Leyland double deck bodies rebuilt with late type windows (Torque 46)

Peter Greaves has brought up this subject because John Hinchliff had a photo of West Riding, Leyland PD2/1, 677, BHL 878, which had the “wrong” type of lower deck windows! Someone thought it was a “Farington” lower deck! No it wasn’t - so he thought he should try to explain how to tell the difference. Could it have been rebuilt with “Final Design” type window pans he wonders on the lower deck? Strangely enough, last week another picture turned up, this time of TRF 61, a PD2/1 (ex Stanier, Newchapel) of R I Davies, Tredegar with fl ush glazing on the lower-deck (plus rear door!) and no waistband. Were readers aware of Leyland double decker bodies with “mixed” features? It is known that many were later rebuilt by operators and some lost the lower deck waistband but, Peter hadn’t seen this combination of window styles before.

The window spacing on early and final design of Leyland bodies was the same but the window pans were different. Much of the extra length on the “Final Design” body was added in the form of a wide pillar next to the platform bulkhead. With a few exceptions, mainly Scottish, Leyland “Bailey-style” bodies from 1937 up to the “Farington” design had radiused lower corners only on the main side windows. Both the “Final Design” of body and the “Faringtons” had radiused top and bottom corners to the windows, but the “Faringtons” had no external window pans as so, in the case of BHL 878, the lower deck was a rebuild stripped to the bare frame and fitted with “Final Design” type window pans. Internal trim and cappings were also different so the use of later type window pans and glazing would require internal work too. (Do not confuse the glazing on the late type Leyland bodies with the “Flushglaze” technique used by many operators including Stockton on body refurbishment.

“Flushglaze” requires no external window pans – ATC).

Finally, here are another couple of ‘rebuilds’ for you to think about!

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