EFE E15118 Leyland National Mk1 Long 2dr Crosville Motor Services

Description: The Leyland National was built with integral, modular construction and a rear engine. All components were designed for ease of construction and replacement. Until 1978, it was always built with a roof mounted pod at the rear, housing the heating equipment, which consequently blew warm air out at roof level. At first the pod was almost the length of a bay and appeared designed to give a Trans-Atlantic feel. In 1976 a new shorter version of the roof pod was introduced along with the battery being relocated to the front under the cab. The Leyland National was available in three lengths, the majority being 10.3 metres (33'9") and 11.3 metres (37'). It was easy to spot the longer ones as its main side windows were all the same length, on the shorter models the windows were shorter except for one in the middle (where the exit doors were on dual door variants) which was the same length as on the longer models. The third length was 10.9 metres (35'9"), specially produced for Australian operators due to stringent axle weight limits. This used the front section of the 11.3 metre (37') bus and the rear section of the 10.3 metre (33'9") bus. One 10.9 metre (35'9") bus (the prototype) was sold to a Scottish operator (Rennies of Dunfermline) and was fitted out to dual purpose specification for use on express services. The Leyland National was a simple design: all parts could be replaced. Some operators, like London Transport, bought dual door models, and then later configured some of them to single door. This was helped by the design of the body, the fact that parts were inter-changeable and that the bus was constructed using Avdelok rivets, specially designed for the National, instead of the more usual pop rivets screws or welding. The earlier vehicles were only available in a limited number of standard colours, e.g. dark red, light red, dark green, to try to match but simplify existing operators' liveries. This just predated the decision by the National Bus Company to standardise on two colours: poppy red and leaf green. The timing was such that several vehicles were delivered in dark red paint to Ribble, who repainted them poppy red before entry into service. At London Transport's insistence, London bus red was added to the colour card, and their fleet eventually amounted to over 500 examples acquired between 1973 and 1980. In 1978, Leyland brought out a simplified model (10351B/1R) intended to replace the Bristol LH which had been in production since 1967 and was a type popular in NBC companies for rural routes. It was available in a single length (10.3 metres; 33'9") and had a revised interior that had minimal lighting and without the rear roof-mounted heating unit in previous models. Heating was under the seats, and was basic but effective. These vehicles were lighter, and this characteristic and the lower cost helped make extra sales. London Country bought quite a number of these, which other operators snapped up when London Country was broken up. The Mark I Leyland Nationals had an 8.3-litre straight-six turbocharged Leyland 510 headless diesel engine. The Leyland 510 engine had an unusual design, in that it featured non-detachable cylinder heads; any work on the valves required the crankshaft and pistons to be removed to enable access from the cylinder bore. This engine did not prove popular with all operators, being prone to poor fuel consumption and heavy smoke production if not maintained to high standards. Some operators experimented with a different engine and found they could avoid the 510, which had the reputation of being a high maintenance unit and hard to work on. Later on a simplified model (10351B/1R) was offered, with an engine that was reduced in power to 150bhp instead of the usual 180bhp setting for the heavier duty version of the National. The first was delivered in March 1972 to Cumberland Motor Services (ERM35K) and the bus quickly became a common sight on British roads. Although develope...

Price: 35.7 GBP

Location: Arundel

End Time: 2025-01-10T10:34:50.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A GBP