Copyright Unknown

Booth & Fisher
1952
Leyland Royal Tiger
Leyland C41C

The first Leylands bought new (in 1952) by this Derbyshire operator were two Royal Tigers; SNU 234 had this C41C body whereas SNU 235 was B44F. Chassis numbers were 520911 and 520179 respectively. School journeys to Creswell swimming baths were often on this superb vehicle, arriving far too soon for me! About seven Leylands had gone before but all were second-hand, and all buses, so this one was special. The coach only stayed until 1963 and was later with McGregor, a contractor. I’m unsure whether or not it served any other operator in-between. SNU 235 lasted until around 1969 but I have been unable to find any photographs of this one.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Les Dickinson

16/02/15 – 06:57

Nice!!! Thanks for posting. I wonder if Oxford Diecast can be persuaded to do a model of this one. I asked a while ago about the possibilities of having one of MTD235, but their reply didn’t leave me very hopeful. Still, the comments from Roger Cox when the Ribble version was issued – wrong shades used – might help them to get further issued right!

Pete Davies

16/02/15 – 06:58

Les, have a look at the posting of Booth and Fisher 612 JPU on this site,
SNU 235 is just visible in the background. I have another slide taken the same day where SNU is in a line of 3 vehicles at the front of the depot

This design of Leyland coach body must have come as quite a shock after many years of coaches with curved waist rails. The later Ribble treatment of the lower front sill enhanced the appearance still further. Note the opening windows, they appear to be of the half(?) drop type and also the semaphore trafficator under the driver’s cab side window. The multi pane windscreen arrangement must have been a recipe for water ingress.

Ian Wild

16/02/15 – 15:47

Here is SNU 234 later in life with McGregor, contractor. Not a great shot but still worth seeing. I bought this five decades ago and photo is not back-stamped so I have no idea of copyright etc.

Les Dickinson

19/02/15 – 07:17

I am pretty sure this coach was with Cherrys of Beverly.

Ken Wragg

14/02/18 – 07:49

Yes Ian Wild you are right, the front faceted windows of the Royal Tiger coach do leak quite a bit and always did from new. I am currently restoring MTD 235 the Leyland demonstrator that was in Pennine’s fleet, it has wind-down windows and semaphore indicators below the cab – it is a very well built all-Leyland coach and a credit to the manufacturer. We have got the mechanics overhauled and am presently well on with refurbishing the interior – I hope the coach will be back on the road before too long. If anyone has any Pennine posters, notices, timetables, photographs and the like relevant to MTD 235 I would be pleased to see them to complete its history.

Phil Clark

14/02/18 – 11:23

Cherry of Beverley was the intermediate owner, SNU 234 was with them from 1963 until the sale to McGregor in 1966.

David Hick

15/02/18 – 06:14

Wonderful news, Phil. I hope to see MTD at the Tram Sunday event in the near future!

Pete Davies

15/02/18 – 06:17

Phil,
Many thanks for your update re Pennine MTD 235, after the sad demise of Pennine Motors I and many others wondered what the fate of this special vehicle would be, after it being in store with Pennine for so long. I know it popped up for sale several times and then lost track of it, so well done for taking on the restoration and good luck with it!! Hope all goes well. I eagerly wait to see MTD 235 back on the road ,at the Pennine running day at some point maybe ?

Mark McAlister

21/02/18 – 07:00

It is very gratifying to know that MTD 235 is undergoing restoration & it will make a fitting tribute to Pennine & Leyland Motors (indeed Pennine was a very loyal Leyland customer).
Does anybody know what has happened to the Plaxton Elite bodied Leopard which came to Pennine when still quite new when Ezra Laycock was taken over in 1972?. Pennine had put this on one side for possible preservation.

Andrew Spriggs

09/04/19 – 08:47

Thanks for the memories regarding the run from Sheffield (Eyre Street stop) to Coal Aston. I used that bus when I was 9 until I was 11 (1959-1961) as I used to travel from my school to our home in Coal Aston on the, then, new Firthwood Estate.

Chris Hunt

Ribble Motor Services
1936
Leyland Tiger TS7
Duple C31F

FV 5737, Leyland Tiger TS7, was new to W C Standerwick of Blackpool in 1936. In the post-war years, she was transferred across to the Ribble fleet and given this Duple C31F body in 1950. In the renumbering system, she became 753. She’s seen at the Winkleigh Open Day on 7 October 2012.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Pete Davies

14/02/15 – 13:03

It would appear that the petrol engine was changed for an oil engine at the same time as the re-body. It still kept its starting handle but I doubt it was ever used I have heard you could do yourself some serious injury if you didn’t get it quite right.

Trevor Knowles

14/02/15 – 17:14

These had been rebodied with 8ft. wide bodies, resulting in a nice looking coach, just spoilt by having to retain the original 7ft 6in. wide axles and resulting in the wheels being set back inside the wings and wheelarches. I suppose since prewar chassis were never built to the greater width, the wider axles would not be available as they would be with postwar models.

John Stringer

14/02/15 – 18:21

Trevor, I have heard a similar story about fairly serious consequences arising if the user of the starting handle didn’t keep out of its way!
Yes, John, it does skew the appearance a bit, but I suppose the other side of the coin is that the wheels are further into the mudguards, so there’s less of a "splash factor" for other road users to suffer.

Pete Davies

16/02/15 – 06:48

I served a 6 year apprenticeship at Ribble main workshop Frenchwood Preston till about 1961. I do remember foreman Sid Liptrot using a heavy chain to start a diesel Tiger, must have been mad. The petrol engine Cheetah sounded like a Rolls Royce. Probably best company in UK.

Raymond Hollebone

24/09/19 – 04:22

New in 1935 and rebodied in 1948 (I should know I spent my childhood on 753 rallying every weekend).

Peter Robinson

Copyright Unknown

United Oxford Hospitals
1948
Bedford OB
Mulliner B31F

Bedford OB NWL 804 chassis 91874, with Mulliner B31F body number T324 was new in November 1948 to United Oxford Hospitals and is thought to have been attached to Churchill Hospital at Headington. In this view, it appears to have bars at some windows in the same fashion as sometimes applied to similar buses for service with the police. Ironically, for a hospital bus, it is carrying a healthy load. Photo purchased five decades ago, copyright unknown.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Les Dickinson

05/02/15 – 06:32

Les, are you sure the bars are not just the frames of two half-drop windows ?
A nice little bus though.

John Stringer

05/02/15 – 06:32

Are they bars, or just half-drop windows?

Stephen Ford

05/02/15 – 16:27

Yes I’m sure they’re half drop windows as the metal tops to the fixed lower panes can clearly be seen level with each other. Considering that Mulliner bodies were usually for unpretentious working vehicles they turned out some very pleasing designs indeed – the hordes of Military buses, all three services, were grand looking vehicles.

Chris Youhill

06/02/15 – 06:44

This particular design of bus body for the OB was designed by Duple, being a development of the OWB utility body, and known as the Mk.II. After building a few, Duple found their production lines overwhelmed with building Vista coaches, and so in 1947 sub-contracted a batch of Mk.II’s to Mulliner’s of Birmingham. Two bodies are known to have been sent to Mulliners to assist in producing jigs. Following the sub-contracted batch, further orders were passed by the Vauxhall dealers directly to Mulliner’s, who continued to supply the design until 1950, very many of which were exported – especially to oil companies in the Middle East or South America. Dealers are believed to have referred to the Mulliner-built bodies as Mk. III. In 1949 Duple came up with a new, more stylish bus body known as the Mk. IV, and recommenced production of bus bodies for OB’s, being produced simultaneously with the older style Mulliners.

John Stringer