The Bristol FL chassis is normally associated with a front entrance body as the FLF. LFL57 is one of the very few thirty foot buses to be given rear entrance 70 seat bodywork by Eastern Coachworks to the style of the Bristol FS, with a lengthened chassis and designated FL. The front entrance FS and FL types had a different chassis design to accomodate the front doors. All FS/FL buses were bodied in Lowestoft to a standard basic design, but again LFL57 differed from others in the Eastern Counties fleet by having an open platform without doors, this being thought well suited to use on Norwich City services ( four similar FS buses…LFS46-49…followed the next year, despite lower fleet numbers). LFL57 was first registered on 7th December 1962 (chassis number 198002) and the six members of the LFL class spent around 10 years on Hellesdon services 84-87, with summer Saturday trips to Hemsby Beach on service 48. During this time they retained the Bristol BVW engine, which they had from new, the only Eastern Counties buses so fitted. However in 1971 LFL57 was given a rebuild to fit platform doors and the engine was changed to a Gardner 6 cylinder unit as standard in the company’s FLFs and also a 5 speed gearbox was installed at the same time. Around 1980 the bus was put in the care of the Eastern Transport Collection but was often taken back for use as a Driver Trainer. By 2001 it was parked at Lowestoft depot in the open, and a request to acquire the vehicle from FIRST was made by the East Anglia Transport Museum , happily accepted and the bus is now in preservation.

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