in those days, London Airport was a more pleasant experience than the impersonal chaos of today's shopping malls with aeroplanes.

I think the West London Air Terminal closed when the rather less comfortable Piccadilly Line was extended to the airport.

[Sultan Ismail]

Mid '60's and Night Tourist to Geneva, I was living in Hammersmith and it was an easy ride to Gloucester Road and the West London Air Terminal. Set on a triangular piece of London Underground property between the District and Circle Line.
My one memory of the Terminal was a Coffee Shop which served the very best coffee with real cream. In the '60's this was still a bit foreign but what a taste, it lingers to this day. Mind you waiting for a 'bus to the airport at 2am called for something strong.
Does anyone remember the previous Air Terminal on the Festival of Britain South Bank Site. First flight from there in July 1955 with Air France in a Viscount to Paris. They were using the 1½ deck passenger bus to get to the airport.
Will never forget that coffee....sad :sad:

[chevvron]

The BEA buses I remember were not Routemasters; I think these came later. The earlier design was also double deck, but with a 'half' lower deck as the rear was an internal luggage compartment. I think they were built by Alvis (stand to be corrected though) and were two tone grey.

[sillytwistedboy]

http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab304/sillytwistedboy/cob035-1.jpgEarlier BEA coaches were AEC Regal IV With 1½ deck bodies by Park Royal. They were owned by BEA, but crewed and maintained by London Transport

[atomicspaceship]

From the 1966 BEA timetable;

BE502 (Comet) LHR dep 11.05. Klagenfurt arr 14.00. Bus; Klagenfurt dep 14.20. Bled arr 16.15.
BE504 (Vanguard) LHR dep 13.05. Klagenfurt arr 16.30. Bus; Klagenfurt dep 16.50. Bled arr 18.45.

Bus; Bled dep 11.50. Klagenfurt arr 14.00. BE503 (Comet) Klagenfurt dep 15.15. LHR arr 18.20.
Bus; Bled dep 14.20. Klagenfurt arr 16.30. BE505 (Vanguard) Klagenfurt dep 17.45. LHR arr 21.25.

Return bus fare Klagenfurt - Bled £4 10s

Dave

Aha! Excellent - mystery solved! Thanks very much chaps!

Quite amazing to see the sign still in place after all these years!