P4
1914 S4.36.T3 Reg. CC 1087 Chassis No. S568/1627 Engine: Leyland S4.36hp 4 cyl Petrol Gearbox: Leyland 4 speed (Helical gears)
Body: 1914 Leyland 32-seater"Torpedo" Charabanc (Ash frame, aluminium panels) Delivered to the London & North Western Railway three weeks before War was declared, it was used to open a service in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, to take wealthy mill owners from their mansions to catch the "Club" trains to Manchester. It was then requisitioned by the War Office and used for troop transport. Found in a derelict garage in south London it had to be completely dismantled and each part taken out through a window to rescue the Leyland. The only part that was too big was the chassis frame, so this was cut in half and welded together again afterwards. The word "Char-a-bancs" comes from the French "carriage with benches" and the "Torpedo" design was the "in thing" just before WW1, when torpedoes were the latest weapon. It is one of only two surviving railway-owned buses, the railway companies having played a major part in the development of bus services. Restored by Mike Sutcliffe 1996 to 2000.
Entered by Mr. M.A. Sutcliffe M.B.E. of Totternhoe, Beds.
© Leyland Society, 2008