last updated 19-March-2000 by Anthony Yao in Kitimat BC Canada

The Albion Victor Buses were 30 feet (9 m) front engined transit buses servicing some hilly routes in Kowloon and the New Territories in Hong Kong.
Built by the Albion Motor division of British Leyland in Scotland circa the 1960's.
There were serveral batches of Albion Victors based on their year of delivery, all of them were fitted with a very compact Leyland engine and 5 speed (with OD) manual transmission.
The Albion Victor Buses were considered very versatile transportation when the road conditions then were less than ideal. Mostly lengthly steep climbs and tight turns, or even single tracked roads. These road conditions were subsequently improved.
The Albion Victors were replaced by larger buses of very similiar design Albion Viking in the 1970's,Leyland Victory II and Dennis Jubilant front engined double deckers until the late 1990's.

KMB.ALBION.1 Kowloon Motor Bus Co. An Albion Victor bus serving the TWISK, pictured at Yuen Long Terminus.
This route has a very steep climb uphill and downhill bewteen Tsuen Wan and Shek Kong averaged 8%.
Unlike CMB, the KMB "One Man Bus" decal was red and yellow
KMB.ALBION.2 Kowloon Motor Bus Co. Albion Victor Bus serving Clearwater Bay, pictured at Tai Au Mun (literally "Large passage") Terminus, 3 km from Clearwater Bay. The steepest climb of this route was between Ping Shek (2 km east of Choi Hung) and the Good Hope Knoll on Clearwater Bay Road, 8% uphill for 6 km. The fleet were well maintained and overheating enroute was very rare.
KMB.ALBION.8 KMB Albion Victor Bus pictured at Kam Tin, downhill from TWISK.
KMB.ALBION.3 Choi Hung (literally "Rainbow")Terminus, formerly Ngau Chi Wan, (literally "Dairy Bay") an interchange of the Sai Kung Peninsula and urban bus services in the 1970's. An array of Albion Victor Buses serving Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay and Rennie's Mill. The Sai Kung Penninsula bus services hub has since moved 3 km west to the Diamond Hill Subway Station and replaced by rear-engined, low floor double decker buses.
The Sai Kung Penninsula bus services represented 3 stages of technological progress.
The original Routes 21- Tai Au Mun, 22- Sai Kung and 30- Rennie's Mill all operated from the Kowloon City Ferry when the interchanges were done by ferries and buses.
In 1967 the routes 21 and 22 were relocated to Choi Hung, effectively placing the interchange 5 km shorter and freed up 2 buses per route for the same service.
In 1970 the Rennie's Mill service reemerged as route 90 from Choi Hung and the first batch of Albion buses converted to "One Man Bus" operation. The manual gate entrance was replaced by electric folding door.
In 1973 routes 21 and 22 were renamed routes 91 and 92 and operated as one man bus service.
Routes 91 and 92 were relocated to the subway station. Route 90 Rennie's Mill service was discontinued in 1996 due to new town planning of the area.
KMB.ALBION.7 An earlier version of Albion Victor (Fleet no. L42) on Route 93 in the Sai Kung Terminus, a very challenging route, in the 1970's the road width was about 15 feet. The captain was always on alert of oncoming traffic. The electric folding door on this bus was originally fitted with a manual gate.
KMB.ALBION.5 The Albion Viking entered the Sai Kung Peninsula service in the mid 1970's when the road condition improved. The Viking's body was 5 ft longer, the chasis was 8 inches lower than its predecessor and carried more passengers.
The successors to the Albion Viking in the Sai Kung Peninsula service were the Leyland Victory II and Dennis Jubilant double deckers.
KMB.Dennis.5 The Sai Kung Terminus in 1998. The fleet of Dennis Jubilant was at their last leg of the Sai Kung Penninsula service on routes 92 and 94.  
  • Further Reading : Grieves, R   Albion Album 1899-1999 Arthur Southern Ltd, Midothian 1999 ISBN 0 945265 29 1

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