P17
1948 Tiger PS1 Reg. HD 7905 Chassis No. 480750 Engine: Leyland E181 7.4 Ltr 100hp Diesel Gearbox: Leyland 4 speed manual.Body: 1948 Brush 34-seat S/D bus (Composite construction) A batch of 75 similar vehicles was delivered to Yorkshire Woollen District in 1948 but this is the only survivor. They were built to the early post-war BEF (British Electric Federation) design that was supplied to many other operators belonging to that group. These vehicles had a short design life and after only six years twenty four of them were rebodied as double deckers, the remainder being withdrawn soon afterwards. The vehicle remained in passenger service until 1960 when it passed to the driver training unit and eventually to the engineering department for use as a towing wagon and gritter. It was sold in 1969 for scrap but was soon rescued for preservation. However, no work was carried out on it until it was acquired by the present owners in 1990. Over a twelve year period, a major mechanical overhaul was carried out, followed by a body rebuild and repaint by Gordon Brooke and the late Tom Gibson.
Entered by Dr. G. Brooke of Leeds.
P38
1967 Titan PD3A/12 Reg. LJF 16 F Chassis No. 702272 Engine: Leyland O.600 9.8 Ltr 125hp Diesel Gearbox: Leyland 4 semi-automatic.Body: 1967 East Lancs 74-seat D/D bus (Metal frame with aluminium panelling) One of the final batch of front-engined rear-entrance vehicles to be ordered by Leicester City Transport which entered service on 4th September 1967. The vehicle received a second maroon livery band in 1971 but this was changed to three bands in 1981 when the vehicle was taken into the workshops for a full body overhaul, including a complete new rear bulkhead, new platform and staircase. The vehicle continued in daily service until it was withdrawn, along with all the other remaining Leicester City Transport PD3's on 2nd October 1982, the last day that rear-entrance buses ran in service. It was retained by Leicester City Transport for use as a private hire vehicle but by the late 1980s was acting mainly as a reserve to Leicester City Transport's already preserved Leyland PD2/1 (FJF 193) that was often used to attend rallies all over the country. Mainly due to lack of use, 16 (LJF 16 F) fell into disrepair and was left out in the open at the Abbey Park Road site. In 1995, the owners of Leicester City Transport, Grampian Regional Transport, agreed to sell the vehicle to the current owners. From that time, slow progress was made on the muchneeded restoration to restore the vehicle to its former glory. Work continues to this day and at the end of 2005 the vehicle received new panels and a full exterior repaint.
Entered by The Leicester Vintage Bus Society.
© Leyland Society, 2008