Leigh Corporation
1953
AEC Regent III
East Lancs L27/26R

As this bus has a lowbridge body the upper deck would have a side isle and 6 rows of 4 seats and a 3 seat row at the rear with lots of ‘mind your head’ signs. It looks older than 1952 I think that may have something to do with the painted radiator. In 1969 this bus was transferred to SELNEC with a fleet no of 6941.

I used to go to school on these Leigh Corporation buses – no picture I have seen does justice to the immaculate paint job, nice site for memories.

Robert Hatton

My thanks for the following information to anonymous, I’m not surprised when you read what he used to get up to.

I also remember going to school on these lovely old buses. I have tried describing this type of bus with the long bench seats upstairs to my friends in the south of England where I now live, but nobody recognised the design. I never realised it was because the bus had a "low bridge body" you learn something every day.

Finally I must recall a somewhat disgusting trick we youngsters had of wetting (licking!) our paper bus ticket and sticking it on the roof of the bus when you peeled it off at the end of your journey you left a lovely transfer print of your ticket, which remained till the bus was re-painted!

Anonymous

That is an interesting shot in Leigh bus station,the bus is passing the number 1 bus route stand (Plank Lane) but the destination blind reads Astley which was the number two route immediately behind so the bus would be pulling away in the picture, both stands being at the rear of the Woolpack pub (Run by my Aunty Annie) and across from Kingstreet Methodist church visible in the background.
I was one of those kids who used to undo every screw I sat next to by half a turn with my penknife and wind the destination blind to a new destination, as I remember the front one was changed via a drop down flap from the upstairs saloon.

Seemed great fun back then.

Berni Baxter

09/03/11 – 18:06

As a Leigh lad, born in 1953, I have ridden on many of the corporation’s buses and pulled many of the ‘stunts’ referred to by others. A favourite trick with the open rear entrances was to alight from the moving vehicle as it turned from King Street into the bus station.
My most regular ride in the mid/late sixties was the number 6 service to Higher Folds, alighting at Green Lane to walk the last few hundred yards to school. This was a regular turn for the Renowns which gave a very comfortable ride on their ‘air suspension’. Occasionally a Dennis Loline would deputise and while the ride was a little more firm, they still surpassed the older buses.
One of my lifelong friends has driven the preserved Renown on a number of occasions about 25 years ago. He said it was good, alas, it is now necessary to have a PCV licence!

Phil Meadows

10/03/11 – 07:38

I spent a year at Padgate College doing my PGCE teacher training. I was a regular user of the Renowns on the Warrington – Leigh services.

David Oldfield

10/03/11 – 07:39

Further to my last post, there is another ‘Corporation’ bus which has been privately preserved. It is a Lydney bodied Leyland PD2/1., fleet number 16, registration number KTD 768. I think it is currently housed in the St. Helens Transport Museum.
Also, in 2006, The Leyland Society Ltd. has published ‘The Leyland Buses Of Leigh Corporation’ in its ‘Leyland Fleet Series’. It also covers the non-Leylands. I think they still have copies available.

Phil Meadows

07/02/12 – 06:57

Its great to see these pictures of Leigh buses. My father who sadly died when I was young was a conductor for Leigh in the late 60s early 70s, and I remember going to see him on the Hindley Green bus where it turned round at Thomas st / Leigh Rd.
I can just remember him hanging his ticket machine up at home and being given some nearly used up rolls to play with.
I started Looking for a machine some years ago as a reminder and now buy & sell and have a collection of over 120 machines and punches including 9 Leigh. Also Leigh destination blind, badge, rule book, and route/fare book. I would like to here from anyone who had connections with Leigh corporation.

Anon

16/09/12 – 06:56

The bus shown was one of a batch of six with East Lancs Bodies new in 1952 so was 17 years old in 1969 at the time of the SELNEC North takeover. I too went to school on LCT buses but left for Manchester uni. with 10 others in 1953.
Though now long gone LCT is remembered as a go ahead operator. Many post war buses only ran in Leigh for around 10 years but these AEC’s and the Lydney bodied Leylands notably fleet number 16 now preserved did far better.

Frank Taylor

29/04/13 – 08:05

Re lowbridge buses and tickets ; as schoolboys on RLH’s in London a damp ceiling and a ticket that was clearly marked NOT TRANSFERABLE was too much to resist.
It was surprisingly transferable, though of course , back to front.

Roger Ingle